Foolhardy? A Humble Remonstrance

[GoodMorrow]

As skipper of Good Morrow and author of "ATale of Two Sailors" published in YM November issue, l was amazed at the responses the story produced and l would like the opportunity to make a humble remonstrance to a number of comments made.
Whilst l have only been sailing for 3 years l would not consider myself to be either "foolhardy" or a "reckless" sailor. I have completed the RYA Comp Crew, Day Skipper Theory & Practical, Yachtmaster Theory, Costal Skipper Practical, Radar, Diesel Maintenance and First Aid course. I am fully committed to the effort and the cost of gaining proper training and qualification.
Good Morrow is a 38' Dufour with a Cat A Classification. She is equipped with lifejackets (always worn), safety harnesses, 3 GPS's, 2 VHF's, Navtex, radar, liferaft, flares and an EPIRB. The vessel was fully capable and eqipped for the passage undertaken
In terms of passage planning l studied synoptic charts and weather forecasts for 3 weeks before deciding on our window for deparure. The high-pressure system we had gave us clear visibility day and night and a Force 6 max most of the way. The following week there were severe gales in the Irish Sea but we weren't there to see them.
Good Morrow does have an extensive First Aid kit with 2 brands of seasickness tablets. Unfortunately they do not always work despite taken as prescribed.
As for my passengers seasickness and the decision to stop at Milford Haven or continue to Falmouth, then l admit it was a difficult call to make. Lesley wanted to continue, a case of "lets get this over with" and l felt her condition was manageable. The weather was good but it wasn't going to last. Therefore l chose to continue to Falmouth, my passenger still believes it was the right decision.
Now single-handed sailing? Ellen MacArthur, Pete Goss, Emma Richards - foolhardy? reckless? or inspirational? I guess you either enjoy the challenge and demands or you don't. I have recently completed a single-handed sail from Portsmouth to Dublin and back (with a few stops) and l was as safe as you ever can be at sea (and so was everyone l passed). I loved every minute. Not a problem as far as l can see.
In conclusion, Lesley and l love sailing and we love sailing feeling safe and secure. We've sailed over 5000 miles in 16 months around the UK, Ireland, France and the C.I. and we have not had a single "dangerous" occurrence either weather or another vessal related, however we're not complacent. The importance of RYA training, boat equipment and seaworthiness, careful passage planning and continuous vigilance at sea are fundamental to our sailing philosophy. We didn't buy our boat to be tied to a marina pontoon from October to March but we don't think that makes us either "foolhardy" or "reckless". We hope some of you may agree.

Good Morrow

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by GoodMorrow on 18/10/2002 12:49 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Cornishman]

You seem to have done everything you could to get yourself trained properly, but I wonder what your shore based theory instructor said about Rule 5 when it came to single handed sailing? And did you follow it, even on your passages to Dublin?
It is why the RYA cannot support single handed racing - even though the Patron has seen fit to confer knighthoods and other honours on so many who have done it.

 

[webcraft]

I don't think your comments about single-handed ocean crossing yachtspeople really stand up to scrutiny . . . they don't spend much time sailing in crowded coastal waters. They are usually clear of all shipping lanes and inshore traffic within a few hours, and out on the open ocean where chances of an unfortunate encounter are very much reduced.

Nothing wrong with singlehanding, but I do feel that singlehanded passages in coastal waters should be kept to 24 hours maximum wherever possible.

<font color=blue>Nick</font color=blue> -

BlueMoment.Com
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.bluemoment.com/>http://www.bluemoment.com/</A>

 

[steve_cronin]

Well said sir....

It is a sad fact that this forum attracts from the comfort of their offices (& possibly at their employers' expense!) those who are quick to condemn and execute it in often deeply cutting personal terms.

Their motives? Well it is natural in those of immature dispositions to adopt the childish practice of trying to score cheap points over others, particularly those who raise their heads above the parapet and publish their experiences as you have. Knowalls to a man. The reality of course is that we have all made trips like yours and will make them again in the future. It is in the nature of seafaring. These people rush to condemn without having all the facts at their fingertips - how could you be expected to put every detail about your pre voyage planning just in case some front parlour "expert" decided to cast his pompous critical disdain across your account.

