Voyager Notes: Section 4: Shipboard Routines

ASA 108 Skills: Shipboard Routines

From the ASA list of skills required at the 108 standard: skills 17-21

We all have our opinions about these topics. I have mine based on experience and modified by circumstances. 

Shipboard Routines

A fundamental part of a voyage is to assign each crew an emergency task. Secondarily, each crew has areas of expertise to be utilized by the voyage. A good cook is precious, for example. Utilize that skill appropriately! The shipboard routine must include each crew doing those specific things to which they are assigned. The jobs should be assigned and inspected by the skipper.

Short handed sailors cross train. This is a "best practice" for crew of all sizes. No one should be the exclusive keeper of important knowledge. Many voyaging couples write about the natural tendency for pink and blue jobs. yet, the way they blend and are shared is interesting and seldom stereotyped. Before setting off, determine what the crew enjoy doing and/or are good at so that tasks can be divided in practical ways.

17. Describe three (3) watch-keeping systems and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

My first thought is that watches and watch keeping will change as the voyage progresses. Watch keeping is a function of many things and no hard and fast rules always apply: 

By way of an anecdote, I recall our Japan Long Beach trip on a 65 foot ex-racing machine. As we departed Japan, the wind built to 40 knots and the seas built to "really big and confused." For a while, it was four hours on and four hours off with three persons on each watch. The next day or so, we moved to two person watches of three hours on and six hours off. Finally, the watch routine moved to one person steering and everyone else "off." We were one hour on and five hours off. No doubt other sailors will quibble with our routine but that's what the skipper felt was wisest and those of us in crew agreed.

1. Divide the crew into two watches, each with a watch captain, and use the four on and four off routine. There are a couple techniques there to rotate crew mid watch by staggering the two watches in sub-watches. One example: A is on from 12-4. B is on from 2-6. C is on from 4-8. D is on from 6-10. A comes on again at 8-12 and so on. This allows for excellent knowledge transfer from watch to watch. It is similar to the two crew standing one watch together in terms of rest.

2. Divide the crew into two watches each, with a watch captain, and use the so-called Swedish System. One watch stands Noon to 6PM. The other watch stands 6-10PM. The first comes on at 10PM and stands until 2AM. The next watch is 2 to 6AM. They are replaced by a 6 to Noon watch and so on. This automatically "dogs the watch" and gives each watch a long rest each day. It is an improvement on the four on four off routine.

3. Maximize rest by arranging an ad hoc schedule that provides safe watchkeeping and allows plenty of rest. A rested crew is safer than a tired crew. A yacht that is able to be sailed wit one person on deck is not unusual. A watch routine of two on and six off with a four person crew gives everyone good rest. A unique signal (an air horn) by the watch stander calls the crew below on deck quickly. 

18. Describe alternate watch-keeping arrangements in the event crew members are incapacitated:

This depends on the nature of incapacitation. Seasick crew are often uncomfortable but not incapacitated. If someone is completely disabled, they are removed from the rotation and others must fill in. The biggest issue here is double handers. The now-single hander must be able to heave-to to rest or use autopilot. 

Avoiding such disability or injury is good seamanship. Accidents are unplanned.Planning away the opportunity for accidents is a captain's job upon which his/her career may depend.

19. Describe the duties of the on-watch and off-watch crew:

The crew on watch are responsible for operating the yacht safely. The off watch crew are responsible for themselves and their rest, in particular.

A routine must be established by the captain for various duties depending on the watch rotation. The four on, four off routine is hard on the crew who will be anxious to get enough rest when off watch. The on-watch crew, then, must be called on for maintenance matters and perhaps even meal preparation.

20.Establish a routine maintenance schedule to periodically check the following items:§  Bilges§  Sea cocks§  Rigging§  Hatches§  Helm§  Galley & supplies§ Fuel and water§  Machinery§  Safety equipment§  Electronic equipment:

      Situational awareness is the hallmark of good seamanship. It isn't something one sets up on a schedule, it is always a part of one's day. That said, some aspects of scheduling are practical. When the engine is turned off, for example, it is useful to look into the engine space and see if things look OK or not. Leading indicators are V-belt dust and/or oil leaks under the engine. 

      Bilges: Check at least once a day. This is the captain's responsibility. 

      Sea Cocks: Prior to departure operate sea cocks to determine that they work. Afterwards, there is not much to do besides keeping the open ones open and the closed ones closed.

      Rigging: Prior to departure make certain the rigging is pinned and during the voyage check that no pins are missing. This is part of the daily walk around the deck.

