How much time and money should I spend planning for failure?

[PhillM]

Since buying my first boat last year, I have spent a lot of time considering safety and spent quite a lot of money buying various bits of kit recommended by common sense, RYA courses, various books and the RNLI.

Over Christmas I read a book called “The Self Sufficient Sailor” by Lin and Larry Pardeys . It makes an interesting point that as leisure sailors we choose to put to sea and it should be up to us to ensure that we never have to ask anyone else to risk their life to save us. They take the view that if you don’t have a safety net, you concentrate more on not failing.

I was wondering what forum thinks is the right balance between reliance on rescue services and self sufficiency?

 

[awol]

I would agree with the Pardeys (I assume that's who you mean?) but I carry radio, flares and an EPIRB. If there is hypocrisy there then so be it but, apart from one call to the coastguard to warn them I was about to release an inadvertently inflated liferaft, I have never had to call for help (touch wood).

 

[marklucas]

Agree with the principle

I think we should all aim to be self-sufficient - for me, that is part of the challenge and fun of sailing e.g. oh B*****R the what'sit has just failed in the middle of the Channel - well I'd better fix it before we get to France then!

However, we all know the proverbial can happen and we should recognise this and plan accordingly - remember what SOLAS stands for!

But for the those sailors who put out a MAYDAY when their engine fails I have no sympathy.

 

[johnalison]

What you choose to call self-sufficiency will depend on the kind of sailing you do and the depth of your pockets. We started, in the '70s, with little more than a compass and a sounder. When we set out across the Channel we put a half-inflated dinghy on deck but had no radio or navigation aids.

Over the years I have occasionally had to make running repairs and almost always found what I wanted in the accumulated junk in a series of boxes stowed below. I do keep spares of some engine parts, impellers fan belts & filters etc but as I am almost always within 24 hours of land I don't need what an ocean sailor would.

I don't think I have ever given the rescue services even a passing thought when I set out. Luckily, good fortune and a reasonable attitude to maintenance has meant that I have never called upon them. I'm not sure what my answer to a question "would you sail offshore if there were no possibility of rescue?" would be and with no likelihood of my taking up ocean cruising I suppose I shall never know.

 

[Tranona]

I start from the self sufficiency point of view as it makes you more cautious and arguably safer because you work more within your limitations. However as you want to do more and push those boundaries then it makes sense to take advantage of equipment that makes life easier and maintains a sense of security.

My favourite story about the Pardys relates to their lack of engine - according to some wag, only possible to do what they do because of the generosity of others in towing them in and out of anchorages. No disrespect to them, but just an observation about the potential limitations of self sufficiency.

 

[Searush]

It has to be a personal choice dependant on the sailing you do, your skills & experience, the depth of your pocket & the crew (if any) you have to help you. If you don't know then we sure can't help without that information.

FWIW, I don't have a DSC radio, EPIRB, Radar, AIS, Navtex, sailing instruments or crew - but I do carry the family as passengers quite often.

I do have charts, compass, binoculars, VHF, PC chartplotter, GPS, lifejackets, Horseshoe lifebelt, harnesses, anchor, S/Hand (out of cert) valise liferaft, Flares (also ood), anchor, inflatable tender (sometimes) & 2hp O/B. This has been enough to keep me out of trouble (mostly) for 30 years of cruising.

 

[Scillypete]

Being 'self sufficient' is always at the forefront when going to sea and I doubted that anything would happen that I could not deal with. Well I was wrong and when the water entering the boat goes from being around your knees to around your waist it is a mighty pleasant feeling to know that you have a working liferaft to take to and that your EPIRB signal is beeping out.

It is a very rare occurence that may never happen to you, or indeed to me again but I for one will carry the neccessary gear to preserve my life.

 

[Seajet]

I aim to be as self sufficient as my intellect & wallet will allow, seem to have scraped by so far - touchwood.

What I do find despicable is the attitude displayed when that big racing boat ( forget the name ) had the keel fall off in American-side waters last year; " we only really push to 100% when in range of the rescue services"...

