Wind
And Water Archives
(a collection of past on
line articles)
"Crew
Overboard"
prepared by
Marco Coda
The day has dawned
crisp and clear, the radio is forecasting a light to moderate
Nor’wester, everything promises a wonderful weekend of sailing.
Two hours out of Vancouver on the way to the Gulf Islands the wind
pipes up, the boat is well heeled over and everybody is having a
great time. Suddenly you catch a movement out of the corner of your
eye and one of your crew is in the water! How would many of us
react? Sure we’ve taken courses, maybe even practised in light
air. How many of us fully realise the seriousness of a COB? Or worse
feel like "it’s never going to happen to me, I only sail in
fair weather, I’m always careful," and so on...
My intent
with this article is not to
teach procedures but to take sailors who already understand the
basics of crew overboard recovery one step further. We all need to
keep in mind the possibility, no matter how remote, that this can
happen to any one of us and that when prevention fails readiness is
our best defence. By this I refer specifically to practice and
contingency planning. Thinking about what we’ve learned and how
well we understand the procedures we were taught and also coming up
with some "what if’s" that are rarely given thought. For
example: " Would that heaving line hanging from the pushpit fly
or would it end up as a polypropylene bird’s nest at our
feet?" or "What if the auto pilot is engaged when someone
falls over?"
As a cruising
instructor I have taught COB procedures many times and it has come
to my attention that there are a few general points that should be
further discussed. First, if we practice at all after our course, it
is almost always in fair conditions. While I believe that these
conditions are required to effectively teach and begin to practice
the manoeuvre, chances are that a COB will occur in less than ideal
conditions. It is human nature to want to avoid difficult or
uncomfortable situations and ironically they remain that way through
lack of practice. In the case of the COB manoeuvre we are almost
never forced to practice, with potentially dire consequences should
we ever need to use it. Reviewing the procedure in a book then
trying it is not easy. One way to bridge this gap is to use models
and practice the procedure with a bird's eye view. Plasticine,
available at the local toystore is ideal for this purpose. Working
through the steps in a controlled environment helps the student put
them together more easily. For the skipper and crew who have not
practiced in a while this is a good way to get back into it. Then go
out and practice, in moderate conditions at first but not ignoring
the obvious benefits of practice in heavier weather.
Under sail I feel
that the triangle method is the most effective because it will work
best in all conditions. There are a few points however that may not
be fully understood and are crucial to the success of the manoeuvre.
There are two common problems experienced by students when learning
and practicing this procedure. The first is not going to a beam
reach as soon as the alarm is sounded. This happens because the
skipper is under sudden pressure and may be confused by so many
things to think of at once. The purpose of immediately getting the
boat on to a beam reach is for the skipper to "get
organized" and go through the steps of spotter, ring,
pole,...etc. Four to six boat lengths used to be the rule
before the skipper would head up and tack. This is no longer the
case. Take only the time needed to get organized. This
"organization" phase helps to ensure success on one pass
and reduces the chance of a series of panicked and missed attempts.
The second problem stems from an instinctive desire for the skipper
to head straight back to the COB as soon as the boat has come about.
The aim is to arrive at the COB in control, stopped alongside to
leeward. If the boat returns directly to the COB it is generally on
a beam reach and making good speed. It is impossible to stop by
heading up at the last minute and the boat will usually overshoot
the COB. By bearing away to a broad reach and then heading up to a
close reach when the COB is abeam of the bow the boat is brought
back to the COB under control using mainsail only to control speed.
Does the use of power
have its place when returning to a COB? What do we do when motoring
in heavy weather in a power boat or a sailboat with no sail up? The
method for returning to a COB while under power is called the
Williamson Turn. As soon as the alarm is raised the boat is turned
60 degrees to the side over which the crew member has fallen. The
boat is then brought back around in the opposite direction and on to
the reciprocal course, the engines are stopped and the vessel should
drift to the COB’s position. There may be no choice but to return
under power to the person who has fallen over while motoring, but
extreme care must be taken as the propeller increases the risk of
injury to the COB. Some skippers while under sail may be tempted to
return under power. Trying to lower sails and motor back, especially
in heavy weather, further endangers the COB and remaining crew
members, it also presents the risk of fouling the propellor with
lines.
