Chapter 7 - Sailboat Safety

Sailing, as has been stated in previous chapters, is one of the most relaxing, enjoyable sports imaginable. It's one in which any member of the family, regardless of age, can participate, but there are some basic water safety rules which any good sailor should learn.

Capsizing

Capsizing is probably the most common sailing accident. Usually it occurs when least expected. But if you will consider a capsize as a part of the fun of sailing, you will be completely safe. That is, of course, if you know what to do. Actually, many of the really top-notch racing skippers practice capsizing and then righting their boats.

In normal sailing for fun there is no excuse for tipping over or capsizing but there are numerous reasons why it occurs. For example, it can be caused by having too much wind for the amount of sail carried, by the improper balance of the crew, by jibing in a strong wind with the centerboard up too far, by not keeping the boat under full control at all times, and by being caught in the shifting winds of a squall.

If your craft should capsize and throw you into the water, swim to the boat and stay with it. (Most modern sailboats are equipped with flotation chambers so that even a heavy keel craft won't sink.) Never, under any circumstances, should you or any member of your crew leave the capsized boat. All too many sailors have given up their lives because they have tried to swim to shore for help, while aid has always come to the capsized boat sooner or later. Remember that a boat is much easier to see than a lone swimmer. Therefore, hang on to your craft at all cost.

To make this task easier, take off your sneakers and all excess clothing. If not already on, get to the life preservers and put them on. Even if you and your crew are all good swimmers, the life preservers prevent persons in the waiter from tiring quickly and will help keep them relatively warm. Even more important, a life preserver allows you to work around the boat without fear. Speaking of your crew, be sure that they are all are accounted for and are able to take care of themselves. Occasionally someone may get caught under the sail, become entangled with lines, or get hit on the head with the boom and require assistance.
Under most conditions it's possible to un-capsize or right the boat. But before attempting this, the sails almost always should be brought down and tied to the boom. Start by releasing the main halyard and pulling the mainsail down the mast toward the boat. Then furl it as best you can and secure it with an extra piece of line or the mainsheet. Follow the same procedure for the jib and then make all sheets and halyards fast. Take your time during this operation, since it's a fairly difficult job, especially when your sails are flat in the water. Don't tire yourself out in the water.
 
Once the sails are down and secured, make sure the centerboard is down as far as possible. Now stand on the far end of the center-board and take a secure hold of the gunwale or the coaming. While pulling backward, push down with your legs on the centerboard, and the craft should slowly right itself. One of the crew members can help by going to the opposite side of the boat, treading water, and giving the shrouds or mast an initial push upward.

Then carefully help one member of the crew to climb into the hull over the stern while the others help to balance the boat and keep it from rolling. The person on board should stay in the center of the craft and bail out the hull as quickly as he can. (Sailboats with low, uncapped centerboard trunks can't be bailed out until the slot is plugged use shirts or socks to accomplish this because water will pour up through the opening.) When the hull is buoyant enough to hold the remaining members of the crew, they should get on board and all should again begin to bail it out completely.

During the salvaging operation be on constant lookout for passing boats. If one should come near, wave a shirt or shout as loudly as you can. Repeated toots on a foghorn or whistle, or a shirt or jacket tied to the masthead, may also attract attention. Remember that willingness to help in time of distress is characteristic of seagoing folk.

If a boat should take you in tow, it would be best for all members of the crew, except the strongest, to go aboard the rescue vessel. The remaining person on board will act as the helmsman of the sailboat. If, however, the centerboard can be raised completely up, the rudder unshipped, and all the water pumped out, it may be possible for you and your entire crew to go aboard the rescue boat, since your craft will then tow easily without the aid of a helmsman.

Method of uncapsizing or righting a boat. In this case it wasn't necessary to furl the sails.

Man Overboard

While sailing it's altogether conceivable that one of your crew members may fall or be knocked overboard. If this should occur and the person doesn't have a lifejacket on, throw him a life preserver, a seat cushion, a floorboard, or an oar, but make sure of your aim if you toss anything made of wood. Even if he's a good swimmer, one of these items will reduce the effort he must put forth to keep afloat, and it will also mark his position. Immediately assign one member of your crew to point at the person with an outstretched arm and to keep pointing while your craft is being maneuvered for the pick-up.