      Hatches and ports: Close hatches in compartments that are not occupied. If a cabin or compartment is being used and hatch needs to be open, so be it.

      Helm: The helm and steering gear must work faultlessly. If the helms person notices a change, address it immediately. Prior to departure the steering assembly must be inspected and found in good working order.

      Galley and Supplies: Assign one crew to the task of maintaining the galley and stores.

      Fuel and Water: Keep an engine log of hours run deducting fuel consumption from the total on board. This is the captain's responsibility. Water use is generally more difficult to measure. Tanks can sometimes be visually inspected. 

      Machinery: A daily inspection of machinery spaces is prudent. Prior to departure, clean the machinery spaces. A newly dirty space is the first indication something is amiss.

            

21. Set up a routine vessel cleaning schedule.
All yachts on which I make passages are kept clean all the time by each crew member. It is a common courtesy. You aren't home and mom's not mopping up after you.

Voyager Notes: Section 5: Emergencies

From ASA 108 standard, Skills 22-31

Emergency Procedures

22.Describe how to rig a trailing man overboard (MOB) line with an alarm.

23.Describe an alternative method of alerting the crew to MOB situation. State other emergency situations when you should limit the use of this device.

24.Describe what actions should be taken when a MOB is not located on the first pass.

25.Describe how to organize the crew for a routine fire drill.

26.Describe possible methods of jury rigging a vessel in the event of dismasting and what course should then be assumed.

27.Describe proper actions to be taken after a vessel has been struck by lightning.

28.List essential survival items to be kept in a standby kit in the event the vessel must be abandoned offshore.

29.Describe additional useful survival and rescue items.

30.State the dangers that might be encountered in a small life raft at sea.

31.List safety equipment that should be carried in addition to Federally required items.

The biggest emergency most of us can imagine is man overboard. Therefore, the most important safety precaution we can undertake is to prevent a man overboard from occurring. This starts with jacklines, safety harness and tether. The jacklines must be rigged so that they limit the distance a crew mcan "fall" to within the lifelines. Once over the side, your ability to be recovered is greatly decreased.

Short tether and a jackline near the centerline of the vessel are the two starting points for the discussion. The other habit to form is to travel on the windward side of the yacht. Secondaily, use the windward jackline to limit a crew's opportunity to get outside the lifelines.

The jackline is yellow and runs from bow to stern. A tip from sailing pal, Mike, is to twist the jackline making it easier to pick up. Granted, this is a narrow flush deck sloop and working on the leeward side while clipped in to windward jackline is easy, maybe easier than on a wide boat with a cabin trunk. The principal idea is valid, stay inside the lifelines.

On a recent delivery of a 43 footer, a jackline was rigged along the cockpit centerline. This allowed crew to clip in as they can up the companionway. It would have been almost impossible to have been swept out of the cockpit and over the side.

"Stay inside the fence!" as sailing pal Joe states.

22. Describe how to rig a trailing man overboard (MOB) line with an alarm.

The idea here is that if you fall overboard you will be able to swim quickly to the trailing line, grab hold and the line tension will sound an alarm or trip a device that will steer the boat to a stop. This writer is skeptical. I prefer a discussion about how to avoid getting to the other side of the fence.

Dodge Morgan sailed a big sloop, American Promise around the world in the 1980s. He was tethered to the boat, slipped and fell into the water astern of the yacht. It wasn't until the yacht luffed, for no apparent reason, that he was able to clamber aboard. He was holding onto the boat the entire time. The drag from his foulies and boots was enormous, he reported.

23. Describe an alternative method of alerting the crew to MOB situation. State other emergency situations when you should limit the use of this device.

I have often thought an air horn in the cockpit to be a good idea for alerting the crew below of an emergency on deck. Perhaps a whistle signal can be the non-emergency alarm.

24. Describe what actions should be taken when a MOB is not located on the first pass.

A. Keep trying. B. Enlarge the search circle. C. If possible, get someone up the rig for a look around.

There is no substitute to keeping the crew on deck and inside the lifelines.

25. Describe how to organize the crew for a routine fire drill.

Fire is a terrifying event. The first step is prevention which is part of preparation. Know where a fire might start and have a routine inspection of that area. On two occasions that I have seen a fire start, both were electrical short circuits that did not trip a breaker for some reason. Once the current was shut off, the fire was quickly extinguished. 

The crew must know the location of fire extinguishers and how to use them. The other aspect is to know the most likely place for a fire to start and how to fight that fire. For example, engine room fires are fought by flooding the space through a specially located opening in the engine box. Usually, the opening is located in the companionway step area.

