Training manual 2004

TRAINING MANUAL

This Training Manual has been compiled for use by those preparing for or by participants in Races organised by Challenge Business. The contents of this publication are private and confidential. All rights reserved. No part of the following pages may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without permission from Challenge Business.

January 2004 Version 5. Š Challenge Business 2004. All rights reserved.

Challenge Business Training Manual

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................2 FOREWORD BY SIR CHAY BLYTH CBE BEM ...................................................3 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................6 BEFORE YOUR FIRST TRAINING SAIL.......................................................... 10 DEPARTING AND ARRIVING....................................................................... 11 SAFETY .................................................................................................. 16 SAILS ONBOARD...................................................................................... 21 MAINSAIL ............................................................................................... 22 YANKEE .................................................................................................. 34 STAYSAIL ............................................................................................... 42 TACKING AND GYBING ............................................................................. 46 SPINNAKERS ........................................................................................... 53 TRYSAIL ................................................................................................. 64 SAILING THEORY ..................................................................................... 66 TRIMMING............................................................................................... 68 SAFETY - MAN OVERBOARD ..................................................................... 77 SAFETY - ABANDONING THE YACHT AND SURVIVAL .................................. 82 SAFETY - ANCHORING.............................................................................. 86 DECK ROLES ........................................................................................... 88 HELMING ................................................................................................ 92 LIFE ONBOARD - WATCHES....................................................................... 96 LIFE ONBOARD - HUSBANDRY ................................................................. 101 LIFE ONBOARD - SEASICKNESS ............................................................... 104 CLOTHING............................................................................................. 107 KIT LIST FOR TRAINING .......................................................................... 111 METEOROLOGY ..................................................................................... 113 COMMUNICATIONS................................................................................ 118 RIGGING ............................................................................................... 124 MAINTENANCE ...................................................................................... 127 CUSTOMS AND ETIQUETTE..................................................................... 129 APPENDIX 1 OVERVIEW TO TRAINING...................................................... 130 APPENDIX 2 TECHNICAL DETAILS............................................................ 138 APPENDIX 3 KNOTS ............................................................................... 146 APPENDIX 4 FURTHERING YOUR KNOWLEDGE .......................................... 149 APPENDIX 5 DIAGRAMS ......................................................................... 151 APPENDIX 6 TECHNICAL INFORMATION (72 footers) .................................. 160 APPENDIX 7 RECOMMENDED READING LIST ............................................. 161

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FOREWORD BY SIR CHAY BLYTH CBE BEM

FOREWORD BY SIR CHAY BLYTH CBE BEM You have signed up for one of The World's Toughest Yacht Races and you have to be prepared for it. The only way to do this is by training and training for the environment you will meet. This means training led by us on the Challenge yachts.

It is imperative that you study this manual and take part in the training programme in the sequence that we have laid out. If you miss any part of the programme, you are jeopardising your berth position for the Race.

How much sailing experience you already have, or what qualifications you may already have achieved are immaterial. If you are an experienced sailor, and some of this all seems a little elementary - remember the ethos of the Challenge Races is to allow people to train for and take part in a very tough and demanding Race irrespective of their current sailing experience.

We have to be sure that we are satisfied that you have prepared for our Race. We cannot have any doubts in our minds. If you do not sign on for a sail, you will be asked by us to make a booking. If the Training Skipper has any concerns about you, he will address them with you and, in certain cases, recommend further training.

Over 70% of the World’s surface is covered by water. With the number of global sailing events now being staged, you could be forgiven for thinking that the sea is there to provide you with the ultimate sailing adventure. The sea should not be underestimated. Sailing against the freezing winds and gigantic waves of Cape Horn has posed the greatest test for seamen through the centuries. Techniques and materials for ship and yacht build have changed over the years, as have communications equipment, protective clothing and aids to help the sailor - such as up-to-date onboard weather information. What has never changed, and will never change, is the force of the weather and the power of the seas.

The secret of successfully surviving the course lies with the seamanship of the crew, and their care of their vessel. No one should ever be afraid to snug down a yacht in rough weather to preserve her for the next day. Keeping the whole equipage in full working order so that it is ready for an emergency is not just sound husbandry, it is good sense. As Andrew Roberts, Project Director, stated in his article The Ethos to the Challenge:

“In many of the world’s long distance yacht races, the will to win has overtaken seamanship completely. Obviously, there has to be a will to win any Race, but seamanship is of paramount importance. For this reason the Challenge training spends a great deal of time emphasising these skills”.

In an extreme situation, good seamanship will save lives. Challenge yachts are designed to meet the conditions they will encounter. It does not mean that they can constantly be sailed harder and faster than in previous events. Modern yachts are strong. Bringing them into their port of call in a condition to cross another ocean the next day is the true test of seamanship.

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FOREWORD BY SIR CHAY BLYTH CBE BEM

As with all sports, there is a very small percentage that will criticize, rightly or wrongly. We must try to minimise this as much as possible. When you are with the yacht or attending any Crew meetings remember you are representing the project. People will also want to ask you questions about the Race. Please help by talking to them. You know more about the Challenge than they do.

Challenge Business operates an open boat policy wherever possible. If someone shows an interest, invite them on board and show them around.

Do not, however, invite unaccompanied children on board. If young children come on board with an adult, keep an eye on their safety. There are of course many times the yacht cannot have visitors and common sense must prevail. Examples are just before meals, just finishing meals and prior to leaving the mooring.

Without a doubt - a large percentage of good seamanship is directly attributable to anticipation.

• •

• • • • • • • •

Be an aware person When on Watch - check all round you Will the sheets run in an emergency?

Check the mast, are there any sails chafing on the rigging?

Before leaving the mooring - is everything in place?

Before approaching the mooring - is everything ready?

Make sure there are no ropes hanging over the side Down below - make sure everything is secure. Latch doors to secure them Stow equipment in its proper place after use Don't chip the paintwork - especially easy to do with winch handles If you are thinking about it, it is time to do it (This is a big one) The longer it lasts, the less it's got to go (weather) Never open hatches more than 60°, apart from the forehatch If it won't shut easily, don't force it. Find out what the problem is and rectify it.

Don’t bang latch or locker doors

I hope you enjoy your time on the yacht, meeting your fellow Crew Volunteers and learning the techniques of sailing from the Training Skipper and Training Mate. The final points that I would like to make before you set sail are:One hand for yourself, one for the boat Always work on the windward side and always clip on to the windward side Never stand downwind of sails being dropped, including the mainsail Never stand on the boom

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FOREWORD BY SIR CHAY BLYTH CBE BEM

There is a lot for you to learn and understand. Of course, you cannot learn it all by heart but you need to have a general understanding if you are going to take your place as an efficient team member. Good seamanship will make your passage that much better, and that much more enjoyable.

Fair winds and good sailing

Sir Chay Blyth CBE BEM

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INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION CTION INTRODU This manual is prepared to assist you in your challenge of a lifetime. It is to be used as an introduction to help with your following training sessions, and as revision and preparation between courses. It covers many topics, many of which it only touches upon, and further information can be gained from your Training Skippers and Mates, reading other publications, and most importantly by time on the water. It has been written for sailing a 72 foot yacht. The principles for a 67 foot yacht are the same, but the practicalities differ.

In the manual, skipper has been used to mean the Skipper, or Skipper’s representative (i.e. the mate or watch leader).

Initially your training will concentrate on safety and basic seamanship, but as your skills and knowledge develop, you will begin to take on responsible roles onboard, and will develop racing and team skills.

The course content of each phase of your training sail is listed in the appendices, and should give you an idea of what is to come, and how you should be progressing. It also has a preparation reading and knowledge levels section. You should aim to arrive at your training sails, having read and understood as much as you can, and should aim to leave with the required level of knowledge. Your skipper will debrief you at the end of each training sail, and may mention areas that need to be worked on, which should help you to refocus before your next training sail. The more you understand about what is happening around you, the more enjoyable the experience, and the more you will have to offer.

Take an active approach to the training, always be aware of the big picture – you should be able to answer the following questions.

• • • • •

What point of sail are you on?

Which tack are you on? What is the land over there?

What is that light over there?

Is that vessel on a collision course with you?

What needs to happen if there was a man overboard now?

This may seem impossible at first, but with a little practice is do-able!

Ask your fellow crewmates these question during a quiet period, and if you are unsure, ask your skipper or mate for an explanation.

If you have not got much experience of sailing, then the training offers invaluable opportunities to gain practical experience – lights at night are a good example where the theory and the practice are two different activities, and only by actually seeing lights for real will you understand them in practice.

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You can also get a friend or partner to help with your challenge by getting them to quiz you on certain drills and procedures. They do not need to understand the questions or the answers, but will be able to make sure you know both, and this is also a way to get them involved. Other crew volunteers may be local, and a group may get together to do the same thing, or charter yachts out for practical training and fun. Communicate together, and see what happens.

Always remember, when you pull on a bit of string, something is happening at the other end. Look and see what is happening. Be an aware person. If a halyard or sheet starts to run – let go. There is no excuse for a halyard or sheet burn.

You should always be like a coiled spring onboard – if something needs doing you should ‘leap’ into action.

As well as studying mentally for the Race ahead of you it is very important that you are physically prepared. The Race will be very physically and mentally demanding, as will become evident on your first sail. We are not expecting you to be super-human but the fitter you are the more you will enjoy yourself and recovery from any seasickness or injury will be quicker. Fitness training guidelines are in the Crew Volunteer Information Pack.

The training staff will be training you for the world’s toughest environments, so whilst the training may seem tough, remember the sea is normally much tougher and (believe it or not) less forgiving.

You will get out of both the training and the Race what you put into it. It may not be an easy ride, but it will be worth it.

Three phases Every activity has been broken down into three phases, preparation, action and tidy. It is a good idea to do this in practice, with a brief before preparation and a debrief after the tidy-up. Preparation should be complete before action is commenced, and the tidy-up should only be engaged in once the yacht is up to speed. There is no point being on a racing yacht with all working sheets perfectly flaked out ready for use if a sail is flappy!

If you are asked to lead a manoeuvre, make sure your team know what they are about to do. A briefing in the cockpit is far better than trying to sort it all out when half the team is getting a soaking on the foredeck. At first a briefing may take 5 – 10 minutes, but after you have sailed together for a while, a brief for a reef may be as follows ‘Right, we are going to put the second reef in now, same places as usual, let’s go!’

Throughout the manoeuvre, you should check that your team are operating the yacht safely, correctly and together. If you see a problem arising, stop the action, sort out the problem and then start the action again. Watching a problem work to its inevitable conclusion results in damage to crew or gear.

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INTRODUCTION

Communicating When communicating onboard use the appropriate method. Eye contact and hand signals go a long way, so long as those involved know what they mean, and allows for communication to be conducted when audible signals may be drowned out. Eye contact and hand signals communications makes your crew look slick when arriving or departing a harbour. Voice communication attracts attention quickly (so long as it is heard), and allows specific details to be communicated.

When using this method try and have only one person speaking at a time, look at the person(s) you are talking to, speak clearly, and raise your voice as needed.

Keep your voice quiet in a marina or close to other boats, but if you need to communicate from the foredeck to the helm in a gale, look at the person you are trying to communicate with and SHOUT! Sail ties Next to your lifejacket, sail ties are your best friend. A good crew (especially the foredeck team) will always have one on them whilst they are on deck. When you go off watch remember to leave your tie on deck for the next watch. Sail ties have a habit of vanishing, so look after them – do not leave them lying around on the deck, and put them in your pockets rather than round your neck when carrying them.

When using a sail tie to secure a sail on the foredeck, wrap the sail tie around the sail only – do not secure the sail to any part of the deck otherwise damage to the sail or deck fitting may occur when a wave comes over, (the only exception to this is when bricking a sail when flying a spinnaker), and do not catch any lines in the tie. Use a slip knot to tie the sail tie.

When a sail tie is not needed, it should be stored by doubling it up twice then looping it through itself on the grab rails around the companionway.

Winches Winches should be operated as you are shown in the safety brief, but a few tips are given below.

When pulling a line in, have three turns on the winch. Any fewer, and when load comes onto the line you will be unable to hold it; any more and a riding turn is likely to occur (with only three turns on the winch, the wraps may occur, but these will always come out if you keep on pulling).

If you see a riding turn occurring stop winching, and remedy it. If you have caught it early enough you may be able to deal with it by easing out slowly. Riding turns come in two types. One type can be dealt with by taking the line out of the self tailer and applying tension to the line by hand whilst others continue to winch. The other type requires the line to be taken out of the self tailer, taken to another winch, and tension applied using the other winch until the riding turn has been winched out. Transfer load back to original winch and secure. Care should always be taken when dealing with riding turns as the loads are high.

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Never prefeed a winch – that is, never attempt to pull or ‘sweat’ the line in directly before it feeds into the winch. Even with only three turns on the winch, prefeeding will cause a nasty riding turn which will take longer to deal with than it would have done to leave the pulling in to the right person.

The ways of the sea When passing other yachts, give a smile and a wave.

Nothing is worse than seeing a yacht unprepared with her crew running around shouting.

Be prepared to assist others in danger.

The Challenge Business operates an open boat policy whenever possible. If you see someone walking down a pontoon, or showing interest, invite them on board and show them around. They, or their children could be the Crew Volunteers of the future! Do not, however, invite unaccompanied children on board. If young children come on board with an adult, keep an eye on their safety. There are of course many times when the yacht cannot have visitors and common sense must prevail. Examples are just after meals, just finishing meals, just prior to leaving the mooring, or when all the sole boards have been removed for cleaning.

You can also learn a lot even when you are not directly involved, just by watching the other members of your team in action – see where things are going smoothly or sticking and why.

Finally, remember in sailing as in many other activities, there is more than one way to skin a cat. cat The training has been designed to make the initial activities as identical as possible, but you will soon learn that there are many different ways to do some activities. Be patient, and do not overcomplicate matters, but as you progress try to be flexible, and adapt to different conditions and be prepared to experiment with different approaches. In the recent races successful crews have been trying out new techniques in the last legs or even days of a race.

Good luck and remember to enjoy the experience.

Important Note While every care has been taken in compiling the following information, the Publishers and Editors accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions, or for any accidents or mishaps, which may arise from use.

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BEFORE YOUR FIRST TRAINING SAIL

BEFORE YOUR FIRST TRAINING SAI SAIL L Before your first training sail, there are a number of things you should do and be aware of.

Firstly, knots! You should be able to tie the following knots: • • • • • • • • • •

Bowline Admiralty Stopper Knot Figure of 8 Round Turn and Two Half Hitches Clove Hitch Rolling Hitch Single Sheet Bend Double Sheet Bend Reef Knot Slip Knot

Make sure that you can tie all the knots towards you, away from you, in the vertical and horizontal planes, and preferably blindfolded. This may seem a lot to ask, but it will save you a lot of hassle in the long run. An old shoelace may be an ideal practice ‘rope’ for starters, but you should also practise on thicker rope, as this is also a stumbling block. Challenge yachts use rope up to 21mm in diameter for sailing – and bigger ones for mooring!

Make sure you have read the required reading for your training sail, and for your first training sail, also read the sections on clothing, kit and seasickness.

Learn as many of the terms and names as possible, and memorise the basic drills – even if they do not yet make complete sense.

You will be meeting other Crew Volunteers throughout the whole Race, and especially during the Training Phases; they are your team-mates. Working together is essential, and communication is key to this, as is playing your part. So, if you have been asked to lead a drill, LEAD! Read pages 32-39 of the RYA competent crew book, and learn each point of sail.

If you are unsure of what to do, you can always ask.

When climbing onboard, use the stanchions, not the guardwire to pull yourself up.

Use steps (if available) with care.

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Departing and arriving

DEPARTING AND ARRIVI ARRIVING NG When a yacht departs or arrives, it is a public experience, and great care must be taken throughout. A yacht sitting in harbour may also attract significant attention, but the focus will always be on any that are moving. Whilst training, the image you present affects how your Race, and associated races are viewed, and this is also true once you are on your race yacht, but you are now also operating as part of your race team, and should be looking to create an impression on other race teams, your sponsor, as well as the public and press.

Therefore, when departing and arriving at a berth, this should be done QUIETLY, EFFICIENTLY and in a PROFESSIONAL and SEAMANLIKE MANNER. NEVER SHOUT onboard unless absolutely necessary.

As with any other manoeuvres, preparation goes a long way. Make sure the boat and crew are ready and briefed. All onboard should know their job. Anyone without a specific job, should keep out of the way, normally in the centreline of the yacht (in front of the mast), in the cockpit, or on the side away from the dock, and can keep a lookout. Anyone with a job should also aim to keep a low profile especially when arriving. Remember the helmsman needs to see as much as possible, and often needs a line of sight with a crewmember on the bow in order to communicate quietly and efficiently. The crew should be alert and ready to react, as many things such as engine failure can happen. The crew should be aware of wind, tide, and nearby obstacles so that fenders can be ready wherever they may be needed.

When communicating, use hand signals if possible: for instance, to give distance off the bow to the helm, fingers can be used, or a thumbs up may be employed to say that the sliplines are all clear. Make sure those using the signals know what they mean! When voice communication is employed, it should be clear and simple: a call such as ‘Bow clear’ signifies to the helm that the bow slip line has been successfully retrieved.

Immediately after departing a dock, all the fenders should be brought inboard to create a clean hull (especially important for sponsors and cameramen). Once inboard, the fenders should be untied and then stowed. All warps should be coiled, stowed and cleat boots fitted. A log entry should be made.

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Departing and arriving

Preparation for sea When preparing the yacht for sea, the following things need to be done. It is a good idea to get into the practice of doing all of these before departing the dock; hatches can always be reopened if the conditions at sea allow, but hatches left open because it seemed like a nice day in the marina will undoubtedly result in wet gear or bunks. Some flexibility may be required; for instance, the skipper may want to leave headsail selection until after the dock has been left and you should always be open to this.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Instrument covers off Winch handles out Halyards moved to at-sea positions Mainsail cover off and halyard on All working lines run Headsails hanked on and sheets attached All sausage fenders singled up, and the two large ones on deck ready to rove Shore lines removed, and slips rigged Engine check Hatches shut Bilge inspection Stowage check Personal preparation Final walk round

When taking the mainsail cover off, always start at the aft end, so it is easier to put on later! When readying the halyard, ensure the sheet is pulled in as the boom is lowered and that everyone is clear of the boom. When attaching the halyard, make sure that it is not twisted and secure it with a Cunningham.

Before starting, check with your skipper to see what working lines, headsails and slip lines will be required, and whether the fenders need to be biased forwards or aftwards.

When running working lines, always start at the bottom and work upwards i.e. start with the fore-guy, then the headsail sheets, then the guys, and finally the spinnaker sheets.

When preparing headsails, always prepare them on the side opposite the dock.

When singling up the fenders, remember to only attach the fenders by clove hitches around the stanchions and leave no gaps.

When removing shore lines and rigging slips, it is better to use the shore lines as slips, so the yacht is always attached with bow and stern lines. Remember the slip may need to be rigged as a spring. When the slips have been rigged, any bow or stern lines which have had a slip rigged in their place can then be removed.

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When checking the engine remember to check • • • • • • • • •

Day tank level Engine oil level Freshwater coolant level Belts Seawater intake strainer The Separ filter for signs of debris or water General inspection for any leaks or loose wires etc Check stern gland Inspect bilges (any leakage is easy to spot there)

The gearbox oil level should be checked once a month.

When shutting the hatches, make sure none are forgotten, and that the hatches are fully dogged down and not in the vent position.

Inspecting the bilges is a simple inspection to make sure they are dry and clean.

To check the yacht is ready for sea, make sure that all items below are secured for sea. This includes doors, personal gear, curver boxes, any items in galley, saloon or navigation areas, toolboxes etc. It is also important to make sure that the stove gimballing is working correctly, and is not restrained.

When preparing personally, remember it is often colder at sea and may well be windier and wetter than it looks. it is often easier and more comfortable to take layers off, rather than trying to add them. You may also need a lifejacket. Make sure that any items you may need during the next few hours are readily accessible, and you know where they are.

It is easy to make simple mistakes when preparing a yacht for sea, so a walk round the deck to make sure nothing is twisted, led incorrectly or even missing is well worth while.

Just before leaving the dock, the engine will also need to be started (remember to make sure it is in neutral), but your skipper will ask you to do this when they are ready.

Provisioning with water may also be required, but your skipper will ask you to fill if required.

Preparing the yacht should take a well trained crew no more than twenty minutes, and all crew members should be able to perform any task.

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Departing and arriving

Preparing to arrive • •

Run warps Attach fenders

When running warps, you should run both springs, and a bow and stern line. If arriving onto a pontoon or dock, the outboard end of lines should have a bowline in, the loop of which should be about waist high. Make sure that plenty of line has been pulled through, so that if necessary it can be easily thrown. Ensure that the line stays out of the water throughout, as the engine will be on.

Fenders should be set at the correct height (try to get them all the same), and then brought inboard. They should only be repositioned outboard when requested by your skipper. The two round fenders should not be attached, but should be kept roving. When roving ensure the fenders are at the correct height.

Some of the final tidy up may be done at this point, but this will depend on individual circumstances.

Immediately after arriving at a dock dock • • • • •

Fenders should be doubled up Shore lines should be run The engine should go off (check with your skipper first) Any navigation lights should go off, and if appropriate the ensign dropped A log entry should be made

After this, the rest should also be done as necessary. Some of the jobs may have been done whilst approaching the harbour.

• • • • • • • • •

Sails folded and packed Working lines coiled and stowed Main cover on and lift boom to horizontal (position the traveller as requested) Halyards stowed Winch handles away Instrument covers on Deck cleaned Below decks should also be presentable Crew should be clean shaven and presentable

When cleaning the deck remember to ensure all hatches are shut first, and to clean properly, rinse off, followed by a soapy clean followed by another rinse off. Only use deck brushes for grey TBS areas. Use soft sponges for all paintwork and steel.

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Departing and arriving

When coiling any line, coils should be formed clockwise, three tight turns should be put around the coils near the top, then pass a bight over the top of the tails, and a long tail passed through the bight. If the line has a snap shackle on it, this should be clipped onto the tail just above the coils so it does not cause damage to crewmembers or the yacht. By always coiling lines in this fashion, everyone onboard should be able to uncoil a line in a hurry in the dark.

Crew should look like a well turned out team. There is never a reason to go ashore looking like a sailing bum.

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SAFETY

SAFETY Challenge Business has an enviable reputation for safety. This is the result of many years’ experience and regular safety drills. Accidents are inevitable, but the ability to minimise them, and to be able to deal with them appropriately and quickly only comes from a conscious approach to be aware of potential dangers, and create methods that minimise exposure to risk. Safety is one of the major concerns of the organisers of The Challenge Races and is a priority right throughout the yacht build, the training and the Race itself.

The safety of the yacht and crew form part of the Skipper’s responsibilities.

Safety and Rig checks onboard are carried out once a month, and before and after any long passages.

The safety briefs given at the beginning of a sail should be carefully listened to and followed. Make sure you are aware of the safety kit onboard, its location and use.

Be aware of the potential hazards, both on deck and down below.

Sailors have always been ready to assist others who need help, and this tradition continues today even if the yacht is racing, or the ship under commercial pressure.

If you know someone is in trouble in your vicinity, you should be ready to assist if needed.

PERSONAL SAFETY Personal safety is down to the individual. Everyone on board, however, should have a responsibility towards the safety of others as well. An example of this would be to look after other crewmembers by checking that their lifejacket is on correctly whenever you know they have just put it on – they will do the same for you.

Never get to leeward of a sail being dropped, hoisted or carried.

Do not hold onto ropes.

Make it a natural practice to sit or stand to weather unless specifically required to go to the leeside.

Lookout for others onboard, especially those involved in a manoeuvre, and those on the foredeck.

When on deck you should always have your knife with you and easily accessible.

At night you should also have your torch, emergency light and whistle.

Use the Safety Strops down below. Do not trust doors (if any are fitted) to hold your weight).

Never run onboard or on pontoons, always wear something on your feet.

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Look after all the safety kit onboard.

Lifejackets and harnesses Your lifejacket could save your life, therefore look after it. Challenge Business lifejackets also have an integral harness, which is used to attach yourself to the yacht.

Know which lifejacket is yours, make sure you know how put it on, that it fits correctly, is in good working order and how to use it.

When putting on your lifejacket, remember to do up your crotch strap.

Your lifejacket lifejacket should be worn • • • •

whenever you want to at night in restricted visibility when your skipper asks you to

When fitting your lifejacket, make sure it is not too loose, but allow for any extra layers of clothing that you might put on, and allow about a fist size gap so that after inflation you will still be able to breathe.

Challenge Business lifejackets should be inspected whenever a Safety Check is carried out, but it is also a good idea to check the one issued to you at the beginning of any sail.

To check it is good working order, inspect the whole lifejacket for signs of wear, especially webbing and reflective tape (do not forget your safety line as well).

Then unscrew the CO2 cylinder and make sure it has not been pierced. A pierced cylinder has been used, and is now useless. It should be replaced. When reinserting the cylinder, it is a good idea to have a small amount of grease or Vaseline on the thread to prevent corrosion, and make sure it is screwed down tight. Check that your light works, and that the battery is within its expiry date.

Finally check that it holds air by orally inflating the lifejacket, and leaving for at least an hour. If it holds the air, carefully deflate and pack your lifejacket.

Your lifejacket should be kept either around your neck, or on your peg in the foulie locker. Never leave your lifejacket lying around, and never loose on deck. If it is stepped on it may no longer save your life.

Crew who fall overboard, on any yacht, have often gone to the trouble of putting on a harness, yet have not actually clipped on, possibly the easiest activity of using a harness!

At night, clip on except in calm conditions.

If you are thinking of clipping on, clip on!

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Clip on up hill as the object of the exercise is to stop you going over board, and you are most likely to fall to leeward.

When on the helm clip on with care, care if you fall you are likely to pull the wheel with you resulting in a violent and possibly dangerous alteration in course..

Do not clip onto • • • •

the steering pedestal the pulpit the sheets or running rigging guard wires or stanchions

Do clip onto • •

jack stays fixed eyes, provided for the purpose

Practise being clipped on in calm conditions so that you will be better able to cope when the conditions deteriorate.

You should be able to go from the cockpit all the way to the bow without unclipping. (Hint: pass the lazy sheets over your head rather than unclipping yourself.) If you need to unclip to move to another jackstay, sit or kneel down, hold on with one hand whilst moving your clip with the other. If conditions are poor, you may wish to hold on with both hands whilst your buddy moves your clip for you. When unclipping follow your safety line from your lifejacket down to the jackstay as this prevents you from undoing someone else’s clip.

When walking whilst clipped on, walk your safety line as a dog on a short leash. If a number of you are going up to the foredeck, clip on in order and go together.

When it is rough, or at night do not leave one person on the foredeck – they should always have a buddy nearby.

FLOOD, DAMAGE AND FIRE There are a large number of underwater fittings (sea cocks) on board the Challenge yachts. Although sea cocks are normally left open for operational use, they should be turned off when not required. If a fitting should fail, wooden plugs, which should be situated by each opening must be hammered into place to prevent flooding.

Hull damage is normally caused by floating timber, containers washed overboard from ships and icebergs or growlers in the Southern Oceans. As this damage will normally happen at the bow, the collision bulkheads should prevent serious flooding.

One bilge alarm is situated in the engine bilge, the other in the main saloon bilge.

Both are monitored from the panel in the navigation area.

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SAFETY

The greatest risk of fire comes from a gas explosion as gas drains down to the bilge, and can form an explosive mixture. Gas bottles are stowed in the cockpit so any leaks should blow away harmlessly. Prevent accumulation of gas by turning cooker and grill safety valves off as soon as cooking is finished. A match must always be lit prior to turning on the gas for the cooker. Always wet the match before throwing it away. Bilges should be checked at the start of each Watch and pumped to disperse gas.

Gas alarms are situated as shown in Appendix 5, and monitored from the panel in the navigation area.

There are 6 fire extinguishers on board and 2 fire blankets. The fire fighting appliances are fitted as follows on the 72’ Fleet: • • • • •

Sail Locker Forward companionway (beside mast) Saloon/Galley area Oilskin Locker

- One foam extinguisher - One foam extinguisher - Two fire blankets - One foam extinguisher -One CO2 extinguisher Port Aft companionway (behind Bulkhead)- One CO2 extinguisher Aft Stowage Bulkhead - One foam extinguisher

The Carbon Dioxide Extinguishers are primarily for use in the engine and generator compartments, which can be accessed via the rectangular metal hinged plates, and therefore not letting too much air into the fire. The CO2 extinguisher should also be used on electrical and diesel /oil fires in confined spaces. Remember that a high concentration of CO2 in the air can be fatal, so any area should be vacated first.

The foam fire extinguishers can be used on all other types of fire (including electrical), except for diesel or oil based fires.

Fire needs heat, fuel and oxygen to burn. Cut out any one of these and the fire goes out. As always prevention is better than cure: Never smoke when refuelling or below Never discard matches carelessly Never let oil or waste paper accumulate Always report smells of gas or a gas alarm Always use the cooking appliances properly GALLEY A number of accidents on yachts occur in the galley. Special care should be taken when large pans of boiling water are being used or moved. Avoid filling the pan above two thirds full. Wear foul weather trousers and boots to prevent scalding in event of spillage, and be aware of other crew ‘below’ the galley.

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SAFETY

Make sure you are well secured in the galley especially when using knives. Keep all items in use wedged or on a non-slip material to prevent them from flying.

Face the kettle spout uphill. Only fill cups ¾ full, and use a container (like a pan) to carry the cups in.

MEDICAL Challenge yachts carry both first aid kits and comprehensive medical bags. Their use should only be authorised by the skipper, and their contents should not be abused. Any kit used should be replaced at the earliest opportunity.

Make sure your skipper is aware of any medical condition you are suffering from, and any medication you are on or take.

Minor bumps, bruises and cuts are fairly common on yachts, but more severe injuries can also occur. Being aware of the possibilities should reduce their occurrence – just try to look after yourself and others.

The sailing environment can cause two effects in particular: hypothermia and heat stroke.

To avoid hypothermia, keep yourself warm. If you feel that you are getting cold, go below for a while to warm up and let your skipper know. If you are very cold, you may even need to get into your bunk to warm up.

Heat stroke can be a little bit harder to spot and leads to dehydration and loss of usefulness. Make sure that you apply plenty of sun cream, wear a cool shady hat, and drink plenty when it is sunny. The cooling effect of a breeze can often lead crew to believe that it is not that hot really.

Dehydration can also occur even when the weather is not that warm. Make sure you drink plenty of water at all times. If your urine is a dark colour then you need to drink more!

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SAILS ONBOARD

SAILS ONBOARD The combinations of sail plan that a Challenge yacht can carry are numerous. The following points must be considered during the decision-making process about which sails to carry • • • •

WIND SPEED SEA STATE POINT OF SAIL CONDITION OF SAIL

A guide to the wind ranges for each sail is given in Appendix 5. As you can see there are overlaps, and this is where knowing the yacht and the conditions comes into its own.

Each sail has its own idiosyncrasies, and knowing these will help prolong their life, and also make the yacht go quicker. A good starting point is to have a guide to the basic settings for each sail, and one to indicate which combination of sails makes the yacht go fastest in any given conditions.

The genoa has a low-cut foot, and as such is prone to damage if waves break over the foredeck. This is one of the reasons the Challenge yachts normally carry yankees as a headsail, as they have a high-cut foot which allows the water to run underneath. Flying a staysail and a yankee also breaks down the sails into smaller areas, making it easier to handle.

The yankee 3 and the storm staysail have strops at their tacks. These lift the sail even further off the deck, allowing the water to run past cleaner. The trysail tack is lifted clear of the mainsail, and there is a large gap between the trysail foot and the bulk of the mainsail. This too is designed to allow water to flow through it without causing damage.

Your sails are your power; look after them. They must never be • • • • • •

Trodden on Allowed to flog Stretched out of shape Sheeted in before they are fully hoisted Allowed to rub (chafe) against the rigging (Chafe is your enemy!)

Left damp in a sail BAG (remember a salty sail never really dries)

Inspection on a regular regular basis should be a high priority Remember

NO SAILS = NO POWER = NO RACE Learn the names of the parts of a sail – these are given on page 31 of the RYA competent crew book. ©

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MAINSAIL

MAINSAIL CONTROLS The halyard is operated in the snakepit. Remember there is a two to one purchase system, so pulling in two feet of line will cause the sail to go up one foot! Make sure the halyard is not twisted when it is attached.

The mainsheet has a dedicated winch in front of the helm. Care should be taken when easing, as the loads can be large. When trimming in, the main can often be sweated in initially, with one person on a sheet fall whilst the trimmer keeps up with three turns on the winch. When sweating in the fall, keep your head below the boom, and keep all of yourself forward of the sheet. Never sweat with a leg either side of the sheet for obvious reasons! If the boom does swing across, let go of the fall and make sure you are safe, any load should all be taken by the trimmer with their three turns on the winch. Final tension will need to be winched.

A safe secure position for sweating the main in. Initially simply pull the line nearest you in whilst the slack is taken up by the winch operator.

(N.B. The winch should ideally have one more turn on it!)

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When pulling no longer works, hold the line nearest you at eye level, pull back and down, and then keep low as you bring the line towards the block, at which point the winch operator can take up the slack again.

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MAINSAIL

The kicker is operated in the snakepit. The line applies a downward force to the boom, and must always be released before any manoeuvre that results in the boom being lifted, and tensioned up afterwards. It is easy to forget, so make an effort to remember it. The other part of the kicker is the solid tube part, which supports the boom when the sail (or halyard) is not lifting it up. Care should be taken when allowing the boom to come down to rest on the solid part, as if it comes down too quickly (i.e. if a reefing pennant is released rather than eased initially), the solid part will eventually shatter.

When reefing or shaking out a reef, the easiest time to release the kicker is after the boom has come down and is resting on the solid part of the kicker. Pull on the kicker line by hand, and the jammer will pop open. Knock jammer forward, and the boom is now free to rise.

If lowering the traveller down the track, ease the windward winch. There can be a lot of load on this, so keep as many turns on the winch as possible. Once the windward winch is secure, slack can be pulled out of the leeward line. If there are any more than three turns on this winch, riding turns can easily occur. The traveller should always be kept off the end stops on the track, that is, the load should be kept on the lines. The end stops are there only as an emergency stop.

If required to move the traveller up the track, strip the leeward winch down to one turn, and winch the windward line to its required position. Secure leeward winch.

Before tacking or gybing, make sure that both traveller lines are secure, and have no slack in them. Also remember that after the tack or gybe, the windward and leeward sides will have swapped!

The Cunningham is employed by attaching the Cunningham line to the cringle just above the tack, and then applying tension.

The flattener eye is positioned just above the clew of the sail, and to use it, the first or second reef lines must be rerun through it and then tensioned. The flattener is always used in conjunction with the Cunningham.

The leech line is operated a couple of feet above the tack, and is secured by a jamming cleat. When adjusting leech line tension, always climb up the high side of the mast (use the steps), and if necessary put your hand through the gap between the luff and the mast.

A preventer preventer applies force to the boom, preventing its movement. The conventional preventer consists of two parts, and is only used when the boom is well out. One part is attached to the aft end of the boom, and is stored by wrapping it once around the boom, and securing to the kicker/boom attachment point. The other half of the preventer is the white and yellow fleck line also used as the foreguy.

The foreguy should be flaked out and released in the snakepit, and brought back from the foredeck outside of everything. Pass the foreguy over the boom (go the right way round) and attach it to the preventer. Detach the preventer from the kicker/boom attachment, and pull in on the foreguy in the snakepit. Tension up.

Other preventers may be fashioned for use in light winds and are led differently. Š

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MAINSAIL

Whenever the preventer is attached and tensioned, call ‘PREVENTER MADE’, MADE’ and whenever tension is released, call ‘PREVENTER OFF’.

OFF’ This is important as the helm and skipper need to know the state of play of the preventer.

The preventer does not prevent the boom from coming across in an accidental gybe except in light winds. It will delay the boom, and gives enough time to get your head down and sometimes enough for the helm to correct their course. In strong winds, some part of the preventer will snap, and there should be a fuse in the line (normally where the preventer is attached to the end of the boom), which should be designed to snap first, thus reducing damage elsewhere.

In the event of a MOB whilst the preventer is on, remember the main cannot be brought into the centre until the preventer has been eased. As always check with the helm before easing the preventer, and inform the helm and trimmer when it is off.

HOISTING It is assumed here that the main cover is off, and the halyard is attached to the sail, but restrained by the forward sail tie.

A good time for the action phase is about one minute!

Preparation • • • • • • • • • • •

Mainsheet flaked Traveller centred One crewmember standing by mainsheet Both runners forward Reef lines flaked out and un-jammed Kicker flaked out and un-jammed Check that the sail has no Cunningham attached to it Two crewmembers standing by the main halyard at mast Main halyard in snakepit should be taken to three turns on drum One (or more) crewmembers standing by main halyard in snakepit All other crewmembers in front of the mast, or behind the end of the boom.

If a line of crew is formed from the snakepit on the main halyard, it is important to make sure they will be on the high side during the hoist. Ask your skipper which side they should be on.

Action • • • • • • •

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Ask skipper if they are happy to hoist Check with skipper before taking sail ties off Pull on halyard Ease sheet Tension halyard with winch Trim in mainsheet Tension kicker

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InIn-charge The best place to stand whilst the hoist is in progress is the windward shrouds.

Make sure the crew involved are all safe. When skipper is happy, remove all sail ties starting from the aft end. Call ‘HOIST’ when the last sail tie comes off. Make sure the sail does not snag on anything (especially the top batten on the leeward runner) and check that the block at the head of the sail has not capsized. When the correct halyard tension is achieved, call ‘HALYARD MADE’.

MADE’ After the main is trimmed, ensure the kicker is tensioned.

Mast On ‘HOIST’, HOIST’ pull and sweat halyard. When winching commences, release the line at the mast.

Snakepit On ‘HOIST’, ‘HOIST’ pull sail up. Remember at the beginning all you are pulling up the mast is ‘two bits of string’, so no falling over! The aftmost crewmember in the line should also ensure that no line goes over the side, as the engine is still on! As the sail is hoisted, the load on the halyard increases so that everyone on the halyard can use their whole weight and strength. When it can no longer be pulled up, the halyard should be released by everyone except the crew directly behind the winch in the snakepit. They load the winch up completely, and the second in line behind them should insert a winch handle. The final tension is then put on by winching.

On ‘HALYARD MADE’, MADE’ stop winching, wait for the sail to be trimmed and apply kicker tension. If the mainsheet has been over-trimmed a little, pulling the kicker by hand and jamming off is a good basic setting, otherwise it may need to be winched in.

Mainsheet trimmer On ‘HOIST’, ‘HOIST’ take the turns on the winch down to just three and stand by. As the hoist progresses, ease out the sheet in order to keep the power out of the sail. On ‘HALYARD MADE’, MADE’ trim in the main as required. (It is often over-trimmed at this point to stop the boom from swinging too far for safety reasons).

Tidy • • • •

Pull the reef lines in by hand and jam Tidy away reef lines and kicker ‘Elephant ear’ and tie up the main halyard Tidy away sail ties

Hoisting with a reef in If asked to do this, simply attach a Cunningham to the correct reefing cringle, and make sure it is tight. See below for reasons to reef.

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MAINSAIL

Preparation As for hoisting a full main, and : Pull in all reefing pennant up to the reef required (if the second reef is called for, you need to pull in the first and second reef pennants), and load the required reef onto a winch. Do NOT winch at this point unless you are told to.

Action Hoist as normal, but after ‘HALYARD MADE’, MADE’ tension the reef line before sheeting in the main.

Tidy up as for a reef, with the addition of the main halyard.

REEFING Reefing is reducing the mainsail area by dropping it down a ‘slab’. The mainsail has three reefs and a flattener.

The sail will need to be reduced when the yacht is overpowered. This is normally indicated by an angle of heel of more than 25°, a lot of weather helm, or being unable to maintain a steady course. Reefing also reduces the load on gear and the sail itself. Reefing does not necessarily reduce boat speed; in fact, it often stays the same, and will sometimes increase. If the latter occurs, then you have left the reef too late!

The reef should make the sail flatter, so not only will the sail area have been reduced, but the amount of power (per area) should also have been reduced.

When reefing, ensure that the luff is always tensioned before the reefing pennant is winched. Too much tension on the reefing pennant before the luff is tight can easily result in damage to the sail or mast track – neither of which is good!

Similarly when shaking out a reef, always ease the pennant before spiking the Cunningham!

Sometimes you may also wish to reef (more) in order to give guests (on a corporate day) an easier ride, or in preparation for a blow, or in order to slow the yacht down (unlikely in a race!).

When putting a second reef in, use the spare Cunningham, and re-use the first Cunningham again for the third reef.

A good time from the call of ‘DE‘DE-POWER’ until the sail is re-trimmed is about one minute!

Preparation • •

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One crew to mainsheet Flake out main halyard

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• • • •

MAINSAIL

Load reef line onto winch with three turns Flake out kicker Two crew to mast Two or three crewmembers are required in snakepit

Action • • • • • • • •

De-power the main Ease the halyard and pull in slack on pennant Attach Cunningham Release kicker Tension halyard Tension reefing pennant Power up main Tension kicker

The ‘snakepit – multi’ crew member (see over) may not be deployed and if this is the case, the other snakepit members will need to ensure they look after the kicker. They will also need assistance with winching!

InIn-charge The best place to stand is the windward shrouds. Keep a lookout for people near the boom. It can be very tempting to try and ‘help’ the reefing process by adjusting the sail on the boom, but a swinging boom can be lethal.

Call ‘DE‘DE-POWER’.

POWER’ When sail is de-powered, call ‘EASE HALYARD’ HALYARD’.

Keep an eye on • • • •

The easing of the halyard Attachment of Cunningham Releasing of the kicker Winching of halyard

When correct halyard tension is made, call ‘HALYARD MADE, WINCH PENNANT’ PENNANT’.

Whilst the pennant is being winched, ensure that no sail is drawn into the block on the leech of the sail. If this is about to happen, you will have to stop the winching.

Ideally, the block on the sail should be winched down to the boom, and then pulled backwards to flatten the sail. Due to practicalities of the sail being in the way, this is not always achieved. Seeing the pennant may be easier from the stern, and the watch leader may need to adjust their position, or use the mainsheet trimmer. At night, remember to shine torches from aft forwards. When the reefing pennant is made, call ‘PENNANT MADE, POWER UP’ UP’.

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MAINSAIL

Mainsheet trimmer On the call of ‘DE‘DE-POWER’ ease out the mainsheet. Play the sheet as necessary throughout the reef. Keep the sail de-powered (flapping), but watch out for the boom swinging around excessively. As the boat rolls on each wave, you may need to sheet in as the yacht comes upright, and ease as she heels.

If required, communicate the state of the pennant to the watch leader as it is being tensioned.

On the call of ‘PENNANT MADE, POWER UP’ trim the sheet in.

Mast Pull down on the luff of the mainsail and attach the reef cringle to the Cunningham.

You may find it easier for both crew to be on the high side of the mast (one of you can stand on the kicker), and the other pulling initially, and then securing the cringle (which may mean a short trip to the low side). Communicate with halyard operator.

When this is done, call ‘CUNNINGHAM MADE’.

MADE’ Retire aft, give assistance in the snakepit if required.

Snakepit – halyard On ‘EASE HALYARD’, HALYARD’ lower main halyard until reef cringle can be attached to Cunningham. You will need to communicate with the mastmen as you are in effect working directly against them. Once the tension is off the halyard, and the load on the line is ‘only’ the weight of the sail, you can take turns off the winch as needed. Keep control of the halyard, and always keep at least one turn on the winch. Having the halyard marked with a rough guide as to where the reef needs to be gives confidence to the operator, allowing quicker reefs.

On ‘CUNNINGHAM MADE’ MADE’, load up winch, and grind until you hear ‘HALYARD MADE, WINCH PENNANT’.

PENNANT’ Snakepit – reefing pennant On ‘EASE HALYARD’, HALYARD’ pull in reefing pennant as much as you can by hand, until after you hear ‘CUNNINGHAM MADE’, and you cannot pull any more, then load up ‘CUNNINGHAM MADE’ your winch and insert winch handle.

On ‘HALYARD MADE, WINCH PENNANT’, PENNANT’ winch the pennant until you hear ‘PENNANT MADE, POWER UP’.

UP’ Snakepit – multi As the halyard is eased, pull on the kicker by hand and knock the jammer open.

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MAINSAIL

Assist with winching the main halyard back up.

Assist with winching the reefing pennant (unless a mastman is helping there).

On ‘PENNANT MADE, POWER UP’, UP’ make sure the kicker is re-tensioned sufficiently. Upwind, after the main has been re-powered it may be sufficient to pull in by hand, but off the wind you will have to winch it.

Tidy • • •

Pull in any loose pennants and jam Tidy up the halyard, pennants and kicker Flake sheet

When pulling in the pennants, ensure that they are not twisted around the end of the boom, and have not ‘fallen off’ the aft end of the sail. Ideally, a crew should hold the pennant under its boom fixing point, to ensure that it scoops up the bunt of the sail. If the pennant has fallen off the aft end of the sail and it is not remedied, putting in the next reef may result in damage to the sail, and the shape will not be ideal.

Note The above procedure can only be employed when the yacht is between beam reaching and close hauled. Any further off the wind, the main is already fully eased, and other techniques will be needed. There are also quicker methods to reef, so be open to them when you join your Race crew.

SHAKING OUT A REEF A good time from the call of ‘DE‘DE-POWER’ until the sail is re-trimmed is about one minute!

Preparation • • • • • • • •

One crew to mainsheet Three crewmembers are required in snakepit Flake out reefing pennants (the one to be shaken out, and any higher reefs) Load reefing pennant (the one to be shaken out) onto winch and open jammer Flake out kicker One crew to mast Check that the spare Cunningham is attached to the correct reef cringle

Action • • •

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De-power the main Ease the reefing pennant until the boom is resting on the kicker Take reefing pennant off the winch (leave no turns on the winch)

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• • • • •

MAINSAIL

Spike Cunningham Release kicker Winch up halyard Power up main Tension kicker

When preparing the reefing pennants, flake out the reefing pennant of the reef to be shaken out, and those above, so when • • •

going from third reef to second, load the third reef onto the winch, open the jammer and flake it out going from second reef to first, load the second reef onto the winch, open the jammer and flake it and the third pennant out going from first reef to full main, load the first reef onto the winch, open the jammer and flake it and the second and third pennants out

There may be times when you miss out a reef and go from two reefs to full main for instance, and in this case you can ‘shake out’ the first reef before shaking out the second reef. This will save time and prevent confusion.

InIn-charge The best place to stand is the windward shrouds. Keep a lookout for people near the boom, remember a swinging boom can be lethal.

Call ‘DE‘DE-POWER’.

POWER’ When sail is de-powered, call ‘EASE PENNANT’.

PENNANT’ When the pennant is being taken off the winch, call ‘SPIKE CUNNINGHAM, RELEASE KICKER.’ When the Cunningham has been spiked, encourage the snakepit crew to winch the halyard up as quickly as they can.

When correct halyard tension is made, call ‘HALYARD MADE, POWER UP’.

Ensure that the kicker is re-applied as needed as the main is powered up.

Mainsheet trimmer On the call of ‘DE‘DE-POWER’ ease out the mainsheet. Play the sheet as necessary throughout. Keep the sail de-powered (flapping), but watch out for the boom swinging around excessively. As the boat rolls on each wave, you may need to sheet in as the yacht comes upright, and ease as she heels.

On the call of ‘HALYARD MADE, POWER UP’ trim the sheet in.

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MAINSAIL

Snakepit – reefing pennant On ‘EASE PENNANT’, PENNANT’ ease the reefing pennant until the weight of the boom is supported by the kicker. Then clear the pennant completely off the winch to reduce friction. On ‘SPIKE CUNNINGHAM, RELEASE KICKER’ release the kicker, and make sure that all reefing lines that are needed are running freely.

On ‘HALYA HALYARD RD MADE, POWER UP’ UP’, tension the kicker as needed.

Mast On ‘SPIKE CUNNINGHAM’ spike the Cunningham (make sure you get the correct one) call ‘CUNNINGHAM SPIKED’ SPIKED’, and then standby to help in the snakepit if needed.

Snakepit – halyard On ‘CUNNINGHAM SPIKED’ SPIKED’, winch the main halyard up. Remember to rotate as needed to keep the rate of hoist as quick as possible.

On ‘HALYARD MADE’, MADE’ stop winching.

Tidy • • •

Pull in any loose pennants and jam Tidy up the halyard, pennants and kicker Flake sheet

The above method can be used on any point of sail, although when going downwind the sheet should not be used to de-power. The sheet should be trimmed in a little to bring the sail off the shrouds (if needed), the reefing pennant and kicker should be eased and then the Cunningham spiked, and main winched up.

The tables on the following page summarise the actions for reefing and shaking out a reef.

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MAINSAIL

REEFING IN CHARGE

MAIN SHEET

SNAKEPIT (HALYARD)

SNAKEPIT (PENNANT)

MAST

One crew

One crew for easing Two for powering up

One crew

One/Two crew

Two crew

‘DE‘DE-POWER’

Ease sheet

Wait

‘EASE HALYARD’

Keep sail depowered

‘CUNNINGHAM MADE’

Keep sail depowered

‘HALYARD MADE, WINCH PENNANT’ ‘PENNANT MADE, POWER UP’

Keep sail depowered Trim main

Wait Wait Release kicker. Pull sail down and Ease halyard Pull in slack on clip Cunningham pennant to cringle Load up Call Tension pennant onto ‘CUNNINGHAM halyard winch MADE’ Help on Winch pennant Retire pennant RAPIDLY! if needed Tension kicker kicker, then tidy

SHAKING OUT A REEF IN CHARGE

MAIN SHEET

SNAKEPIT (HALYARD)

SNAKEPIT (PENNANT)

MAST

One crew

One crew for easing Two for powering up

Two crew

One crew

One crew

‘DE‘DE-POWER’

Ease sheet

Wait

Wait

Wait

‘EASE PENNANT’

Keep sail depowered

Wait

Ease pennant Release pennant

Wait

‘SPIKE CUNNINGHAM, RELEASE KICKER’ ‘HALYARD MADE, POWER UP’

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Keep sail depowered

Release kicker Winch halyard Ensure pennants run RAPIDLY! freely

Spike Cunningham and call ‘CUNNINGHAM CUNNINGHAM SPIKED’

Trim main

Tension kicker, kicker then tidy

Retire

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MAINSAIL

DROPPING Preparation Preparation • • • •

Flake halyard Two crew to mast One crew to halyard at mast One on mainsheet

The two crew at mast should wait until just before the sail is dropped, and then climb up the mast steps.

Action • • •

Ease halyard Pull in mainsheet Haul down on luff

When easing the halyard, start slowly, and then progress to easing hand over hand taking turns off as necessary (keep at least one turn on the winch). When the sail is down, be careful not to let too much of the halyard out, and watch out for it wrapping around the shrouds.

When hauling down on the luff, alternate the sides of the boom the luff is folded onto. Change side every time you reach a car. (Cars are the sliders that run up and down the track). The crew on the halyard at the mast can assist in the drop, by pulling the halyard from the snakepit and hence reducing the friction the crew on the mast-steps have to deal with.

Tidy • • • •

Move halyard Flake sail Cover sail Lift boom

Before removing the halyard from the sail, make sure the crewman at deck level is holding the halyard. Do not drop the shackle or its pin.

Before flaking the sail, ease any reef lines that were being used, and pull out the slack at the aft end of the boom. This will reduce friction when next hoisting.

Make sure that the luff cringles are not clipped to the Cunninghams. Pull the glass hatch over the companionway so no-one falls down it.

When covering, start from the mast end and do not allow the cover to blow away.

When lifting the boom, remember to have the kicker released, and keep people clear of the boom.

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YANKEE

YANKEE HOISTING It is assumed here that the sail is hanked on, the halyard is attached to the sail and restrained by the halyard strop, the sheets are on and at least one sail tie is around the sail.

Preparation • • • • • • • • • • •

Check sail is on the leeward side Check car position Check bowlines Put clew over the guard wires Place lazy sheet over top of staysail Remove sail ties Check halyard is not twisted Prepare halyard in snakepit One crew at forestay with spike Two crew to mast Standby sheet

The crew going to the forestay normally does the foredeck preparation on the way (they might need a hand moving the sail if it is on the wrong side), and when ready positions themselves in front of the forestay facing aft, spike ready but not near the shackle.

The halyard and sheet winches should both have three turns on and the halyard jammer released.

Action • • • •

Check with helm/skipper Spike halyard strop Hoist sail Power up sail

In charge A good place to stand is by the windward shrouds. Check with the bow, mast, snakepit, sheet to make sure they are ready. Then check with the helm/skipper.

When they indicate they are happy, call ‘SPIKE’ ‘SPIKE’. Keep an eye on the sail as it is hoisted to check there are no snags or twists. A call when the hoisting team should transfer from pulling to winching is helpful, and when sufficient halyard tension has been achieved, call ‘HALYARD MADE’ MADE’. Then call the trim.

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Bow On ‘SPIKE’ ‘SPIKE’, spike the halyard strop and hold onto it (bear in mind that when you spike it, the tension will vanish), so it does not damage the yacht or foul the sail.

Keep your hands clear of the forestay, as the hanks will be running up it (hopefully quickly). Secure the strop, and check the sail is running up cleanly. Move off the bow!

Mast On ‘SPIKE’, ‘SPIKE’ sweat the halyard. When the snakepit is loading up the halyard onto the winch, release the halyard at the mast, and assist with winching if needed. If positioned on the low side, keep clear of the sheet and clew of sail (it will be flapping around).

Snakepit On ‘SPIKE’, SPIKE’ keep up with the crew at the mast. When they can no longer sweat the sail, load up the winch and winch until you hear ‘HALYARD MADE’ MADE’.

Tidy • • •

Tidy halyard Flake working sheet ‘Elephant ear’ lazy sheet

DROPPING Preparation • • •

Halyard One crew in snakepit Crew to foredeck

The halyard should be flaked the load should all be on the winch, and the jammer open.

The foredeck crew should wait until the halyard is ready (or nearly ready) before moving forward of the mast if the conditions are rough. No 1 (bow) should stand in front of the forestay, face aft and have halyard strop in their pocket. No 2 should sit as far forward as they can, facing to leeward. No 3 should be just behind them in a similar position. No 4 sitting just in front of the clew, above tthe he centreline of the yacht and have the lazy sheet in their hands. The lazy sheet should be going straight from the clew to their hands, and not be around the inner forestay (it may be under the staysail though). Any extra crew can position themselves behind No 3. Pulling the sail from the front is more effective than from aft.