If a person goes overboard while the boat is sailing with the wind abeam or forward of abeam, the quickest way to get back to your man is by jibing. But sail far enough away to avoid coming upon him in the middle of your turning circle. Approach from the leeward side so that if he is in difficulty, the boat won't drift down on top of him. The mainsail sheet should, if at all possible, be trimmed, then eased off to prevent the boom from slamming violently across, possibly injuring someone in the cockpit or damaging your boat's rigging. If the accident should occur while the craft is sailing before the wind, you have the choice of two maneuvers to execute the pick-up. In the first maneuver, you bring the wind abeam, sail away for a few boat lengths, then bring the craft about and reach back on the other tack and head into the wind. The second procedure is to continue sailing before the wind for a short distance, then tack back. You'll generally reach the person in the water on the second tack. The distance you sail before: the wind will depend upon how your boat responds and the condition of the water and the amount of breeze. Through practice and experience in sailing your boat you'll be able to obtain the answer to this question. By the way, it would be very wise to practice the pick-up maneuvers so that when an accident of this type occurs which is seldom you and your crew will know exactly what to do.

Approach your man in the water slowly, spilling the wind from the sail as you go. The sheets should be loose so that the boat is almost dead in the water, and the centerboard should be all the way down during the actual pick-up operation to give your craft full stability. Then throw a line to the person overboard and help him in over the stern. Make the rescued party as warm, dry, and comfortable as possible.

The person who falls overboard should concern himself with three important objectives while in the water. First, keep calm, don't panic. Second, keep himself clear of the rescuing craft. Third, keep himself afloat the easiest way he can. If you should go overboard while out by yourself, tread water until you see the boat round into the wind, guess where it will stop dead in the wind, then swim for that point.
 
Running Aground
 
If your boat should ever run aground, there are specific things that you can do to attempt to free it. Of course, if you are sailing a centerboard boat, you will usually be given ample warning you'll feel the centerboard strike bottom. That's always a sign to go about unless you're prepared to take the consequences of running aground.
If your centerboard boat goes aground with its centerboard down, raise it up in its trunk and you may find your boat free. Then head away from the shoal or retrace the course you came. But if your centerboard is up and you go aground; you may be able to free the craft by shifting your weight in the boat or by shifting any heavy gear aboard. If this doesn't work and you're on a hard sandy bottom, you may be able to push the boat off the shoal with an oar. Pole the boat along the path on which it came aground. If this doesn't free it, go overboard, turn the boat around so that it heads in the direction from which you came, and push. When doing the latter, get your back against the transom and push. Don't face the craft and don't push with your hands or chest.

If your boat should get stuck on a soft mud bottom, the problem of freeing it is more difficult. First, you can't as readily go overboard, since you may get stuck in the mud yourself. And secondly, the oar usually sinks in the mud, and although you may pole the craft a little in the direction you wish to go, you pull it back again when you pull the oar out. In soft mud, however, you can generally free the boat by rocking it from side to side. If rocking doesn't work, the flat side of the oar may come in handy. If you can turn the boat so as to use the oar over the stern, sink it as deep as you can, with the oar's blade perpendicular to the centerline of the craft. Then pull back on the handle of the oar, thus forcing the craft ahead.

If you can't get a keel type boat off by any of the methods discussed for centerboard craft, take a halyard overboard and pull it over on its side. If there is some wind, you can add to its heel by trimming the sheets. This method of freeing a keel boat is more effective when your craft is aground on the side of a channel than when you're on an ordinary shoal.

If you should go aground on a rocky bottom, you may have additional troubles a hole in the hull. In this type of emergency it's usually practical to stuff such a hole with a piece of heavy clothing such as a pair of trousers. This will serve as a check until such time as you can get the boat hauled out and repaired properly (see Chapter 8 for further details). It's sometimes possible to heel the boat to keep the damaged part out of the water.