Finally, I want to
touch on the difficulties of recovering a COB. How many skippers and
crew have tried to bring an unconscious or injured victim back on
deck? There are many accepted methods, all having their own
advantages and disadvantages. Think simple to complex, get the COB
to help themselves as much as possible. Keep in mind that rescuers
often join victims as double statistics. It may be a simple matter
of throwing them a heaving line then recovering them through an open
transom. If the COB is injured or unconscious the degree of
difficulty and danger to rescuers grows significantly. The point I
want to make is that we need to think seriously about how we would
get that crew member back on the boat and then consider
experimenting with different methods under safe and
controlled circumstances.
Thankfully the
incidents involving crew members falling overboard are rare but they
do happen and we cannot hide from that fact and simply hope that it
won’t happen to us. This article has touched on only a few
"what if’s". The prudent skipper and crew will be able
to come up with more. Many things can be done to prevent such an
event but if we fail in this regard and are suddenly faced with this
situation we need to be ready. Looking at the big picture,
contingency planning and practice will all go a long way to ensure
that we are better prepared for that unwelcome, chilling cry.
Back to Top
"Gennakers"
prepared by Marco Coda
from
CYA lecture notes
The gennaker is best
described as a "full cut, loose-luffed genoa".
It is not symmetrical, as is a true spinnaker, and does
not require a spinnaker pole. On the other hand, it is not
attached to the forestay throughout the full length of its luff,
as is the genoa. The only part which is different from a
genoa is the "pennant", which is an adjustable line
attached to the tack, and run through a block on the foredeck to
a cleat. The pennant is eased and hardened just like a
foresheet to tension or harden the luff of the gennaker. Note
the hank.
Packing the
Gennaker
The gennaker is
raised from a bag called a "turtle" which is hung from
the pulpit. Since it is raised directly from the bag
rather than being spread out on the deck first, it must be
packed into the turtle exactly as you expect the sail to come
out. Note that the foot has a white tape along it,
while the luff has a blue tape and the leech either a red or a
green tape. This helps one pack it easily.
When packing the
sail, sit down with the turtle on your lap, and the sail spread
out in front of you. Organize the turtle so the top
flips forward away from you. Put the clew (where the white
and a coloured tape meet) under you on one side, and the tack
(with the pennant, where a different colour and white tape meet)
under your other side. Next, place the entire foot (with
the white tape) into the bottom of the turtle, making sure that
the tack and clew do not become twisted. Follow up the
entire sail to the head, packing as you go - a metre or so of
one side, then alternating to a metre or so of the other side.
Keep stuffing the center of the sail as you proceed, but
ensure that the colour side tapes do NOT cross. It is
important that each colour tape remains on its own side of the
turtle. Stop when you reach the head. Now fold
the head inside first, then the clew, and finally the tack (with
the pennant) on top of the sail and close the cover. If a
tie is provided, pass the tie through each of the grommets to
ensure the sail will not twist. If a gennaker is
raised with a twist in the tapes, it will not fly properly and
an "hourglass" shape may result.
Rigging the
Gennaker
-
Attach the
turtle to the pulpit outside the forestay.
-
Open the
cover and run the pennant through the block on deck to the
cleat. If a foresail is not hoisted attach the
hank to the forestay.
-
Attach the
gennaker sheets to the clew and run them aft through the
gennaker fairlead blocks attached well aft on the quarters.
Make sure the sheets run forward of the
forestay and pulpit. They should, in essence, be
outside of the whole boat. Do NOT tie stopper
knots in the ends of the gennaker sheets. It may
be necessary to release them quickly to collapse the sail.
-
Attach the
gennaker halyard to the head of the gennaker. Gennaker
halyards should be all rope - wire halyards could snag the
light cloth.
Raising the
Gennaker
-
Assign one
crew member to the leeward gennaker sheet and one to the
gennaker halyard. Give the command "READY TO
RAISE THE GENNAKER" and wait to hear the response
"READY" from the crew members.
-
In light air
the gennaker may be raised with the foresail
down. In heavier winds keep the foresail up and
raise the gennaker in the shadow of the
foresail. Lower the foresail once the gennaker is
sheeted in and attach the tack hank to the forestay above
the lowered foresail. This will take the punch
out of the gennaker and help to prevent the gennaker from
wrapping around the forestay. In contrast to a
foresail, the gennaker should be raised on a broad reach on
either tack.