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Action • • • • •

Check with helm/skipper Ease halyard Gather sail Secure halyard Place sail ties on sail

In charge A good place to stand is by the windward shrouds. Check with the foredeck and snakepit to make sure they are ready. Then check with the helm/skipper. When they indicate they are happy, call ‘DROP’.

‘DROP’ Make sure the sail is not being dropped in the water. If necessary, control the speed of the drop by communicating with the snakepit.

Snakepit On hearing ‘DROP’, ‘DROP’ you should ease the halyard a few feet, then let out he halyard hand over hand, removing turns on the winch as necessary. Keep the line under control, and always keep at least one turn on the winch. You should be in a position to see the foredeck. Go as quickly as the foredeck team can cope with, keeping the sail out of the water. When the bow has the halyard in their hand, ease another foot or two, but no more unless specifically requested. The wind can easily pull out much unwanted slack in the halyard, and this can be a hazard to those on the foredeck, as well as flicking itself around the shrouds. If a halyard around the shrouds is tensioned, it can easily damage the rigging, possibly bringing the mast down!

When you hear ‘HALYARD MADE’, MADE’ pull in the slack (three turns on the winch), and then winch the halyard to secure it.

Bow On hearing ‘DROP’, ‘DROP’ you should pull the sail down at the luff as quickly as possible.

Once the sail is down, secure the halyard with the strop, and call ‘HALYARD MADE’.

MADE’ Check the halyard is not caught on or twisted around anything.

No 4 On hearing ‘DROP’, ‘DROP’ you should wait till the sail is down a few metres, then pull the lazy sheet in, and flick the clew over the sail. The lazy sheet can flick a little; if in doubt let go go. Be aware that pulling the lazy sheet in too early will fill the sail, adding power to it which will slow (or stop) the drop!

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No 2 and 3 (and extras) On hearing ‘DROP’, ‘DROP’ you should pull the sail down, and gather it inside the guardwire. Pulling the aft end of the sail forwards to gather it is effective so long as it is not lost over the side. As the leech is retrieved, it should be ‘tamed’ (it can flick around a lot) by pulling it down. Pass the leech forward as it passes you, and help the person forwards of you gather their sail. Once you are happy they are in control, place a sail tie around the sail where you are. Once the sail is down, No 2 may need to stand and help the bow with securing the halyard. Just remember, if you do this, not to let the wind (or waves) get into the sail.

Helm It is sometimes helpful to give a gentle luff just as the sail is dropped. This makes dropping the first few metres of the sail a lot easier and slows the boat slightly, reducing the impact of waves. Once about a third of the sail has been dropped, you can resume your course. Check with your skipper before using this technique.

The sheet should not be touched, although a tug on it at the right time can help No 4 bring the clew inside the guardwires.

Tidy •

Tidy halyard

BAGGING Undo the hanks, passing a sail tie through each one and securing it at either end.

Drag the sail to the high side and undo the sheets. Unshackle the tack, and walk the sail back to the cockpit. Take all ties off.

Folding Two crew should position themselves on the high side-deck just behind the shrouds, facing each other. Two more crew members should stand just inboard of them facing each other. Team A (facing aft) look after the luff of the sail and Team B (facing forwards) look after the foot and then the leech.

Start at the tack, and fold perpendicular to the luff. luff Team B will need to move aft as they fold along the foot, and then forwards again as they fold along the leech.

As each fold is made, the outboard crewmembers should make the same fold, and ensure it is pulled tight so the fold is neat. The inboard crew should feed the sail to the outboard crew in a sheet form. The luff should be folded on top of itself.

In windy conditions, one or two extra crew may be needed on the side-deck to prevent the folds from blowing away, and a few are always welcome to help the inboard crew sort the sail out.

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A sail tie should go around the luff of the sail and the sail placed in its bag and zipped up. Drawstrings at either end of the bag should be pulled tight, and tied off ( a pretty bow works well). Bag ties should always go round the bag before going through the loops. Pull the bag ties tight and tie with a slip knot.

A top tip is to lay the bag and sail tie out on the side deck first, and fold the sail on top of it. The zip and ties can be done behind Team B as they move forward.

This increases the speed of packing a sail away no end. In harbour, providing the dock or pontoon is clean, folding can take place there.

POLING OUT There are times when you may not wish to fly the spinnaker off the wind, i.e. it is too windy, all of your spinnakers are damaged, or the one needed is not packed yet etc, and under these conditions you may need to pole out.

Poling out the yankee moves it from behind the main, and presents a bigger surface area to the wind. Poled out headsail can be carried up to about 110° apparent depending on conditions. The poled-out headsail is a very stable set-up, with little trimming (compared to a spinnaker). Many of the top speeds achieved

by Challenge yachts have been whilst poled out.

The pole is completely independent of the sail (apart from the lazy working sheet in its jaws), and can therefore be prepared early, or left set up. There may be some situations such as two boat duelling where you may be going repeatedly from poling out to normal configuration and back again.

Preparation • •

Set up pole Rerun lazy sheet (three turns on winch)

Set up pole as for a spinnaker, but use the spinnaker sheet as a guy by clipping it to the same webbing as the foreguy. The sheet is easier to use than the guy (which is redundant when poling out) as it has less metalwork at the front end.

The lazy yankee sheet should be in the jaws of the pole. The pole should be set up so that its height is just below that of the clew of the yankee being flown, and it should be brought back so it is at 80-90° to the centreline of the yacht. If the staysail halyard is holding up the staysail, you can use the spinnaker halyard as a topping lift.

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Two shots showing the pole end for poling out a headsail. The yankee sheet (white) is in the jaws of the pole, the foreguy (yellow/white) has had slack pulled through, the guy (red/white) is clipped to the same webbing as the foreguy and the staysail halyard (wire) is clipped to the top of the pole as a topping lift.

Undo the stopper knot in the lazy yankee sheet, and pull it from in front of the car.

Then rerun it outside of everything to a spare block on the toe-rail behind the spinnaker sheet. Take it back to its winch, and retie stopper knot. Check that it is not twisted around anything and that it is led properly.

Action • • • •

Ease working sheet Pull in lazy sheet Release working sheet Tension new working sheet

If the working (leeward) sheet is released, the sail will fly out in front of the yacht.

It is hard work to grind back, and may cause damage to the sail or hanks. When easing this sheet, make sure that the clew does not go in front of the forestay.

The simplest way is to make sure that those pulling in have to work, thereby keeping tension aft.

Those pulling in (you can have two or three in a line) the lazy (windward) sheet, should really go for it, and when necessary load up the winch and really go for it!

When the clew has passed to windward of the inner forestay, there is no longer any danger of the sail going in front of the forestay, so the leeward sheet can be released.

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As the new working sheet is tensioned, the sail will flick into its new position, and should be tensioned until the correct shape is achieved. Ideally, you want to present as much sail area as possible to the wind.

The helm can make things easier for the crew by bearing away, and sailing as far downwind as possible. This reduces the power in the sail on its normal side as it becomes shielded by the main. Check with your skipper before you do this, make sure you have a preventer on, and do not gybe the main.

Tidy • •

Adjust pole height Tidy sheets

To go from poled out to normal sailing, is very simple, but there are two methods.

Firstly, the reverse of the above can be done, with the windward sheet being eased, and the leeward sheet being pulled in. Keep the clew in front of the forestay. After the sail is across, trim as normal.

The other method requires the helm to alter course to windward. The yankee will back at around 100° apparent wind angle, and it should be kept back – a course keeping the apparent wind angle around 90° is good. When the helm is sure the headsail is going to stay backed, the windward sheet is released. If there is any wind, the sheet will have a lot of load in it, and care must be taken when releasing it. it The leeward sheet can now be pulled in, and proper course resumed. Trim the yankee as normal, clear away the pole, and re-run the windward sheet.

The headsail poled out. Note that the pole is not quite square (perpendicular to the mast) – the inboard end is higher than the outboard end, and some skippers would prefer the whole pole a little lower. Also note how the pole is triangulated by the guy (pulling aft and down), foreguy (pulling forward and down) and the topping lift (pulling the pole up).

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MOB whilst poled out In this case, rather than the helm heaving to by going through the wind, they simply steer towards the wind so that the yankee is backed. It can then be dropped (remember if you are on the foredeck to keep to the windward side of the sail). Once most of the sail is recovered, the sheet can be eased. The sail ends up in a bundle at the bow, but the pole does not need to be moved.

If the staysail is up, it can either be dropped in the normal way, or you can heave to, and then drop it. The latter method will probably help to bring the yacht back towards the MOB, but may take longer, and when heaving to, you must make sure everyone is safe and knows what is going to happen. If the staysail is the only headsail up, then it is safe to be on the foredeck in front of the inner forestay, or close by the mast when heaving to.

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STAYSAIL

STAYSAIL HOISTING It is assumed here that the sail is hanked on, the halyard is attached to the sail and restrained by the halyard strop, the sheets are on and at least one sail tie is around the sail.

Preparation • • • • • • • • • • •

Tension running backstay Check sail is on the leeward side Check car position Check bowlines Remove sail ties Check halyard is not twisted Make sure that the lazy yankee sheet is below the staysail hanks Prepare halyard in snakepit One crew at inner forestay with spike One or two crew to mast Standby sheet

The running backstay is often forgotten. Make an effort to remember it!

The crew going to the inner forestay normally does the foredeck preparation on the way, and when ready positions themselves in front of the inner forestay facing aft, spike ready but not near the shackle.

The halyard and sheet winches should both have three turns on and the halyard jammer released.

Action • • • •

Check with helm/skipper Spike halyard strop Hoist sail Power up sail

In charge A good place to stand is by the windward shrouds. Check with the bow, mast, snakepit, sheet to make sure they are ready. Then check with the helm/skipper.

When they indicate they are happy, call ‘SPIKE’ ‘SPIKE’. Keep an eye on the sail as it is hoisted to check there are no snags or twists. A call when the hoisting team should transfer from pulling to winching is helpful, and when sufficient halyard tension has been achieved, call ‘HALYARD MADE’ MADE’. Then call the trim.

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Bow On ‘SPIKE’ ‘SPIKE’, spike the halyard strop and hold onto it (bear in mind that when you spike it, the tension will vanish), so it does not damage the yacht or foul the sail.

Keep your hands clear of the forestay, as the hanks will be running up it (hopefully quickly). Secure the strop, and check the sail is running up cleanly. Move off the bow!

Mast On ‘SPIKE’, ‘SPIKE’ sweat the halyard. When the snakepit is loading up the halyard onto the winch, release the halyard at the mast, and assist with winching if needed. If positioned on the low side, keep clear of the sheet and clew of sail (it will be flapping around).

Snakepit On ‘SPIKE’, ‘SPIKE’ keep up with the crew at the mast. When they can no longer sweat the sail, load up the winch and winch until you hear ‘HALYARD MADE’ MADE’.

Tidy • • •

Tidy halyard Flake working sheet ‘Elephant ear’ lazy sheet

DROPPING Preparation • • •

Halyard One crew in snakepit Crew to foredeck

The halyard should be flaked, the load should all be on the winch, and the jammer open.

The foredeck crew should wait until the halyard is ready (or nearly ready) before moving forward of the mast if the conditions are rough.

No 1 (bow) should stand in front of the forestay, face aft and have halyard strop in their pocket. No 2 should sit as far forward as they can, facing to leeward. No 3 should be just behind them in a similar position. No 4 sitting just in front of the clew, above the centreline of the yacht and have the lazy sheet in their hands. (No 3 may not be required).Pulling the sail from the front is more effective than from aft.

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Action • • • • •

Check with helm/skipper Ease halyard Gather sail Secure halyard Place sail ties on sail

In charge A good place to stand is by the windward shrouds. Check with the foredeck and snakepit to make sure they are ready. Then check with the helm/skipper. When they indicate they are happy, call ‘DROP’ ‘DROP’. Make sure the sail is not being dropped in the water. If necessary, control the speed of the drop by communicating with the snakepit.

Snakepit On hearing ‘DROP’, ‘DROP’ you should ease the halyard a few feet, then let out he halyard hand over hand, removing turns on the winch as necessary. Keep the line under control, and always keep at least one turn on the winch. You should be in a position to see the foredeck. Go as quickly as the foredeck team can cope with, keeping the sail out of the water. When the bow has the halyard in their hand, ease another foot or two, but no more unless specifically requested. The wind can easily pull out much unwanted slack in the halyard, and this can be a hazard to those on the foredeck, as well as flicking itself around the shrouds. If a halyard around the shrouds is tensioned, it can easily damage the rigging, possibly bringing the mast down!

When you hear ‘HALYARD MADE’, MADE’ pull in the slack (three turns on the winch), and then winch the halyard to secure it.

Bow On hearing ‘DROP’, ‘DROP’ you should pull the sail down at the luff as quickly as possible.

Once the sail is down, secure the halyard with the strop, and call ‘HALYARD MADE’.

MADE’ Check the halyard strop is not caught on or twisted around anything. It is very easy to trap the lazy yankee sheet with the staysail halyard strop, creating a dangerous situation if a tack or gybe is called for.

No 4 On hearing ‘DROP’, ‘DROP’ you should wait till the sail is down a few metres, then pull the lazy sheet in. The lazy sheet can flick a little; if in doubt let go. go

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No 2 and 3 (and extras) On hearing ‘DROP’, ‘DROP’ you should pull the sail down, and gather it. Pulling the aft end of the sail forwards to gather it is effective so long as it is not lost over the side.

As the leech is retrieved, it should be ‘tamed’ (it can flick around a lot) by pulling it down. Pass the leech forward as it passes you, and help the person forwards of you gather their sail. Once you are happy they are in control, place a sail tie around the sail where you are. Once the sail is down, No 2 may need to stand and help the bow with securing the halyard. Just remember if you do this not to let the wind (or waves) get into the sail.

Tidy •

Tidy halyard

Folding Two crew should position themselves on the high side-deck just behind the shrouds, facing each other. Two more crew members should stand just inboard of them facing each other. Team A (facing aft) look after the luff of the sail and Team B (facing forwards) look after the foot and then the leech.

Start at the tack, and fold perpendicular to the luff. luff Team B will need to move aft as they fold along the foot, and then forwards again as they fold along the leech.

As each fold is made, the outboard crewmembers should make the same fold, and ensure it is pulled tight so the fold is neat. The inboard crew should feed the sail to the outboard crew in a sheet form. The luff should be folded on top of itself.

In windy conditions, one or two extra crew may be needed on the side-deck to prevent the folds from blowing away, and a few are always welcome to help the inboard crew sort the sail out.

The sail is then ‘bricked’ i.e. folded from the clew to the luff in folds about half a metre wide. A sail tie is then placed around the brick and tied to hold the latest folds in place. Lift the brick onto its end, cover with its bag, lower brick down, pull bag over last bit of sail, pull and tie drawstring (a pretty bow works well).

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TACKING AND GYBING

TACKING AND GYBING When tacking or gybing, all crewmembers must be in a safe position, ideally in the cockpit. Watch out for the boom and remember the high side will become the low side, and the low side the high. The running backstay is the longest job, and often forgotten.

A lazy winch is one that is not taking any tension, whilst a working winch is one that is. Headsail working winches are on the low side (when sailing normally) and lazy on the high side. The running backstay winches are working on the high side, and lazy on the low.

The efficiency of a tack or gybe (as with any other drill) plays a part in your average speed, and much time can be gained or lost during a tack or gybe. If other race yachts are in sight, your actions can also have psychological effects!

TACKING Tacking the yacht involves changing the side of the yacht that the wind comes from by turning the bow through the wind. The sails also swap sides – the headsails need to be released from their working winches, and tensioned on the other side. The main changes side of its own accord, but may need to be tended if the sheet is eased, or if adjustment to traveller is required.

Short tacking is only employed when the time between tacks is short (15-20 minutes or less) and preparation time needs to be minimised.

There are four basic command calls.

‘STAND BY TO TACK’ initiates preparation for the tack.

‘ARE YOU READY?’ is a question and needs an answer. If you are ready, a ‘YES’ will do, but if not, call ‘NO’ after the others have had their say, or put an arm up in the air.

‘HELMS A LEE’ initiates the turn and asks for the removal of safety turns.

‘LEE HO’ initiates the final stages of action.

There are four main action stations: running backstays, helming, headsail sheets and main sheet.

Running backstay On ‘STAND BY TO TACK’ TACK’, one crew to each backstay winch. The lazy runner (on the low side) should be brought back until it is just touching the mainsail. It should then be loaded up onto the winch, and a handle inserted. DO NOT WINCH. On the working winch, any elephant ears can be thrown off. DO NOT REMOVE THE SAFETY TURN – the runner is still needed to support the mast!

On ‘HELMS A LEE’ LEE’, remove the safety turn from the high side winch.

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On ‘LEE HO’ HO’, ease the working runner, and send it forward. Winch the lazy runner tight.

If short tacking, do not send the ‘working’ runner all the way forward, just ease it till it is clear of the backstay and then secure it in the winch. The runner should be checked and if necessary tended every time the main is moved.

Helming On ‘STAND BY TO TACK’ TACK’, keep on going. Make sure you know which way you are going to turn (to windward).

On ‘HELMS A LEE’, LEE’ make your turn. Just before you turn, look down a line roughly perpendicular to the yacht’s heading and to windward. This gives you an idea of your new heading. Turn the yacht steadily, and remember to start to straighten up before you think you need to. (Helming through the tack should be refined – try to lose as little speed as possible).

‘LEE HO’ will be called sometime through your turn; just keep on going. As your experience grows, you will be making the calls through the tack, and you can also learn advanced techniques for making the tack easier for the crew, allowing the sail to be brought in quicker, powering the yacht up again quicker.

Headsail sheets On ‘STAND BY TO TACK’ TACK’, one crew should go to each working winch, make sure the line is flaked and clear to run (no feet in the line etc). DO NOT REMOVE THE SAFETY TURN TURN. Two crew should go to the lazy winches. One should make sure that there are three turns on the winch, pull in any slack and be ready to pull the sheet in, whilst the other gets and holds a winch handle and readies themselves for winching.

On ‘HELMS A LEE’, LEE’ the crew on the working winch removes the safety turn. KEEP THE SHEET IN THE SELF TAILER. TAILER On ‘LEE HO’ HO’, the crew on the working winch should spin the turns of the winch (apart from the last turn which will strip any twists etc out of the sheet), and LET GO! GO The crew on the lazy sheet should pull it in. When the sail is over on their side and they can no longer pull it in, the sheet should be loaded onto the winch (at least one extra turn around the drum before going through the self-tailer), and final tension applied by winching (two crew to each winch handle!). Trim the sails for course.

Main sheet On ‘STAND BY TO TACK’, TACK’ make sure both traveller winches are secured. If the main is eased, then take the winch to three turns, and prepare to pull the sail in (do not have anyone sweat it for you unless you have been asked to pull the main in as a separate exercise).

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‘HELMS A LEE’ indicates that the turn is starting, and ‘LEE HO’ that it is about halfway through. If needed, pull the sail in, and as the yacht settles on to its new course, trim appropriately. Wait for the main to settle on its new side before adjusting the traveller.

After the tack, all lines should be tidied. The high side winches can all have ‘elephant ears’ made on them, whilst the low side sheets should be flaked out inside the cockpit. The new lazy sheets should be pulled forward so they lie on the deck. This reduces chafe.

GYBING Gybing is similar to tacking – the difference is the yacht is turned so that the wind comes onto the other side by turning the stern of the yacht through the wind.

Because of this, the sails are powered up throughout, and the main especially will come across with a bang.

The main is often well out, and this needs to be brought into the centre before a gybe for safety reasons, and also to allow the lazy runner to come aft.

There are four basic command calls.

‘STAND BY TO GYBE’ initiates preparation for the gybe.

‘ARE YOU READY?’ is a question and needs an answer. If you are ready, a ‘YES’ will do, but if not, call ‘NO’ after the others have had their say, or put an arm up in the air.

‘BEAR AWAY’ initiates the turn and asks for the removal of safety turns.

‘GYBE HO’ initiates the final stages of action.

There are four main action stations, running backstays, helming, headsail sheets and main sheet.

Main sheet On ‘STAND BY TO GYBE’ GYBE’, sweat the main in (two crew required) and then winch it until the boom is well secured. (The crew sweating the main in is normally also on the working staysail winch – they are in the right position, and have a physically easy job after they have sweated the main in). Check that both travellers are secured.

Hold tight during ‘BEAR AWAY’, AWAY’ and on ‘GYBE HO’ ease the sheet out in a controlled and smooth fashion on the new side once the sail has blown across.

Trim to new course.

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Running backstay On ‘STAND BY TO GYBE’ GYBE’, one crew to each backstay winch. The lazy runner (on the low side) should be brought back as the mainsail is centred until it is just touching the back of the mainsail. It should then be loaded up onto the winch, and a handle inserted. DO NOT WINCH. On the working winch, any elephant ears can be thrown off. DO NOT REMOVE THE SAFETY TURN – the runner is still needed to support the mast!

On ‘BEAR AWAY’ AWAY’, remove the safety turn from the high side winch.

On ‘GYBE HO’, HO’ ease the working runner, and send it forward. Winch the lazy runner tight.

Helming On ‘STAND BY TO GYBE’ GYBE’, keep on going, but get an idea of where your new course is.

On ‘BEAR AWAY’ AWAY’, start your turn. Keep the turn slow; you have a lot of time in a gybe. When the wind fills the main from the new side there is a tendency for the yacht to round up and heel. This can be avoided by a small amount of opposite rudder at the right time. When the yacht is under control and the main is filled from the new side, head up onto your new course.

Headsail sheets On ‘STAND BY TO GYBE’ GYBE’, one crew to each working winch to make sure the line is flaked and clear to run (no feet in the line etc). DO NOT REMOVE THE SAFETY TURN. TURN Two crew should go to the lazy winches. One should make sure that there are three turns on the winch and be ready to pull the sheet in, whilst the other gets and holds a winch handle and readies themselves for winching. Some slack can be pulled in, but be careful not too distort the shape of the sails.

On ‘BEAR AWAY’, AWAY’ remove the safety turn from the working winches, but keep the sheets in the self-tailer.

On ‘GYBE HO’ HO’, the crew on the working winch should spin the turns of the winch (apart from the last turn which will strip any twists etc out of the sheet), and LET GO! GO The crew on the lazy sheet should pull it in. When the sail is over on their side and they can no longer pull it in, the sheet should be loaded onto the winch (at least one extra turn around the drum before going through the self-tailer), and final tension applied by winching (four hands on the handle). Trim the sails for course.

It is very important for the sheets to be held until ‘GYBE HO’ is called, as if they are released early, the sails will end up in front of the forestay.. Winching them back is hard work, time consuming and may result in damage to the sail or hanks. hanks When pulling in the sheet, bear in mind your new course – it is very easy to pull the sails in too far.

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After the tack, all lines should be tidied. The high side winches can all have ‘elephant ears’ made on them, whilst the low side sheets should be flaked out inside the cockpit. The new lazy sheets should be pulled forward so they lie on the deck. This reduces chafe.

Notes Notes There are some occasions where the crew may be required to stand by to gybe, but the skipper does not wish the main to be centred immediately. In these cases, the skipper will make this clear, and also call for ‘CENTRE MAIN’ when they wish the main to be readied for gybing. The lazy runner can be made ready to come aft, so that it can come back rapidly as the main is centred.

In some conditions (such as light winds, or a lack of staysail), the skipper may wish for the working runner to be thrown off early, and they will ask for this if wanted.

Light conditions In light conditions, it may be required to help the sails round to the new side.

Position yourself by the high side shrouds. The key is to let the sheets slip a little after they have been released, then grab hold of them and move forwards. When the clews are in front of the stay in the way, release them. Pull some more slack through on the new lazy sheets. The stay in the way of the yankee is the inner forestay, and is the baby stay for the staysail.

Poled out gybing It is possible to gybe from a poled out to poled out. To do this, the new pole needs to be prepared (drop the staysail first), transfer the sail across using the backing method, then gybe, centring the main as normal, drop the old pole and re-hoist the staysail.

The other method involves setting up the pole, gybing the yacht (in this case this can even be done before setting up the pole) and then gradually transferring the yankee from pole to pole by winching on one side, and easing on the other.

The former method is quicker, easier and much to be preferred; however, the latter might be chosen if a gybe has to be suddenly made (i.e. if a collision is imminent).

The tables on the following page summarise the actions for tacking and gybing.

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TACKING WORKIING LAZY SHEETS SHEETS One crew for each Two crew for each One crew winch winch HELM

WORKING RUNNER

LAZY RUNNER

MAIN

One crew

One crew

One crew

Standby and ‘STAND Standby and check Have three turns on they are clear to check it is clear

BY TO winch, pull in slack run to run TACK’ ‘ARE YOU Answer Answer Answer READY?’ Safety turn off ‘HELMS A Wait for it Safety turn off only only LEE’ Spin all turns off Send runner ‘LEE HO’ winch except one Pull in and trim sail forward and LET GO!

Check the Pull runner back, travellers are prepare to winch secured Answer

Answer

Pull in sheet if needed Once on Winch tension new course into the runner trim sail Wait for it

GYBING WORKIING LAZY SHEETS SHEETS One crew for each Two crew for each One crew winch winch HELM

WORKING RUNNER

LAZY LAZY RUNNER

MAIN

One crew

One crew

Two crew

Pull runner back Centre main, Standby and ‘STAND Standby and check Have three turns on as main comes check the

BY TO they are clear to check it is clear winch in, prepare to travellers are GYBE’ run to run winch secured ‘ARE YOU Answer Answer Answer Answer Answer READY?’ Wait for sail to fill from Safety turn off ‘BEARING Wait for it Wait for it Safety turn off only new side, only AWAY’ then ease out ‘GYBE Spin all turns off Send runner Winch tension Pull in and trim sail Trim sail forward into the runner winch except one HO'

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and LET GO!

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SPINNAKERS

SPINNAKERS Spinnakers are a large and potentially complicated topic and as with all aspects of sailing, time on the water using a spinnaker is invaluable. Spinnakers have a reputation for causing havoc, but this is often due to poor crew work rather than the spinnaker itself. Challenge spinnakers are especially powerful and whilst this should be respected, it is part of the thrill and challenge of big-boat racing.

The sail is under most control when it is secured at two corners (i.e. the head and ‘tack’). The times when the spinnaker is not secured like this should be minimised.

No spinnaker halyards, sheets or guys should never have a knot in them. Do not secure them to cleats etc either, or load up lazy sheets and guys into self-tailers (only have one turn on winch).

Once the spinnaker is up, the halyard should be kept ready for a drop. That is to say, it is flaked out, on a winch and the jammer open.

Never stand underneath a hoisted spinnaker pole, and always stay inboard of one in transit.

The windward guy is working, and the leeward sheet is working. The other sheets and guys are lazy.

Before the spinnaker is hoisted, an agile member of the crew (bow?) should don a climbing harness.

When the spinnaker is up, the sheet, guy and snakepit should be manned.

HOISTING The sail goes up banded with wool to prevent the wind from filling the sail before the halyard is made. Launch tubes may also be used for this, but are not normally deployed in training.

The hoist should be quick to shorten the length of time the sail is not secured at two corners.

