Sailing without safety cover

During Feb 05, we were 2-boat tuning 505's off Hayling Island with Norman Byrd and Andy Davies.  The wind was Northerly and up around 25 knots as we launched.

A few hours into the session, we decided to turn for home, and being about half way between Bembridge and the lifeboat station, we faced about 25-30 minutes of fast upwind sailing to get to the boat park.

Suddenly we became aware that Hayling Island was vanishing under .....snow.  Yup, we were going to have to sail through it to get home.  The wind increased above 30knots as we tracked upwind.

At no time were we concerned, and neither crew backed off as that would have made us really cold...Dougal commented to me that he really wouldn't have wanted to be out there without another boat.

This set me to thinking about the comment regards rescue cover.

Who actually knows what their kit's limit is - especially in a "home build style of class".

I'll bet that we all fail to genuinely take account of lack of safety cover as an additional risk - because we mostly race with the kit, and view our equipment accordingly.

Is it appropriate that we all risk assess on "best case" basis?

At Kielder we are allowed to sail without a patrol boat, although if anyone has an accident we are sure this will be recinded. As a result we are careful.

We sail in a different way when there is no patrol, not pushing it, aware that there is no rescue service and that we are responsible for ourselves. Common sense dictates whether the conditions are suitable and we write on a board who is out in what, so that the emergency services would have an idea what to look for, should they need to if, say, a hurricane passes through!

We have had some interesting moments, such as rudder going in force 5-6 trapezing reach as dusk was falling, (really, we weren't pushing it!)  but although it was a long walk round the shore we got back to the club without accident or other damage. OK we should have sailed rudderless, but sailing water out of an Osprey when rudderless is not that simple - it seemed quicker to walk!

Ultimately we accept that we are on our own, prepare as best we can and take responsibility for it.

True. However the prevailing wind will, if the worst comes to the worst, waft you back to shore. I'd be much more careful in an offshore breeze. I once broke a UJ windsurfing around a mile offshore. An hour or so late I was back onshore, a little chilly but otherwise no worse for the experience. If the wind had been offshore, it would have been much more serious.

So it's all about judgement. The forecast wind and direction, the tides, the air and water temparature. I have had a young and skinny crew turn borderline hypothermic frighteningly quickly on one occassion (capsized without rescue boat cover) and I plan to never repeat that particular experience.

I'd take: some extra clothing. A few tools. Some money and maybe a mobile. Mini-flares are a good idea but I admit I've never taken them.

If I recall, in another thread, you've recently said that breakages "aren't your fault". Breakages are usually down to poor maintenance or poor crewwork. Better get both right if you plan to sail without safety cover. I hope I've learned from my own mistakes on that one.

There's a touch of irony about the fact that it tends to be the pond clubs which (due to their lease conditions) don't allow sailing without safety cover, whilst on the sea you're free to do as you like since nobody owns it.  On a pond you'll drift to one side soon enough, on the sea - well the other side could be a long way away.

When I was a teenager my school allowed those of us who were keen sailors to go home on Wednesday afternoons and take ourselves out sailing instead of playing rugby/cricket etc!

Mike

To Gary: