What Safety gear is 'essential' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

I would just slip your lines and go mate it is only 100 miles but if you are worried half inflate a dinghy on deck and make sure your vhf works - it realy isnt a big passage!! just relax and enjoy it.
 
Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

when we raced in the Haven series in the 80s a 1/2 inflated dinghy was min std req for a North Sea race.
in 78 we took an Optimist on deck, no VHF no Decca / gps,no A/h. Petrol inboard.gas cooker.
have a good trip & try not to get "too far under the bonnet", choose the weather slot, cast off & enjoy
 
Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

Well said, that man. A voice of common sense.
I would take a good book to read though.
And lots of easy to cook nosh.

100miles can get boring.
 
Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

As the latter posters have indicated, none of it "essential", more nice to have. Personally, I would say 1, 3, 5 and 6 REALLY nice to have and the others, nice too but dont fret if you dont.
 
Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

When we first did this it was in a 28 footer - towed a dinghy as no liferaft. Had a plotter but no radar.

Biggest assets are common sense and patience. Pick your weather window and be prepared to change plans if the forecast looks iffy. We used to agree beforehand what constituted "iffy". Easy crossing in good conditions - not somewhere you'd want to be in a nasty blow
 
Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

I'm going to disagree with Alan here. There is one essential in my book, that is a good radar reflector. I carry two when beyond the rivers. According to the report that was done after the loss of the 'Ouzo' one of the most effective at all angles of heel is a 'raincatcher', but it must be properly deployed. The largest one of these on the backstay will make you much easier for a ship to see and isn't all that expensive. I've had ships comment on the fact that they have been watching me on radar for 15 miles and came to have a look because they couldn't see anything on the water [this was in the Atlantic - they tend not to be so chatty or inquisitive in the North Sea]. Remember you being able to see them and plot a collision course is not going to do much good if you can't get out of their way fast enough if they haven't seen you.
A lot of stuff that we carry is for our own peace of mind rather than it being effective. Whatever makes you feel safe whether that is a liferaft or an AIS transponder is really just that.
 
Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

[ QUOTE ]
Good reply Sailorman I thought I would be shot down for my comment!

[/ QUOTE ]I wasn't brave enough to be the first to raise this /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

We've decided on that route: our 2nd hand, inexpensive, 2.8m inflateable probably takes up more space than a liferaft... but it will (just) fit laid flat under the jib/genoa... and at least it's something that can be put to good use on a regular basis!

Could do with a way of keeping the semi-inflated tubes as a flattened oval pushed hard to the deck to reduce windage though.

ps. I'm astonished, however, that no company is catering for day-sailors with something that's designed as a compromise between a liferaft and a tender: ought to be a decent sized market out there.
 
Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

[ QUOTE ]
ps. I'm astonished, however, that no company is catering for day-sailors with something that's designed as a compromise between a liferaft and a tender: ought to be a decent sized market out there.

[/ QUOTE ]
Avon used to (boat I sailed in had one in 1978) do a conversion kit with gas inflation cylinders and a snap on spray cover.
 
Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

At the risk of looking stupid, again, could someone explain in simple terms how I might rig the octahedral radar reflector I have bought. It is one of those Plastimo affairs that slots together with plastic caps at each apex to hold it together. Putting it up the backstay sounds like a better idea than trying to get it high up the mast. But how do you get the right angle of dangle?

Thanks

Michael
 
Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

It should 'catch water' if properly set up. Hopefully you have a hole for a line to hoist bu it should hand vertically to work properly - unless you are clever enough to work out the angle of your backstay and make another hoist hole so that when up your backstay its at the right angle.
 
Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

I have a Sadler 29. No life raft, no chartplotter, no EPIRB, no active radar reflector, no radar. I do have vhf, gps plus handheld, a sound boat adn am aware of the limitations of myself and crew. I did my first crossing of the North Sea to Oostend in May and can tell you it's easier than crossing Solent to Cherbourg. It's basically bouy-hopping. Choose your weather window well, follow the usual safety routines and allow twice as long coming back as going and you'll be fine.

We intend to do the same trip as you later this year. Just myself and in-experienced swmbo. We will certainly be choosing the weather window with care and allowing plenty of time for the return trip!
 
Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

[ QUOTE ]
But how do you get the right angle of dangle?

[/ QUOTE ]

That is the really hard question. I have a friend with twin backstays or a backstay that bifurcates about 10 feet up and he has a lovely angle on his 'raincatcher'. I have a radar on a pole next to my backstay and the pole is about 8 feet above the cockpit, so with many imaginative bits of line and knots almost have the raincatcher at the right angle. I just sort of get it right on the basis that the boat will be heeling and pitching so near enough should be good enough. And ships have reported what a good signature I have. But then I do have a 'Sestrel' about 3 metres up the mast as well,

One of the things I did learn early about the raincatcher is that all the holes it has for fixing need to have shackles put in them and tie the line to the shackles not to the holes as the holes will cut your lines to pieces in a decent wind. At least two of the shackles go directly onto the backstay.
 
Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

Many thanks to all for helping me understand the raincatcher aspect of the octahedral reflector. I also found a diagram which included the information that every plane should be at 45 degrees to the horizontal. So that's easy then - I just take my protractor and spirit level along and sling it up. I think it only has two holes (at the apexes) and came with absolutely no instructions so I infer my reflector is intended to satisfy the rules rather than make me visible to ships' radars.

Sigh....
 
Re: What Safety gear is \'essential\' for an East cost crossing to Holland?

Pretty much, yep. Been plenty of discussions on the subject of radar reflectors over in Scuttle but the only thing that has been agreed, is that nobody can agree on any of them. If I do fit one it's not something I could rely on to work without someone saying they can clearly see me on their screen, but for now it's an expense I'm not even thinking about. Different cruising ground though.
 
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