A R T I C L E S

Ten Times Tougher
by Jerry Freeman

The die is cast, there is a great race to do in June and the qualifier deadline is May 1st, you have a new crew, maybe a new boat? Or both? 300 miles have to be done.

The cruise in spring will be ten times tougher than the race in summer.

The pre-race qualifying cruise is a vital part of the preparation for a major offshore event. In just a few days it is possible to learn more about the boat, the crew and yourself than in a whole season of piddling about in the bay. But qualifying in early Spring is a very serious, even dangerous, business. I have written at length on this subject before and with several big races in the coming season and following the coldest winter for ten years this seems like a good time to re visit the hazards.

Ten reasons why the qualifying cruise is tougher than the race itself.

1. Non-ferrous anthropoid
2. Black as the inside of a cow
3. Lunacy
4. Stranger Danger
5. Hurry up
6. Something old, something new
7. Missing presumed lost
8. French-Italian conspiracy
9. Current?
10. Long march

1 Non- Ferrous Anthropoid.
Since the last sail in autumn the sea temperature has plummeted from annual maximum to annual minimum. In the Channel in April it may be only 10 degrees, in North Sea 8 degrees. Falling into the sea will be extremely dangerous through cold shock making it vital to stay securely attached to the boat. Spray and waves on deck will chill the watch keeper who is caught unprepared. Air temperatures will be higher than sea temperatures giving a good chance of advection fog in warm front conditions. Clear skies may increase the risk of ice forming on decks in the early hours. The effect of the cold is to reduce the watch keeping effort as more time is spent huddled behind the spray hood or in the galley making yet another hot drink. Watches will be short, perhaps only 2 hours, resulting in less effective sleeps for the watch below. Multiple layers of clothing reduce mobility and increase time required for watch changes. A cabin heater and hot water bottles are desirable, while sleeping in hat and gloves is common. A Spray hood is vital, the wind chill factor without shelter as protection will make keeping a good lookout almost impossible.

2 Black as the inside of a cow.
Day length is increasing but there are still 10 hours of darkness at the beginning of April and 8 hours at the end of the month. One unfortunate person will have to survive two dark 3-hour watches every night, if watches are shortened to 2 hours due to chill then the burden is more equitably shared. 10 hours of navigation lights will place a drain on the battery that will require running the engine at least once overnight.

3 Lunacy.
The full moon on 13th of April rises at about 20.00 bst and may provide useful illumination over the Easter weekend, cloud cover permitting. The second biggest tides of the year, 105 coefficient, occur at the beginning and end of April .The convenient long weekend of Easter is blessed with average spring tides with coefficients in the 80’s. Bank Holidays and spring tides always conspire to bring gale force winds of course.

4 Stranger danger.
The co-skipper may be new to the boat, and new to you. Unfamiliarity with the boat will lead to problems when on solo watch or in an emergency. At best there will be a lot of shuffling about looking for items in the dark, the sleeping skipper may be woken frequently by trivial requests. The location of all equipment should to be identified and discussed. The normal operating procedures for the boat, starting engine, pumping heads, water supplies, gas control, GPS input, reefing wind speeds, etc etc. all needs to be fully briefed and written down to review.

5 Hurry Up.
Leaving work early to get down to the boat? Important items may be forgotten or overlooked in the rush to get away. The kit that was taken off last year is still in the loft? Missed the weather forecast? Diesel not available after 5pm? Are you really proposing to put to sea in the dark on the first long trip of the year?

6 Something old, something new.
Sod’s Law applies to boats early in the season, the trusty equipment of last season decides to give up the ghost, and the new stuff does not do what it says on the tin, perhaps due to operator error or faulty installation. Equipment that has stood idle all winter is seized up or corroded or damp or stolen?

7 Missing, presumed lost.
There is no set course for a qualifying cruise, so if you don’t know where you are going then nobody else does? How are you going to maintain contact with base just in case anything goes wrong or plans are changed? Mobile phone range means you may have to approach the shore closer than is safe or comfortable. The simplest way to solve the 4 point 300 miles conundrum is with a piece of string! Make a loop of line 305 miles long to the scale of you chart, lay the loop on the chart and stretch out the first leg, the options for two remaining points fall into place, blue tack helps. Can Raytheon do that? If you have a tracker the route will be plotted and preserved for all to see.

8 French–Italian Conspiracy.
Lead acid batteries are ancient technology concealed in mystery and sexy packaging. The only way to tell if a battery is charged is with a hydrometer! What the hell is that? It is a sampling device that measures the specific gravity of the acid solution. Cheap, accurate and it never lies. If it says ’half charge’ that is what it means. The batteries will be in a low state of charge after a winter of inactivity, they may take a week to come back on good shore powered charging system. If fully discharged they may never come back to full capacity. Volta and Ampere are in great demand, 60 hours of pilot, 30 hours lights, plus navigator and vhf, the battery loads will be higher than ever before?

9 Current?
If you were a flyer you would not be allowed out on your own after a 6-week layoff! Now you are proposing to make a long trip after a 6-month hibernation. Out of practice? I should say so. Not only will things take longer to do but also you may make mistakes that have serious consequences, Halyards around forestay? Sheets led under rail? Engine cooling water on? Navigation errors when tired and out of practice are common. Seasickness is bound to appear at some stage, even if not vomiting then loss of appetite, lethargy, and short cuts in procedures are all symptoms that indicate you do not yet have your sea legs and why should you? Medication to alleviate symptoms may reduce wakefulness and increase sleep periods, did the crew take something without you knowing?

10 Long March.
300 miles is quite a long way, it is important to be realistic about how long this will take, in a big fast boat with a good breeze and a route unrestrained by rocky shores or shipping lanes it is possible to do in 40 hours. But in the Channel starting from the Solent area in a modest boat with a westerly breeze it could easily take 3 days. There is nothing to be gained in abandoning on Sunday afternoon because you have to be at work on Monday or the cat has to be at the vets? It is important to approach the cruise in a relaxed frame of mind, it is not a race, set the delivery sails, and a high cut headsail to improve visibility forward? Start the watch system as soon as practicable, take good food but don’t expect to eat much in the early days, insist on lots of fluids, 2 to 3 litres per man day measured from water bottles not the main tanks. The symptoms of dehydration are headache and lethargy.

Stay dry, reef early, take it easy, have fun. Resolve to qualify in summer next time.

Jerry Freeman