Weather Safety

Rough weather can cause many difficulties for any sailor. For this reason, it's always wise, before setting out, to check the weather by radio and, once underway, to watch the clouds for weather changes. Here are some of the signs you can read that will increase your store of "weather lore":

Nature puts her weather signs right up in the sky for us all to see for example, the colors in the sky itself, the shape and density of the clouds, and the appearance of the sun. Bright blue sky usually means fair weather; but a dark, gloomy blue sky is windy. A vivid red sky at sunset, fair tomorrow. A vivid red sky at sunrise may mean foul weather that day. There's a great deal of truth in the old proverb: "Red sky at night is the sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning." Also, a bright yellow sky at sunset presages wind; a pale yellow sky, wet.

The sun gives other clues, too. For instance, when the sun comes up out of a gray horizon, chances are good that it will be a fair day ahead. A sunset with diffused and glaring white clouds is a good sign that a storm is on its way. A weak, wash-out-looking sun means probably rain in the near future. The moon gives us help, too. That ring, or corona, around it is a sure sign that a storm is on the way.

Good sailors read clouds like the stars; recognize them instantly and know what they portend. Clouds have many shapes and tell nearly as many stories. For example, delicate or soft-looking clouds foretell fine weather, with light or moderate breezes; hard-edged, oily-looking clouds, wind. Generally, the softer the clouds appear, the less wind (but perhaps more rain) may be expected; and the harder, more "greasy," rolled, ragged, or tufted, the stronger the coming wind will prove. High clouds traveling across the sky in the opposite direction from lower clouds mean unsettled weather. Small inky-looking clouds foretell rain; light scud clouds driving across heavy masses indicate rain and wind, but if alone may show wind only.

A thunderstorm can be anticipated by a build-up of cumulo-nimbus clouds, which are dirty gray on the bottom and have anvil-shaped tops. A rapid development of cumulus clouds (these are dense, vertical ones that appear like towers) also will mean a thunderstorm. In small, widely separated patches cumulus clouds mean fair weather.

After clear, fine weather the first indications in the sky of a coming change are usually the light streaks, wisps, curls, or mottled patches of white, distant clouds which increase, followed by an overcasting of murky vapor that grows into cloudiness. This appearance, more or less watery or oily, is an almost infallible sign that rain or wind will prevail in the immediate future.

The weather-savvy sailor knows about the birds, too. If you don't, here are some clues that'll help you to be your own weather prophet, which sometime may save you a rough time afloat. For example, when seabirds and gulls fly out early in the day and go far to seaward, fair weather and moderate wind may be expected. When they hang about the land, or over it, or fly inward screaming, expect a strong wind with stormy weather. Also, most birds perch on wires, tree limbs, or any handy resting spot when bad weather is approaching.

Keep in mind that all weather changes are caused by wind. Weather must move to change. If there's no wind, there will be no weather change (and poor sailing). Smoke from factory stacks or smoke trailing from ships is a help in forecasting weather. Rising smoke indicates fair weather, while smoke streaming downward from stacks is a telltale sign of lowering pressure which precedes rain. Remarkable clearness of atmosphere near the horizon; distant objects such as hills unusually visible, or raised (by refraction); and what is called "a good hearing day" these may be mentioned as signs of wet, if not wind, to be expected.

By themselves, Mother Nature's weather clues have little significance. But put them together and they will generally tell an interesting story oftentimes a bright and pleasant story, sometimes dull and foreboding. There are also certain broad, general rules for barometer and wind observations. Here are some of them:

1. Wind shifting to the westward, barometer rising: clearing, fair.

2. Rapidly rising barometer: clear and windy.

3. Wind steady, slowly rising barometer: settled weather.

4. Wind in the easterly quadrant, barometer falling: foul weather on the way.

5. Steady, slowly falling barometer; unsettled or wet.

6. Rapidly falling barometer: storm coming.

Check these rules, however, against local experience. For instance, on the Pacific coast, local westerly winds picking up moisture off the ocean and strengthened by prevailing westerlies often bring rain, while east winds coming off the mountain ranges are more likely to be dry. On the Atlantic Coast, local west winds are usually fair; local east winds, wet and cold. Finally, remember that old Mother Nature being what she is, there are bound to be exceptions to most of her rules.

