A R T I C L E S

An Alternative to the Spring Qualifying Cruise
by Jerry Freeman

The month of April is with us and ambitious skippers start to make plans for the dreaded qualifying cruise, I have serious reservations with the early season QC both from a safety point of view and as a valid demonstration of preparation.

Environmental Factors.
April sea temperatures have not recovered from winter minima, the southern North Sea is still only 7 degrees, the channel is 9 and western approaches are 11 degrees. In the middle of the month you can expect 9 hours of darkness at latitude 50 North. These two factors alone make qualifying in April a serious and dangerous undertaking. Stormy weather is the other significant element in the April qualifying cruise and it is a mistake to choose a date for the cruise in advance.

Much better to select a favourable forecast, and take advantage of the 'weather window'? Given this environmental background it is remarkable that so many attempt and some succeed in qualifying in spring conditions but we seldom hear about those who tried and failed.

Hazardous Triangle Scenario
Leaving the home port headed for open water may require 24 hours of sleepless watch keeping before traffic and hazards allow for some naps to be taken, with luck and good weather the boat may have travelled 160 to 180 miles in that time, the middle portion of the cruise hopefully will be made in relatively open water without hazards and in minimal traffic, then comes the most hazardous part of the voyage, the return to landfall.

This will include at least the third night at sea as traffic density increases and the land draws nearer. Inevitably the weather forecast turns out to be a figment of the imagination, sleep deprivation is clouding the skipper's judgement and boat speed drops dramatically on this un-favoured leg.

The nightmare scenario unfolds as land approaches, surrounded by shipping, unable to stay awake, the skipper makes navigational and tactical errors, beating in poor visibility, log entries dry up, total reliance on the GPS, perhaps a waypoint entry error? GPS navigator draws a straight line over a headland, autopilot holds course, skipper sleeps on.......?

Solutions
The solution to all these problems is to plan ahead, aim to make the qualifying cruise the summer before, preferably in racing conditions such as the Petit Bateau races or the AZAB for the OSTAR, the Triangle or Fastnet for the Round Britain race. Joined up thinking by the organising bodies could identify suitable qualifying races in the lead up to the major events and require completion of such races in a progressive manner rather than the vague and unstructured cruise that is the norm in UK at present.

The acquisition of sea time and experience in gradually increasing distance and order of difficulty was previously recognised by soloists with the AZAB and OSTAR running in consecutive years, unfortunately this natural progression has now almost disappeared with AZAB becoming largely two handed and refusing multihull entries while the date of OSTAR has moved two years away.

French Figaro racers are accepted into major events on the basis of previous performance in that series while the Minis have to complete a rigorous series of regattas and sail a fixed route 1000 mile course before they can even join the waiting list for the bi-annual mini-Transat race. Such a structured approach to a major solo voyage results in better prepared skippers and reliable boats coming to the start line, retirements would be reduced and a significant increase in race safety achieved.

Both of the most recent classics (RBI2002, AZAB2003) have suffered from multiple retirements as soon as heavy weather strikes, which is very disappointing for those whose holiday plans are thwarted and for fellow competitors and organisers alike. Contrast this with the French approach that has significantly reduced retirements through better preparation and open water trials and this in boats that are not easy to handle.

The prologue races that are favoured in France require the skipper to demonstrate race readiness before the start and to test their speed in close company. Contrast this with the frantic fitting out that accompanies most transatlantic and round Britain races, it is not unusual to see boats without masts in the days before a race and new gear being delivered by the box load.

The future may lie in a serious dialogue between the organising bodies to recognise and encourage a progression between races, building experience and skills as skippers work towards a safe and successful major voyage. Such co-operation would result in mutual benefits for all levels of event and require skippers to plan a campaign at length rather than a single big trip.

It Gets Worse
The mistake of deciding to do a QC in spring conditions is compounded if this should also be the first time that the skipper has sailed the boat solo, and worse if this follows a major refit that requires proper sea trials and perhaps the first time the boat has been sailed in open waters that season. All the gremlins that develop in a boat out of use over winter may surface in the early days of the season, if this should coincide with a solo cold dark QC than trouble is almost guaranteed.

And Finally
It will be interesting to review the results of the 2005 OSTAR where we have a mix of well prepared and tested boats racing against brand new boats, older but unproven boats, and inexperienced skippers in well proven boats. The attraction of a well-proven boat is often negated by the actions of the new skipper bringing aboard novel untested systems with the dubious intent of improving the old boat while actually introducing uncertainty.

Those American boats that are forced to cross the Atlantic to reach the start may be in the best shape of all, the skippers will certainly be in the groove by the time they reach Plymouth, our Italian colleagues have a similar logistical hurdle to jump.

The decision to enter an OSTAR takes many years to bring to fruition and it is therefore a surprise when skippers and boats meet for the first time only months before a start and set off with minimal mileage together. The investment in time and money of such projects would hopefully encourage a more measured approach.

The benefits of the 500 mile qualifying cruise cannot be disputed, it used to be 1000 crewed plus 500 solo, but to attempt that QC in April may be too early, but one year too late!

Jerry Freeman