Preparation • • • • • • • • •

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Prepare all lines needed Drop staysail Position spinnaker bag forward on the leeward side Attach guys, sheets and halyard Lower windward pole spigot to shoulder height Move windward pole to mast fitting and hoist inboard end Attach topping lift to pole Place windward guy through pole jaws.

Position crew

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The lines to be prepared are • • • • • • •

Staysail halyard(s) Yankee halyard Leeward spinnaker halyard Windward foreguy Both spinnaker sheets Both spinnaker guys Windward inboard pole end up and down lines

After the staysail is dropped, brick it up so it is out of the way (leave the sheets attached).

Bricking a sail whilst it is still attached to its stay involves roughly flaking the sail along the leech, and then folding from the clew to the tack. The folds should be about half a metre in length.

Once the spinnaker bag is in place, attach it to the guard rails to prevent its loss.

The bag should be adjusted so that the sail is the correct way round. For instance, if the bag is on port, the red striped luff/leech should be aft, and the green striped luff/leech forward. This will ensure the sponsor’s logo is the correct way round!

When moving the pole, one crew should be at each end. The foreguy should be properly secured to the pole. This ensures the pole is attached to the yacht. The aft crew opens the jaws by pulling on the toggle, whilst the fore crew (bow) moves the jaws away from their attachment. Both crew then pick up the pole, and move it into position. The front end should go through the pulpit, and the aft end attached to the spigot on the mast.

When attaching the sheets and guys, make sure the sheets are clipped to the guys and the guys clipped to the correct ring in the sail. This is made easier if the sail is correctly packed (see below). Also make sure the sheets and guys are not twisted.

Pass the windward guy through the jaws of the pole. When passing a guy through the pole jaws always use the thimble.

The pole ready for launching. Note the guy and thimble going through the jaws of the pole, and that the ‘lazy’ sheet is over the top of the pole. The sheet is also connected to the back of the guy ring, and the guy is attached to the clew ring. The staysail halyard acts as a topping lift and slack should have been pulled through on the foreguy.

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When attaching the halyard, make sure it is outside of everything – take it aft and over the yankee sheet to ensure it is outside of the yankee, and use a small looped bowline to attach to the head of the spinnaker. A large bowline will mean that the sail will not get as far as it can to the top of the mast.

When hoisting the inboard end of the pole, the forward end should be carried back to prevent it from bouncing and dragging on the deck.

Crew need to be positioned as follows: one to bow, one by bag, two at mast, one (or two) in snakepit, one on the windward guy, one (or two) on the leeward sheet and one helming!

Action • • • •

Hoist outboard end of pole and sheet in the guy (‘POLE UP’) ‘POLE UP’ Hoist spinnaker (‘HOIST’ ‘HOIST’) ‘HOIST’ Trim sheet and guy (‘TRIM ‘TRIM ON’) ON’ Drop yankee (‘DROP ‘DROP YANKEE’) YANKEE’

Bow When hoisting the outboard end of the pole, the bow should stand inboard of the pole, have the spinnaker sheet over the top of the pole and assist the pole over the pulpit and out. They should then help the sail around in front of the forestay, and stand by to drop yankee (halyard strop in pocket etc).

Bag The crew on the bag should prevent the sail from coming out early. And also feed the sail out as required. Keep all ties on until that part of the sail is required. After the sail is clear, stand by to drop the yankee.

Mast Haul on the windward pole up on ‘POLE UP’ UP’, stop on ‘POLE SQUARE’ and move to leeward spinnaker halyard. Haul on this on ‘HOIST’.

‘HOIST’ After the hoist, one of the mast should stand by to drop the yankee, whilst the other goes to help winch for the sheet trimmer if needed (if not needed, help drop the yankee). Call ‘HALYARD MADE’ when the halyard is all the way to the top, and the snakepit has secured the halyard.

Snakepit Tail windward pole up, jam on ‘POLE SQUARE’, SQUARE’ tighten and jam pole down, tension foreguy when pole is about at right angles to the wind, tail the spinnaker halyard and then stand by on the yankee halyard ready for a drop.

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Guy As pole goes up, pull it aft with the guy. Remember the guy also pulls the pole down, so do not make life too difficult for the mast crew. Adjust the pole so it is roughly at right angles to the wind. The guy is the most loaded line on the yacht, so always fill the drum with as many turns as it will take, and put two safety turns on.

Sheet Do not trim the sheet in until the halyard is made. Then trim the sheet in to open up the sail, then trim correctly. The sheet trimmer should be to windward so they can see the luff of the sail, and have another crew winching for them. The sheet is not put into the self-tailer, and use as many or as few turns as needed.

Tips The clew of the sail can be sneaked all the way to the pole end before the pole is hoisted. This means that the guy has less slack in it, so the sail is under more control.

As the pole is hoisted, a crewmember aft should call when it is perpendicular to the mast (‘POLE ‘POLE SQUARE’).

SQUARE’ It is easier to see this from aft, and the crew tending the guy is in a good position for this.

The pole being launched. The lazy sheet is still on top of the pole, the crew are inboard of the pole, and the spinnaker is being fed around the forestay to minimise snags.

A rough setting for the foreguy can be marked on it, and this can be jammed off before hoisting the outboard end of the pole, reducing one line the snakepit have to deal with on the hoist.

If the spinnaker opens before the halyard is made, keep the sail de-powered (ease the sheet) as the halyard is hoisted – it may well need to be winched up!

Tidy • • •

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Remove yankee sheets from clew Brick yankee Tidy lines ©

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Check halyard is ready for a drop Take spinnaker bag below

After removing the yankee sheets, tie them together by laying them side by side, and then tying a half hitch in the lines.

Tidy lines, but do not secure any that might be need to be adjusted. The lazy guy should be tended to keep it out of the water. If the lazy sheet is under the pole end, then gybing is impossible. A crewmember will have to go out to the pole end to flick it over the top as soon as possible. Flick the lazy sheet around the guy.

DROPPING There are two methods of dropping: the guy-run drop, and the spiked-guy drop.

The former is better suited when conditions are rough, or agile crew are wanting.

The latter eliminates the friction from the guy and sheet running so is much quicker and cleaner, but does require a crewmember to be ready and able to climb out to the pole end.

The spinnaker may need to be dropped in a hurry and a good crew is always ready for this.

When dropping, remember the spinnaker is a light cloth and is easily damaged.

Special care should be taken to protect the sail from sharp edges around the companionway.

A bare-headed drop where the spinnaker is dropped without a headsail up is possible, but not normally used when racing.

GUYGUY- RUN DROP Preparation The lazy guy should be rerun so it goes through the letterbox – that is the gap between the foot of the mainsail and the boom. It should be secured to a windward cleat or winch just before the drop. This means that even if everyone lets go, the sail is attached to the yacht. Crew should gather on the lazy guy around the companionway, and one should be positioned at the base of the companionway steps.

The yankee should be prepared for hoisting.

The halyard and guy should be manned and ready all the time, and no additional preparation is required.

One crew to the bow ready to spike the yankee halyard and then ready to gather the pole.

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Action • • • • • •

Hoist yankee Ease guy forward Run guy Ease spinnaker halyard Gather spinnaker Lower topping lift

When easing the guy forward, remember the pole is carbon fibre and will shatter if it hits the forestay too hard! When the pole is resting on the forestay, blow the rest of the guy. The lazy sheet should run out cleanly as well.

As soon as the guy is blown, the halyard should be rapidly eased for about thirty foot and then snubbed. The sail should now be floating just above the water. Ease the halyard as the gatherers collect the sail. Keep the sail out of the water!

The gatherers should collect the foot of the sail first first, and then retrieve the rest in a sausage shape. Gathering the foot first keeps the clew out of the water, and helps to keep the rest of the sail snuffed. The sail should go straight down the companionway (watch out for snags!) as any of it on deck will collect the wind, possibly with interesting consequences.

Whilst the sail is being gathered, the outboard end of the pole should be lowered carefully to the deck.

If the sail is streaming too far aft, and is not being shielded by the plain sails, then the helm can help by bearing away.

Tidy • • • •

Hoist staysail Stow the pole Stow spinnaker sheets guys and halyard Pack spinnaker

SPIKED – GUY DROP This method is very similar to the guy-run drop except that instead of running the guy it is spiked. To do this, a crew climbs up to the end of the pole and at the required moment spikes the guy. The sail vanishes round to leeward and the halyard is eased and the sail gathered as above. The crew on the pole comes down, and gathers the pole (the guy and topping lift will need to be carefully eased this time).

When going up the foreguy make sure that is has a lot of tension on it, as this makes it easier to climb up. A spare halyard should be used as a safety line. For other advice on climbing the pole, see section on bow.

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At no point should the guy, foreguy or topping lift be adjusted whilst crew is at or going to the end of the pole.

Packing The spinnaker is normally packed with wool bands around it. Choose the correct thickness of wool for each spinnaker (the heavier spinnakers will be going up in windier conditions, and will need heavier wool to hold them together, whilst the lighter spinnakers need lighter wool to encourage them to open when needed).

GYBING Gybing the spinnaker requires good crew-work, but there is plenty of time to do each job. As experience is gained, the gybe can be speeded up until it becomes one smooth operation.

When the spinnaker is being flown on both poles, the spinnaker is very stable, but the yacht is very vulnerable to a MOB, as there is no easy way to drop the spinnaker. It is also against racing rules to fly two poles except when gybing.

Running backstays are not required when flying the spinnaker (unless the staysail is up as well), but are sometimes used for trimming. If they are being used, then they will have to be adjusted as for a plain sail gybe.

In order to gybe without collapsing or ripping the sail, the windward pole needs to be set at about 45°- 60° from the centre line of the yacht. This might have to be achieved by altering the course of the yacht.

To gybe, • • • • • • • •

Prepare new pole Run guy through end of new pole (‘STAND ‘STAND BY TO GYBE’) GYBE’ Pole up and back Tension new guy / ease working sheet Main in Trip guy (‘GYBE ‘GYBE HO’ HO’) and lower pole Trim on new sheet Ease main

The new pole can be prepared well in advance – indeed, if close to shore or ships, having it rigged is prudent as you may need to gybe at short notice. To prepare the pole fully, it should be on the spigot on the mast, inboard end up, topping lift on and foreguy attached. The foreguy is often the last line clipped to the pole before a gybe as it is often being used as a preventer.

On ‘STAND BY TO GYBE’, GYBE’ the bow collects the lazy guy thimble and places it in the new pole jaws, ensuring it is the correct way round. The lazy guy needs to be free to run (as always).

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Once this is done, the new pole is lifted as normal. Once the pole is square, trim on the new guy and ease the sheet on the same side smoothly to transfer the load from the sheet to the guy. The foreguy should be held when the pole is at 45°60° to the centreline. Again this position can be marked, and the foreguy can be jammed off well in advance.

Once the load is on the guy, the sheet can be released completely (leave one turn on the winch), and the crew operating the sheets can move to the lazy sheet, pull in the slack and prepare to trim.

Around this point, the main should be centred, and the yacht is ready to gybe.

When helming the gybe, do not harden up too quickly as the trimmers will not be able to keep up!

‘GYBE HO’ is called as soon as the stern goes through the wind, and is the call for the ‘old’ pole to be lowered and the guy tripped, the new sheet to be trimmed on (often needs enthusiasm), and the mainsheet to be eased. When dropping the old pole, do not lower the pole below the height of the guard wire until it is inside the guard wire, and do not let it hit the forestay or deck. The guy can be tripped by the bow collecting the pole, or a sail tie can be attached to the inboard end release line allowing the crew at the mast to trip the guy by pulling on the sail tie.

Once the new course is attained, the spinnaker pole may need to be adjusted.

Tidy • • • • •

Wrap lazy sheet around working guy Secure lazy guy thimble Check sheets, guys and spinnaker halyard are clear to run Rerun leeward foreguy as preventer if needed Move topping lift from pole if on current gybe for a while

JOCKEY POLE The jockey pole is used when the pole is forward. Its purpose is to stop the guy from rubbing on the shrouds, either bending them, or chafing the guy. The jockey pole is attached to the mast on the same side as the pole, then swung out and lashed to the shrouds. As the guy is eased, it is fed into the jaws of the jockey pole so that the sheave takes the weight. If the guy is winched back, it will automatically flip clear of the jockey pole.

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The jockey pole in action. This picture clearly shows why one is needed (to keep the guy (red) clear of the shrouds). The jockey pole is lashed to the shrouds. The headsails have been tidily bricked and are out of the way, and in this case, the other spinnaker pole has been partially rigged ready for a gybe.

WRAPS A spinnaker wrap either occurs in light winds when little wind pressure causes it to flop against the forestay, and then waves encourage it to wrap around the forestay, or when a helm bears away too much, and ends up sailing by the lee. In the latter case, the wrap is caused by turbulent airflow coming off the mainsail which swirls around the spinnaker causing it to collapse and wrap around the forestay. This ‘active’ wrap is more likely to cause damage to the sail as there is more wind.

Prevention is better than cure, and to prevent the wrap, firstly care should be taken when helming to keep the spinnaker flying by keeping the apparent wind speed up in light winds, and by not sailing by the lee in heavier winds. A spinnaker net can also be employed, and this goes up the forestay on a yankee halyard, whilst its ‘clew’ is secured to the deck in line with the shrouds.

If a wrap has occurred, then probably the simplest method to deal with it is to gybe the mainsail, and sail by the lee again. This will cause turbulent airflow (in the opposite direction to that which caused the wrap) to hit the spinnaker, causing it to unwrap and fly free again. As soon as the spinnaker is unwrapped, gybe the main and heat up the angle a little to set the spinnaker once more. Tugging on the spinnaker, or attempting to lower it whilst it is wrapped often ends with a sewing circle being formed.

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MOB A MOB under spinnaker leaves the crew with two possibilities. Firstly they can simply drop the spinnaker, or secondly they can ditch the spinnaker. The former should be done in any drill, and in normal circumstances is preferable as less can go wrong, but in extreme conditions, the latter may be preferable.

Remember, all the time the spinnaker is up, the yacht is heading at speed away from the casualty.

With all the extra lines being used, ensure all lines are clear of the water before starting the engine.

A preventer may well be on, so this and the main will also have to be adjusted (or taken off) as appropriate.

After the spinnaker has been dealt with, the yacht is ready for returning to its casualty as normal, and in light conditions the overall time taken is often less than for a standard MOB drill although the distance covered will be greater.

Dropping Dropping should be carried out using either the guy-run drop or a spike drop. Just remember to take the time to make sure everyone is ready! The decision as to which type of drop should be made very clear – any confusion can easily lead to a crew (thinking of spiking) at the end of the pole being crushed against the forestay (by a guy operator who thinks it is a guy-run drop)!

The spike drop is preferable as fewer lines end up in the water, but a guy-run drop may be preferred if it is going to take time to get a crew to the end of the pole.

The last thing that anybody wants with someone in the water is the spinnaker to trail in the water as well, so make it a good clean drop; remember fewer crew may be available – one has to point, one is in the water etc.

Ditching If the decision has been made to ditch, then the lines must be released in a strict order • • •

Sheet and lazy guy Guy and lazy sheet Halyard

Any alteration in order (or snagged lines) may result in the yacht running over the spinnaker, minimising the chances of even getting back to the casualty at all.

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Running the sheet allows the sail to fly like a flag from the masthead and pole end.

Releasing the guy allows the sail to lift clear of the water, and fly just from the masthead. At this point the helm can turn towards the wind as this reduces the chance of running the spinnaker over, and reduces the distance from the casualty.

When the halyard is released, the spinnaker should fly away from the masthead, and it should be well clear of the yacht by the time it hits the sea.

Ditching a spinnaker is an expensive manoeuvre (both financially and from a racing point of view) and should only be done in a real-life situation – NOT in a drill.

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TRYSAIL

TRYSAIL The trysail goes up a track on the port side of the mast. It goes up on the main halyard, and is sheeted using the main sheet. The clew is attached to the boom end by the first reefing pennant and the tack held by a line clipped to a Cunningham.

Preparation Put trysail sliders into track • •

Attach tack line to Cunningham Move first reef pennant to clew of trysail

The track has a gate on it. Remove this, but do not lose it. Insert the sliders into the gate from the bottom up. When all the sliders are in, replace gate.

The tack line should be permanently attached to the tack, and the length required should be ascertained on a quiet day or in harbour, not when it is being used for real! There is a black band on the mast to indicate the minimum height the tack of the trysail can be set at.

The trysail can be prepared some time before it is needed. In this case, prepare the sliders and tack line and securely lash the sail to the saloon hatch cover until it is needed.

Action • • • • •

Drop and lash mainsail Transfer halyard Hoist trysail Tension second reef pennant Trim in sheet and kicker

Dropping the mainsail in windy conditions requires some determination and is physical as the wind is continuously pulling the halyard. You may want to consider some form of downhaul attached to the head of the sail as getting the last part of the main down can be tough at the mast! When lashing the sail, leave the second and third reefs in, attach sail ties as normal, and then use a long line to finish the job off. The long line should be attached to the eye on the aft end of the boom, brought forward a couple of feet and then half hitched around the boom. Continue moving forward and half hitching every few feet until the front of the boom is reached. Secure the line (a Cunningham clip is useful for this).

When moving the halyard, secure it before removing it from the mainsail. Use a Cunningham, or rig up a special line for this purpose.

Make sure the kicker is released before hoisting the trysail. Hoist the sail until the tack is above the black band and adjust the tack line. Winch the reefing pennant in until the desired shape is achieved, and then trim as a mainsail.

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To change from the trysail to the mainsail, the opposite is done. Remember to ensure the third reefing cringle is attached to a Cunningham before hoisting the main.

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SAILING THEORY

SAILING THEORY It is not necessary to fully understand the following; however, you should understand the reason for having to tack, and that a yacht cannot point straight into the wind.

You can compare a yacht’s sails to an aircraft wing. Air flow over the sail causes pressure differences: high pressure on the one side, and low pressure on the other side. Pressure travels from high to low causing lift. On a yacht the wing is vertical, so the pressure difference drives the yacht through the water.

The lift acts perpendicular to the sail at the point of maximum draft. (See sail trim section for how to determine point of maximum draft). The lift generated has two components – one forward and one sideways. Assuming the shape of the sail does not change, then when the sail is sheeted in, the lift produces a lot of sideways force, and little forward force, and when the sail is eased out, then the lift produces a lot of forward force, and little sideways force.

The forward component acts against drag (friction) caused by the air and water, and what is left causes the yacht to accelerate. When the forward component equals drag, the yacht is travelling as fast as it can in the conditions (i.e. it is no longer accelerating). The sideways force acts against the lateral resistance of the keel, rudder and hull. The keel and rudder also act as foils, and generate their own lift as they travel through the water.

To achieve higher speeds in the right direction, we want to minimise the resultant sideways force and any drag caused, whilst maximising the resultant forward force.

Two or more sails can be used together to increase the lift generated. When the sails are set correctly together, then the combined lift generated is greater than the sum of both sails independently. So when setting the headsails, think about how they affect the main and vice versa. A spinnaker also acts as an aerofoil, and it also interacts with the mainsail.

The first sail boats did not have very efficient sails, so the lift they generated was minimal compared to the drag they caused. Because of this they could only sail downwind. As sail makers began to understand more of the principles involved, they made more efficient sails which were able to sail closer and closer to the wind. A Challenge yacht is able to sail at about 50-55 degrees to the true wind.

Any attempts to sail much closer results in the sails luffing (flapping). The headsails will luff first. A flappy sail does not generate much lift, so boat speed is significantly reduced. If you luff up even further, then the headsail will back – that is they will fill with wind from the other side, and this will cause the yacht’s bow to go through the wind.

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If your destination requires you to sail closer to the wind than the yacht is able to point, then you will have to zigzag to it. This zigzagging upwind is called tacking or beating (to windward). Aim as close as you can to your destination with the wind on one side. After a while, tack and aim as close as you can again. Continue like this until you reach your destination. You may cover a greater distance than you would if you could go in a straight line, but at least you will get there. A few hundred years ago they would have had to wait until the wind changed!

As modern sails are aerodynamically efficient, using a sail in drag mode (i.e. dead downwind) is actually slow, as the drag creates less drive than the lift of the sail would. Therefore it is quicker to sail at angles to the wind rather than dead downwind. It is safer and more comfortable too!

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TRIMMING

TRIMMING There are two simple rules for trimming sails.

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If in doubt, let it out.

A flappy sail is an unhappy sail.

An overover-trimmed sail is less efficient than an underunder-trimmed one. Over-trimming causes the sail to produce more sideways and heeling forces, which are detrimental to boat speed and direction. An under-trimmed sail can be heard audibly, and will eventually result in sail damage.

Basic sail trim can be achieved by setting the sails simultaneously, but to fine tune, start from the front and work backwards. This is because the airflow over tune the aft sail is caused at least in part by the front sail(s).

When the yacht alters course, the sails should stay at the same angle to the wind – in effect the yacht swivels whilst the sails remain stationary. When heading up, the sheets will need to be brought in, and when bearing away, the sheets will need to be eased.

True wind is the actual wind that is happening. Apparent wind is the wind felt by the sails. Apparent wind is a combination of the true wind and the yacht’s speed and heading. Adding the vectors of true wind and the yacht’s speed and direction gives the apparent wind speed and direction. On the yacht, apparent wind speed, direction (relative to the heading) and boat speed can be measured, so true wind speed and direction (relative to the yacht’s heading)can be calculated. With a compass instrument added to the system, a direction can be attained for the true wind (relative to north). With the wind forwards of the beam, as the yacht accelerates, the apparent wind speed will increase and come forward, whilst with the true wind aft of the beam, the apparent wind will decrease and come forwards.

Once the yacht is on course (vitally important to check this), trim the sails. Once the yacht is up to speed, the apparent wind will have changed, so trim again. You may need to adjust the trim two or three times to allow for changes to the apparent wind speed as each time the sails are trimmed, the yacht should accelerate.

When fine-tuning the trim, the crew on the sheets need to remember that a small adjustment at their end can make a large difference to the sail. Easing especially should be done smoothly to avoid shaking the sail and disturbing airflow.

When close hauled call the trim from aft and to leeward.

When calling headsail trim on any other point of sail sail, stand by the shrouds or on the bow and use hand signals.

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The amount of twist required in a sail is determined by the amount of wind shear at any given time. The greater the amount of wind shear, the greater the twist required. The aim is to have the sail at the correct angle to the wind all the way up.

Wind shear is caused by the friction of the sea (or land) and Corriolis Effect (rotation of the earth) and causes the wind to back (in the northern hemisphere) as it gets closer to the sea. Wind shear is more pronounced when conditions are stable (laminar airflow) indicated by air temperature greater than the sea/land, hazy visibility and a steadier wind. Shear is lessened when conditions are unstable (turbulent airflow) indicated by air temperature less than the sea/land, clear visibility (although sometimes poor if raining etc), and a gustier wind. In the unstable state, airflow from higher up is mixed up with the lower wind creating a more uniform direction over a vertical section.

The amount of wind shear can often be seen by standing at the base of the backstay and looking up. Compare the direction of wind at the masthead (use the windex) and that near sea level (use the ensign or class flag).

If there is sufficient wind shear, you may find that the yacht will apparently sail (at the same speed) closer to the wind on one tack (port in the northern hemisphere) than the other. If the yacht feels sluggish (at the same apparent wind angle) after you have tacked onto starboard (in the northern hemisphere), then the lower parts of the sails may be luffing due to the backed wind lower down. Try bearing away a few degrees until the yacht ‘comes alive’ again.

To ascertain the position of maximum draft, draft go directly underneath the sail, use a black trim band, and place a straight line (your finger will do) so that it touches the trim band at the luff and leech. The band should move away to leeward of your finger between these two points. The maximum draft occurs where the trim band is furthest away from your finger. This method also gives an idea of how much draft there is (i.e. how flat the sail is).

The leech (and foot) line of any sail should be as loose as possible. When the sail is new they should not be needed – if they are, send the sail back to the manufacturer as the shape is wrong! However as the sail stretches with time, you may find that the leech of foot starts to flap a little. Tensioning the appropriate line until the sail stops flapping will improve the airflow over the sail and also its longevity. Too much tension will cause the leech (or foot) to develop a hooked profile which is inefficient, and may cause the sail to stretch more. As the wind speed increases, more tension will be required to stop the flapping, and as the wind eases, less tension will be needed to stop hooking.

Sail shape The position of maximum draft aft will provide a lot of power and drag.

A flat sail is more efficient, but less powerful.

A flat sail promotes better airflow in light conditions and in stronger conditions helps to reduce the amount of power available.

In moderate conditions a fuller sail is better suited.

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As a general rule in any given conditions, a flatter sail will be better upwind, and a fuller sail off the wind.

When punching through waves, waves more power (fuller sails) may be required. Twist may also be added to the sails to keep as much of the sail as close to the optimum angle to the wind as possible as the course is altered by the waves.

When fine tuning, tuning adjust one setting i.e. the kicker at a time. Wait a few moments to allow the change to have an effect, and monitor other factors such as true wind speed and direction, sea state and course steered. Use the boat speed to see if the adjustment you have made is beneficial or not. There will be times when an adjustment makes the sail look better, but will be detrimental to boat speed. In a race, boat speed is king!

Only experience will give you an idea of what works when, but if you apply yourself, then you will very quickly pick up the basic settings, and can work on advanced adjustments and refining the basic ones.

Each sailor and crew develop their own styles of trimming to deal with different yachts, sea state, wind conditions and what the objective is. Sails can be adjusted into a myriad of different shapes, shapes and it is important to be consistent, that is to say, at any given time, the sails that are being carried should all be trimmed to one style, and for one objective. A yankee trimmed for pointing as high as possible, a staysail trimmed for pointing with power, and a main trimmed for close reaching will not be very effective!

Sailing upwind, upwind decide whether you want to point high and slow (flatter sails), or low and quick (fuller sails), and trim all the sails with this in mind.

At night torches are invaluable for checking the sails, but always point them forward away from the helm, and warn crew in the area you are turning one on.

Moonlight is often sufficient for coarse settings, or flying the spinnaker. Sail trim should not be affected by lack of ambient light.

Trim should be checked whenever • • • • •

The course is changed The wind speed or direction changes Sea state changes Your objective (i.e. pointing or speed) changes.

It has not been checked for a while (in the last few seconds)!

Remember • •

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If in doubt, let it out.

A flappy sail is an unhappy sail.

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MAIN Main trim is normally called from the mainsheet winch, although sometimes it is necessary to view it from another point i.e. to check draft position.

The halyard and Cunningham adjust the tension in the luff of the sail. More luff tension equals a flatter sail with the position of maximum draft further forward.

Less tension moves the draft aft and makes the sail fuller. Make sure there is little power in the sail when adding halyard tension – either ease the sheet, or luff up.

The outhaul adjusts the shape of the bottom third of the sail – a tighter outhaul gives a flatter sail, whilst a looser outhaul gives more of a ‘belly’ to the sail.

The traveller adjusts the angle of attack of the sail, and upwind is normally adjusted in conjunction with the mainsheet.

Upwind the mainsheet adjusts the tension in the leech, and hence the twist in the sail, and is used in conjunction with the traveller. Off the wind, it adjusts the angle of attack.

The kicker adjusts the tension in the leech of the sail, and therefore the twist.

Upwind it is often not used, as the mainsheet provides leech tension, but make sure it is tensioned before the sail is eased.

The leech line tension should be adjusted after a hoist, whenever a reef is put in or shaken out.

A topping lift (spare main ) can be used in light winds to prevent the weight of the boom removing twist from the sail. Simply attach the spare main to the boom, and winch until the required effect is achieved (remember the kicker). It is very easy to pull the boom up too high, forcing too much twist into the sail.

