Expert’s Forum

EXPERTS' FORUM

Advice this month includes...

- Perfecting your anchoring techniques - How to get ahead at the windward mark - Taking the stress out of a man overboard situation

This month

Keelboat masterclassAnchoring masterclass

Solo sailing - marina challenges Susan Koning has over two decades of experience living on board and exploring exotic destinations. As such, she knows that the most valuable thing a bluewater sailor can have is experience. Here she offers some vital tips to increase your confidence and enjoyment of living aboard… Anchoring, mooring and docking your boat are skills that require practice. Docking a boat in tight quarters has many variables; wind, currents, tides and your boats maneuverability never mind an audience so, get a coach, practice and have many helping hands as you learn. Getting a mooring ball isn’t usually too difficult; the most common mistake with moorings is how you tie your lines to the mooring. Many a boat adrift when only one line is tied or improperly protected against chaffing of the line. Anchoring however is probably the most important part of cruising. You will get plenty of practice as you sail from bay to bay exploring. I am no expert at anchoring, I still get acute stress when we anchor but have found these basic steps helpful: find the right depth for you boat, avoid any reefs, boats or obstructions and point the boat into the wind. Dropping the anchor in good holding like sand or mud is optimum. Let out enough chain: recommended 5:1 ratio at the very least. Example 5 foot of anchor chain for every foot of depth you are anchoring in. Too many new sailors don’t put enough chain out; I personally feel good at 7:1. At this point it is recommended you let the anchor settle. Tidy up, have a cup of coffee or a cold beer and let the anchor dig in. Take a bearing on land as to your position to a tree or house etc. to make sure you aren’t moving. At this point you should consider putting the engine in reverse very slowly to about 1200-1300 RPMs and look for the GPS to come to zero, as in you are not moving This is a good rule of thumb should the wind pick-up you’ll be more confident that the anchor will hopefully hold fast. You might consider diving on the anchor to get a visual on how it is holding. Finally, set an anchor alarm on your GPS or anyone of several anchor alarm apps available on you smartphone. Don’t be that person that drops the anchor and jumps in the dingy to race ashore without double checking the weather forecast. Too many stories of the wind picking up and their boat ends up dragging through the anchorage while they are ashore having dinner.

There is nothing funny about a man overboard situation, as Clive Loughlin underlines on p90. In my time as a charter skipper I have, however, seen

Don't live on the kedge... get a grip the quirky side of this awful scenario. I used to work out in Croatia and one of my fellow skippers

descrbed an exasperating situation

Susan Koning has over two decades of experience living on board and exploring aboard his yacht whereby every time he exotic destinations. As such, she knows that the most valuable thing a went below when the boat was under bluewater sailor can have is experience. Here she offers some vital tips to way, one of his his guests (a high spirited group of Australian lads) would jump increase your confidence and enjoyment of living aboard… overboard to get him back to work

pronto. He was only a young skipper

Anchoring, mooring and docking your boat are and, no matter what he did, he wasn't skills that require practice. Docking a boat in tight able to stamp his authority on his unruly quarters has many variables; wind, currents, tides crew until about the fifth time it and your boats manoeuvrability never mind an happened, at which point he audience so get a coach, practice, and have many understandably totally lost his temper. helping hands as you learn. Picking up a mooring Reflecting on the somewhat tiresome buoy isn’t usually too difficult; the most common trip, he said that what unnerved him mistake with moorings is how you tie your lines to most was that, even though the boat them. Many a boat ends up adrift when only one was motoring in calm weather and flat line is tied or improperly protected against chafing water, it took next to no time before a of the line. Anchoring however is probably the single head bobbing in the wake was most important part of cruising. You will get almost impossible to see thanks to the plenty of practice as you sail from bay to bay glare of the sun. He was clearly shaken exploring. I am no expert at anchoring, I still get by the situation and it underlined how, acute stress when we anchor but have found what was viewed as a light hearted joke these basic steps helpful: find the right depth for by his guests could very easily have you boat, avoid any reefs, boats or obstructions turned into an incredibly fraught and point the boat into the wind. Dropping the situation for all aboard. anchor in good holding like sand or mud is Wisdom to share? Email sam. optimum. Let out enough chain: recommended jefferson@chelseamagazines.com 5:1 ratio at the very least. Example 5ft of anchor chain for every foot of depth you are anchoring in. Too many new sailors don’t put enough chain out; I personally feel good at 7:1. At this point it is Good to know recommended you let the anchor settle. Tidy up,

Hot drinks the order of the day

Your first instinct if you are freezing cold might be to get yourself under a hot shower but, as Clive Loughlin explains on p90 this is an absolute cardinal error in cases where people are suffering from extreme exposure, such as your typical man overboard situation. In this scenario, the best method of getting heat back into the body is to give them a hot drink. A hot shower is far too brutal, while a reviving cup of tea is a much more gentle treatment.

have a cup of coffee or a cold beer and let the anchor dig in. Take a bearing on land as to your position to a tree, house, or other landmark to make sure you aren’t moving. At this point you should consider putting the engine in reverse very slowly to about 1200-1300 RPMs and look for the GPS to come to zero, as in you are not moving This is a good rule of thumb because should the wind pick up, you’ll be more confident that the anchor will hopefully hold fast. You might consider diving on the anchor to get a visual on how it is holding. Finally, set an anchor alarm on your GPS or anyone of several anchor alarm apps available on you smartphone. Don’t be that person that drops the anchor and jumps in the dinghy to race ashore without double checking the weather forecast. Too many stories of the wind picking up and their boat ends up dragging through the anchorage while they are ashore having dinner.