A view of a companionway stairway showing the opening for a fire extinguisher nozzle. To use: remove the plastic plug, insert the firex nozzle and pull the trigger. This will flood the engine room with extinguishing material and put out the fire. As soon as possible, maybe even before using the firex, turn off the electric circuits and shut off the fuel flow. Don't open the engine room until you are certain the fire is out.

Turn the vessel downwind to minimize airflow over the fire.

26. Describe possible methods of jury rigging a vessel in the event of dismasting and what course should then be assumed.

Dismasting comes with a large set of immediate concerns. Among the immediate concerns are crew injury, hull puncture, and the change in behavior of the yacht which will make all work on the yacht much more hazardous.

First, account for the crew and stabilize any injuries.
Second, decide if the mast can be brought aboard or cut loose. Either way, a plan must be formulated quickly.
Finally, the crew must be extraordinarily cautious moving around the mastless yacht as it will roll much more sharply that before the rig came down. Injury after the mast is down are more common than before the mast fell. 

So much depends upon where the rig failed as to what can be jury rigged. Masts are heavy. A Tayana 37 mast was hard for eight men to carry a short distance. The same was true of a Tartan 40 mast I assisted with recently. Heaving either up on deck and securing it in a rolling seaway is virtually impossible. 

The method for cutting a rig loose is something to think through in the preparation stages. Tools such as hammers, drifts, hack saws and powerful bolt cutters are needed. 

27. Describe proper actions to be taken after a vessel has been struck by lightning.

First thing is to avoid a lightning strike by sailing away from lightning. Sometimes that is impossible so prepare your vessel by mitigating the risks from a lightning strike. The principal thing is to ground the yacht as completely as possible. While studies have shown that grounded yachts are not less likely to be struck, they suffer less damage than ungrounded yachts.

If a yacht is struck first check the bilges to determine if any through hulls are affected. The next step is to check for short circuits and the fires they may start. Turn off the electrical system until that inspection is complete. 

Studies by a university in Florida report that strikes to yachts occur most often in coastal waters. The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway is known to be a place where some yachts are struck each year. It is observed that one never sees a large steel offshore buoy with evidence of a lightning strike 

A couple of anecdotes follow. A 30 racing sloop with an ungrounded rig was struck while at its mooring and surrounded by larger yachts with taller rigs. The 30 footer sank quickly due to perforation of the hull. Surrounding boats showed no damage. A 33 sloop that is grounded was in the vicinity of a strike and the electromagnetic field (EMF) melted some wiring insulation causing short circuits, blown fuses, a blown alternator but no other damage. A large sloop that was hauled out at a boatyard was struck and severely damaged. No other nearby yachts were affected. It is thought that the hauled yacht's grounding system was "disconnected" by being out of the water. 

Abandoning Ship! 

Rule 1, Step up into the liferaft.

Three American sailors, Steve Callahan, Dougal Robertson and William Butler wrote good books about being in a liferaft and what it takes to survive. Sailors think they plan ahead and when the time comes there is no time to revise the plan and get a "do over." Life raft and ditch kit must be carefully thought out and assembled based on the persons most likely to be aboard the raft. In contemporary times, technology has diminished the likelihood of a disastrous outcome to abandon ship. As with so much about sailing, the individuals are the determining factor.

There are training programs that put people into a liferaft under controlled conditions. Comments from several people who have been through those programs report that panic is not uncommon. Practical experience is more than just useful. The human element is never minimal.

28. List essential survival items to be kept in a standby kit in the event the vessel must be abandoned offshore.

A satellite phone or SPOT type global emergency beacon to back up the EPIRB. During the preparation phase, register and test the EPIRB. 

Since dehydration, heat stroke and/or hypothermia are major risks, water, shade, and warmth are essential components to survival. They must take precedence in the ditch kit.

29. Describe additional useful survival and rescue items.

Keep the life raft working. "The repair kit has to be bigger and better than the one supplied," is a takeaway from reading the aforementioned authors. 

30. State the dangers that might be encountered in a small life raft at sea.

Capsize! Puncture!

As a salesman for a liferaft company stated, "you never spend any time in a life raft and wish you'd spent less on the equipment."


31. List safety equipment that should be carried in addition to Federally required items.

Yachts are required to have flares and life jackets. Other items could include immersion suits, global communication devices, signal mirrors, fishing gear, high visibility materials such as smoke, dye, distress signal kite, and plastic sheeting (sea streamer) are examples.


Not related to abandon ship are such devices as a drogue or sea anchor. The ability to heave to is essential. A drogue is also the best device for managing a lost rudder. You won't sail as quickly but you will go in the desired direction.