Lets se how many who criticised now have the guts to address you face to face here.

In 1976 when my now wife and myself did a cruise to the Channel Isles in a 16ft boat and Motor Boat and Yachting published our account AND declared us winners of their annual cruising competition not only were WE castigated but, according to the then features editor Alex Mcmullen, the magazine was criticised not only by the bumptious but advertisers made commercial threats too. We in that boat went on to make 27 further crossings followed by scores more in sucessive boats.

As Michael Mates once said "Don't let the buggers get you down" If your regular cruising area was the west coast of Ireland or out of Capetown SA seas the like of which you describe would be a common experience, even in summer.

I suspect that we will experience an embarrassed silence from some quarters. Egotists like these overgrown sixth-formers can't hack being challenged.

Winter cruising is great isn't it? No pratts about , only serious sailors. It seems too that your boat is well equipped for it.

My wife has been bashed all around the boat, thrown up over the side AND herself but when we sold our last boat to take up sailing in different waters, she was in tears and still desperately misses home waters. With a boat like yours perhaps we'll see you in the Med one day?

Steve Cronin

 

[nicho]

As one who felt you were foolhardy, and said so in this forum, I should point out up front that I have had little sailing (but lots of Motor Cruising) experience. However, the YM article still to me seems to have been written in such a way as to lead the readership up the garden path a propos your experience (or lack of it). For example... "we'd been sailing our Dufour for 6 months" ....(no mention of 3 years sailing experience and 5000 miles covered). No mention either of Coastal Skipper qualifications, just "Day Skipper Practical, and Yachtmaster Theory". Thus, the readers of this forum were led to believe that a skipper with a mere 6 months experience, and a Day Skipper ticket set off on a Winter sail virtually a long way round the British Isles.

Further, it states "we were relatively inexperienced" and that "we did not need a skipper aboard THIS time". Can you not see therefore that to the so uninformed readers of the article, it looked as though you were indeed foolhardy.

It now seems you were not (perhaps), but in future it might be better to up front with all the facts, otherwise you might get more of the same. I should point out that many of the posters that felt the same way were vastly experienced sailors, so it was not just a matter of 'having a go' for the sake of it.

 

[steve_cronin]

Come off it nicho....

..they went for the guy like a shoal of rabid piranahs. Jumped in with both feet.

Hows that for a mixture of metaphores?

Steve Cronin

 

[Grehan]

Foolhardy ???

Thanks for your posting, GoodMorrow.
Welcome aboard, sir

As the originator of the thread, could I make the following points?

a) The title was "Foolhardy - or Adventurous?" I wasn't exactly sure myself, and hoped I made clear in the posting that it seemed to me to be foolhardy for a number of reasons. Included in these were the long passage time, effectively solo, in inshore waters, in rough conditions, in December, without sleep, and also what appeared from the article to be relative inexperience (although I tried to qualify this by saying, not inexperienced, but relatively inexperienced).

b) Sorry, but to be honest, I think I still stand by my suspicion - as the article was printed in YM and as it was understood by me - that it was foolhardy, even in spite of what were probably slightly misleading expressions that may have occured during sub-editing for publication, or implications that you might not have thought of when penning your account in the first place.

c) Frankly, I do think that a journey where the 'rest of your crew' was incapacitated for almost the entire journey and then described (your words) the trip as the "worst 2 days of my life" indicates something not quite right with decision-making (that is, the skipper's decision-making) somewhere along the line. The decision to pull into Milford or not, was not your crew's - with all due respect - to make, especially since she was so ill. It was the skipper's.

d) I do take Steve Cronin's "it happens all the time" "get real" type comments seriously and I wondered in the original post whether I was being over-worried and maybe too quick to leap to judgement. OK, you made it as have countless others down the years. I do not think that some degree of misjudgement (based on your genuine feelings of competence and control at the time) (my humble opinion) means you're a bad person, or a bad sailor, or whatever. Just human. Doesn't make it right. Doesn't mean it shouldn't be debated here. Whatever our level of experience, we're all keen to learn aren't we? - and we all need to keep on learning.

e) Sorry about (i) mis-spelling Jeanneau and (ii) describing your Dufour as a Jeanneau. I'm humble, too. G*d knows, I need to be!

