New(ish) to sailing, first time on the Round the Island

[rhino_mac]

So a little background on me. I'm 42, and started sailing about 18 months ago having joined a local sailing club. On Thursday next week, I'm crewing on a friends 37' Cruiser on the Round the Island Race (or at least sailing to Cowes ready for the race) - a real bucket list event for me and something I thought I'd never get a chance at.

My experience is limited - a summer season round the cans as mast man on a quarter tonner (where the skipper literally had to teach me the ropes), a couple of races crewing a GP14, RYA 1 & 2 Dinghy recently and about 10 hours cruising.

Now my friend who is skippering is a really great guy. He is totally relaxed about the whole thing and while I'm sure he wants to do as well as we can, he's not shouty and is about the most relaxed chap I've ever had the pleasure to spend time with. But on the other hand, I want to make sure I don't let him down.

I'm not sure what I'll be doing on board yet - we're sailing to Cowes on Thursday and he says this is our chance for a bit of training. There will either be 4 or 5 of us on board for the race. But in the meanwhile, are there any tips that would help me not make a fool of myself.

If there is any prep anyone can think of, however daft it might seem, I'd be grateful as this is something I'm really looking forward to, but I'd really like to be a useful member of the crew.

Cheers!

 

[AquaholicM31]

Difficult to advise based on not knowing what role you will be sailing but my best advice would be to revise / make sure you know all of the correct sailing terminology. IMO this is really useful so that when the skipper asks you to pull on the "thingymajig" or release the "whatsitcalled" you know what they mean.

Overall enjoy it!

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

If he's not shouty then it sounds like you're starting in the right place. A good skipper will talk you through everything he expects you to do, but we're all fallible and may forget something, so just ask. Timing your question will be a matter of judgement, but if you think something may go wrong that'll hurt someone or the boat speak up immediately.

If you've not sailed on a larger boat with winches and clutches, maybe have a look at some youtube covering their use in tacking and hoisting. Don't worry too much about spinnaker operation because everyone has their own approach depending on the boat.

When you get on the boat it's a good idea to work out which halyard is which and what all the other ropes do so that no matter what your actual job is you may actually save the day in the heat of the moment.

Sometimes the most memorable crew are the ones who offer a cup of coffee at the right moment.

 

[flaming]

If you've done a summer season on a 1/4 pounder, then I'd suggest that you're well ahead of the game!

To me it sounds like you're going into it with exactly the right attitude, in looking to learn from it, rather than just hitch a ride or assume you know everything. That's about 90% of the battle there.

For the actual race day make sure you're up in time - it's an early start!

The ISC produce quite a good first timer's guide, it's mainly aimed at first time skippers, but it's probably worth a read just to get clear in your head what will be happening at each stage.
http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk/we...&override=&section=competitors&page=newcomers

 

[bitbaltic]

I did the RORC programme last year with a bunch of people who felt confidently ready for Fastnet and had less experience than that. :encouragement:

You'll be fine.

Second the advice about wake-up time and coffee brewing.

You might sneak a copy of this onboard: it is a very clear guide to crewing a larger racing yacht and demistifies anything you might be wondering about. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Offshore-R.../ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

 

[Sandyman]

Don't worry for one minute about making a fool of yourself. If you cock-up blame the skipper
Its great fun & a great day out sailing. Have fun & don't forget your camera. Hope they get the tides right.

 

[rhino_mac]

Thanks for the advise guys. I've bought that book from Amazon - it looks like it has great reviews. It arrives Monday so I should have a bit of time to read up. The sequence of events during maneuvers is something that has baffled me - particularly in launching/gybing the spinnaker and it looks like this book might go a long way to explaining each step.

I'm really looking forward to it and I'm currently writing my list of things to pack. I don't suffer seasickness typically, but tablets will be top of the list just in case!

 

[Judders]

Who mentioned a camera? If you must take one, think carefully about when to get it out. If your time to shine comes and you're taking photos...

Another thing to think about along the same lines is chosing the right time to ask the myriad of questions; dont do it simply as they come into your head if that happens to coincide with the brainstrust working through a problem.

RTIR is a spectacular sight but dont spend so much time gawping that you lose track of what you are supposed to be doing; so many screw ups happen whilst marvelling at someone elses screwups (I have a scar on my left knew to remind me of this together with a bent bit on my traveller).

Its a long old day. In fact its not far off being as long a race as you will ever do without having an off watch. Remember to drink and eat. Keep yourself hydrayted and keep your blood sugar up. I hate eating before noon especially at sea but if I dont get something down Im useless.

What sort of boat is it? Will there be a few experienced heads? Do you know the other guys? Good experienced racing sailors will always pick each other out straight away but it might be worth a quiet word with the skipper about who the guy to really listen to is.

 

[rhino_mac]

It's a Sun Oddesey 35 in Div 6C. It's very much the skippers family cruiser complete with TV on board.

Last year the boat finished 16th in class (of 34 so about mid table) - just over 9 hours total. The skipper is very experienced and has done RTIR quite a few times and crews most Tuesday evening on another boat. The rest of the crew is also very experienced - one older gentleman and another member of the yacht club who has sailed for years. Possibly one other who is about as experienced as you get and is very competitive (but I've cruised with him before and he was great - I learned loads). I'm sure the boat will have a great atmosphere.

I'm sure the day will be great - I'm just keen to be as useful on board as possible. I think this will be a completely new experience racing for 9 hours rather than the 60-90 minute round the cans in the harbour (which has it's own appeal of course).

I can't wait!