Reference materials and manuals are part of a yacht's safety equipment. Be able to solve problems be referring to expert writing. Even if you are an expert mechanic, a reference book will support your work. Same is true for so many other demands of a voyage.

Chatham Mass North Inlet

A friend got these pictures of a Gemini 105MC entering the North Channel to Chatham Harbor (Massachusetts, USA) on a day when the surf was up. The channel runs parallel to the beach for a while so the vessel is sideways to the break during part of the trip.

I think that catamarans are pretty good at this sort of thing. A few years ago I delivered a Lagoon 440 from the BVI to Newport, RI and had some really rough weather. Very uncomfortable and very stable. I was surprised and pleased.

This is a picture from the BVI's race week last year. I just like it. It always makes me chuckle.

Sail Training Tips for ASA or US Sailing

Thoughts about the sailing school certification courses known as:

ASA 103: Cruising

ASA 104: Bare Boat Chartering

ASA 106: Advanced Coastal Cruising

US Sailing Cruising Course

US Sailing Bareboat Chartering Course

US Sailing Coastal Passage Making

What else does the sailing student need to know? My thoughts follow.

Pictured: some ocean sailing yachts in coastal cruising environments. The question is, what is a cruising yacht and what differentiates a coastal yacht from a coastal passage maker from an ocean voyager. Aside from a few physical characteristics of yachts, it is really just how the sailors use the vessels.

Physical characteristics: cruisers are self righting and self rescuing and have some sort of accomodation for life aboard. By this we mean, a galley, head, and berths. The terms self righting means that the boat will right itself if tipped very far over, maybe masthead in the water. Self rescuing refers to a cockpit that drains into the sea and not the interior. In general, cruising yachts are very difficult to sink. Oh, they will when the hull is breached.

Stability is described with the GZ curve. https://www.sailboat-cruising.com/gz-curves.html

Basically, at what angle of heel will the vessel not recover. From the article in 

https://www.sailboat-cruising.com/ 

Definitely a terrific sailing/voyaging blog.

The Gz curve illustrates the relationship between the three key factors that determine the boat's static stability:~

• the Centre of Gravity (G) through which gravity exerts a downward force equal to the displacement of the boat, and
• the Centre of Buoyancy (B), being the centre of the underwater volume of the boat, whose upward thrust counteracts the effect of gravity acting through G, and
• the horizontal distance (Gz) between G and B.

The location of G is fixed, unlike B which changes as the boat heels and the immersed section changes shape.

As the Centre of Gravity and the Centre of Buoyancy initially move apart and then converge, so the length of Gz - the righting lever - increases and decreases.

This relationship between heel angle and righting moment governs the shape of the Gz curve and defines the boats static stability.

Artwork by Andrew Simpson

A useful site for comparing one boat to another is:  http://www.tomdove.com/sailcalc/sailcalc.html

We use this calculator to compare a know boat with an unknown. For example, we have an Aphrodite 101. How does it compare to a similar sized Pearson Flyer. Two numbers get our attention, the motion comfort value is low and the capsize ratio is high.

Enough about boats...

What about the sailors? 

The levels of certification offered by sailing schools generally is a measure of where the student is in terms of seamanship and boat handling. Sailing schools have their curricula. This piece is about the material sailors should know that's not on the list of "skills taught."

New Camera Trials

I am not a photographer, just a guy with a new Sony H300 and an interest in taking more/better sailing pictures especially on the subject of sailing instruction. Let's see...

Mainsail with very tight halyard tension, draft forward and leech closed.

Mainsail halyard eased, draft moved aft. Sheet tension as above.

Mainsail as halyard as above but sheeted hard, less twist in leech

Jib with minimum halyard tension, forward jib fairlead. Not much twist and lots of draft.

Jib with same sheet position and tension as above and more halyard tension

Jib with more halyard and sheet eased, fairlead moved aft, more twist.

Kite up and ghosting along.

Foredeck crew... in training.

Interesting results, after a fashion. I see the need for a plan and more notes. Pictures on the fly don't have much context.

Refurbishing the race boat

Haulout day. 

Wash, polish, wax the topsides. Paint the bottom with a water-based antifouling and repaint the red stripes. Shortly after launching, I got to really scrub off the deck and cockpit. So satisfying.

Not a race boat but... the skerry was made ready for the new mooring in Pleasant Bay. Now the grandkids (and all of us) have a little sailboat ready for use any day.

Comparison of the J1L and J1H. Those battens and roach add a lot to the power of the sail.

Stage Harbor, Chatham, Cape Cod

The skerry being used on the beach in Big Pleasant Bay