All yachts should have the means to go aloft at sea \u2013 and a crew member willing and able to do soWhat do you do if a halyard lock gets stuck? What if your spinnaker is wrapped? What if your mast track gets damaged and the mainsail won\u2019t come down?
\nI\u2019ve been running a webinar series based on various \u2018what if\u2019 scenarios with a community of performance catamaran sailors. Some participants were lifelong sailors, some first time boat owners, and some were preparing to start a new life as liveaboards.
\nEven the most experienced sailors might encounter new scenarios at sea. The best way to prepare for unexpected \u2018emergencies\u2019 is to break them down ahead of time, so it doesn\u2019t feel entirely new in the moment. Hence the roundtable discussions.
\nWe had been first addressing the immediate risk to the crew and boat of various \u2018what ifs?\u2019. Themes emerged. Most scenarios don\u2019t pose imminent life-threatening danger or catastrophic boat damage, but if handled incorrectly, can quickly deteriorate.
\nOne risk during any unforeseen situation on board is panicking crew. Most terrified people can be stabilised, if not calmed down completely, by a reassuring hand on their shoulder, looking them in the eye, calmly saying \u201cIt\u2019s going to be OK\u201d. Other tools include giving someone a menial task to follow so that they can regain a sense of control.
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to climb a mast safely at sea \u2013 masterclass with ocean racer Pip Hare<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOf all the things I have encountered over my sailing career, climbing a mast at sea is one of the\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSolo mast climb in a mid-Atlantic squall: Emma Richards\u2019 Around Alone<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn 2002, Emma Richards (now Sanderson) was the youngest person and the first British woman to finish the \u2018Around Alone\u2019\u2026<\/p>\n
Why waste time on a panicking crew member if your spinnaker is ripping itself to shreds? Well, you are unlikely to be able to solve that problem alone. Panicking crew don\u2019t listen. They might pose a danger to themselves. Their mindset might be infectious.
\nAnd for the boat? Think about how to press pause and stop things worsening, eg don\u2019t gybe or add excess side load to the track.
\nFiguring out how to stay safe and stabilise the situation was stage one of a three-stage framework we were using to tackle every scenario.
\nStage two is to assess the situation. Collect data that you might need to take further action. We came up with questions for each scenario: did you hear a bang? Wind strength and direction? What jammers are open? Any knots in lines? Is it a forestay wrap, or is there a spare halyard in there too? Any collision risks?
\nStage three is finding a solution. Ideally accompanied with a cup of tea and a biscuit to make up for the drop in blood sugar that follows a big adrenaline spike. To solve any of the three scenarios I set out at the beginning, this means figuring out how to get the sail down. And unfortunately, it might involve a mast climb.<\/p>\n
Even for the most monkey-like riggers, going up the mast at sea is no fun. Keeping yourself stable enough to work up there is extremely physically demanding and requires engaging muscles that most of us didn\u2019t even know existed. For short-handed crews, even just getting aloft might equate to an hour of CrossFit, either as the monkey or the \u2018wincher\u2019. It\u2019s going to be high, exposed, and near impossible to communicate (headsets are so useful). Then add a wrapped kite, or an overpowered mainsail to the mix, and it becomes (if it wasn\u2019t already) scary!
\nInitially, the horrified looks of the webinar participants didn\u2019t phase me. Everyone has an expression like that when faced with climbing 40ft up in a 3m swell. But then I realised, this wasn\u2019t just fear; it was a realisation that if they encountered a situation like this, they wouldn\u2019t be able to solve it. Because none of their regular crew would have the physical or mental capacity to get up there.
\nWhen faced with an obstacle between you and your dream lifestyle, it\u2019s tempting to brush it under the carpet. \u201cWe\u2019ll wait until we get ashore,\u201d or \u201cWe\u2019re cruisers so we don\u2019t fly spinnakers.\u201d But things are going to get messy if you have a full main stuck up the rig with a gale on the way. Even for the most conservative cruisers there are scenarios that might require a trip aloft while offshore \u2013 rig damage, wiring issues or skyed halyards perhaps.
\nMy closing remark to the webinar participants was straightforward. Any yacht out sailing must have someone on board who can, and is willing, to go up the rig at sea. They need to be in good physical condition for the task. There should be adequate equipment on board to go aloft and, ideally, the procedure has been practised.
\nIf you own \u2013 or sail on \u2013 a yacht on which going aloft is not something you could currently cope with, then source the extra crew member, buy the necessary equipment, and do a \u2018dry-run\u2019 on the dock before you next slip lines.<\/p>\n
If you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/p>\n
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The post \u2018Even for the most monkey-like riggers, going up the mast at sea is no fun\u2019 appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
All yachts should have the means to go aloft at sea \u2013 and a crew member willing and able to do soWhat do you do if a halyard lock gets stuck? What if your spinnaker is wrapped? What if your … <\/p>\n