So when there's no-one around to save them from their decisions, they throttle back a bit - but it's Ok to risk the lives of helicopter & rescue boat crews if they're 'available'. ****'s !

 

[Wansworth]

Blondi Haslar apparently subsribed to the drowning like a gentleman theory;but having been a mini sub man in the war he wa made of tough stuff.I sailed a few years ago twice to Spain without any "Stuff" basically thru shortage off cash and I was younger.I now spend time pondering the idea of having the stuff or not the next time I make an offshore trip.

 

[DownWest]

I aim to be as self sufficient as my intellect & wallet will allow, seem to have scraped by so far - touchwood.

What I do find despicable is the attitude displayed when that big racing boat ( forget the name ) had the keel fall off in American-side waters last year; " we only really push to 100% when in range of the rescue services"...

So when there's no-one around to save them from their decisions, they throttle back a bit - but it's Ok to risk the lives of helicopter & rescue boat crews if they're 'available'. ****'s !

+1
I started, as a callow crew, in the 50s. It never occured to us that the RNLI might rush to help us, so we planned the trips on self help (the obvious method). Radio was non existant,so how where you going to call for help? Flares, well, possibly. We just expected to sort out our problems, so far, so good.
DW

 

[PhillM]

Thanks for the input guys.

Advice from RYA training and RNLI motivated me to buy most of the kit. To be clear, I am not suggesting otherwise. I am also not saying that calling for help something I would avoid, if it’s needed.

What the training didn’t do was make me think too deeply about the broad range of skills that I would need to handle whatever situation befalls me and my crew. At home I reach for the yellow pages and find whomever or whatever I need. At sea .... ??

I guess my next step is to think about what COULD go wrong and then try to think through what skills and spare / equipment would be needed to try to fix it– at least until we could get to safety. Has anyone written up a list of potential problems as a template?

I hasten to add that I am NOT a H&S freak or a pessimist by nature! Planning to avoid failure seems a worthwhile idea, or am I just being too up-tight about the whole thing?

 

[prv]

Planning to avoid failure seems a worthwhile idea, or am I just being too up-tight about the whole thing?

Planning and thinking about things is the best idea, I reckon. Probably better than simply buying everything in the chandlery that's coloured dayglo yellow and then not thinking.

Pete

 

[Seajet]

I have a lot of safety 'features' and a reasonable amount of safety kit on my boat.

Features are a result of thinking of what may happen; so I have no holes in the hull at all ( thanks to having an outboard in a well & chemical loo ), the sink pumps out via a bilge pump which can be diverted to pump the bilge from the cabin, and the outlet has a seacock in case some flooding / trim problem put it underwater, the cockpit bilge pump is sited so the helmsman can pump & steer while crew hopefully sorts the problem, the mainsheet has a snap shackle allowing using the boom for MOB recovery, and so on, there's a fair bit more.

It's not being pessimistic, I take the attitude that I should plan ahead and do all I can - countless sailors have died gaining the level of knowledge available to us today and it would be insulting ( and daft ) not to use it.

However, once I'm satisfied I've done what I can in preparation, the motto is 'relax and enjoy, get on with it'.

 

[Searush]

I enjoy reading books by self-suffiient ocean sailors - the Pardeys are a good example, or the Hiscocks. Read about what happend to them & how they dealt with it - but remember your boat & situation may not be the same.

Keep a few wooden plugs handy by sea cocks (I have old screw in coffee table legs which cost nowt). Maybe a bit of old ss rigging & a few U-grips & shackles. Stuff which is cheap, small to store & potentially useful in a range of repairs is best. Filters, impellers are also pretty cheap & can be used & replaced at each service.

 

[pagoda]

Thanks for the input guys.

Advice from RYA training and RNLI motivated me to buy most of the kit. To be clear, I am not suggesting otherwise. I am also not saying that calling for help something I would avoid, if it’s needed.