-
Give the
command "RAISE THE GENNAKER". The
halyard is hardened quickly to raise the gennaker. When
the halyard is secured, harden the sheet.
Trimming the
Gennaker
The gennaker
cannot be sailed closer than about 60° or 70° off the
wind. it is essentially a downwind
sail. When you head up harden the sheet as you would
for a genoa and harden the pennant. When close
reaching the luff of the gennaker should be hardened right up to
the forestay for its whole length.
As you bear away
ease sheets as you would for a genoa and ease the pennant
allowing the tack to rise keeping the foot of the sail
relatively level, to set the gennaker fuller and
deeper. Thus on a beam reach or close reach the
gennaker's shape resembles that of a genoa, but on a broad reach
it takes on more of the balloon-like shape of a spinnaker.
The crew member
looking after the gennaker sheet should be constantly watching
the leech and trimming the gennaker so that the sheet is just
hardened enough to keep the leech from collapsing.
It is difficult
to run downwind with a gennaker. When you bear away
from a broad reach and approach the run, the gennaker will slide
across in front of the forestay and begin to
collapse. Best performance with a gennaker is found
in broad reaching, alternately gybing from tack to tack to make
headway downwind. Running downwind with a gennaker
can be accomplished quite effectively by running wing and wing
with a #1 genoa. Release the hank of the gennaker and
attach the #1. Raise the genoa behind the mainsail to
blanket it when raising while sailing downwind. Sheet
in the mainsail amidships so it doesn't interfere with the flow
of air to the foresails. The genoa will set properly
by itself and the flow of air off the luff of the genoa will
hold the gennaker out and prevent it from collapsing forward of
the stay.
One important
point - with a genoa or jib, if you get too much
pressure in the sail, heading up will relieve
it. With a big gennaker heading up will increase the
pressure because the apparent wind is increasing. This
could result in an uncomfortable broach. If the pressure
gets too much head downwind, if the boat is still
overpowered ease the gennaker sheets.
Gybing the
Gennaker
The gennaker is never
tacked - it is always gybed. With the gennaker and
mainsail up, sheet the mainsail amidships to prevent accidental
gybes of the mainsail. Sail along on a deep broad
reach, and command "READY TO GYBE THE GENNAKER". When
you hear two "READY's" from the sheet trimmers, swing
the bow through enough of a turn to take it onto a broad reach
on the other tack (about 20° to 30°). The crew releases
the live sheet and then waits for the gennaker to 'flog' out
forward of the forestay and gybe itself onto the other
tack. The crew then hardens the new leeward sheet and
trims the gennaker. It is important to keep in mind that
the helm controls the speed of the gybe and that the helm and
crew should work together to achieve a smooth gybe.
Dousing the
Gennaker
In light air
simply have a crew member on the foredeck gather in the sail as
the halyard is eased. In fresher conditions head the boat
up to a close reach, release the the tack hank, then the
pennant. The gennaker will stream aft where it can be
pulled into the cockpit by the sheet as the halyard is
eased. In heavier wind conditions it is advisable to
have your crew draw the gennaker directly through a hatch or
companionway to below decks. Be sure the stove and
heaters are off to prevent any chance of the sailing catching
fire. Also stow any obstructions which may hamper
your crew's movements or snag the sail and cause a jam or
tear. Once the sail is stowed in a safe position,
stow the halyard and gather in the sheets. On larger
boats (greater than 36 feet) consideration can be given to a
snuffer which makes deploying and collapsing the gennaker much
easier.
Repacking the
Gennaker
The gennaker is
then repacked in the turtle in the same manner as the original
packing instructions at the beginning of this article.
Back to Top
"Not
So Smooth Sailing"
by Marco Coda
written in the fall of 1997
While browsing through the
selection of cruising books in our local library the other night I
came across the title "The Trouble with Cruising". For
those unfamiliar with this book, it’s a collection of stories
describing some hard learned lessons over many years of cruising.
It was this thoughtful author’s intention to smooth the waters,
so to speak, for us of lesser experience. I once heard that
experience is what we get right after we needed it
most. For me a similar thing might be said for this book.