Be sure to communicate with your crew at the helm where you want to anchor; if you’re at the bow of the boat you can simply point, make a fist to stop or thumb up to reverse…whatever you decide on, it doesn’t need to involve screaming orders in a crowded anchorage. Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting OCTOBER 2022 85

Coach boat view Full Marks at the Windward Mark

Resident racing expert Mark Rushall explains how to get the advantage at the windward mark

Approaching the final windward mark of a short training race, the two leading yachts have a comfortable gap behind.

It is a one-sided run to the final port hand rounding mark: it is clear that the first boat round the mark with the option of an early gybe will control the race.

Yellow tacks and ducks Blue, (see Fig 1, p89), to avoid being pinned out to the layline: Blue then tacks safely to windward. The wind heads: that’s a gain to Yellow, who opts to minimise tacks and continue to the starboard layline. It’s a long layline call with some wind-blown current making the judgement tricky: Yellow opts for a comfortable layline: they really don’t want another two tacks. Once Yellow tacks, Blue has a good look at Yellow’s line and can see that they are comfortably laying the mark. Blue tacks into a 'safe leeward' position and picks up a transit to the windward mark early, to make sure they are laying (if the land is holding position, or moving to the right behind the mark, Blue is laying the mark).

The boats round the mark overlapped, but Blue gets that important gybe in first and sails away for the win.

When the fleet is spread out, and the strategic gains either small, or obvious to all, positioning at the ‘pinch points’: the edges and corners of the racetrack, becomes the most critical decisionmaking factor in boat on boat tactics. In this feature we’ll look at the options each boat had as they approached the windward mark, and some tactical tricks they might have used to improve the

chance of winning.

As Yellow approaches the port layline, Blue is in control, marginally ahead of the gain line, with all options open. Yellow’s goal is to keep the race open as long as possible, giving maximum passing opportunities. It is key for Yellow to avoid a long port tack leg with Blue in their leebow, or ahead and to windward.

If Yellow leaves the tack too late, their only clear route into the mark will be to wait for Blue to tack first. If Blue then takes the defensive option and sails to the port layline, there is then no nice solution for Yellow.

Yellow tacks early, taking Blue by surprise. Blue’s most aggressive defensive move at this point is to shadow Yellow’s tack, leaving Yellow needing two more tacks for clear wind. To execute this, Blue needed to see the situation developing and have the response prepared in advance.

Blue misses this option and watches Yellow sail free. Should they tack and parallel Yellow, or continue to the layline?

If there is lots of time to the port layline, a left shift is expected, or there is more pressure to the left, a reasonable option for Blue is to continue towards the layline.

If there is more wind right, or they’re expecting a right shift, increasing separation to the left is the risky choice: Blue wisely keeps the risk down by tacking in a lane on Yellow’s hip. The race is still open.

The wind heads: Blue can now see Yellow easing forward in front of their jib. Should they tack? If there is still plenty of sailing time to the port tack layline, and Blue is confident that the wind will shift back, a tack might put Blue back in the driving seat. But if Blue tacks and the wind continues to shift right, Yellow will be clear at the next cross.

As the gain from the shift is only a ‘paper gain’ (it will be negated if the wind lifts again) while they stay on the same tack, Blue continues on port tack. Sailing in high mode at this point will keep their wind clear and put pressure on Yellow to make an accurate layline call, as Yellow will get to the layline first.

Should Yellow tack on the shift? Again, it depends! Tacking and crossing Blue will put the gain ‘in the bank’. If Yellow tacks at P4, the pressure will be on Blue to make a good starboard layline call. The further away from the layline they are, and the shiftier the conditions, the more a tack at P4 will help Yellow. In that case, Blue’s counter would be to tack too, preventing the cross: if the wind returns to its original direction, they’ll be back to the relative positions of P1, but closer to the mark.

Yellow opts not to tack, and the wind gently lifts: that returns the advantage to Blue, who now has two options. Option 1: put the bow down, take the gain from the shift, and position to prevent Yellow tacking: the ‘pin’. This tactic is most likely to succeed if the layline is close, and there is no threat from other boats. Once in control, Blue sails to a comfortable layline, and leads around the mark.

If Yellow sees Blue setting up for the pin, their only option is to tack before Blue gets into position.