What the training didn’t do was make me think too deeply about the broad range of skills that I would need to handle whatever situation befalls me and my crew. At home I reach for the yellow pages and find whomever or whatever I need. At sea .... ??

I guess my next step is to think about what COULD go wrong and then try to think through what skills and spare / equipment would be needed to try to fix it– at least until we could get to safety. Has anyone written up a list of potential problems as a template?

I hasten to add that I am NOT a H&S freak or a pessimist by nature! Planning to avoid failure seems a worthwhile idea, or am I just being too up-tight about the whole thing?

It all hinges on the adaptable state of mind of 'most' seafarers.
Power or sail.
If you need to call in the boys in the yard to do basic maintenance, then you need to put a bit more effort into spares / preparation before going anywhere. Note "more".
Being able to respond to a problem by jury rigging a solution is part & parcel of being an all -round seaman. I do try to prepare well, but I rarely throw anything away (if functional), and have a big collection of stuff - line, blocks, pins, etc, etc, engine service parts, wiring , to cope with who knows what.
If I were to plan to go long distance / offshore I'd put extra effort into planning & provisioning, but for coastal cruising I reckon I am more or less covered ?
I could not easily find the space for (what if anything ?) at a coastal level of sailing, but I reckon it is slight overkill to do so.
I don't want an engine failure.. but I'd sail into harbour on a jib or small main if need be - and warp in the remainder, rather than call in assistance.
I would of course need some wind to do that

 

[webcraft]

.
Just think it through and budget accordingly. We have a small, cheap yacht and a limited budget.

When we first bought our boat we didn't know how old the rig was but couldn't afford to replace it immediately. For that reason two of ur first safety purchases before we crossed the Minch were a set of decent wirecutters and an emergency VHF aerial.

The next year we still couldn't afford a new engine, so we made sure we had plenty of spares before we set off round Ireland. We also bought a liferaft.

Before we crossed Biscay we got an EPIRB. Before we headed out into the Atlantic we made a series drogue.

We built up gradually. Now we can go almost anywhere with minimal expenditure. Buy what you need for the sailing you will be doing.

- W

 

[PhillM]

Good info guys, but what about the skills?

In theory I have the kit and proabably the tools on board, but do I actually know how to use them, well that is another question.

What is vexing me is what are the most important practical skills that I should learn / develop to help get out of trouble.

 

[awol]

Remember the TV show "MacGyver"? That's the kind of skill set you need. Helps if you carry some basics like a spare can of diesel; spare rope; spare shackles; spare nuts, bolts, screws; spare winch pawls; spare wire (electrical, rigging and fencing); various sticky tapes; a spare batten; spare blocks; spare or emergency tiller; full set of tools; and, of course, a spare pair of knickers!

 

[Wansworth]

If you have an engine then learn the basics about keeping it going.There is so much to absorb about sailing and looking after a boat,thats part of the fun but it will just come with time and opportunity.In the meantime sitting in the cockpit whipping or splicing your ropes so all the basic stuff functions is a good way to start.

 

[ffiill]

One of the most useful items on a boat is line/rope-I just never throw it away-a chaffed rope that I would no longer trust aloft or for anchoring could be used for splinting a broken spar for example-thin line of whichI have several spools can be turned into thick line or can act as a very effective purchase in leiu of a pulley block-the possibilities are endless.
Copper pipe and means to solder it and cut it and drill it is amazingly useful both for intended purpose-pipe clips-spade terminals(10mm)earth strips-handles etc.Likewise copper wire such as you find in domestic cable is great for emergency repairs.
Last but not least wood and fastenings.
If I were sailing long distances I would also try to pack some kind of welder-probably a portopack oxyacetlyne along with my trusty angle grinder which I carry anyway.
I carry a full tool kit including socket set spanners and torque wrench-enough to strip the engine if necessary!
Never forget once after having torn a mainsail how I suprised my crew member was when we were stormbound in a harbour and I got out my sewing gear and started patching the sail! by hand.