Slightly puzzled

[KevB]

Not sure I'm qualified to give my 2 cents worth here seeing as I'm a "smokie" but......
I would imagine a racing yachts crew is more focused on the job in hand **WINNING** than what's going on around them, concentrating more on the boats they a racing than looking out for the leisure sailor. Also in a high stress situation such as racing I'm sure the red mist can cloud judgement a lot quicker than someone out for a gentle cruise???

 

[billmacfarlane]

Your answer might be simplistic but it's similar to what I wrote in my original question. I'm with you in that as far as I'm concerned as long as the boat doesn't leak like a sieve , and doesn't put me in fear of my life , it's safe. I've seen it so often on this forum that people describe their boat using the word safe using it very loosely to perhaps describe their boat's sailing characteristics for example. I think any normal sailing boat's sailing qualities are safe , but the real safety is being in control of them regardless of what they are. Which is what I think safety is all about - it's the skipper's ability of managing his boat.

 

[duncan]

I, for what it's worth, would suggest that the ability to make reasonable way in the direction of choice in reasonable conditions (force 5 wind over a 3 knot tide is not uncommon).
An example of a boat that failed that for me was a bilge keeled 25ft'er with a 5 hp outboard engine. In one sense it was safe - we just had to turn around to go the other way ... but the potential for danger was too real.

 

[Guest]

Re: French Approach

I was based in St Malo a few years ago and was more than a little dismissive of their classification system. This placed restrictions on boats based on their official classification. For example a 17foot cruiser would probably have been restricted to sailing within 10nm of a safe haven and would not have been permitted to cross the Irish Sea. It would also have been required to carry a specific list of "safety equipment".
Many of the trips I make/made in my British Registered yacht, would not have been sanctioned by the French authorities. I assume this is still the case.

 

[steve]

Surely stability is the most important safety factor. According to an article I read, most of the boats with problems in the Fastnet race were hove-to or lying ahull, i.e. using "cruising" tactics, so the skill of their crews was no longer a factor. I'd call a boat which turns turtle while hove-to anywhere except the roaring forties unsafe. Haven't the Opens been modified due to their preference to float upside down? Were they "safe" before?
Another important safety factor is sturdiness. If your rudder falls off or your chainplates rip out of the deck, this could well lead to an "unsafe" situation. A friend winched in a bit too much on the headsail and tore a huge hole in the deck where the genoa track had been.
Other considerations could be size of cockpit and drains, size and thickness of windows, collision bulkhead or lack thereof, other watertight bulkheads, heavy duty samson post, ability to claw to windward, make headway while reefed, heave to, etc.
It's true that if you're infallible and lucky any boat is safe. When the problems crop up, though, it's nice to know that the designer's on your side.