The running backstay also affects the shape of the main. (Remember that its primary purpose is to support the staysail). A lot of tension on the runner will put shape into the top of the main, whilst less tension results in a flatter top of main.

Tips The angle of attack and amount of twist should be adjusted until all the telltales are flying cleanly from the leech, except the top one which should be flying about half the time. The other half of the time it should be stalling, and vanishing behind the sail.

The position of maximum draft should be kept between 45-50% of the way aft.

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When the yacht is overpowered, the aim is to spill excess power. Lowering the traveller helps to de-power. After the traveller is fully down, easing the sheet will de-power. A ‘luff bubble’ may appear at the luff of the sail, and this is fine. If the ‘luff bubble’ comes back further than a third of the length of the sail, and the yacht is still overpowered then a reef is required.

The main is often trimmed in too far when sailing off the wind. Try easing it and see what effect it has on your boat speed. Also talk to the helm – if they are struggling to steer straight, easing the main can often cure this.

HEADSAILS When off the wind, the headsail trim is called using hand signals from the front of the yacht. These are as follows: the foremost hand with one finger controls the yankee, the aft with two fingers the staysail. Waving the appropriate number of fingers pointed upwards in a circle is asking for the sheet to be brought in, whilst doing the same but pointing the fingers down is asking for the sheets to be eased.

A fist asks for the sheet to held stationary. Thus it is possible to call for the yankee to be trimmed in and the staysail out simultaneously. Sometimes it is not possible or efficient for the crew manning the winches to see the caller. Therefore a crewmember nearby should verbally relay the signals.

The halyard adjusts the tension in the luff of the sail. More luff tension equals a flatter sail with the position of maximum draft further forward. Less tension moves the draft aft and makes the sail fuller. Luff tension of the staysail is also affected by running backstay tension. Make sure there is little power in the sail when adding halyard tension – either ease the sheet, or luff up.

The car setting adjusts the amount of twist in the headsail. The further forward the car is, the more the sheet pulls down on the clew, removing twist. The car can be adjusted under load by creative use of a sail tie and a rolling hitch – ask for a demonstration.

The leech and foot lines of the headsails are controlled on a jamming cleat just above the tack.

Another line can be run from the snakepit, through a toe-rail block and to the sheet in front of the car, and this is called a barber hauler. hauler It is used to fine-tune the sheet lead, but can only move the lead forward of the car. When tacking, gybing or making major alterations to trim, take the barber hauler off to prevent damage to the sheet, or a jam in the car.

The staysail can be barber hauled using the leeward foreguy (if free) clipped to the clew.

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Tips It is very easy to over-trim the headsails, so remember ‘If in doubt let it out’. Ease out until the luff starts to backwind and trim in slightly until the backwinding stops. This method is especially useful at night when seeing the leeward telltales is difficult, but does need alert and keen cockpit crew.

The leeward telltales should stream horizontally. The windward telltales should also stream horizontally, but may lift to 45° especially if upwind. Adjust the sail towards the unhappy telltales.

If the bottom of the sail is set correctly, but the top is too far out (top windward telltales unhappy, or top of sail flapping) the sail has too much twist in. The sail would also have too much twist if the top was trimmed correctly, but the bottom was over-trimmed. Remove twist by moving the sheet lead forward.

If the bottom of the sail is setting correctly, but the top is too far in (top leeward telltale is unhappy), the sail has too little twist. The sail would also need more twist if the top of the sail is correctly set, but the bottom is under-trimmed. Add twist by moving the sheet lead aft.

Adjust the twist in the sail until all the telltales are behaving together i.e. all the windward telltales lift together as the helm luffs a little.

The position of maximum draft should be around 33% back from the front of the sail.

When trimming upwind, the yankee sail (or sheet) should be kept between one and four inches off the shrouds depending on whether pointing or speed are required.

The staysail should be trimmed so its leech is parallel to the leech of the yankee.

Check the sail shape from the front, but normally once the sheets are set it is up to the helm to keep the yacht at speed. Adjustment to trim will be required if the wind strength or sea state changes, or if the objective changes.

When hoisting a headsail, it is easier and quicker to initially apply excess of halyard tension, and then ease it to the correct setting for the wind, than to try to add more tension later. In the latter case, the sail will have to be de-powered before more tension can be applied.

SPINNAKERS Pole height is adjusted at the inboard end by an uphaul and a downhau downhaul on the pole car. Remember to operate them together.

The outboard end is held up by the topping lift, lift and pulled down by the guy and foreguy. When adjusting the topping lift, remember to adjust the guy or foreguy in foreguy sympathy. (The foreguy is normally used as it often provides more downward force. See what the guy and foreguy do in order to decide which you would use in a given circumstance).

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The guy also pulls the outboard end of the pole aft, and the foreguy pulls the end forward. Adjust these two in sympathy to move the pole in relation to the centreline of the yacht and hence to the wind direction. The pole should always be kept off the forestay. It will break if allowed to hit the stay, or rest on it for any length of time! When adjusting the guy make sure another crew is ready on the foreguy before adjusting it, and vice versa. The sheet should also be adjusted in sympathy with the guy. Guy aft, ease sheet, guy forward trim on sheet.

The spinnaker sheet should be eased until the luff of the sail is on the verge of collapsing. A small fold every so often means that the sail is perfectly trimmed, but if a big fold occurs (or is imminent) then the sheet should be trimmed on. The sheet is often over-trimmed, and to prevent this it should be being continuously played, easing it out to the point of collapse, trimming it in a bit to avoid a big collapse, and then easing it out again. Adjust the number of turns on the winch to suit the loading. The sheet should be ‘played’, that is to say, adjusted continuously to keep the sail at maximum efficiency. Do not spare the crew on the winch – they are there to work, and can be replaced when they get tired.

A small collapse (left) may not need a reaction as the sail should be permanently on the point of collapse – however, if the collapse stays for more than a few seconds, or develops into a bigger collapse (middle), then the sail will need to be trimmed in. In the case of an even larger collapse (right), the helmsman may need to bear away briefly to help to fill the spinnaker fill.

Adjust the spinnaker pole height to keep the clews level. The pole should be kept perpendicular to the mast to keep the clew as far away from the mast as possible, and to reduce stresses in the pole. Moving the pole down also provides a flatter sail which is good when close to the wind and in heavier conditions.

The angle of the pole to the centreline of the yacht should be adjusted so that the pole is at right angles (or just slightly less) to the wind direction. If the pole is brought aft, the sheet should be eased, and if the pole goes forward, then the sheet should be trimmed in.

The sail should always be kept off the forestay. forestay If it is tight on the forestay, then either the sheet is too tight, or the pole too far aft.

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The spinnaker trimmer and helm should work together. If the helm alters course (to ride a wave etc) they should let the trimmer know which way they are going.

Similarly, if the kite collapses, the helm can bear away (again tell the trimmer even if they requested you to do it), and after the kite is full again, slowly harden up (keep the trimmer informed).

Good positioning for trimming the spinnaker. The trimmer can see the luff of the sail, and has a stable stance. The grinder has their shoulders over the top of the winch, both hands on the handle and is alert and ready to respond to any calls made by the trimmer.

When hardening up, the following will need to be done.

• • • •

Pole forward (ease guy and winch in fore-guy) Trim on sheet Check pole height Check sheet lead

When bearing away, • • • •

Pole back (ease fore-guy and winch in guy) Ease sheet Check pole height Check sheet lead

Broaching occurs for a number of reasons, but the net result is that the yacht heels excessively, the rudder becomes ineffective as it is out of the water, and the yacht turns up into the wind. If a broach is imminent or happening, the sheets (both main if it can go out further and spinnaker) should be eased to de-power.

The kicker should also be released as this will allow the main to twist off, also depowering it. It also allows the boom to lift in the water, thus easing the stresses on it. The preventer can also be eased for the same purpose. When control of the yacht is regained, sheets and kicker and preventer should be winched back in. It is very important that the kicker is winched in as soon as possible, as excessive twist in the main can make steering difficult, and may result in another broach.

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Flying spinnakers in heavy winds requires a determined, efficient and able crew.

All sails should be flat to reduce power and keep control, helming should be precise and responsive, and the crew need to be ready for anything. Remember when dealing with the lines that the loads are huge – the guy can see in excess of three tons.

Spinnakers can be easily damaged as the material used is thin. Special care should be taken when manhandling the sail, as an aggressive finger nail or an edge of a fitting can put a hole in the sail. If this hole is not repaired (it may not be noticed), then it may develop considerably if the sail is put up. The other main cause of damage is shock loading. If the spinnaker sees a shock load, it can blow completely. Shock loads can occur if the yacht slows down quickly, during a broach, during a gust, or by a sudden filling.

If a yacht’s speed is reduced by ten knots (hitting the back of a wave), then the sail will see an extra ten knots of wind speed. To reduce the possibility of damage, ease the sheet as the speed decreases to de-power the sail, and then trim on again as the speed increases (and the apparent wind speed decreases). During a gust, similar action should be taken. Sudden filling can be prevented by not bearing away hard with a collapsed but well-sheeted-in spinnaker. Even if the aim of the bear away is to fill the spinnaker, the sheet may need to be eased a bit to allow a controlled filling of the sail. It should then be trimmed as normal.

Once a spinnaker is damaged it is prone to further damage, and its efficiency is reduced each time it is repaired as its area gets smaller and the shape worse!

Remember it is against class rules for a sewing machine to be carried. Any repairs will have to be done by hand. Trust us, this is hard work and can take days of round-the-clock effort!

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SAFETY - MAN OVERBOARD The golden rule of man overboard is DON’T be one!

It is imperative that every Crew Volunteer knows the exact procedure for recovering a man overboard as quickly as possible. The Quick Stop method is used on Challenge Yachts, which means that the yacht is brought round to wind until the sails are backed resulting in the yacht stopping, not far from the person in the water.

IN THE WATER • • • • • • • • • • •

Make sure someone knows you have gone over Keep movements to a minimum to prevent cold water shock setting in Inflate life jacket Switch on light Switch on personal EPIRB Fasten cuff and ankle seals on Foul Weather Sailing suit and put hood up and fasten spume visor Adopt HELP (Heat Escape Loss Prevention) position, crossed arms and legs but relaxed. Keep huddled up to keep air trapped within clothing.

Put the waves to your back Make harness line into a strop for boat hook Do not swim to the Danbuoy unless it is very close DON’T PANIC PANIC, let the yacht come to you

ON THE YACHT Below is the action for the basic MOB drill, with the yacht carrying a mainsail, and plain headsails. A poled out headsail, preventer or flying spinnakers complicates the MOB drill, and these also need to be considered, but will all be dealt with in their respective sections.

Remember: one MOB is bad enough; another or an injured crewmember on board is even worse. The crew of the yacht should remember that they are the primary rescue device, and that as such they have a duty to look after themselves first. It might sound harsh, but the last thing on the MOB list (apart from medical after care) is picking up the MOB, and the crew have to ensure they are in one piece in order to achieve this.

After the call of ‘MAN OVERBOARD’, OVERBOARD’ there can be a tendency for a crew to starburst, and/or raise their heads into the line of fire of the boom. An alert helm will not heave to whilst this is occurring; a distracted helm may well heave to, resulting in injuries or more MOB’s. Any crew starbursting up the high side in order to drop the sails will soon find that after the crash stop the high side will now be the dangerous low side. Therefore, providing the immediate actions are all being carried out, the remainder of the crew should keep themselves safe. On the 72 foot yachts, it is permissible for one or two crewmembers to sneak into the snakepit (if they are not already there) during the immediate action phase and prep the headsail halyards, providing they keep their heads down. ©

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Remember that as it is impossible to say who the MOB will be, jobs cannot be allocated prior to the event, crew members need to be aware of what needs to be done, see what is being done, and where they may be required. Initially this may seem hard, but after a few drills, it becomes clearer.

The role and duties of the off watch will be varied depending on circumstances and skippers, but as a rule it is not a good idea to rush up on deck to help, as the off watch crew may be half asleep and/or disorientated, and will probably cause more chaos than help on deck. If required on deck, the off watch must remember to arrive on deck wearing their lifejackets and footwear, and only when asked.

Immediate Action • • • • •

Shout ‘MAN OVERBOARD’ Launch horseshoe/danbuoy Press GPS MOB button. Write down position. Start engine DON’T PANIC OR STARBURST Heave to

The call of ‘MAN OVERBOARD’ should be made by all of you as loud as you can!

The crew member nearest the horseshoe throws this over the side, and then points to the casualty. (If the helmsman has launched the horseshoe, then another crew member has to point). When launching the horseshoe, remember the drogue on it will pull out the danbuoy and the light. You need to make sure these run cleanly.

The crewmember pointing must remember to point with their arm at the casualty (not the danbuoy), and must not get distracted.

The crewmember nearest the navigation station presses the GPS man overboard button and writes down the position. Remember the GPS MOB button stores the ‘land’ position where the button was pressed, and not where the MOB actually went over, or where they have drifted to. The GPS MOB screen gives a range and bearing to the land position, and this may need to be relayed to the deck. The GPS should only be reset when authorised by the skipper.

All crewmembers should keep their heads down, and make sure they are in a safe area of the yacht.

When the helmsman is certain that everyone onboard is in a safe location, they should perform a quick stop by bringing the yacht through head to wind and backing the sails. This will stop the yacht to windward and not far from the casualty. The headsail sheets are not touched.

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The engine should be started and the helmsman informed. When starting the engine, remember to check there are no lines over the side, and for DRILLS also check the engine is in neutral. After the engine is started, make sure the helmsman is informed it is on, and acknowledges this fact. The helmsman should then check the engine is fully functioning by engaging both gears. The engine is normally started by the presser of the MOB button at around the same time.

Secondary action The crew now have the opportunity to organise themselves and turn a panic situation into a disciplined and seamanlike rescue. Recovery of a Man Overboard casualty is always executed on the PORT side of Challenge yachts, so the helmsman can see and reach the throttle control, so that the crew always knows which side to go to, and because it is the low side and so closer to the casualty.

• • • • • • •

The headsails should be dropped and secured The main sail must be centred with a crew member remaining on station to control it The boat hook, lifting strop, tribuckle and scramble net must be made ready on the port side A crew member must be ready to be a swimmer if one is required A bunk should be prepared for the casualty The casualty should be returned to The casualty must be recovered from amidships, just aft of the mast and well clear of the prop

When dropping the sails, all crewmembers involved must have a sail tie with them.

It is preferable to drop the yankee first, as it is the bigger sail, and will come down easier with the staysail up; however, provided chaos is avoided, they can come down in any order, or even simultaneously! Before dropping, the helm should be consulted, and if there is a problem with the engine, the sails may be needed to sail back to the casualty. casualty Dropping should be prompt but controlled, and with clear communication.

Dropping can commence with no-one on the foredeck initially (especially if short handed), but ideally one or two crew should be ready to gather. Remember to clip on.

The foremost of the crew, should stand in front of the stay the sail is hanked onto, and should have the halyard strop in their pockets. It is well worth while taking 5 seconds longer making sure the halyard strop is ready for action prior to dropping, than scrabbling around for 30 seconds or more after the sail is dropped trying to find it. In the latter case, the sail will be in the way, and the halyard itself will be swinging around potentially creating a hazard for anyone on the foredeck, especially the person trying to hold onto it. As the sail is dropped, pull down on the luff and secure the halyard. Remember to call ‘HALYARD MADE’ when appropriate.

The second crewmember should be close behind the first, and simply pull the sail down, and put a sail tie around it. ©

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After dropping, the halyards should be secured on their strops, and at least one sail tie secured around the sail.

The headsail sheets should not be adjusted.

Recovery To recover the casualty, two crew should position themselves at the shrouds.

They should clip on, and one should hold the boat hook (or other rescue device), whilst the other holds onto the first. Keep a low profile, and point at the casualty (the boat hook is ideal for this). As the casualty comes closer, start to call the distance to them. Try to be as accurate as possible, but something is much better than nothing. Especially important is to relay when the casualty is in line with the bow, alongside the shrouds and when you have successfully secured the casualty.

When calling distance, remember the yacht is 72 foot or 22m long and use this as a guide.

All other crew should keep a low profile so the helm can see where they are going, and remain in a safe place.

The helm should approach close hauled on starboard tack. Speed should be controlled using the engine and if necessary the mainsheet. Aim to arrive with the casualty a few feet away from (to leeward of ) the port shrouds. Maintain the position of the casualty fore and aft using forwards and reverse, and allow the yacht to drift onto the casualty. This method is far more successful than trying to stop first time with the casualty 10cm away from the hull.

When approaching, care should be taken to ensure the yacht does not tack, as you will then drift away from the casualty. Approaching with the wind too fine on the starboard bow will cause the boom to flap around creating a hazard for those onboard, and a noise which can be detrimental to communication, and leaves you open to a wind shift which may cause you to tack.

If the casualty is close and still compos mentis, then you can always throw them a line to retrieve them – in fact, there is a throwing line on deck ready for use all the time. Remember to aim beyond the MOB (preferably into the next ocean).

If the casualty has lost consciousness, then a swimmer may be deployed. The swimmers (one on each watch) on board should be detailed prior to departing, and the off watch swimmer should be deployed in a MOB. The swimmer is the only person to have a specific role detailed to them before a MOB and this is because time is of the essence, and they need to be fully aware of what they are letting themselves into beforehand so they can deal with the situation appropriately. The off watch swimmer is preferred, as the on watch swimmer is more likely to be on deck, and may be the MOB! The on watch will be busy dropping sails and so on, but the off watch swimmer should have time to prepare themselves with suitable under clothing, a drysuit and lifejacket, and be ready to go in by the time the casualty is approached (the other off watch crew can help them). A swimmer should always remain securely attached to the yacht.

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Post recovery care After recovery of the casualty, they will need medical care, and your skipper in conjunction with any medic onboard will see to this. The off watch crew (if not needed on deck) can prepare a bunk, and suitable medical kit etc whilst recovery is in progress, thus ensuring swift treatment.

Notes After the MOB, remember that the sails will have been dropped in a hurry, and securing them neatly will not have been a priority, so before re-hoisting, always check the deck over thoroughly to ensure there are no lines twisted or trapped.

Trapping one of the yankee sheets inside the staysail halyard strop is a common occurrence in a MOB drill.

The possibility of a MOB should always be present in your mind. If you have just come on deck, or have a few quiet moments have a look at what state the yacht is in, run through what would need to be done in a MOB, MOB and what are you best placed to do. You can always spark up a conversation with your crewmates on this topic to make sure you are all happy with it.

Being aware of it as you engage in manoeuvres will make it less likely to happen, and also make your reaction to it safer and quicker. Remember that a MOB (or at least a drill MOB) can be expected any time of day or night, but the real MOB is more likely to occur during times when people are active, rather than just sitting on deck.

In the event of a MOB occurring during a manoeuvre, remember to look after the yacht and the crew onboard first. If tacking, finish off your tack properly, check everyone is safe, then heave to. If changing a sail, a decision will have to be made, depending on the state of the foredeck, as to what needs to be done. The yacht needs to be hove to as quickly as possible, and shortcuts can be taken, but the foredeck crew should be safe at all times. Do not panic, as this can lead to a worse situation such as a sail in the water which may disable the yacht, and will cause the drill to be delayed at best.

By the end of your training make sure you have helmed at least one MOB pick up – if your skipper falls in, one of you will have to pick him up, and the experience of helming a pick up in a drill is invaluable – if nothing else it gives you an insight into the bigger picture, and it is easier to empathise and work with the helm when you know what they can see etc.

There are references to MOB at the end of the sections on preventers, poling out and spinnakers. These merely highlight differences, and presume the rest of the MOB drill is continuing as normal.

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SAFETY - ABANDONING THE YACHT AND SURVIVAL

SAFETY - ABANDONING THE YACHT AND SURVIVAL One of the major lessons learned from the Fastnet disaster of 1979 was that the yacht remains your best survival craft and should never be abandoned, unless it is on the point of sinking. Of the 48 yachts abandoned during the storm for the supposedly better safety of life rafts or other vessels, 38 yachts were later recovered. By contrast, five of the fifteen crews who took to the life rafts reported that they were capsized by the seas and one life raft broke up completely.

The design of life rafts has been greatly improved but the simple lesson is, stay with the yacht wherever possible. possible In the Vendee Globe Race of 1996 - 1997, three yachts capsized in the severe conditions that can be encountered south of Australia. Each Skipper stayed with his yacht until rescue arrived. French yachtsman, Raphael Danelli eventually had to abandon his yacht when it sank beneath him and he was luckily picked up from a life raft by Pete Goss (ex Challenge Training Skipper and Race Skipper in The British Steel Challenge 1992 1993).

The thought of having to abandon a yacht and seek the sanctuary of life rafts is a sobering one. By way of reassurance, with all the Round the World Yacht Races that have taken place in the last twenty years, only one fully crewed yacht has ever had to be abandoned. That was a Finnish yacht competing in the 1989 1990 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race. The keel of the yacht was known to be unstable and the crew were aware for at least 48 hours that they might have to abandon their yacht. When they had to abandon the yacht after it lost its keel, they were rescued within hours by fellow competitors.

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STANDING BY TO ABANDON SHIP The golden rules to follow are: • •

Never leave the yacht unless it is about to sink Send appropriate distress messages by: Activate EPIRB Sat Com C, & Sat Com B GMDSS, DSC Unit Ch 16 and HF radio 2182 kHz Mayday

• •

Wear a life jacket and warm protective clothing Make sure vital supplies are taken onto the life raft: EPIRB to aid location by rescuers Grab bag containing handheld VHF, portable GPS and flares Two x 5 gallon water containers (3/4’s full to ensure they will float) Extra food Extra clothing, preferably in a bag to keep it dry Documents such as log book, charts, passports and so on Personal medication Anything else that may be of use (e.g. a chopping board)

LIFE RAFTS Offshore, Challenge yachts carry four life rafts. All rafts are six man. It is important that everyone on board knows how to launch and inflate them.

Before launching, ensure the end of the painter (inflation/securing line) is tied on to the appropriate eye plate and is not tangled.

Once launched (and inflated), crew should get into them as quickly as possible.

Before cutting the painters, tie the rafts to each other with a warp.

Everyone should take seasickness pills once on board the life raft.

Everyone should also urinate after getting into the life raft.

Each life raft carries a comprehensive on board kit including: • • • • •

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Paddles A drogue to keep the raft head to wind and reduce its drift A canopy to provide protection from the elements A bailer and sponges to keep the raft dry Extra Flares

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PRIORITIES FOR SURVIVAL For survival at sea, four priorities need to be attended to - protection, location, water and food.

Protection Attend to any injuries or disabilities and set up a cover to provide more shelter from the elements.

Location You must be located, seen and heard by rescuers. Equipment for this ranges from emergency locator transmitters, night and day flares and distress rockets, strobe lights, whistle, torch and reflector tape.

Water Sourcing drinkable water is difficult at sea. Generally you need at least 2 litres of water each day to sustain normal bodily functions. Without water, most people will not survive longer than three to four days.

Food An average adult can survive 25 - 30 days without food. Do not eat until your water problem is solved. Food such as chocolate and fish require water to digest them, and as such are not ideal emergency rations.

HELICOPTER TRANSFER This is something that may well happen on one of your training sails as the coastguard have to practise!

The helicopter will talk to someone onboard via VHF before approaching. All instructions should be carefully followed. When the helicopter is overhead it is very noisy on the yacht, and radio communication is almost impossible.

A guide follows, but remember each circumstance is different, and the aircrew are in charge, so it is important to follow the instructions that they give you to the letter.

Preparation • • •

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Put the yacht onto port tack, and sail close hauled.

Prepare a bucket One or two crew to don gloves

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Sailing close hauled on the port tack increases the apparent wind speed over the helicopter blades giving the pilot better control, and as the pilot and winchman sit on the starboard side this also gives them better visibility. (This is true for UK coastguard helicopters, other nationalities, especially those in the southern hemisphere may have different types of helicopters.) A steady course should be kept.

The bucket should be prepared on the low side in the cockpit, in front of the mainsheet and the crew with gloves on should position themselves over this. The port quarter should be cleared as much as possible (this may include spare main halyards, the running backstay and so on.)

Action The helicopter will lower a thin line. This should not be touched until it has been earthed by dipping it in the water. As the line is paid out, it develops a static charge which is removed when it is earthed. New lines are being used which do not develop a charge, but it is better to be safe than sorry. The helicopter will bring the line to the yacht and then move to port. As the diver is lowered, the thin line should be pulled in by the gloved crew and stowed in the bucket to keep it clear of other lines. The area under the line should be kept clear as it is the diver’s landing spot. The line is pulled in until the diver is onboard.

Under no circumstances should the line be attached to the yacht.

To transfer back to the helicopter, pay out the line as the diver goes up and to port. Keep the diver under control – do not let him swing too quickly. Once the diver is back on the helicopter, it will come back overhead and retrieve the thin line.

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SAFETY - ANCHORING

SAFETY - ANCHORING Years ago, it was common practice for yachts to anchor to take on supplies, or pick up a pilot or shelter from a storm. Nowadays with modern marinas, the need to anchor is not so common. Not knowing how to carry out the procedure is, however, un-seamanlike and unsafe. Imagine arriving in a foreign port and your engine fails to start. You have two options - anchor or sail away again! Should the wind fail, and the tide be against you, it is your method of not losing ground.

Every member of the crew should know where the anchor is stowed, how to rig it on deck and how to deploy it.

PREPARATION The anchor, chain and warp are stowed in the forepeak on Challenge Yachts.

• • • • • • •

Lay out spare sail bag on foredeck Flake chain on bag Secure bitter end of chain Winch anchor up using spinnaker halyard.

Pass anchor over pulpit and into bow roller Attach chain to anchor Rig a chain stopper at cleat

Avoid the chain rubbing on the forehatch or other coaming as it will cause damage.

The anchor is heavy. Do not stand beneath it. Do not let the anchor or chain hit the side of the hull. It will dent the hull and damage the paintwork.

The bitter end of the chain can be secured by tying it around the mast, or a winch.

The chain stopper is rigged by looping a sail tie around the cleat, passing around the chain en route. If the chain slips the tie can be pulled tight, jamming the chain against the cleat and stopping slippage.

ACTION • • • • • • •

Stop yacht Lower anchor to seabed Go slowly astern (if not racing) Pay out chain Snub chain and secure with chain hook Drive astern to bed the anchor in (if not racing) Check for dragging

The crew lowering the anchor should be on the starboard side so that the skipper and person in charge of foredeck (at bow on port side) can see each other. Once the anchor is down, the bow should hold their arm out to indicate the direction of the chain.

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When driving against the anchor, check for dragging by feeling for vibrations on the chain (use your foot resting on top of the chain to do this).

After the anchor is set, check for dragging by using a transit.

To haul up the anchor, motor so the chain is up and down (if not racing), haul in the slack until the anchor is up. Let the helm know when the anchor is off the bottom and in the mean time, use an arm as a guide as to the chain direction.

When anchoring and weighing anchor under sail, the principles are the same, but obviously the sails will be up, so there may be less space on the foredeck with which to work.

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DECK ROLES

DECK ROLES Crew often specialize in an area on deck. This means they become more efficient at a job, understand how that job fits in with the rest of the jobs, and this improves communication. Briefing times are also reduced. In order for a crew to specialize, they need to understand all roles being carried out, so even if you wish to be bow, a few days in the snakepit will be invaluable. When training, specialisation is not normally encouraged, partly for this reason, and partly to allow everyone to experience as much as possible.

