All these years later I have finally read “Fastnet, Force 10” by John Rousmaniere. I have always known the stories and had read many excerpts. None of that prepares you for knowing the whole story. And the book reinforces my admiration of Rousmaniere. He is, of course, the author of the book most of us have on the boat, “The Annapolis Book of Seamanship”. I did not remember that along with John were other sailors that we know in that fateful race. Ted Turner and Gary Jobson were there in 1979 as well as former prime minister Edward Heath. Of the 303 boats starting only 85 finished. Those were the larger boats and the sailors mentioned actually outran the storm.
So in reading the horror stories of pitch poling and sailors trapped under the overturned boats I could not help thinking about Ladylove in those conditions. Or maybe Blaise' H37-cutter, he with a fin keel and rod rigging and ocean racing experience.
There is a chart in the Fastnet book that would lead one to a too quick conclusion that size and weight were the main factors. Of the boats over 39 feet(139) only one was abandoned. Of boats smaller than 39 feet eighteen were abandoned and five others sunk. But size, length actually, really is a major factor. The reason is speed, those boats were far ahead of those that suffered the worst of the storm. Our 37's would not have been up there with Rousmaniere on a 48 or Turner on his 61.
What would happen to my boat then in those conditions? How prepared would I have been? Are the jacklines strong enough, what about the harnesses and tethers(would the carabiners straighten as in the story?!), are the lockers really sealed, how fast will the cockpit empty, is she really prepared to be upside down? There were stories of failing or lost liferafts, sailors hanging by their tethers who could not return to the boat, serious injury from flying objects in the cabin, and washboards collapsing and letting in tons of water.
Now obviously most of us will never encounter anything like that. The Great Lakes are mentioned in the book of being capable of that kind of weather. But I think we are more cautious and closer to safe harbor than ocean racers. Still safety is something we need to think about. Just the musings of a snow bound sailor, it was -1 this morning.
So in reading the horror stories of pitch poling and sailors trapped under the overturned boats I could not help thinking about Ladylove in those conditions. Or maybe Blaise' H37-cutter, he with a fin keel and rod rigging and ocean racing experience.
There is a chart in the Fastnet book that would lead one to a too quick conclusion that size and weight were the main factors. Of the boats over 39 feet(139) only one was abandoned. Of boats smaller than 39 feet eighteen were abandoned and five others sunk. But size, length actually, really is a major factor. The reason is speed, those boats were far ahead of those that suffered the worst of the storm. Our 37's would not have been up there with Rousmaniere on a 48 or Turner on his 61.
What would happen to my boat then in those conditions? How prepared would I have been? Are the jacklines strong enough, what about the harnesses and tethers(would the carabiners straighten as in the story?!), are the lockers really sealed, how fast will the cockpit empty, is she really prepared to be upside down? There were stories of failing or lost liferafts, sailors hanging by their tethers who could not return to the boat, serious injury from flying objects in the cabin, and washboards collapsing and letting in tons of water.
Now obviously most of us will never encounter anything like that. The Great Lakes are mentioned in the book of being capable of that kind of weather. But I think we are more cautious and closer to safe harbor than ocean racers. Still safety is something we need to think about. Just the musings of a snow bound sailor, it was -1 this morning.