I'm in the phonebox. It's the one across the Hall

 

[vyv_cox]

I've just re-read what I wrote previously and, still not having received my subscription YM, have still not read the article. I stand by what I wrote then, even with the newly revealed information. In my view these are not waters for inexperienced, lightly-crewed, already seasick crews in December.

 

[Peppermint]

Re: It\'s your life or is it.

I don't think foolhardy is really the issue. I think you made a mistake. If you've done a bit of sailing singlehanded you might know how long your able to last without becoming a hamfisted dullard. Takes me about 30 hours, provided I'm fed & warm & dry, until I'm not the guy to pilot a boat into anywhere and flashing lights just look pretty.

You can take any chance you like with your own life & boat but singlehanding is not what you where doing. To say your crew was up for it makes me wonder if they were in a condition to decide. Those of us that don't suffer underestimate the toll seasickness takes on its victims. A good ambition for a Yachtmaster is to get from A-B without excitement and with all the crew happy. This sometimes requires a flexible approach. To often outside pressures are allowed to dictate a course of action.

Sure, look back and enjoy the memory of the passage but acknowledge that you had a bit of luck.

 

[Strathglass]

Nice to see you answering the comments. I think they were directed more at the magazine than yourself.
From memory of the postings, I don't think anyone critised your ability to sail the yacht or the suitability of the yacht for the passage.
My own view was and still is that it impossible to stay awake and maintain a watch on ones own for that period of time. That was where the danger lay in my opinion.
We all have done it, even if we don't admit it in print. I wonder how many people have nodded off when driving for too many hours? The dangers are greater but still there.
I think the big concern is that because it is published it may be accepted as the norm irrespective of the persons experiance, the craft and the waters sailed in.

Glad you enjoyed yourself
Iain

 

[nicho]

Re: Come off it nicho....

I think that most posters who criticised, were actually gunning for the article rather than the (then) anonymous skipper (at least this adventure was genuine). The headline did of course ask if the skipper was foolhardy. Based on the information to hand at the time, I think the criticism was justified. In light of the actual experience of the skipper, some may want to change their minds, but actually I doubt it.

For sure everyone tore into the guy, but that's the ways these forums are!! There's never any real malice in these postings, just lively (and usually informed) chat.

(Welcome to Scuttlebutt Stan, by the way, sorry if you feel you got savaged!!)

 

[hlb]

Sheesh. All this trouble for just bobbing down to Falmouth/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<font color=red>The X Invisible White Man/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif<font color=blue>Haydn

 

[tome]

Gday GoodMorrow

I refrained from comment on the original thread as I hadn't read the article. Meantime I discussed this with Karen, my wife, who also suffers from mal de mer. We've done a few long trips where she doesn't feel great, but has enough experience to insist we keep going as she enjoys the arrival and my pampering her en route. This means that in many cases I'm effectively sailing single handed.

I agree with the 30 hours max before I start to lose my marbles, and initially limit my legs to this or less. I know that Karen recovers after a couple of days and we go on to be a good team - she can now take over for a couple of hours whenever I'm dog tired. Makes all the diference and I love her for it - gutsy or what!

If you're sailing 5000 miles in 16 months then you are doing much more than most (I believe that 1000 miles a season is a good average). Your post demonstarates that you have a high regard for safety and training.

At the end of the day, the best training you'll ever get is to be out there sailing your boat. At the risk of incurring the wrath of the forum I'd say this counts for more than any RYA training, and I speak as an ocean yachtmaster.

Keep doing what you're doing - I'm quite sure that you and Lesley will make a great sailing team.