The definition of the roles below is not absolute; each team find different defining edges to each job. Each watch should be able to fill each slot, so when all the crew is up, there will be double the hands in each area. To avoid confusion, clear guidelines need to be laid down for situations when the whole crew is up, otherwise crew will get in each other’s way.

Bow The bow needs to be agile, strong, and have a good reach. They lead the team on the foredeck, and anything in front of the mast is their responsibility. They normally look after the luff of the mainsail when reefing.

In rough conditions, do not take your team up to the foredeck for a manoeuvre until the snakepit is ready. Make sure the team go up in their order to avoid tangling of clips.

When going to the end of the pole, clip onto the foreguy, haul yourself to the pole end and then clip a short strop to the end of the pole to take your weight. You can then wait in comfort until the call to spike. It is worth while making a pouch for a spike on your harness, and having the spike tied (bungee works well) to your harness as well. This means you always have one with you, and you cannot lose it! When spiking the guy, keep yourself below the pole and out of any trap points, as the pole may well spring back when the load of the guy is taken off it.

Practise climbing the mast in harbour, but at sea take up a couple of strops with clips with you, so you can secure yourself to prevent swinging. In rough conditions wear a helmet. A top tip is to have a masthead halyard secured tight next to the mast. You can clip straight into this to prevent big swings away from the mast, and you can also pull yourself up on this. You may wish to rig a downhaul to yourself as well. This gives the crew below more control over you, and means they can bring you back to the deck if you become unconscious. In rough weather a back-up person should be on hand to assist you if needed. Any tools or kit taken up the mast must be securely attached to you so they cannot drop!

Foredeck The foredeck crew works closely with the bow, and should be able to step into their shoes if they are injured or on mother watch.

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Mast Crew at the mast need to be able to haul sails up quickly. They also form the last two members of the foredeck team. They should be able to tie bowlines accurately and rapidly under pressure (and maybe even under water)!

To haul a sail up at the mast is a three-phase process. Initially one person hauls on the halyard hand over hand. When they can no longer do this, both crew put their hands on the halyard at about eye level (the taller crew has their hands on top) and both use their weight to pull the halyard down. At the bottom, they open their hands and slide them up to eye level again. Repeat this process. When stage two cannot be done anymore, start phase three, sweating. Start with the hands as in phase two, but initially pull out and down, then keeping your hands low bring them back into the mast to allow the slack to be taken up, before opening your hands and sliding them up to eye level again. With practice, the transition from phase one to three can become very smooth, and a rapid rhythm can be executed in each phase, resulting in very quick hoists. Bear in mind that when hoisting on the low side, sheets are liable to flap around behind you! If in doubt clip on before sweating, as you are not intending to go anywhere else in a hurry, and you are vulnerable, especially on the low side when you are pulling out.

The mast crew should also be available to help in the snakepit or cockpit.

The start of phase 3, sweating.

Hands are at eye level, and a steady base has been formed by having the feet slightly apart.

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From here, simply keep your hands low, and bring them back into the mast whilst the snakepit crew take in the slack you have created.

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Snakepit Snakepit crew should keep the snakepit tidy and ready for action. They should be able to lay their hands on any rope day or night, and be able to prepare it for action (flake it out, load it onto a winch and open the jammer if needed) in a flash.

A good snakepit crew is always one step ahead of the game: for instance, when preparing for a spinnaker hoist, as each line is needed it is ready – there is no delay at all. (It is possible). If extra horsepower is required, the mast crew can be easily employed to help winch; however, they will need clear direction as to what to winch when, and for how long. The snakepit is the controlling factor in many operations, and as such communication and clear understanding of intent is needed. A good snakepit crew can make everyone else look good!

Cockpit The cockpit is the bread and butter area. Every crew member should be able to operate any point of the cockpit rapidly and accurately. Crew left in the cockpit during a sail change, for instance, may feel their role is minimal, but if they get it wrong, then the whole event can be considerably delayed, and can cause extra work for other crew.

Helm A good helm has a feel for the yacht, and is able to concentrate ruthlessly when everyone else is either ‘sitting around’, or working rapidly around them. Speed and heading are king to the helm.

Trimmer A good trimmer has an eye for what works, built up by experience through trial and error. They are more than happy to get it wrong some of the time, and to undo what they have just done! They need to give clear concise instructions, and know all the tricks of the trade. They are always learning!

Watch Leader A watch leader has to take charge of the rabble on deck. They must always have an understanding of the navigational, meteorological and tactical/strategical situation, and ideally be able to call sail changes, tacks and so on.

They are the go-between the crew and the skipper.

They need to be able to act fast to remedy a problem encountered during a manoeuvre, and therefore should know every manoeuvre inside and out. A good watch leader has seen many mistakes occur, knows how to avoid them in the future, and how to learn from new ones.

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Navigation/Weather/Communications This crew member needs to understand all the kit at the navigational area, and also what information is wanted by the skipper or watch leader or other yachts during a chat show. Their timing and protocol must be spot on, even when they are cold, wet and tired or involved in other activities, as they cannot afford to miss anything on their schedule.

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HELMING Relieving the Helmsman The helmsman being relieved must tell his relief before handing over: • • • • • •

Ordered course and course made good Helm carried and any steering problems experienced Normal instrument readings - log speed, apparent wind angle and wind speed Movements of any shipping in sight Any instruction e.g.: watch the echo sounder for depth changes Weather: wind, cloud and waves, changes during the last watch

The new helmsman must stand/sit beside the helmsman being relieved, getting used to watching waves, sails, wind etc for 5 minutes. The new helmsman on taking over must report to his Watch Leader his name and course, e.g. ‘Andy at the wheel, course 135°’. The helmsman being relieved must stand/sit and make sure the new helmsman has settled in for 5 minutes.

General Helming requires concentration. A wandering mind slows the yacht down. Relax and feel the helm, ride it rather than control it ruthlessly. Use the rudder (a brake the size of a door) as little as possible – practise timing and anticipation to improve this, and use the waves and wind to help steer the yacht.

Steer a steady course! A yacht 1° off course over 60 miles will be 1 mile off its required target. Over 6,000 miles this is 100 miles, and 5° equates to 500 miles or at least two day’s sailing! Whilst holding course to one degree is not expected, it is worth bearing this in mind. A lot of Ss in the wake also indicate extra mileage being covered.

Spend as much time as possible looking up at the horizon area rather than staring into the compass or at an instrument – you will find this more enjoyable too. Aim for something on the horizon; if the bow or mast swings left (or right), move the wheel a little to the right (or left) until it stops. If possible, start with easy targets such as chimneys, trees and so on, and move on to harder targets such as stars and clouds (remember clouds move). Other objects such as passing ships can be used to give an indication of the course swinging, as can wave direction. The yacht also feels different on different courses, and if this feeling is refined, it can be very accurate.

Always control the rate of turn. This often means that to keep the yacht turning at the same rate will require the wheel to be moved as other forces come into play.

Holding the wheel over will sometimes not even cause the heading to change!

Always start to straighten up before you think it is time to do so.

Helming at night or in restricted visibility is no different; it is just harder to tell when the yacht is turning.

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As a yacht heels more, it will turn towards the high side, so as a gust hits, the yacht will turn to windward. As a wave rolls the yacht, it will turn to the high side, so steer to keep the yacht under the mast (if that makes sense – if not, ask your skipper).

Know exactly where the wind is coming from all the time. Inform the skipper if a change in direction is noticed, especially upwind and downwind as it may require a tack or gybe, or a new course to steer.

Keep the crew informed of major changes in course, let them know when you are on course when they are trimming, and work closely with spinnaker trimmers.

Keep an eye on the amount of rudder you are needing to use to keep a steady course, especially upwind, and try to balance the effect of the sails to minimise this. The mainsail will turn the yacht into the wind, so if you have the wheel turned a third or more away from the wind, the main might need to be eased! This will reduce the force turning the yacht into the wind, reducing the amount of rudder required, increasing speed and making it easier to helm. Experiment a little to see what works best.

Holding a compass course Steer straight using something on the horizon. You are asked to steer 140°.

Glance at the compass and read it. It reads 150°. Look up. up Decide if you need to turn or not. In this case, we need to turn 10° to port, so guess what 10° is (all the way round is 360°), and slowly turn the bow until you are aiming for where you thought 10° was. Steer straight again. Glance at the compass and read it. It reads 142°. Look up, up and turn two more degrees to port. Steer straight and then glance at the compass and read it. It reads 140°. Steer straight. Every 30 seconds or so, glance down at the compass as a check, and adjust your course if necessary.

Never alter the course of the yacht whilst looking at the compass, or look at the compass for more than a few seconds at a time when helming. The compass gives you no idea of your rate of turn (unless you can integrate in your head), and it is possible to turn the yacht at a high rate of turn before you know it. It is also more fun to look up more than look down.

Steering to an instrument is similar – bear in mind the instruments have a degree of dampening built in, so a steady course needs to be held for a few seconds before referring to them. When steering to an apparent wind angle, use the digital not the analogue display as it is more accurate.

Turning the yacht towards the wind reduces the apparent wind angle, whilst bearing away increases it. So, when tacking or gybing try to think of turning towards or away from the wind rather than to port or starboard. A turn to port on port tack will reduce the apparent wind angle, whilst a similar turn to port on starboard tack will increase the apparent wind angle!

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Bearing away Bearing away in windy conditions can be impossible if the mainsheet is not eased first.

Upwind Upwind it is critical to get the right balance of pointing and speed. Heading higher (closer to the wind) reduces your speed, whilst heading lower increases it. Often a minute of heading low to gain speed can be followed by a few of heading high carrying that speed for as long as possible. A few minutes of pursuing the wrong heading will result in low velocity made good to windward!

The helm should be aware of how the sails are set (for pointing or for speed), and work to that (or ask for them to be changed!).

Keep the yacht powered up - head a little too high, bear away slowly, and there will be a point where the yacht heels more and accelerates. This point is where the yacht should generally be sailed. Sail high of this point and the yacht will heel less, slow down and feel spongy and unresponsive. Sail low of this point, and the yacht will speed up, heel more and may be harder to control ( as there is more rudder out of water). Sail even lower, and the yacht will slow down, heel less and feel spongy.

Waves will generally be against you, but they can still be surfed. Turn into the wave a little as you go up it (as the yacht slows you will be able to point higher), and bear away down the back of the wave (as you accelerate you will not be able to point so high). Bearing away down the back of the wave also reduces the chance of slowing the yacht and jarring the crew by slamming the yacht into the trough behind the wave. Keep the ride as smooth as possible. Sequences of waves will sometimes catch you out and slamming will occur. To get the yacht going again, bear away a few (no more than 5) more degrees than normal until the speed is up again. Some sequences can be seen some way off, and an alteration of a degree or two over five minutes is enough to avoid the big ones – this can be beneficial, but takes practice.

If a sustained gust occurs, then it is normally possible to head higher. The yacht will sail flatter, have less leeway, and be heading in a better direction than before with the same speed or sometimes a better speed.

Keep a close eye on boat speed, apparent wind angle, wind speed and angle of heel.

Off the wind Off the wind, a good steady compass course or wind angle is needed, and this should result in good speed if the sails are correctly trimmed.

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Waves will be across the direction of travel, but by anticipating their effect, should not affect the course too much. If the waves become big, it may be worth bearing away a little down the back of the waves, and sailing higher when climbing them.

Keep an eye on your compass and speed.

Downwind In light winds it may be necessary to steer high to generate apparent wind, and then bear away, ‘dragging’ that wind with you onto your correct course. In moderate conditions, steer a straight course, and in windier conditions play the waves.

The aim when playing the waves should be to generate as much boat speed as close as possible to the desired heading. The rolling motion of the yacht on the waves can often be stopped by anticipative helming, which helps to keep the yacht flat. The yacht should be as flat as possible when the stern is being lifted, and this will promote surfing. Once the surf is initiated, a small turn to windward will generate more apparent wind, generating more power to sustain the surf.

Again, good waves can be ridden, and bad ones avoided by small adjustments in course before they arrive.

Watch out for gybing. If you think there is a risk of a gybe inform the crew, and make an effort to turn into the wind.

Keep an eye on apparent wind angle, wind and boat speed.

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LIFE ONBOARD - WATCHES

LIFE ONBOARD - WATCHES Watch Keeping Routine Watch systems are varied, but with a large number of crew, a mother watch is normally run alongside other watches. The on watch is responsible for running the yacht, the mother watch cooks and cleans, whilst the off watch is off. If the off watch are on deck they should comply with safety requirements, and keep out of the way of the on watch. Some watch systems are run so that the morning on watch also clean the deck, whilst the afternoon watch does any maintenance, whilst others rely on specific crew to do specific jobs. If in doubt, ask your skipper before the watch system commences.

The on watch duties • • • • •

Sail yacht Keep lookout Keep log Collect weather data Wake new watch

When keeping a lookout, keep an eye out behind the yacht as well as ahead. It should not be up to the helm to spot other craft. The log should be kept every hour, preferably on the hour or as near as possible if a manoeuvre is being carried out. Weather reports and faxes should be received and recorded. The new watch should be woken in plenty of time to prepare for coming on deck. Some watches like longer than others, whilst differing conditions also affects the time taken to prepare. 20 minutes to watch change is normally sufficient, but 40 minutes should be given if the oncoming watch needs to have food.

It often takes a crew 24 –36 hours to settle into a watch system, but after this a routine has been established which allows plenty of time for rest whilst also keeping the yacht running efficiently.

Responsibilities of a Watch Leader on deck The Watch Leader is the Skipper’s representative on deck and is responsible for: • • • • • • • •

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Carrying out the Skipper’s instructions Waking the Skipper if needed or in any doubt Sailing the yacht, her safety and the safety of the crew Avoiding other vessels Keeping track of yacht positions by regular fixing Ensuring an up-to-date log is kept Obtaining weather forecasts Routine checks

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Watch Changeover The ongoing watch should put on oilskins and lifejackets before going on deck (unless otherwise briefed when called). Harnesses must be clipped on before leaving the doghouse. At night hands must call out their names as they come up and when going down below. The oncoming watch need to be settled on deck five minutes before watch change in order to be briefed, and to give themselves time to settle in.

The watch leader (or anyone who navigates on his behalf) should carefully study the chart with the navigator he is relieving before going on deck. Watch Leaders are to hand over their watch when on deck.

The following points should always be covered • • • • • • •

Course ordered and any navigational hazards expected during next four hours Sails carried and present weather conditions Wind/weather trends during previous watch Race tactical situation and Skipper’s policy, i.e. tack if wind backs Movement of any shipping in sight or on radar.

Any other instructions from the Skipper State of deck

State of deck means that anything unusual should be pointed out. Barber haulers, preventers, poled out headsails etc should all be pointed out, as should information such as ‘The starboard yankee halyard is on the middle winch (in the snakepit) – we left it there so we do not lose any more tension’, or ‘The kicker is on that winch so it can be eased if the boom goes in the water. Someone needs to be standing by it all the time.’ And so on.

Calling the Skipper The Skipper is to be called for any form of emergency or if the Watch Leader has ANY doubts concerning • • • •

Rules of the Road Close approach of another vessel Change in wind strength/direction Navigational position or dangers or if he wishes to make a sail change

Nobody should hesitate to call the Skipper. They are on call 24 hours a day. If in doubt, SHOUT. SHOUT

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NAVIGATIONAL PRACTICES Although it is not possible to lay down hard and fast rules, the following guidelines should be observed: • • • •

• •

The largest scale chart on board should be used. Soft pencil only EVER to be used on charts The chart should show the past, present and the intended future positions of the yacht. Also, if tacking the intended mean track Intended track should be marked hourly and allowance made for tide Regular fixes should be taken hourly offshore and at least half hourly coastal. Each fix should be marked with the time, the log reading (143.2) and a letter to indicate the source: V (Visual), R (Radar), GPS (Global Positioning System).

Where possible electronic fixes should be checked visually or by other instruments It is a legal requirement for the log to be kept

The Echo sounder should be monitored continuously • •

In shallow water In thick fog when in coastal areas

YACHT’S LOG The Yacht’s Log is an official document required by law and an essential record of all the yacht activities. It should contain enough information to maintain the yacht’s DR (Dead Reckoning) position, should the electronic navigation systems fail. A record of actual weather experienced assists forecasting. The following is the minimum of information which should be entered in the log.

Hourly • • • • • • • •

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Log reading - distance run in last hour Course ordered True wind direction and speed in knots Bilges pumped (and number of strokes) Barometer Visibility/Weather Position Day tank level

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As it happens • • • • • • • • •

Major course alterations, time, fix, log readings Sail changes Wind shifts and weather change Weather forecast for area Engine start/stop Generator start/stop Battery charging start/stop Boat heater on/off Any unusual occurrence

MOTHER WATCH DUTIES • • • • • •

To assist the duty watch on deck as required To prepare meals and wash up To re-pack sails To keep below decks clean and tidy Clean heads and grab rails at least twice a day To provide a stand-in for any injured crew

Mother watch provides a change from the usual routine. Provided no sails need stitching, or help is not needed on deck, then after the yacht is cleaned and all meals have been cooked and tidied away you are left to your own devices. This normally results in the mother watch catching up on their sleep, enabling them to arrive on watch next day refreshed and raring to go.

When cooking the meals, remember that in most watch systems, the crew eat in two shifts. If this is the case, then cook foodstuffs such as rice, pasta etc in two lots. This way the amounts are smaller, and each watch has fresh food. The sauce can be cooked early and kept warm. Ensure the food is on time, otherwise the whole watch system will start to fall apart.

Fresh bread, scones or even pancakes are good morale boosters for the crew.

Pass information on to the next mother watch so food standards will hopefully go up. Advice such as ‘The dehydrated chicken tasted much better when we left it to soak for three hours before cooking it’ is invaluable.

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Duty Watch in Harbour The Duty Watch in harbour is the watch that would have been Mother Watch if at sea. One member of the Duty Watch (known as the Duty Mate) must always be on duty, on board. More people may be required to provide meals. Duty Watch is not generally required in marinas except for security reasons. Duties include: • • • • • • •

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Safety crewman for emergency Watch mooring lines with rise/fall of tide. Ensure mooring lines are not chafing Receive stores and assist shore repairs staff Log weather reports Know shore whereabouts of Skipper and Mate Show visitors around the yacht Write up Deck Log

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LIFE ONBOARD - HUSBANDRY The Challenge yachts will be your home for the duration of the Race. Good habits of yacht husbandry and seamanship should become second nature. It helps with your comfort and the comfort of members of your team as well as safety. Good practices can start from training to be continued throughout the event.

EVERYTHING READY FOR USE Always tidy up after a job and put things away. Every piece of yacht kit has a stowage place and if the piece of kit is not in use, it should be stowed ready for when it is next required. Winch handles, especially, should always be re-stowed after use.

On Deck Halyards and sheets must be stowed or coiled away for instant use, and should be recoiled or stowed should they be disturbed. Before use, halyards should be flaked to ensure easy running.

• • • •

Don’t lash sails to the guardrails Keep checking the sails for chafe - use binoculars where necessary Ensure leech lines are at the correct tension Don’t drop hatches

The Galley and Hea Heads ds The galley must be left clean by each watch on deck. If a hand can be spared for ten minutes to make coffee, they can be spared for another two minutes to clean the cups ready for the next time.

Never sit on the saloon seats with your foul weather clothing (or other clothing which has been dampened by salt water) on. Even if it is dry, the salt on the clothing will get into the seat cover, and abrade it, causing it to deteriorate rapidly.

The heads are easily fouled in bad weather. Clean it up yourself, including inside the bowl, bowl before it dries. It is considerate for the next user and also for the duty cleaner in the morning. Leave them as you wish to find them. Bugs and germs love yachts, and will spread throughout a crew before you know it. Prevention is better than suffering.

WATCH OUT FOR AND PREVENT WEAR AND TEAR Keep all ropes taut - a flapping rope wears. Halyards that are not in use should be winched taut and secured off at the mast. The same applies to spinnaker sheets and guys. Nothing should be flapping in the breeze.

Routine checks and maintenance are a vital safeguard on a long voyage to ensure that everything is standing up to the strain of the voyage. Anything out of the ordinary must be reported so that it can be investigated and remedial action taken.

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Sheets and halyards should be adjusted regularly so that the section in the sheave is varied. Prevent sails chafing on spreaders, running backstays, shrouds and guardrails. Put leather patches on chafe points. Look out for cringles (eyelets) working loose. Try not to damage anything by thoughtless actions like dropping something heavy, slamming doors or winches. A door swinging and banging down below is not only noisy, but is damaging itself - tie it back. Sails must be folded carefully. Do not walk on them.

• • •

If you see a job - do it If you do a job, do it properly Time spent in preparation and maintenance is seldom wasted

GARBAGE Traditionally, oceans were seen as vast areas in which rubbish was dumped regardless as it became invisible - either decaying or sinking. Today, attitudes are different and the situation has changed, mainly because of the number of nonbiodegradable products that are used.

Once thrown into the sea, non-biodegradable products may not sink or decay and can be fatal to marine life. Plastic bags can be mistaken for food and fish, seabirds and other marine life can try to eat them. Plastic material also entangles seabirds, seals, turtles and fish - trapping them and slowly choking them to death.

It is illegal to dump any plastic, including synthetic fishing nets, ropes and plastic rubbish bags into the sea.

Food wastes and other ground garbage including paper products, rags, glass, metal and crockery must not be dumped within 12 miles of land.

These two basic principles adhere to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. Fines can be levied against offending businesses or individuals.

For example, the Australian authorities will fine companies (such as The Challenge Business).

NB Although ‘Biodegradable’, it takes 50 years for a banana skin to biodegrade.

Ask yourself if it will biodegrade before it washes up on a beach somewhere.

WATER On any long voyage, fresh water needs careful husbandry. The yachts all have water makers on board, and these are run off the generator. Any piece of machinery can break down and water makers are no exception. In addition to the water maker, the yachts have fresh water tanks but these too should not be relied on totally. There is always the risk of contamination. For all of these reasons, you must bear in mind that rationing of water could occur.

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Careful husbandry of fresh water supplies should become second nature on the yacht: • • • • •

Use salt water for personal washing (salt water soap) and washing up Any clothes washing to be done in salt water, using only limited fresh water to rinse Turn the electric pump off Limit personal intake to approximately four - six pints per day Use a small cup of water when washing teeth

Taking advantage of what is supplied for free should become second nature. A fresh water open air shower on deck in calm weather is too good an opportunity of limitless fresh water to miss. Even with limited supplies, you should be able to have a salt water wash down at least once a week, with a fresh water rinse.

ELECTRICITY Electricity onboard comes from batteries. These can only supply a certain amount of electricity before they need to be charged. Therefore, when you have finished using a light, turn it off. The yachts all have an alarm that will go off when the battery voltage drops to a certain level. The only way to turn this off is to charge the batteries. Shore supplies are fitted so that in harbour, the generator does not need to be run.

HYGIENE As far as personal hygiene and welfare are concerned, there are some general points worth thinking about. Yachts can be very uncomfortable and unhealthy in certain conditions and they can also smell. The trainer type of sailing shoe is particularly niffy! It is essential that personal hygiene is kept to a high standard.

It is vitally important to keep hands clean. One yacht in the first Challenge Race suffered from boat pox which spread like impetigo amongst the crew. Disinfectant soap on board is an essential. Disinfect and clean grab rails and heads at least twice a day at sea, in order to prevent this. Always wash your hands after having used the heads.

Always wash hands thoroughly before preparing food. Make sure the galley is kept spotless, and is wiped with a disinfectant at least twice a day. Do not dry your hands on the tea towels. Tea towels should be cleaned or replaced at least every two days.

Do not clean your teeth or dirty hands in the galley sinks. This is because the nature of the drain is such that the sinks will backfill with what is in the drainpipes when more water is added to the drain system.

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LIFE ONBOARD - SEASICKNESS Seasickness affects different people in different ways. Some are not affected, whilst others are incapacitated. Each crew member normally develops their own methods of dealing with it. Some throw up and get on with things, others eat ginger biscuits, whilst others know they will be better after a certain amount of time. The important thing to remember is that most people recover well after a short time, usually 24 – 36 hours or less. Once you know you get over it, the actual experience is easier! On development sails especially, you will often find crew on day three having a jovial meal below decks readying themselves for watch in a force 6/7, when 48 hours ago they were laid low in a force 4/5. There is life after seasickness, seasickness and until you know that, you will just have to trust us.

Avoid working yourself up as this can make things worse. Crew often get worked up about going below and nightfall. If you feel sick below, try to make it back on deck. If you are sick below, use a bag. Do not throw up in the heads! On deck, make sure you are clipped on and go to the low side aft. Let your skipper know you are feeling sick.

If you are feeling well, look after those who are not.

During BT Global Challenge 1996 - 1997 Pause to Remember Medic, Doctor Chris Price, had the chance to study the effects of seasickness. Knowing that Crew Volunteers preparing for the next Race are experiencing the problem themselves, he offers the following advice.

WHAT IS IT? The subject of seasickness is close to many hearts. I thought I would start with a definition of the condition. My observations not only come from a medical background, I am a fellow sufferer so some of what I say is essentially from personal experience.

Motion sickness (MS) may be defined as an acute onset of vomiting secondary to an inner ear disturbance attributable to motion. This is a considerable oversimplification as it has been well established in Naval research that fear, anxiety, fatigue and even boredom can aggravate if not initiate the condition.

Symptoms usually develop within 30 - 60 minutes of motion onset, but is some cases can be almost instantaneous. Sickness is often (but not always) precipitated by loss of horizon and a first sign may be feeling hot and sweaty or experiencing symptoms of indigestion. In addition sea sickness may manifest as lethargy, dizziness, and/or headache.

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A research group from Southampton studied sea sickness during the first Challenge Race, The British Steel Challenge 1992 - 1993. Firstly, they concluded that people displayed a great variability in their response to motion. Basically, some were sick and some were not. Most Crew Volunteers were symptom free after the first ten days of each Leg (which might seem a long time to sufferers). In the study sea sickness was greatest when sailing into wind and least when sailing down wind and this is true when one takes into account the duration and type of motion experienced leading up to an episode of sickness. One theory is that vertical up and down motion is the crucial factor but a select group of people would appear to be more prone to sickness when experiencing downwind motion.

In addition the study found that motion sickness declined with repeated exposure to conditions. If one had been sick in the past or on previous Legs of the Race you may well be sick again but the time taken to get over it will shorten. This process of shortening, otherwise known as habituation, may be interrupted by longer stopovers e.g. Wellington.

A separate study by the Human Movement and Balance Unit found that female Crew were more susceptible to MS for three days before menstruation to day five.

This group also found that severe motion conditions are a specific trigger for migrainous headache in certain individuals who are otherwise not migrainous.

On a slightly lighter note, in the first Race 25% of Crew Volunteers experienced instability and balance problems when returning to land. My personal experience of this was that such symptoms soon gave way to ones of alcohol intoxication and that one’s brain soon loses its capacity to make any sense of it all anyway!

