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Safe to sail alone?
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tgruitt View Drop Down
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    Posted: 03 May 13 at 9:29am
I know this is a bit off topic but what is a "Duffers"? A google search says it's a person occupied in cattle raiding.
Needs to sail more...
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alstorer View Drop Down
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Posts: 2899 		Post Options Post Options   Quote alstorer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 13 at 9:14am
Jim wins Tongue
-_
Al
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JimC View Drop Down
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Posts: 6661 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 13 at 8:33am
Originally posted by fab100

But google the first sentence of Swallows and Amazons too. 


[pedant]

What "Roger, aged seven, and no longer the youngest in the family..."?

Presumably you mean the famous telegram "BETTER DROWNED THAN DUFFERS IF NOT DUFFERS WONT DROWN", but that's later on in the chapter...

[/pedant]
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alstorer View Drop Down
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Posts: 2899 		Post Options Post Options   Quote alstorer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 13 at 6:59am
Originally posted by fab100

Life is for living. The "should n't have been out there" brigade are part of the elf-n-safety mafia.

But google the first sentence of Swallows and Amazons too. 

Hell yeah. My point about swimming was merely being non-dufferish. Go sail solo, but like you say, be sensible about it. Don't be that guy needing his foiling moth towed by the RNLI from the middle of the solent after someone else calls them in
-_
Al
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Posts: 172 		Post Options Post Options   Quote dohertpk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 13 at 12:07am
Dear all,
Many many thanks for your responses. There's been a lot in there I wouldn't have considered without your input. A couple of key themes have emerged on the thread which I'll take to heart if I consider venturing out alone. I will certainly inform someone of when I'm leaving and intend to return, carry a mobile in an aquapack, and bring spare rope. Apart from anything else, I think staying inside the harbour and not venturing out into the bay is probably the most important thing I can do to minimise risk. Many thanks again; never fail to be impressed with people taking the time to respond on this forum.
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fab100 View Drop Down
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Posts: 1005 		Post Options Post Options   Quote fab100 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 May 13 at 11:57pm
Sorry, dup posting deleted

Edited by fab100 - 03 May 13 at 9:52am
Great book for Club Sailors here
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fab100 View Drop Down
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Posts: 1005 		Post Options Post Options   Quote fab100 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 May 13 at 11:56pm
Life is for living. The "should n't have been out there" brigade are part of the elf-n-safety mafia.

But google the first sentence of Swallows and Amazons too. 

Know your capabilities. Be aware that the wind blowing off the land makes it look easier than it is and vice versa. Know what the tide is doing and when - flood is your friend, ebb less so.

If something on the boat looks dodgy, fix it first. Tell someone where you are going and when you should be back. Take a cheap phone in an Aquapak (with a SIM that gets a signal in the locality). Learn to paddle your laser in no wind and contrary tide (lie face down on foredeck, facing forwards, one leg each side of the mast, and 'swim' it. Far faster than a paddle. You only need to get to a mooring buoy or some land you can hold on to until things change for the better.

Make sure the rig is tied down to the boat and cannot fall out if the boat turtles. (a class rule actually, and very sensible too). And make sure the elastic is sufficiently tight that the plate cannot fall out either.

Keep a decent whistle on a lanyard in your buoyancy aid pocket. Also keep 3-4m of 2mm dyneema in a pocket too - to act as a spare if a rope breaks. Run another spare rope as a painter, from the bow loop, around the mast and back and tied off as another spare and tow-rope.

If you are really worried, fit the boat with a hatch cover  and pouch and keep a flare in there (in a waterproof sandwich bag).

If something does go wrong (Murphy's Law), count to 10, don't panic, rationalise and act accordingly. Stay with the boat whatever you do. Don't panic is easier said than done, I know, when the wind is screaming, the boat bouncing on the waves, upside down, with the plate fallen out for example. Nevertheless.

If the toestraps break or you fall out, keep hold of the mainsheet and let go of the tiller. The boat may capsize but you won't get separated. Or break the extension.

Finally, Lasers are pigs until you know how to master them. Learn how to get the rig right and the chance of falling in fall dramatically.
Great book for Club Sailors here
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ohFFsake View Drop Down
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Posts: 219 		Post Options Post Options   Quote ohFFsake Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 May 13 at 1:02am
My advice would be to have a careful think about all the things that could go wrong and make plans for coping with the likely eventualities, then have a look at the forecast and as long as you don't have a bad feeling about it get out there and go for it. This isn't a rehearsal!

There's always something unexpected that can go wrong and make your day end badly, but the same applies to the drive home. Life isn't about eliminating risk, it's about mitigating it to an acceptable level and then, well accepting it and living!
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Posts: 1459 		Post Options Post Options   Quote sargesail Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Apr 13 at 11:13pm
I'd add that a mobile phone signal can be hard to find at water level if you are disconnected from the boat....but there is nothing better for maximising time float and focussing on what you and you alone need to practice than being out alone.
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alstorer View Drop Down
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Posts: 2899 		Post Options Post Options   Quote alstorer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Apr 13 at 10:32am
swimming even 500m without touching anything, especially if tired (which you'll be if you're in difficulties), wearing full sailing kit, and especially if the water gets rough, is not easy- something that you need to take into account. "swim for shore" is not a good safety plan!
-_
Al
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