 

[Mr Cassandra]

Well done .Nice piece ,well written ,and best of all you made it . Please don`t let the small minded people who post here get you down. It is very difficult for them to sail a desk, even in the Solent. Cheers bob t

Bob T

 

[halcyon]

The one thing that I do not seem to have read about is that current fly in the ointment, passage planning.
From what I read this was part way through a trip down the Irish Sea, option was South Wales or Falmouth.
To go to Falmouth would mean a long passage single handed on top of the passage to date. You had the North Cornish coast with no real bolt hole, you then had Lands End and the Scilies to clear, after that you have the Lizard. Some of the most dangerous UK waters at the end of a long single handed trip.
I wonder what was so much worse in going to South Wales, resting up, then making the passage.

Just seemed a odd, as I spend all my time trying to get away from Falmouth.


Brian

 

[billmacfarlane]

Goodness , you're reply as well written as your article is generating some emotion. I wish some of the replies were as well answered - cheap and meaningless inanities like hlb and rtboss don't do your writing any justice. I know your boat is classified as Cat A , and I'm sure you are safety concious but my point of criticism hadn't anything to do with that - merely the wisdom of carrying on with no crew and having to stay awake in adverse conditions for so long unnecessarily as there were bolt holes available. Glad you got to Falmouth safely and I enjoyed the article.

 

[steve_cronin]

In December there is still a little bit of the autumn to encourage you and your talents and faculties are still active. Leaving the boat in some remote place and contemplating trying to get her out of it in January wouldn't have been attractive. Also the good lady seemed available in some small degree at least if required. You must know that women get going when the going gets tough. (Why do those words sound familiar to me? Do they to you?)

This skipper made a decision and his decision - probaly like a couple of others might have done - got his ship home. I am sure that he would have made sea room had he needed to do so whether to rest or to avoid the heat from traffic. Someone else might have made a different decision and all these views expressed here are made with the benefit of hindsight. Only the arrogant would claim, from their armchairs that the would have done anything different if they could be timewarped back into Stan's situation. THEY DO NOT KNOW. They cannot possibly know.

Someone, not you, said that "...the original article's headline asked wether or not the journey was foolhardy" Well, I have YM Feb2002 in front of me and I cannot find such a headline. Apology due from someeone?

Relatively this was a short voyage and the account was (IMO) an enjoyable one but I'm sure that even Stan will admit, small beer in the big boys' world.

Steve Cronin

could say a lot more but a have a date with a lagopus scotticus, a stir fry supported by the Maipo Valley and then a night in front of the fire with SHWBO, Rod Heikell and the logbook planning the next week(& a bit) in Greece

 

[Mr Cassandra]

I don`t see anything in mine, or hibs ,post showing a lack of inteligence or imagination .What I do see see is intolerance to others , because they do not conform to percived standards . Why do you have the audacity to belive that you are right and others wrong. At some time, all of us, who sail, have made a decision that with 20/20 hindsight ,we would not make again . However it is the right decision at the time.; The Captain is not always right , but alway the captain.]Imho
cheers bob t

Bob T

 

[Guest]

A good trip & a great article!

I enjoyed reading of your journey, and as someone who also sails in the Irish Sea I was impressed with your decision to keep going. Simply, you could always have doubled back to Milford, gone up the Bristol Channel for shelter, or you could have hove to for a cat nap. I bet that you knew that once around the point it was easy.

I've only sailed around Lands End in June - my wife and I made our first trip round Lands End this year and I ended up going around that FOUR times that month. As we approached we had an F9 for a while - that wasn't forecast either. Our boat is a much slower and older 10m ... and it was Summer!

You correctly ensured your boat was properly equipped, and you always had options. Of course, you actually DID something which most internet sailors have never attempted. Be proud of it. Have it framed!



Humperdinck

Email: HJ@Seacracker.org
Website: www.seacracker.org<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by humperdinck on 19/10/2002 22:02 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Mr Cassandra]

Emma goes storming on

Lone sailor Emma Richards is facing the toughest experience of her life as she battles a fierce storm in the Atlantic, with winds up to 70mph
Emma has the choice of taking shelter in a Spanish or Portuguese port as eight of the twelve boat fleet have chosen to do .
But she has battened down the hatches of the 60ft Pindar and decided to sail through the storm.
Foolhardy or couragous ?

cheers bob t

Bob T