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT Unfortunately, there is not a great deal that can be done and many people will tell you different things. This is because different things work for different people. My feeling is that prevention is more important than anything else and here are a few steps that may help: • • •

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Avoid too much alcohol and strong tastes the night before you set off Avoid fatigue if possible and keep warm Stay on deck. Get any navigation etc done before you set out and if possible concentrate on a specific task. The Southampton Group found the following tasks to be of benefit; lying down, helming and general deck duties. They found the following increased sea sickness; cooking, writing and eating Keep drinking water even if you see it again shortly afterwards. Your stomach can absorb some fluid in a short space of time which can make the difference between dehydration and not Start any medication the night before as the first dose of these things is apt to sedate you, which in my experience is probably a good thing the night before the start! Also experiment a bit in advance to see what, if anything, suits you Clip on when on deck Look after each other when sick and retire to your bunk if all else fails

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It is generally acknowledged that hyoscine is the most effective anti MS drug.

There is some evidence that the best way to deliver it is via a patch but until fairly recently such patches were unavailable due to technical hitches. In order try: • • •

Hyoscine patches - you may need a prescription for them Cinnarizine (Stugeron) - one to start the night before Deomperidone +/- Cinnarizine - the combination works for some where a single agent works for others

Others worth considering are wrist bands, procholperazine (Stemetil) and metoclopromide (Maxalon). There is no evidence that ondansetron, supposedly the ultimate anti sickness medication, works outside specific hospital conditions.

Remember to keep your Training Skipper, or Race Skipper informed of what medication you are on.

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CLOTHING

CLOTHING The following section is written for Global Challenge Crew Volunteers and as such is written for a ten-month round-the-world yacht race. Please note that some of the same principles but not all will apply to the shorter races.

Clothing will play a very important part in your physical condition, your mental state and your safety during the Race. It is a subject that must be taken seriously, as it will contribute significantly to the comfort and satisfaction of taking part in the Challenge.

PRINCIPLES A basic principle of yacht racing is that you will not keep completely dry even if you wear the protective clothing such as the Foul Weather Gear properly. The atmosphere on board the yacht and the volume of water that is about, especially in the Southern Oceans, means that your gear will not keep you 100% dry.

It is a fact that water dissipates body heat thirty times faster than air does.

Warmth is created not by the clothing you wear, but by the air that is trapped within it. There is little or no warmth in a yarn, yet when yarns are woven together the form they take traps air, which is then warmed by your body. Put these two factors together and you need clothing that does not absorb any water and traps a great deal of air.

FABRICS No natural fabrics is a good rule. Cotton will absorb 50 - 200% of its own weight in water. The water held in the cotton yarns will transmit your body heat away from you 30 times faster than it would if there were no water in it. In addition, if the surface of the skin is permanently wet, there can be serious personal hygiene ramifications. Offshore Bottom is the commonly used term amongst yachties for the sores and spots that occur as a result of exposure to damp/wet cotton.

Don’t even let cotton near your kit bag. Once it becomes damp, it will make everything else in your bag damp as well. If you are carrying cotton clothing on the Race yacht (such as branded clothing to be worn on arrival at the next port of call), put it inside a well sealed plastic bag for the Leg (ziplock bags are good).

Polypropylene absorbs 0.05% of its own weight in water. Polyester absorbs 0.4%. Both are preferable to cotton. With either of these two man-made yarns you will find that, if the garment has been constructed properly, a two-hour spell in your sleeping bag will dry your underwear - as long as it is not sopping wet to start with. Nylon will absorb 2% of its own weight, so should be avoided for underwear. However, because of its superior abrasion resistance it can be used for clothing such as Foulies.

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UNDERWEAR Take two weights of underwear. A light set for warmer Legs where its prime task will be to wick sweat and moisture off the surface of the skin - keeping your skin dry. A heavy set for Southern Ocean Legs, which will also wick but whose prime task will be to keep you warm.

Different people have underwear. In previous set of underwear once that you appreciate the

different standards when it comes to changing their Races, on average people would allow themselves a fresh a week. This may sound a little rank - but it does ensure new set when the great day comes.

MID LAYERS Your middle layer is your warmth layer. Its purpose is to create large airspaces which can effectively warm with your body heat. One of the problems of high insulative garments is the restriction they place on your movement, and the weight you end up carrying. A lb (pound) or so may not sound very much and slightly “stiff” arms may not be a drama when you are trying the kit on in the comfort of your own sitting room or in the shop. At 3.00 am off Cape Horn in 50 knots of wind when you have a sail change to do and you haven’t slept properly for two weeks, you will find it makes a huge difference.

Many Middle Layer garments have a Polyester Fibrepile lining to retain the heat without absorbing too much moisture and a Teflon impregnated nylon shell to give them windproof and shower-proof properties. They may also have knee and seat patches to prevent you from getting too damp when you sit down. This means you can spend more time on deck without putting your Foulies on. You may well find that in extreme conditions, there is still not enough warmth in the heavy underwear and full mid layer system so it is advisable to take an additional fleece shirt as well. Gore Tex mid layers are now available. They are especially good but in the 2000-2001 BTGC, many crew found their suits sopping wet after a Southern Ocean watch. The moisture was only slightly salty, and people found it hard to believe that this was due to moisture lost and being wicked out from their bodies. Gore Tex works on a temperature differential to wick the moisture through the outer layer as well. Despite this, most crews thought them to be a good idea.

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FOUL WEATHER GEAR A Foul Weather Sailing suit will be provided to Crew Volunteers, as part of your agreement with The Challenge Business.

Foulies do not work if they are not worn or used properly. The BT Global Challenge 1996 - 1997 started from the Solent in 50 knots of wind. Many Race Crews were wearing their cotton team rugby shirts under Foulies which were not done up properly, and had their hoods down. It was no surprise that water went down the necks of the suits and when the cotton shirts got wet they stayed wet. People then started to get cold and started to feel ill. If the Race Crews had been wearing the right gear underneath the Foulies and had done them up properly they would have stayed drier and warmer for longer. The experiences they had during the first few days of the Race might have been very different for a lot of people.

Learn to use the Foulies properly and put them on before the first wave breaks over you, not afterwards. Bowmen especially please note.

ACCESSORIES The little things are always the most important, and usually the most talked about.

Accessories includes things such as hats, gloves and boots.

Up to 40% of body heat is lost through the head. You may have heard it many times before but it is true and does work. Keeping your head warm helps to keep your body warm. A good hat with a windproof membrane and fleece lining is equivalent to another jacket in cold conditions - and much easier to take on and off. Take a couple of spares with you, when you have found the one you like best.

You will usually lose one or two during the Race.

Gloves create enormous discussion and debate. It is very difficult to find a glove that will keep you dry, and if you do it will be difficult for it to keep you warm as well and allow you the dexterity to function. For warmth, the Mitt design is best.

It holds the fingers together and reduces the surface area for the heat to escape from. The mitt is, however, impossible to work in unless you are helming. A system that is reasonably effective is an outer mitt with a removable fleece lining.

Experiment with gloves - as yet there is no design which entirely meets the demands of the Southern Oceans.

Feet are an easier subject. The boots you buy should be as light as possible and have gaiters attached to the outside. Over the years this has proved to be a good combination. If you suffer from cold feet when they do eventually get wet, socks made from Gore Tex fabric which is very warm will keep feet dry inside wet boots and are another useful option. Several people suffered from frost bitten feet, so make sure boots are large enough to take several pairs of socks without constricting circulation to the feet.

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Cotton towels are a problem, especially big ones. They do not dry, and smell terrible after a few wet days, getting everything in your locker damp as well.

Speedo make an excellent towel which is designed to stay damp and comes in a hard plastic tube. They work like a chamois leather for the body - and are the most suitable type of towel for the boat.

Sunglasses are always a personal choice. They are, however, very important. UV light, in the Southern Hemisphere especially, can do a great deal of damage to your eyes, so they must be well protected. Make sure they either wrap around well, or have protective side shields on them. They must be Polycarbonate lenses, not glass. You will find it difficult to read most instruments with Polaroid lenses.

Non-Polaroid are not a problem.

Sleeping bags should be hollow fibre, not duck down as it will not dry out. Also recommended is an inner bag made of silk or synthetic fibre. This can be washed in the ports of call rather than having to try and clean the whole bag.

CONCLUSION There is a great deal of personal choice involved in the area of clothing and accessories. Start experimenting with your wardrobe during the build up to the Race, and during your training. By the time you get to the start line, you should know what suits you best.

Your kit list for the Race should be based around the following recommendations: Personal medication Wash kit Speedo Body Towel (all good sports shops) Good quality 3 - 4 season sleeping bag.

Mid Layer x 1 (Top and Bottom) Thermals x 1 (Polartec) plus HP Thermals x 2 Sea Boots Socks x 4 Balaclava Sailing Gloves - summer variety Foredeck Gloves (Winter sailing, wind surfing or even diving gloves) Helming Mitts (Snow/Ice climbing variety) Any sponsor clothing issued Sailing Shorts Sailing Trousers Swimming Costume (for use in port or in case it gets very hot) Neck Towel (optional) Storm Cap (hard top) Deck Shoes Sun Glasses Base Ball Cap

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KIT LIST FOR TRAINING The following will be provided for you on board: • • • •

A shared cabin with bunk 1 x Curver box for kit Foul weather Jacket + Trousers Life jacket and harness

There are two showers on board but no clothes washing facilities. In harbour most facilities are normally available ashore. There is a comprehensive First Aid Kit on board.

All your kit should be in soft bags as there is NO room for suitcases. You will need: SLEEPING BAG: Not a Down Bag, as if it is wet it will be useless. Any Synthetic Bag will do for the week, but the warmer the better. A sleeping bag liner can be used to improve warmth.

T-SHIRTS: 2/3 Synthetic, Synthetic not cotton. Most “thermal” underwear is synthetic so should be fine.

FLEECE TOP: A fleece pullover will keep you warm even when wet. Do not bring woolly jumpers as they absorb water and will not dry.

FLEECE OR FIBRE PILE JACKET: Similar to above, only with a full-length zip for ventilation.

FLEECE OR TRACKSUIT TROUSERS: Synthetic material so they do not absorb waters. 2 pairs would enable you to change if the first gets wet. DO NOT bring jeans: they will not dry on board!!

HAT: Essential, as most heat is lost through your head. Preferably one that gives the option to cover your ears and can be secured to stop it blowing off your head.

GLOVES: 2 pairs to see what you like the best, skiing, fleece, neoprene diving gloves. Even pile lined workman gloves are worth a try.

SOCKS: 4 pairs of thick socks are good, but wearing 2 pairs may be better if you can still get into your boots.

SOFTSOFT-SOLED, NONNON-MARKING SHOES: Soft deck shoes are best, although trainers will do, as long as they are not Black or Marking soles.

BOOTS: You must bring something to wear! If you do not have any sailing boots or cannot borrow some, then it is worth buying a reasonable pair to see you through training at least – there is nothing worse than cold wet feet!

Running Kit Toilet Kit

Shorts, Shirt or tracksuit top and running shoes/trainers.

Bring a small towel or travel towel (Speedo towel), as space is limited to dry it out.

Personal Medicines Anything you regularly take or need – bring it with you and let the Skipper know (e.g. Asthma, bring your inhaler even if you do not normally need it.)

Notepad and Pens There will be a lot to learn, so keep notes during the week.

Seasick Pills Bring your own just in case. Stugeron are good, but can make you tired.

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If you do not have all the items, then try and borrow them. Do not go and buy expensive clothing and equipment at this stage. Most department stores now have their own range of thermal and fleece wear, so do not buy expensive sailing kit.

You have been provided with a sailing knife and torch, which you should carry with you at all times onboard. If lost it will be down to you to replace it.

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METEOROLOGY

METEOROLOGY Satellite images and computer analysis have brought us a long way from the days of monitoring the weather by the dryness of a sprig of seaweed nailed in the companionway! Meteorology, like navigation, is now a subject of such complexity that books the size of atlases have been written about it.

The weather will play a crucial part in the safe and fast passage of a Challenge yacht around the World. Everyone should ensure they have a general understanding of meteorology. Not understanding the causes and effects of the weather will mean you are missing out on one of the most important factors within the Race. You can’t control it - but you should be able to understand it and take advantage of it.

Make a habit of watching the television weather broadcasts. This will help you understand the relationship between pressure systems, and the winds they produce. There are also shipping forecasts carried on radio stations. In particular, listen and watch the weather reports during the days leading up to joining the yacht. You will be aware of what to expect when you are at sea. Good sources of weather information are: • • • • •

Meteorological Office Home Page - http://www.met-office.gov.uk Meteorological Service of New Zealand - http://www.met.co.nz Australian Bureau of Meteorology - http://www.bom.gov.au United States National Weather Service - http://www.nws.noaa.gov United States Navy Site – http://www.fnmoc.navy.mil

BBC Radio 4 Fm92.4 - 94.6 LW 198 MW 720 - shipping forecasts are broadcast at 0048, 0535 (05.40 for UK Inshore waters), 1201 and 1754.

And of course, the good old barometer.

HIGH AND LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS During the Race, much time will be spent routing the yacht around pressure systems. Wind circulates clockwise and outwards with high pressure and anticlockwise and inwards with low pressure in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere the actions are reversed. Isobars are like contours on a map and are lines of equal pressure. They indicate wind activity. The closer the isobars, the stronger the wind is.

High Pressure Systems There are two types of high pressure systems. The first are the warm highs such as those over the Azores, the south Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Bermuda and Hawaii.

They can remain stationary for days or weeks before moving about on a seemingly erratic and unpredictable course, often covering large distances in a short period of time.

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The second type of high pressure system is the cold anticyclones that become sandwiched between two moving depressions. Strong, even gale force winds can be generated within these windy highs, especially during the winter when surrounding depressions are lower and thus more vigorous. These cold anticyclones generally follow the same path as their escorting lows, making their approach easier to forecast.

During past races, yachts have found themselves caught up within the influence of the south Atlantic high for almost a week - robbing them of any chance of doing well on handicap. Understanding weather is a critical factor in a Round the World yacht race.

Low Pressure Systems The first signs of the approach of a low pressure system are sudden changes in the direction of wind and swell, coupled with a falling barometer reading - the latter being more pronounced if the centre of the low is within 200 miles or a vigorous front or trough is approaching. Wind strength will also increase and high cirrus clouds will approach with layers of cirrostratus clouds in the upper atmosphere. These sometimes create the effect of a halo around the sun or moon.

AIR STREAMS Where the air is coming from is an important factor in the science of forecasting.

Air coming off land is dry but picks up moisture as it travels over the sea. Maritime air is obviously already carrying moisture, but is unable to hold it as it cools down.

The boundary where different airstreams meets is known as a front.

To a sailor, the passage of a front always means cloud, usually rain and generally an abrupt shift and increase in wind - at least until the front has passed. If you are on Watch, you must be ready to shorten sail and perhaps alter course to take advantage of a different wind direction. Fronts are most commonly found coupled with low pressures. There are three types - Cold Fronts, Warm Fronts and Occluded Fronts.

Even with the modern electronic equipment that the Challenge yachts carry, the most reliable forecasting tool is the barometer. The movement of the barometer should give the warning of an approaching front, in addition to the warning signs given by cloud or wind. Generally, the lower the pressure the stronger the wind.

MAKE YOUR OWN OBSERVATIONS Your own weather observations are as important as any other source of information. They are unique to you and demand a place on your weather map. It is part of the overall picture. Whereas over land there is a good network of weather stations to make observations for you, at sea there are hardly any.

Satellite pictures will not provide first hand, on the “ground” information. It’s down to you to observe and record.

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Enter your observations in your log at regular intervals, preferably to coincide with a weather chart. If the weather is changing rapidly, it is worthwhile making frequent log entries. Observe and log the following:• • • • •

Wind Direction Wind Speed Atmospheric Pressure i.e. the barometer Visibility Clouds and the state of the sea

The following pages from the Macmillan Yachtsman’s Handbook have been copied for use in the Challenge Training Manual with permission from Macmillan. This permission is greatly appreciated by Challenge Business, Race Organisers of the Challenge Races.

The following rights and copyrights apply to the following pages: Copyright

Macmillan London Limited 1984; Macmillan Press Limited 1998.

All rights reserved. No part of the following pages may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without permission.

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COMMUNICATIONS RADIO COMMUNICATIONS VHF Radio VHF is used for local inter-yacht and ship to shore communications, but has a very limited range.

VHF Channel 16 is the internationally adopted radio channel on which distress messages are transmitted. Around the World, shore Radio Stations keep constant watch on VHF Channel 16 as well as other VHF and HF channels. Ships and larger yachts also keep a listening watch on Ch16 and will pass on any distress messages received by them to a shore station.

A shore station receiving a distress message will pass it on to the Coastguard and will rebroadcast it so all ships in the area know that someone is in trouble. Ships nearby will alter course to come and help. It is very important that the SOS message contains a position - if not immediately available then say "Off ........." (to give people some idea of the area where to look for you). Send an accurate position later, if you can. All crew members must be able to do this.

The range of VHF Channel 16 is, basically, line of sight or thirty miles. Distress messages from the yacht further out to sea will be carried by SSB HF radio, Sat Com C or EPIRB. These systems will be explained in detail by your Training Skipper.

A Mayday can be put out in the case of a MOB, but remember that no radio transmissions should be carried out without the authorisation of the skipper.

Power Button

Switch to Channel 16 Button

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HF Radio The 200 watt radio is used for ship to shore voice communications and inter-yacht communications - such as the daily chat show. It is the traditional way of communicating with coast radio stations and so into the telephone systems. The computer weather fax relies on the HF radio for its signals.

HF radio has a range that spans the globe, but due to differing atmospheric conditions affecting propagation, different frequencies work best at different times. There are a number of different distress frequencies, but the primary one is 2182MHz. It is also important to tune the unit before transmitting, otherwise damage may occur.

2182 Mhz Button

Power Button

Tune Button

Volume Knob

SENDING A MAYDAY If required to send a distress message via VHF or HF radio, ensure the set is on Channel 16 or 2182MHz, is on high power, you have the volume turned up, and then transmit the SOS Message. The SOS Message is fixed by the radios on each yacht, but below is a template of it. Anything in capitals should be said as written, whilst anything in italics should be substituted with relevant information.

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Press the transmit button and say slowly and distinctly: MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY THIS IS YACHT ‘NAME OF YACHT’ ( SAY 3 TIMES) MAYDAY YACHT ‘NAME OF YACHT’ MY POSITION IS ‘GIVE POSITION OF YACHT’ NATURE OF DISTRESS ASSISTANCE REQUIRED NUMBER OF CREW ONBOARD ANY OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION OVER After saying OVER, release the transmit button button. Failure to do so will block the frequency you are on, and will mean you will not receive anything.

The first two lines attract attention, and ask for silence from other users.

The next seven lines are the distress message itself.

The final line signals that you have finished talking, and are waiting for a reply.

Listen carefully to ensure someone has heard you and that they are repeating your message correctly. If not, or nothing is heard, check you are on HIGH POWER and repeat your message.

When giving your position, preferably read the yacht’s latitude and longitude from the GPS or give a bearing and range from landmark or, if these are not known, at least give some idea of the area of your location.

The format of the message can be remembered using the mnemonic MIPDANIO as follows: Mayday Identity Position Distress (nature of) Assistance required Number of crew onboard Information (any other relevant) Over

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GMDSS Radio The Global Marine Distress Safety System is the latest marine safety communications system. This comprises of a new system called the DSC (Digital Selective Calling) which in years to come will replace VHF Channel 16 as the means of transmitting Mayday messages. The DSC system also operates over MF and HF frequencies, and on pushing and holding the distress button, transmits the yacht’s Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number, and your position (if the ship’s GPS system is on). It also retunes all radio sets that receive the distress signal, so all are listening in on one channel allowing further communications by voice.

SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS Standard C The Thrane and Thrane Standard C is the most important piece of safety equipment on board the yachts. Its integral GPS card enables the equipment to automatically provide the Race Office with position reports every six hours. At critical periods the Standard C can be polled by the Race Office, to provide position reports as frequently as every fifteen minutes. The unit has a panic button system, which can alert both the Race Office and rescue authorities if the yacht is in serious difficulties.

Activating the panic button will transmit the yacht’s Mobile Earth Station Identification Number (MESIN) (which contains part of the yacht’s MMSI number), and also an accurate position from its own GPS unit. To provide further information, a detailed distress message must be sent from the computer software, and even more information can be provided in a text distress message.

In addition to position reporting, all text communications between the yachts, the Race Office and The Challenge Business will be transmitted via Standard C. It will not be available for any other communications i.e. media reports, personal messages, sponsor’s messages etc. The Standard C has a low power consumption and can, therefore, be left switched on the whole time.

Mobiq Satellite Phone The Mobiq phone is the latest in marine satellite phone technology and will provide the major voice communications system to and from the yacht. Although data, text and still photographs can also be sent using the Mobiq it is unlikely to be used for anything other than voice communications; it is likely that the Mobiq will be used simply as an onboard ’payphone’ which will use pre-paid phone cards.

Management of the yacht will almost certainly require that incoming calls will NOT be allowed unless it is felt necessary to use the Mobiq for some form of emergency communications. Ultimately it will be at the skipper’s discretion how the phone is used.

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EPIRB EPIRB stands for Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, and works by sending a radio signal to satellites which relay it on to a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC).

The EPIRB transmits on two frequencies. 406MHz sends the distress signal to the satellite, from which a rough position can be obtained. 121.5MHz can be picked up by search and rescue craft and aircraft, and is used to home in and pin point the position of the EPIRB. The EPIRB transmits an identification number, from which the MRCC knows certain details of the craft that is in distress, but details of the exact nature of distress cannot be transmitted.

VISUAL Flares As with other kit onboard, make sure you know how to operate the flares – it is too late trying to work them out in an emergency. Flares ideally should not be inspected below decks as they are a fire hazard. When firing flares, remember that they are hot, give off hot products, and should always be held downwind. They should be disposed of into a bucket of cold water, or over the side.

Parachute flares are sometimes called a thousand foot flares, or thumper flares.

They go up to an altitude of 1000 foot, or 300 metres, open a parachute and ignite. When launching parachute flares, always send downwind at an angle of 15° to the vertical; when there is low cloud cover an angle of 45° may be needed and this will reduce its height, so it should ignite below the cloud cover. Parachute flares are wind-seeking, so the rocket will turn into the wind, ideally igniting somewhere overhead of the launch point. Parachute flares should never be used when aircraft are in the vicinity.

Flares should always be fired in pairs, as one may not be seen properly, or ‘misbelieved’. The first flare attracts attention, and allows viewers to be prepared for the next one. The second flare reinforces the message, and allows viewers to get a bearing.

Red parachute flares are used for communicating distress. A typical burning time is 40 seconds at a brightness of 30,000 candelas. 12 carried onboard.

Red handhand-held flares also communicate distress, but are usually used to pin-point your position. Typical burn time is 60 seconds at a brightness of 15,000 candelas.

6 carried onboard.

Orange smoke flares are used in daytime, and once activated, should be dropped into the sea. They communicate distress, and are ideal when rescue aircraft are in the vicinity as they indicate wind direction at sea level. Typical burn time is 3 minutes. 4 carried onboard.

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White parachute flares are used at night to illuminate an area, especially useful in a night-time MOB situation. A typical burning time is 30 seconds at a brightness of 100,000 candelas. 4 carried onboard.

White handhand-held flares are primarily for anti-collision. A typical burning time is 60 seconds at a brightness of 10,000 candelas. 4 carried onboard.

Green flares are also used in some Southern Hemisphere countries, as a red flare would indicate to a rescue aircraft that an area is unsafe or unsuitable for landing.

A green flare would indicate the opposite.

Other forms of visual signalling include flags and lights To indicate distress using flags, fly flags November ‘No’ over Charlie ‘Yes’, a ball over a square object will also work. As both these signals are contradictory, they indicate distress. Flag Victor means ‘I require assistance’, whilst flag Whiskey is ‘I require medical assistance’ and flag Oscar ‘Man overboard’ and is found at the top of the danbuoy poles.

To indicate distress using lights, the letters SOS should be transmitted in morse – that is three short flashes followed by three long flashes followed by three short flashes.

Distress can also be indicated visually simply slowly by raising and lowering both arms together.

Audible distress signals can be made by signalling morse SOS using any means, or continuously sounding a fog horn or other device. A gun or other explosive fired every minute is also an audible distress signal, but this may not be that practical!

Communication targeting When choosing a method of communication, bear in mind the intended recipient.

This is especially important in a distress situation. A phone call targets only one person. If you call the coastguard in Falmouth, the ship just over your visual horizon will not initially be aware of your predicament, whilst a radio call may let many boats in your area be aware of your predicament, but may not directly alert a MRCC. Any distress calls to a MRCC should initiate a relay from them, normally via Sat C at least. This means that an EPIRB transmission should be relayed to vessels within the vicinity, thus facilitating a rescue. The MRCC coordinates all aspects of the rescue even though they may be thousands of miles from the casualty; they are trained to manage the rescue efficiently and quickly, and are aware of many possible sources of rescue.

Communicating on VHF16 whilst offshore may not achieve an audience (and therefore rescue), whilst doing the same in the Solent will guarantee one.

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RIGGING

RIGGING Challenge yachts have a substantial rig in them designed to cope with the rigors of racing around the world the wrong way. However, as with any other item on board, they need to be looked after. In some ways this is a very specialised job, but the basics are simple, as is routine inspection once you know what you are looking for.

During the development phase of your training, you should be told of what to look for when checking the rig.

Spreaders spread the shrouds out away from the mast, in effect providing a wider support for the mast than would be achieved by running the shrouds straight down to the deck.

The mast sits on its mast step, and is supported by stays working in opposition.

Lateral support The two cap shrouds (D4s) provide lateral support at the top of the mast.

The two D3s provide lateral support to the mast at the top spreader.

The two intermediates or D2s provide lateral support at the second spreader.

The two aft lowers provide lateral support at the first spreader.

The deck provides lateral support at deck level.

Fore and aft support The forestay and backstay provide fore and aft support at the top of the mast.

The inner forestay pulls the mast forward about 2/3 of the way up the mast.

The running backstay, when on, works against the inner forestay (and staysail halyard).

Together they provide fore and aft support just below the top spreader.

The babystay and aft lowers provide fore and aft support at the first spreader.

The deck provides provide fore and aft support at deck level.

Note Bend in the fore and aft plane is allowed provided the top of the mast is aft of the bottom, and the curve of the mast is simple – that is to say, there is only one curve. Inversion of the mast – where it looks like an ‘s’ (two curves – compound) and where the top of the mast is forward of the bottom – should never be allowed. An inversion will rapidly turn into a mast in multiple bits!

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Basic setset-up when stationary The mast should be vertical (with no kinks or bends) in the lateral plane.

The mast should have a certain amount of pre-bend in the fore and aft plane.

Pre-bend can be measured (when the yacht is stationary) by hanging a weight on the main (or spare main) halyard, and dampening the weight in a bucket of water.

The horizontal distance between the halyard when it comes to rest and the mast (often measured at boom level) provides a measure of pre-bend. Excess pre-bend is not good for the mast. The amount of pre-bend required depends on what shape you want the mainsail to have. A straighter mast gives a fuller sail, whilst a mast with more pre-bend gives a flatter sail. A straighter mast projects more sail area downwind and also gives more power.

Sailing When sailing, the windward shrouds will be under more tension than when at rest, and the leeward shrouds under less, so it is perfectly normal for the leeward shrouds to be slightly slack. The top of the mast might fall off a bit to leeward, but this should not be encouraged. Too much falling off and the sail plan becomes inefficient. The forestay will sag to leeward, and this should be minimised for the same reason.

When falling off waves, the shock loads that the rigging sees are huge.

Check that the mast is not inverted in the fore-aft plane.