As a young boy growing up in
sail crazy Cape Town, South Africa, it was rather difficult not to
be afflicted by wild, enchanting thoughts of sailing adventures
taking me to distant exotic shores. Moving to Ontario in my early
teens did little to dampen the dream if not the actual reality of
sailing off over the horizon. Within eight months of having moved
to coastal BC the dream was one small step closer to reality as I
became the proud new owner of an O’Day 25. That was four years
ago. Now, looking back nostalgically as yet another cruising
season slowly winds down I reflect on the "experience"
I’ve gained. Inevitably on this wet, gray Vancouver fall day, my
thoughts return to quiet, idyllic anchorages while gunkholing in
Desolation Sound, or beating into a brisk northwesterly in
Malaspina Strait, the air drenched with sunlight and salt spray
merging to create a hovering iridescent arc on the bow. Just a few
weeks ago while making an earlier than usual passage through
Porlier we "ooohed and aaahed" at the eastern sky as the
sun broke brilliantly over the horizon promising warmth in the
hours to come.
Just as cruising has its
beautiful relaxing moments however, so too does it have its
moments of stress, anxiety and sometimes sheer terror. I once read
somewhere that with experience comes a certain peace of mind,
knowing that you’ve been there before and handled it, no matter
what that "it" could be. Well, after three rudder
failures on three different boats in one season, I’m not so sure
that my mind is at peace. I do know that I have learned from it
and that indeed you can make it home without a rudder albeit less
conveniently. A few years ago, after watching an inflatable dinghy
make its departure from the foredeck, cartwheel through the air
and land behind me with a less than graceful splash, I learned
that "double lash deck gear in heavy weather" has some
wisdom behind it.
That particular cruise was
an education in itself; cruising has its less tranquil moments we
soon discovered. There were two of us on board along with our
springer spaniel and a stowaway named Murphy. Our plan was to
cruise Johnstone Strait to Telegraph Cove where we would hopefully
see the killer whales we had heard so much about. As usual, being
a bit of a dreamer, I was expecting a nice relaxing ten day
cruise. After all this was our holiday. Our spirits high, we left
Campbell River with a light to moderate northwesterly and a
forecast of a strong high pressure system dominating. We made it
through Seymour Narrows uneventfully but soon found ourselves well
reefed as we beat up Discovery Passage to finally anchor near
Chatham Point. The next day became a repeat of the first. Once
again we left with a gentle breeze only to find ourselves well
reefed again within a matter of hours. For those of you who have
already cruised this area in July and August, a knowing little
smile may already be twitching at your lips. At this point I had
not yet clued into the vagaries of the strait during a prolonged
high with a warm spell over the interior. We finally came to the
conclusion that beating into northwesterly gales day after day is
less than relaxing and motoring into the steep chop seemed little
better. After we picked up some debris and overheated the engine
that option appeared closed to us too. The engine stubbornly
refused to start leaving us no choice but to sail back to Kelsey
Bay where, after having checked the engine and finding it cooled
off and in a better mood, we reluctantly turned our bows south and
gave up the fight. It became apparent to us that Telegraph Cove
was simply not meant to be and the whales would just have to wait
for some other day. Our decision to finally head downwind was not
taken lightly. To add just a few contributing factors to the
airborne dinghy and overheated engine, we had a DOB (dog
overboard), many broken dishes, a lost wetsuit and a depth sounder
that succumbed to a gremlin attack. To end this little anecdote on
a positive note, Murphy must have jumped ship at Kelsey Bay
because the next few peaceful days in Desolation Sound proved to
be much more like the ones we remember fondly on these wet, gray
days. By the way, the dog was wearing a PFD and happily swam back
to the boat as we lay hove to. So as they say all’s well that
ends well.
Generally speaking the past
few seasons have been good for me. Working now as a full time CYA
cruising instructor, the miles have been really piling up. There
are few things better for any skill than plain old mileage. I have
had the wonderful opportunity again this year to put in many days
in many boats and slowly my experience is growing. Finally now I
am just beginning to think that I may have accumulated some of
that experience I needed so much. Ironically, as I’m sure many
long term cruisers would agree, the more I learn about cruising
the more I realize how little I know. With this in mind however, I
hope that no matter what cruising troubles are put in my way I can
keep learning, gaining experience and adding miles to my wake.
Back to Top
Land's End Sailing
School
RR #1, CL-7
Bowen Island, British Columbia
V0N 1G0
Tel: 604 818
8984
Toll free: 877 818 SAIL (7245)
Email us at: info@landsend.bc.ca
Copyright 1997 Land's End Sailing
School. All rights reserved.
Revised: May 28, 2007
.