For safety, always be cautious when the weather turns bad or storm clouds start to form. It's best to be on shore when a squall strikes. Should it be impossible to reach shore before it hits you, follow these ten simple emergency precautions:

1. Don life preservers or life jackets.
2. Head the boat into the wind.

3. Release all sheets and lower all sails.

Then furl and stop them in their proper position. On some boats, it's possible to reef the mainsail reduce it down to the smallest possible working area and still cope with a strong wind. Rigging instructions which usually come with your boat will tell you how to reef your sail. These should be studied before you set your sails.

4. If you furl the mainsail, secure the boom in a boom crutch, if you have one aboard, by hauling the mainsheet tight. Then haul the jib sheets tight and cleat them, too.

5. Lower the centerboard to its fullest extent.

6. Secure any loose gear that might float away if the craft should capsize.

7. If close to shore or in water that isn't too deep, get the anchor over to prevent drifting.

But don't anchor if you can't allow enough line to run out to insure that it will hold. In some waters, stakes and lobster buoys can serve as emergency moorings.

8. Attempt to locate nearby boats, as they may be of help in case of trouble.

9. Keep low in the boat. It's a good idea to sit on the floorboards.

10. Keep an eye on the weather for any changes. Sometimes it's possible to make a run for shore during a lull in the storm. This is especially true if you have an outboard motor aboard.

Make Safety A Keynote

A safe skipper is, in many ways, like a very safe automobile driver. He knows the traffic laws in this case, the Rules of the Road and obeys them. According to the Rules of the Road, sailboats always have the right-of-way over powerboats except in the not-very-likely possibility of a boat under sail overtaking one under power. In this case, the motorboat would have the right-of-way. However, even if you have the right of way, don't press your advantage. It can be dangerous! If a powerboat must pass close to a sailboat, the skipper must do so slowly and on the leeward side (the side on which the sailboat is carrying its boom) so as to cause the least possible disturbance from the motorboat's wake.

The rules of right-of-way for sailing craft to each other are determined by direction of the wind and sailing directions of the boats at their time of meeting. The following are the most common situations you will encounter during normal sailing:

1. A sailboat running free with the wind on the port must give away to one running free with the wind on the starboard.

2. When both sailboats are running free be fore the wind on the same reach, the one up wind, who receives the wind first, must give away to the other.

3. A sailboat running free before the wind must keep clear of one that is close-hauled tacking into the wind.

4. A sailboat close-hauled on a port tack, with the wind coming over the port side, must give away to a craft close-hauled on a star board tack.

Remember that, in any case, you are to take all steps to avoid a collision as soon as it's clear that other craft can't do so by its action alone. This applies whether you have the right-of-way or not.

You have just read the basic sailing Rules of the Road. These are backed up by law and must be followed. Now you will get the "don't" and the "nevers," and things not to do if you wish to be stamped a good, safe, and wise sailor.

1. Don't overload your boat, since crowding or excess weight can be dangerous. Follow manufacturer's recommendations as to the capacity of the boat.

2. Never got out in a boat unless it's properly equipped (see Chapter 1).

3. Don't take a boat out if storms have been predicted. Also watch the sky for storm clouds and weather signs.

4. Don't sail too close to other boats or clown around when out on the water.

5. Never let the boat get out of control.

6. Don't go out in a sailboat unless you can swim or unless your willing to wear a lifejacket at all times.

7. Never make fast or cleat the mainsheet unless or until you're an experienced sailor.
Always have it neatly coiled so it can run freely.

8. Don't attempt to swim to shore from a swamped or capsized boat. Always remain with the boat.

9. Never go afloat without making your intentions known. A wise skipper will always inform someone ashore regarding his sailing plans (destination or waters) so that aid can be sent out if the boat fails to return or arrive on schedule.

10. Don't panic. Remain calm at all times, since panic often results in making the wrong decision that is usually worse than the emergency itself.

I hope that this chapter hasn't frightened you about sailing. It wasn't intended to do so. It was intended, rather, to impress upon you the importance of safety. For if you follow the advice given here, you needn't ever fear trouble in a sailboat.

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