In that case, Yellow needs to be clear

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of their rules obligations. Before tacking, Yellow is right of way boat: either clear ahead or overlapped to leeward. Once past head to wind, Yellow must keep clear of Blue until they are on the new close hauled course. (Rule 13, tacking). Once close hauled on starboard tack, Yellow is right of way boat, but must initially give Blue room to keep clear: Blue must be able to either tack or duck in a seamanlike way (Rule 15). Blue does not need to anticipate Yellow’s tack but must look out for it and must act promptly as soon as Yellow is close hauled on starboard tack.

Option 2: if the layline is further away, as in P4, Blue may not be able to maintain a controlling position in a “leebowed” state. Instead, Blue sails in high mode, building the pressure on Yellow to judge the perfect layline. The gap Blue has created gives them plenty of time to assess the situation when Yellow tacks. If Yellow has tacked on or above the layline, it is an easy response to tack below, squeeze up to the mark, and lead around the mark. (Unless they are tacking close to the mark: see column 3).

In the diagram, Yellow concedes the advantage by tacking on the line they would choose with no boats around. Yellow’s attacking move would have been to tack slightly below the layline, aiming to make Blues’s tacking decision as tricky as possible. Yellow could then make it even harder by exiting the tack pointing well below the mark, encouraging Blue to continue past in order to be certain to lay the mark. If Yellow can lay the mark, and Blue tacks above the layline, Yellow will lead around the mark and be free to gybe. If Yellow judges their early tack well, and Blue opts to tack to leeward, Blue will not lay the mark: they will have to bail out and follow around. If neither can lay the mark, the game is still open: we are back to P1 again, but closer to the mark: the game continues!

What if the last tack is close to the mark?

If Yellow enters the three hull-length zone fetching the mark on starboard tack, and Blue approaches on port tack, tacking inside is a risky option for Blue. If Blue causes Yellow to sail above close hauled at any stage, Blue has broken rule 18.3. To have any chance of a clear rounding inside, as well as complying with rule 13 and rule 15 (see above), Blue needs to be absolutely certain that Yellow is approaching from above the starboard layline. If Yellow makes a late dip down to the layline on the approach, Blue is very vulnerable.

Never let boat on boat tactics take over from the big picture: if there are lots of boats around and plenty of strategic gains available, its easy to win a battle with one boat but lose the war against the fl eet. But there is nothing more satisfying than picking up a place near the end of the race simply through outsmarting your competitor. If behind, work to keep the race away from the laylines and the passing opportunities open. If in control, try to get the other boat to the layline as soon as possible: once there the passing options are limited. Try to stay at least one step ahead: if you rehearse your response to a move in advance, the chance of executing it will always be higher.

Fig 1

Cruising clinic

MOB – don’t make things worse

Resident cruising expert Clive Loughlin looks at the dreaded man overboard scenario and the steps you can take to mimimise the drama and carry out a safe recovery

Man overboard recovery is a perennial subject and everyone has their preferred methods and can accomplish them with varying degrees of success. There are however two fundamentals that I think few will argue with:

1) Don’t lose sight of them. 2) Don’t ram them with the boat.

So the first priority is to stay close. The worse the conditions, the closer you need to stay. By all means assign a ‘pointer’ – but don’t give them an impossible task. If sailing: heave-to, send a DSC Mayday, throw in a danbuoy, engine on, drop sails. Under engine: aim is to get the boat stationary, beam-on to the wind and just upwind of the mob.

Pirouette

An alternative to heaving to which works very well, especially if only one person is on board, is to immediately put the helm hard over to put in a tack, haul in the mainsheet when head to wind to stop the boom slamming around, and keep the helm hard over. The boat will roll around a bit doing a succession of tacks and gybes, but basically it will pirouette in the vicinity of the mob, and will keep doing so indefinitely. Do a few pirouettes while making sure you are not going to hit the mob, and then lash the helm. The crew are then free to send a Mayday and throw life rings etc. If you haven’t yet tried pirouetting I suggest you do.

Wait for the cavalry

If Coastguard help can be reasonably expected to arrive within about 30 minutes then I would concentrate on staying close rather than actual recovery. If lost from sight their chances of survival are seriously reduced.

However, if you can get close enough to throw a lifesling or get some other line to them, then this is a big step forward and a huge boost to the MoB’s morale.

Whether the final approach is under engine or under sail don’t aim to bring the boat right alongside the mob, as this risks ramming them with the boat, and they are having a bad enough day already. Instead keep them easily in sight all the times and DON’T get closer than 3m.

Getting them onboard

If conditions are mild then a stern bathing ladder is probably the easiest bet. Otherwise drag them close to the now stationary boat, join two safety lines together to make one long one, and pass one end to the MoB for them to clip to their harness. If they are not wearing a harness then they can put it around themselves under their arms and clip it to itself to make a tight loop. Detach the main halyard and clip it to the free end of the safety line and then hoist them on deck at the shrouds. There are other gadgets for recovering a MoB such as Ocean Safety's Pick Up sail pictured below.

Once on board remove wet clothing and warm up from the inside with hot drinks and snacks- DON’T put them in a hot shower.