Pulpits and guardrails are for wimps

[Woodlouse]

What you don't see in that video is the safety boats that follows all the big classics around the race circuits, to scoop up anyone who falls or gets washed off the deck because they don't have guardrails.

I was on board Mariquita during the RTI a few years ago when someone was washed over the side. Even though there is a safety boat, it's no less scary when someone goes over, and seeing him go over with surprising ease and watch helplessly as the top of his head went by under the water is not something I'd like to see again.

Not all the big boats have their own personal chase boats. The J's will, and Mariquita does, but they are on money no object budgets.

I was on Lulworth when the bowman fell off the bowsprit when we were doing about 14 knots. He went clear under the boat and was a full 150 yards astern before he reached the surface, and was picked up by a passing rib.

The MPS of board could take a full 25 people to man handle it down when there was a breeze on. Not something you need when there's a man in the water.

That said though, it's not at all rough in that film, people aren't having any trouble walking about so the motion on deck must be very slight, not to mention the fact they don't tend to just let anyone on those boats.

Finally, in heavy weather, harnesses would be even more important. That is a very long, fine bow and will be a very wet place to be in even a moderate swell. See how wet its getting in flat water.

 

[VO5]

Think I would like a handhold and spiderman shoes in this clip

Tudorsailor

You can see she is sailing on her ear, by at least 40 degrees plus....but...despite the wash on the starboard gunwale, look at the bow and the horizon in front..

She is not pitching violently...and...the crew at the bow are staying put.

They are not waddling about on deck, are they ?

 

[VO5]

I have had another look.....

In my opinion, it is not a big sea.

If it were, there would be many white horses.

There aren't any, so it must be a top 3 to a bottom 4.

But the boat is being driven hard, very tight, on port tack with full sail on what looks like a reach, not necessarily a broad reach but a reach nonetheless.

Now look at the horizon again, look at the crests moving from left to right.

This indicates a swell.

A swell and a sea are two very different things.

What you are looking at is a short swell and not a sea on top of a swell or a sea on its own.

 

[VO5]

A further observation.

It is a top 3 or a bottom 4. Otherwise the white horses would appear.

She is on port tack but not on a broad reach, otherwise, you would be able to see the troughs of the short swell.

Therefore, she is going across the swell at an angle. Therefore what you can see is the crests of the swell waves that are a bit ruffled.

Therefore she is on a reach, with the wind and swell direction forward of the beam.

As the filming is taking place at deck level the bow splash and deck wash look impressive.

The bow crew are not at the bow after all, because at the bow there is nothing to hang on to on a J.

But there is something to hang on to just forward of the mast, which is where they are, away from the spray, and clinging there and not moving.