All adjustments adjustments to the standing rigging need to be authorised by your skipper.

Your skipper needs often needs authorisation to adjust the rig, as there are strict rules on when the rig can be tuned, and to what levels it may be adjusted.

Running backstay The main purpose of the running backstay is to prevent the staysail halyard from pulling the mast forward. If this is allowed, then the mast will bend too far, and damage may occur. The running backstay also lessens the amount of ‘pumping’ that the mast does in a seaway. Applying the running backstay straightens the mast, and this can be used to good effect to trim the mainsail, and project the spinnaker better, providing a larger surface area exposed to the wind.

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Due to the location of its attachment on the mast (2/3 of the way up), a fixed stay in this place would interfere with the mainsail whenever a tack or gybe was attempted. To get round this, two adjustable stays have been provided –one on each side. The stay with the mainsail on its side would interfere with the mainsail, so this one is moved (or run) forwards to allow the mainsail room to be let out.

The mast is supported by the stay on the other side. The stays move (or run), and provide support in the aft direction, so they are called running backstay or ‘runners’ for short. Whenever the mainsail swaps side in a tack or a gybe, the runners also need to be swapped over to allow the mainsail freedom of movement whilst still providing correct support for the mast.

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MAINTENANCE

MAINTENANCE Every item on a yacht will eventually fail. Maintenance is the art of minimising that failure from occurring at sea. A well-maintained yacht looks smart, smells fresh and everything onboard runs smoothly. Most maintenance is preventative and consists of checking gear and doing regular servicing, whilst some is productive – i.e. a new need is seen and something is done to meet it.

Everything on the yacht should be regularly inspected, either as part of a safety or rig check, or just in passing. Cleaning a yacht thoroughly is one of the best ways to get to know what state she is in and what may need to be done.

Fixing an item at the dock side is far simpler than at sea – there are more facilities, parts or replacements are readily available, and the yacht is stationary. Fixing kit whilst racing also detracts from achieving top speeds!

The manual for all kit onboard is kept in a document box, and can be used as a reference. Look after the documents.

On global races, members of the crew will be sent on courses to learn more about certain bits of kit. If you are interested in specializing in an area, let your race skipper know early on. However, as a general guide…

ENGINES Engines and generators should be inspected every day they are to be used. It is worth checking the engine once every couple of weeks at sea, even if it is not being used, and also just before starting to come in to harbour at the end of a long leg. Engine gearbox oil should be checked once a month. Both are serviced as per their operating manuals, but this is normally done by the shore team. On the last race, the fewest problems were experienced by the team that fiddled with the engines and generators the least!

PUMPS AND VALVES All pumps, including heads pumps, should be serviced at each stopover. Parts may not necessarily need to be replaced, but stripping them down, cleaning out the gunk and checking all parts is invaluable. All valves, including sea-cocks, need to be lubricated and exercised every 2-4 weeks. Valves should be left in the position they were found, and care should taken not to shut the sea-water intake or exhausts whilst the engine or generator are running.

DECK GEAR All deck gear should be regularly serviced. Winches should be serviced at each stopover. All snap shackles should be lubricated and exercised, all pole fittings should be checked and so on.

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SAILS Sails should be inspected continually, and repaired as needed. All sail fittings should be checked to ensure corrosion is not taking place, no bolt heads are stripped etc, so that if they need to be dismantled at sea, it is as easy as possible.

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CUSTOMS AND ETIQUETTE

CUSTOMS AND ETIQUETTE On your first training session you will soon realise that the boats are well known and very much of interest to the media and public. It is therefore important that good behaviour is seen by the above. Once allocated to your Boat and Sponsor, the coverage of the Race will grow, and as you will be representing some one it is in your interest to take pride in what you and your team are doing. As it is high profile you will be seen and more often in harbour. Therefore it is important to think, be organised and communicate quietly as a team. Some important points: When berthing alongside, bear in mind that the other crew may not wish to be disturbed – they may even be sleeping! When crossing a yacht, always walk round in front of the mast. Always run shore lines. Keep your noise levels and antics appropriate.

Flags and Burgees: Members of a Yacht Club fly their Club Burgee at the masthead or the yard arm. Some yachts fly a personal house flag. A red or blue ensign (some with Club insignia) is worn aft.

Ensigns should go up at 0800 (0900 in winter) and down at sunset (or 2100) in harbour. They should be flown when at sea, but are not flown when racing. When racing, the class flag should be flown. Courtesy ensigns should be flown when in the territorial waters of another country (unless you are just passing through).

Yacht Clubs: It is probable that at some point you will be invited to Yacht Clubs.

Most Clubs have rules, which you should observe; for example, in most Clubs mobile phones are outlawed. They may have a dress code, so it advisable to find out what it is before-hand to save embarrassment. Some are more relaxed than others are. When you are with the yacht or attending any Crew meetings remember you are representing the project. People will also want to ask questions about the Race. Please help by talking to them. You know more about the Challenge than they do.

Yacht Racing: Racing Rules are laid down by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). Around the UK many Clubs run local races, in particular for smaller yachts or dinghies. Offshore races are mostly organised by The Royal Ocean Racing Club and usually on a handicap basis.

When arriving in a foreign port crew are not usually allowed off the yacht until customs have been cleared. During races this is often done before the yacht is berthed (i.e. a customs boat comes alongside the yacht, the officers board and deal with all the paperwork which can take some time before they depart, allowing the yacht to berth).

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APPENDIX 1 OVERVIEW TO TRAINING

APPENDIX 1 OVERVIEW TO TRAINING Below, the content of each training sail has been outlined. Preparation reading and expected knowledge levels prior to arriving for each training sail have also been outlined. It is vital to the success of your training that you arrive as prepared as you can – there is little point in spending hours onboard learning how to tie knots, when you could be sailing!

If you are a Global Core Crew Volunteer, then you will have to complete the following training sessions (in order).

• • • •

Induction Continuation Development Consolidation

If you are training to take part in a leg of a Global race, or to take part in a Round Britain, Transatlantic, or other offshore Race (Fastnet excluded), then you will need to complete the following training sessions.

• •

Phase 1 (also called Legger Training 1) Phase 2 (also called Legger Training 2)

Training sails can in some instances be ‘re-sailed’, and indeed it may be recommended that you repeat a session. Some crew find it useful to attend a second Continuation sail after their Development sail for instance. For further details contact the Crew Volunteer Department.

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INDUCTION TRAINING Course Duration: Night sailing: Anchor: General General ethos: Fitness:

5 days 1 night 1 night Safety + Basic seamanship Run

Personal debrief at end.

Practical talks given on • • • • • •

All safety kit above and below decks Sailing folding and care Man over board Hygiene Clothing Knot test

Topics covered at sea • • • • • • •

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Sail hoisting and lowering Tacking and gybing Reefing Headsail changes Poling out headsails Man overboard Emergency steering

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CONTINUATION TRAINING Course duration: Night Sailing: General ethos: Fitness:

5 days 1 nights Safety and Seamanship. Reviewing and refining topics already taught. Introduction to watch system.

Run

Personal debrief at end.

Practical talks given on • • • • •

Meteorology Sail Trim Spinnaker theory Abandoning ship Charts

Topics covered at sea • • •

• •

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As Induction Spinnaker work Two boat tuning: If possible. 2 boats sailing together upwind and downwind, and a triangular course over a 12 hour period. Undertaking various sailing exercises against each other. This will show the gains / losses made whilst racing.

Rigging Storm sails

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DEVELOPMENT TRAINING Course: Night sailing: General ethos:

Fitness:

9 days 5 nights Safety and seamanship Longer passage Review and refine topics already taught Allocate the role of Watch leader to all Crew Volunteers during training session Get over seasickness Skipper to assess Crew Volunteers over prolonged period Crew Volunteers to assess themselves for role allocation on the race yachts Run

Personal debrief at end.

Practical talks given on • •

Sea survival Crew Volunteers to carry out safety and rig checklists before sailing

Topics covered at sea • • • • •

Watch systems Weather monitoring Two boat work Spinnaker handling, day and night Man Overboard, day and night and under spinnaker

Last day •

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Written exam (sent with joining instructions) undertaken & marked / discussed by CV’s.

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CONSOLIDATION TRAINING Course duration duration: Night sails: sails General ethos:

Fitness:

5 days None No mate Crew Volunteers given more responsibility Skipper's final assessment of Crew Volunteers prior to placing them in their race teams Run

Personal debrief at end.

Practical talks given by CV's while at anchor CV's will be paired up and given a topic to talk about on the boat • • • • • • •

Man Overboard Fire and flood Rigging Sail repair and care Ocean meteorology and routing Hygiene and clothing Bilge pump system

Topics covered at sea • • •

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All previous Rigging trysail Cans Challenge: Last day, Crew Volunteers organise and sail yacht to gain points. This involves all the topics covered in training. Emphasis still on safety and seamanship.

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PHASE 1 (LEGGER TRAINING 1) Course duration: duration Night sailing: sailing Anchor: Anchor General ethos ethos: Fitness:

5 days 1 night 1 night Safety and seamanship Run

Personal debrief at end.

Practical talks given on •

All safety kit above and below decks

• • • • • •

Sail folding and care Sail handling Man Over board Hygiene Clothing Knot test

Topics covered at sea • • • • • • • •

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Sail hoisting and lowering Tacking and Gybing Reefing Headsail changes Poling out headsails Man over board (daily) Emergency steering Anchoring

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PHASE 2 (LEGGER TRAINING 2) Course duration: Night sailing: sailing Anchor: Anchor General ethos ethos:

themselves Fitness:

5 days 1 night 1 night Safety and seamanship Review all topics already taught Allocate the role of Watch Leader to all CV's during training Get over any seasickness Crew Volunteers to build confidence in the boats Crew Volunteers to build confidence in Run

Personal debrief at end.

Practical talks given by the Crew Volunteers while at anchor Crew Volunteers will be paired up and given a topic to prepare then talk about • • • • • • •

Man Overboard Fire and flood Rigging Safety Equipment Sail repair and Care Hygiene and clothing Ocean meteorology and routing

Topic covered at sea Crew Volunteers to carry out safety checks prior to sailing • • •

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All previous Rigging trysail Spinnaker handling

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16 66 21 104 53 68 96 113 8

KEY Outline Knowledge Working Knowledge Full Knowledge knowing ng these!

You should arrive knowi

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PHASE 2

PHASE 1

CONSOLIDATION

DEVELOPMENT

66 51 71 60 64-65 67-69 14-15 57 5-13 52-55 61-66 32-36 60 41 38 56 18-19

CONTINUATION

56-57 1-7 8-9 52-53 28-31 56-61 44-45 46-50 40-43 46-55 42 10-21 68-77 -

INDUCTION

COMPETENT CREW

82 86 107 118 101 103 146 77 11 9 118 124

YACTHMASTER

Abandon Ship Anchoring Beaufort Scale Buoys Charts Clothing Compass Distress Signals GPS Husbandry Hygiene Knots Lights (Navigation) Lights (Vessel) Man Overboard Mooring Nautical Customs Nautical Terms Radio Procedures Rigging Rules of the Road Safety Sailing Theory Sails Sea Sickness Sound Signals Spinnakers Tides Trimming Watches Weather Winches

TRAINING MANUAL

SUBJECT

PREPARATION READING & KNOWLEDGE LEVELS

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APPENDIX 2 TECHNICAL DETAILS

APPENDIX 2 TECHNICAL DETAILS Over the next few pages, the bilge, plumbing, fuel and water systems of the Challenge 72’ yachts have been set out diagrammatically. Although there will be some slight variations on the 67' yachts, the principles will remain the same, and the layout will be similar.

Every Crewmember should have a good understanding of each system and how it works. The Skippers will instruct you on each system during your training courses.

The diagrams and notes should be read beforehand to help your understanding.

HOLDING TANKS AND TOILETS/HEADS The heads (toilets) are situated forward, one port and one starboard. They are flushed through with salt water, the waste going directly out of the yacht when she is at sea.

Refer to Syst System em Info Diagram Both heads use the same seawater inlet. The water passes through a manifold and then on to the two heads. Waste from the heads is passed out of the yacht through valves called seacocks.

It is illegal to dump raw sewage when alongside in marinas, or in rivers. Both head systems incorporate a diverter valve so the waste from the heads can be flushed into the holding tank where it can be stored for later disposal. This operates if a head is required in a marina, for example. Where possible, shore facilities should be used.

The holding tank also holds the waste from showers and sinks. These systems do not include diverter valves - all waste goes directly into the holding tank. The tank holds 300 litres of waste and is emptied by pumping overboard using the holding tank pump. To operate the pump the two valves, from the tank to the pump, and from the pump to the sea, need to be opened.

Notes Waste from the showers and heads sinks goes directly into the holding tank.

The holding tank can only be pumped out when offshore by at least 5nm. When at sea, the tank should be pumped out after each shower and every hour when the log is completed. The more waste in the holding tank, the slower the yacht.

Each seacock should have a softwood bung attached loosely to it. If the seacock sheers, the bung is close at hand to fill the hole.

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72' System Information

Sail Locker Bulkhead

Heads

S/W Inlet

Heads

Shower/sink

Seacocks

Shower/sink

Holding Tank

Mast Bulkhead =Bilge strum boxes Galley

H2O Maker

S/W Inlet Seacocks

Chart Table

S/W Outlet

Bilge Pump

Elec. Bilge pump

Manifold

Cockpit Drains

engine/gener.

Foulie Locker

Aft accomodation area

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BILGE PUMPS AND BILGES The Challenge 72' yachts carry two manual bilge pumps and one electric pump.

The electrical bilge pump is operated from the switch on the main control panel. It pumps from the companionway bilge only. Manual pumps can cope with 30 gallons a minute. If there was a leak, this capacity should be enough to stem the flow of water until the leak was located and dealt with. The yachts also carry a fire pump, and this can be used to deal with a flood as well. In extreme circumstances, with a little modification, the engine can also be used as a pump.

Most of the water in the bilges comes from: • • • •

Open forehatch during sail change Rainwater running down the mast Wet crew coming below on watch change Heads valve not turned off

All the above are common, every-day occurrences. There is always a risk of a much more serious leak, caused possibly by: • • •

Leaking seacocks Stern gland from prop shaft leaking Log impeller not being screwed down hard enough, allowing log to pop up

Leaks can be stopped by careful maintenance. Before putting to sea, checks should be made throughout the bilge, seacocks should be inspected and any possible weak points should be reported to the Skipper.

THE BILGE Bulkheads separate the bilges as this allows easy identification of ingress of water i.e. if the aft bilge was full of water and the others were dry, the leak must be in the aft part of the yacht. They also contain oil and diesel leaks to the Engine Bilge.

The first bilge pump is situated in the foulie locker, opposite the navigational area.

The second pump can be found on deck, in the snake-pit area. There are Bilge Strum boxes in various areas, and these can be diverted to either manual pump, by use of the Bilge pump manifold under the floorboard just outside the foulie locker; from here bilge water is channelled out of the boat through a seacock situated behind the wooden panelling in the foulie locker. There are Strum boxes in the following areas: • • • • •

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The Forward Bilge runs from the sail locker to the mast bulkhead.

The Central Bilge runs from the companionway steps to the mast bulkhead.

The Engine Room Bilge is situated directly under the engine.

The Starboard Aft Bilge is everything aft of the engine room bulkhead on the starboard side.

The Port Aft Bilge is everything aft of the engine room bulkhead on the port side.

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Notes Every time the log is filled in the bilges should be individually checked by lifting floorboards. If water is found, the bilge should be pumped dry and action noted in the Log Book. Make sure bilges are free of debris to allow free flow of water into the strum boxes.

Regularly check the bilge pumps to ensure good working order. Schedule service days where pumps are thoroughly checked over. In an emergency, you will not have time to fix broken or faulty pumps.

The pumps can also disperse gas. At every watch change, or if the gas alarm sounds, shut off gas supply and pump bilges for at least 100 dry strokes to clear bilge of fumes.

Never pump oil or fuel out of the bilges. Mop it up and take to a local waste disposal site.

When the bilge pumping system is not being used, all the valves on the manifold should be shut to prevent backfilling.

SALT WATER SYSTEM There are two saltwater inlets. One is situated in the companionway bilge and the other is situated in the bilge between the two heads. The system takes in seawater, which is then fed through a strainer before passing on to a manifold.

From the manifold, seawater is then piped via valves to the various areas of the yacht where it is to be used. In practice the valves are always left on. The seacock is switched off, or closed, when the yacht is being left in port for a number of days.

The companionway bilge seacock feeds seawater to the engine and generator, for cooling purposes, the Water Maker to create fresh water from sea water, and the galley foot pumps, to enable sea water to be used in cooking and washing up at sea.

The forward seawater inlet feeds seawater to flush both heads.

Before reaching the water maker, seawater passes through a Priming Pump and then onto a High Pressure Pump. These two pumps are needed as the water maker works under extremely high pressure, around 800 psi, to create the reverse osmosis needed for production of fresh water. After processing, the waste is passed out of the yacht near the bilge water outlet behind the wooden panelling in the foulie locker.

After cooling the engine and generator, the salt water is discharged through another manifold situated behind the inlet manifold in the companionway bilge.

This exit manifold also discharges water from the cockpit area on deck, and also wastes from the galley sinks. The seacock for the exit manifold should never be shut except to exercise it.

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Notes Make sure the seacocks have soft wood bungs attached to them.

The strainer should be checked hourly - an easy process via the sight glass. Plastic bags, and even small fish can be trapped at this point - before they do any damage by being sucked into the yacht’s systems.

Only turn the salt-water inlet seacocks off if the yacht is going to be left unattended for a number of days. Leave a note on the chart table to inform the next person on board.

Before running the engine, make sure the salt-water intake seacock is turned on.

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APPENDIX 2 TECHNICAL DETAILS

Challenge 72 Class Yachts -

Tank Layouts

Fwd Stbd Fwd Water Port A Do Not Use Whilst Racing

Stbd Fwd Water Stbd A Do Not Use Whilst Racing

Reserve Water Tank

Reserve Water Tank

490 Ltrs

490 Ltrs

Port Aft Water

Stbd Aft Water

Port B

Stbd B

490 Ltrs

490 Ltrs

Port Fwd Diesel Port C Do Not Use

Stbd Fwd Diesel Stbd C Do Not Use

Whilst Racing

Whilst Racing

Reserve Fuel Tank

Reserve Fuel Tank

570 Ltrs

570 Ltrs

Port Aft Diesel

Stbd Aft Diesel

Port D

Stbd D

440 Ltrs

440 Ltrs

Day Tank

130 Ltrs

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FUEL SYSTEM The fuel system on the Challenge 72' yachts consists of five tanks, the two forward tanks able to hold 570 litres each, and the two aft ones hold 440 litres each. The fifth tank holds 130 litres and is called the Day Tank.

When full, the tanks add 1.6 tonnes to the overall weight of the yacht. This may seem like a great deal of fuel, but fuel is needed for lights and to power the communications systems - which are extremely fuel-hungry (hence the need for conservative use). The most important reason for the fuel on board is safety. If the yacht suffers a gear failure, she would be able to motor 1,500 miles with full tanks. That is half way across the Atlantic!

The tanks are situated as centrally and as low down as possible, next to the engine. The fuel is distributed between tanks as evenly as possible, to add to the yacht’s stability.

Fuel Filling Fuel is taken on board through the filler cap, which can be found on the deck on the port side of the yacht. There are two filler caps: either one can be used to fill, as the other one acts as a breather to allow relatively fast filling.

The fuel fills through the day tank, and there is a valve on the aft side of the tank, which allows the fuel to travel towards the other tanks.

Each fuel tank is filled by opening the large filler valve that can be found by following the pipe work round from the day tank.

Refuelling should move in a logical progression from one tank to the next, ensuring each one is full before you move onto the next. The personal preference of the Skipper will dictate whether you should start with the Starboard Aft Tank (the furthest point in the chain) and work back, or with Port Aft (the nearest point in the chain) and work forward.

Each tank has a breather pipe to enable air to escape as the tank is being filled.

Each breather can be viewed on top of each tank, and needs to be viewed whilst filling (usually with a torch) to ensure the tanks are not overfilled. The exits for these pipes are on deck, by the port and starboard dorades. If they are overfilled, diesel will spill onto the decks through these outlets.

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Notes Make sure you have a bucket of hot soapy water on deck in case of a fuel spill.

No smoking when refuelling is in progress.

Fill tanks slowly, one by one, aft tank first.

When tanks are full, ensure all valves are turned off and deck filler caps are replaced.

The Day Tank, Fuel Supply and Tank Selection The Day Tank can be found in the oilskin locker and holds 130 litres of fuel. From here, the fuel is fed to the engine, generator or heater. The day tank is filled via a manual pump each day from one of the four diesel fuel tanks.

The Day Tank Pump is situated in the oilskin locker. Using a Day Tank enables the Crew to track how much fuel is being used on a daily basis and should be recorded hourly in the log.

The tank that is to provide the fuel for the Day Tank is selected by opening one of the smaller valves on one of the four tanks.

Notes Only the valve on the tank you are draining should be left on during pumping. This allows Crew to calculate the amount of fuel used, and how much remains in each tank.

If a valve on an empty tank is left on, the Day Tank Pump cannot be primed, as it will constantly suck air from the empty tank.

When the Day Tank Pump is used, or different tanks are used, entries in the Log should be made in order to track fuel fuel consumption.

Make sure you know where the fuel ‘shut off’ valve is on top of the Day Tank.

Only ever turn the valve off if there is a fire in the engine room. The engine will then be starved of fuel and hopefully the fire will be held at bay.

Turn lights and other unnecessary electrical kit off to save on power, and save on fuel.

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APPENDIX 3 KNOTS

APPENDIX 3 KNOTS

Name Bowline

Puts a loop into a line

Round Turn and Two Half Hitches

Stops the line from going through a sheave Stops the line from going through a sheave Attaching line to an objecteasy to untie under load

Clove Hitch

Attaching line to an object

Admiralty Stopper Knot Figure of 8

Rolling Hitch Single Sheet Bend Double Sheet Bend

Main Uses on a Challenge Yacht Attaching sheets, mooring lines On aft end of sheets, halyards etc.

None as can easily be washed out Attaching a tender to the yacht or pontoon Attaching fenders to the stanchions

Purpose

Attaching line to an object when the load is parallel with the line Attaching two lines of unequal thickness together A more secure version of the above

Reef Knot

Attaching two lines of equal thickness together

Slip Knot

A quick knot that is easy to untie rapidly

Transferring the load of sheets so the cars can be moved Lengthening a line (especially sail ties!)

Preferred method of doing the above Tying sail ties in the bunt of a reef (only if your skipper asks you to) Securing sails

When tying a knot, the standing part is the part of the line that goes to the load point. The tail is the loose end of the line. A line has one standing part and two tails.

Most of the knots are shown in the competent crew book, pages 14 and 15. The admiralty stopper knot is shown below. The slip knot is a half hitch (part of the round turn with two half hitches), but with a loop of the tail pulled through instead of the end of the tail.

Remember that lines used for flying the spinnaker (halyard, sheets and guys) should NEVER have knots in them (except the halyard where it is attached to the head of the spinnaker).

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ADMIRALTY ADMIRALTY STOPPER KNOT

1. Start by looping the tail over the standing part.

2. Then wrap the tail over the standing part three times anticlockwise.

3. Pass the tail through the wraps going from the standing part.

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4. Finish by pulling the tail and the standing part away from each other.

Note the long tail to make it easy to retrieve the line should it be pulled all the way to the knot.

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APPENDIX 4 FURTHERING YOUR KNOWLEDGE

APPENDIX 4 FURTHERING YOUR KNOWLEDGE There are a number of ways to learn more about each aspect of sailing. A good sailor is continually learning, and some believe that when they stop learning they will become dangerous, and it is about time to stop. We all start where we are, though, and it is important to grasp the basics practically before developing grand theories.

Books, the internet, and night school all offer ways of advancing your knowledge, but at all times these should be related to the practicalities of sailing. Attending training sails or other practical courses (there are many sailing schools available) is a good way of reinforcing information and learning new skills. Remember your race will be onboard a Challenge yacht, so new skills may need to be modified to suit the Challenge yachts.

We provide all the training you need; however, the following is a list of potential courses and methods available should you wish to advance your knowledge in any specific areas. The list below is not compulsory or inclusive.

Safety • • •

Sea survival course Heavy weather course First aid course (or a more advanced course such as the Ship’s Captains Medical)

Communications • •

Short Range Certificate (SRC) Long Range Certificate (LRC) or General Operators Certificate (GOC)

Sailing theory • • •

The internet is a good source here There are also a number of good books available RYA shore-based courses

Sailing practice • • • • •

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Get out on the water as much as possible Go dinghy sailing Join in with local races (dinghy and/or yachts) – many yacht clubs have websites or notice boards where people can register for crewing RYA practical courses Sail the Challenge yachts whenever you can – Corporate Sailing is a good way of getting experience, as you are guiding and instructing less experienced people around the yachts, which means that you have to get to know what you are doing quickly.

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Maintenance • • •

Good number of books Read the relevant manuals Common sense

Meteorology • • •

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Good number of books Loads on the internet Courses are available

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APPENDIX 5 DIAGRAMS

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APPENDIX 6 TECHNICAL INFORMATION (72 footers)

APPENDIX 6 TECHNICAL INFORMATION (72 footers) Overall Length: Beam: Height of mast above waterline: Draft (half load): Displacement (half load): Ballast in keel: Sail area to windward: Sail area downwind: Water Capacity: Diesel Capacity: Designer:

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72’ 18’2’’ 95’ 10’

22m 5.5m 29m 3.05m 38 tonnes 10.3 tonnes 2825 sq.ft 262.5 sq.m 4020 sq.ft 373 sq.m 390 gals 1775 l 475 gals 2150 l Rob Humphreys

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APPENDIX 7 RECOMMENDED READING LIST

APPENDIX 7 RECOMMENDED READING LIST BOOK

ISBN

PUBLISHER

COMMENTS

Instructional Books Weather at Sea

0-906754-64-X

Fernhurst Books

Easy reading

Meteorology for Mariners

0-11-400311-4

Meteorological Office Detailed reading

Sail & Rig Tuning

1-898660-670

Fernhurst Books

Easy reading

Celestial Navigation

0-906754-39-9

Fernhurst Books

Easy reading

Coastal and Offshore Navigation

0-906754-92-5

Fernhurst Books

Basic reading

Marine SSB Operation

0-906754-74-7

Fernhurst Books

Basic reading

Fastnet Force 10

0-393-30865-0

Norton Nautical

Excellent read

Heavy Weather Sailing

0-07-011732-2

Adlard Coles

Detailed reading

Offshore Race Crew Manual

1-853-10-510-4

Waterline

Easy read

The Challenge - Chay Blyth and Elaine Thompson*

0-340-59190-0

Hodder & Stoughton

Excellent read

Global Challenge

1-85776-385-8

Book Guild Ltd

Easy read

Up Hill All the Way

0-7136-4876-7

Adlard Coles

Easy read

On Equal Terms

0-684-81935-X

Simon & Schuster

Easy read

Only Wind and Water*

0-86101-991-1

Salamander 1997

Easy read

BT Global Challenge

0-9541451-0-0

BT Plc 2001

Easy read

Go West

962-86410-1-8

Omnicon

Easy read

Past Challenge Challenge Books

*This book is now out of print. You may be able to source it from specialist Second-Hand book stores.

A good source of the above books is www.amazon.com ; please quote Challenge Business when buying.

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