As temperatures drop, Andy Rice gets tips on how to handle the cold from self-confessed Arctic weather fan and winning Clipper Round the World Race skipper Bob BeggsUnlike most of us, Bob Beggs seeks out extreme cold and is currently planning his next yachting venture into the Arctic Circle. \u201cWhen I was in the Commandos I did 10 winters up in the Arctic Circle in Norway, and quite a bit of time in Northern Canada, and I must admit I enjoyed the cold climates and the challenges it brings.\u201d
\nWhich is why Bob is the ideal person to ask what the rest of us should do when we\u2019re faced with cold conditions on board.
\nHis experience from skippering non-professional teams in the Clipper Race is that you design everything around minimising exposure to the worst conditions and keeping as few people on deck as you can manage, without compromising the handling of the boat.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s often standard to have someone dedicated to trimming the vang on and off, but honestly, how often do you need someone in that role? I\u2019ve seen people come off-watch after four hours, freezing cold, having not adjusted the vang once. If someone\u2019s not needed on deck, they should be down below staying as warm and dry as possible.\u201d
\nHere are Bob\u2019s five best tips for fighting the extreme cold.
\nMinimise exposure
\nModern technical clothing is very good but if you\u2019re going to expose yourself to the foredeck and you\u2019re doing big sail changes in heinous conditions with white water charging down the deck at 20 knots or so, you\u2019ve got to accept that you\u2019re going to get wet \u2013 no matter how good the gear you\u2019re wearing.<\/p>\n
So it\u2019s about limiting exposure.
\nIf a team talks through what they\u2019re about to do before they start going forward, then their exposure on the deck is less. Sometimes, when we\u2019re racing upwind and you need to do a headsail change, for instance, the tendency is to keep on pushing upwind because you don\u2019t want to give away distance gained. But, if you\u2019re quick, you can turn off the breeze and gain overall because you can get the thing down and get on with the sail change much more efficiently.
\nThe added and vital benefit is you\u2019ve limited crew exposure to the cold, the wet and the wind chill for much less time.
\nRun three watches
\nThe two-watch routine has been the most commonly used in the Clipper Race over the years, even going back to my first race in 2000. Personally, I\u2019ve always run a three-watch routine with the Clipper. That means there are fewer people on deck getting cold at any given time, but there are still people down below who can go on deck quickly to fill a role in those moments when we need more people on deck in a hurry.
\nSo, I have a support watch, a mother watch, who are doing the cooking, cleaning and maintenance. With 22 people on the vessel there\u2019s lots of meals to be cooked, lots of cleaning to go on, as well as lots of maintenance.
\nAlso, I normally give the watch leader the authority to rotate crew in extreme conditions, especially at night. As long as you\u2019ve got three or four people on deck you can rotate the rest of the team down below to try and get them re-warmed.
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Keep moving
\nI\u2019m not a person who suffers from cold, but if I do start to feel it, I\u2019ll do some press-ups or jog on the spot or do something to get the blood circulating. One of the best things to keep warm is to keep moving. I encourage a buddy system where each team member looks after a buddy. It\u2019s not unusual to go up on deck [of a boat I\u2019m skippering] and see two crew shadow-boxing each other, or doing squats or sit-ups while they\u2019re on deck, just to get blood circulating through the body and into the fingers and toes.
\nGloves off
\nI\u2019m not a big believer in gloves. I\u2019ve seen many types over the last 40 years at sea \u2013 they\u2019re great when dry, but on an exposed deck they become wet very quickly: wet gloves keep your hands wet, and you lose tactile awareness of what you\u2019re holding. The only exception is when you\u2019re helming and you\u2019re constantly exposed to the wind, getting hit by waves and getting soaking wet.
\nWhen helming your hands can get numb in 15 minutes or less, so we tend to wear the kind of gloves a fisherman uses for packing fish into ice. They have neoprene on the outside and are fleece-lined. Other than that, putting your hands in your pockets is far warmer than a wet pair of gloves.
\nFood for morale
\nGood food is good for your nutrition, but more importantly it\u2019s vital for crew morale. Not everyone can win a Clipper Race, and the people that signed up for it are not signing up for a win, they\u2019re signing up for the adventure. In an ideal world they can race AND win, but winning doesn\u2019t keep you nourished.
\nThis is especially true on a very cold watch, when a good hot meal or warm drink can really lift your spirits. Don\u2019t underestimate the power of good food and drink for raising the team\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n
If you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/p>\n
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The post 5 expert tips for sailing in cold weather appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As temperatures drop, Andy Rice gets tips on how to handle the cold from self-confessed Arctic weather fan and winning Clipper Round the World Race skipper Bob BeggsUnlike most of us, Bob Beggs seeks out extreme cold and is currently … <\/p>\n