Ah Hail!

A crew of three sailing a Hunter Legend 37 from the home port of of Irvington Virginia, on a non-stop 300 mile Spring shake-out sail, suddenly sees dark clouds approach astern. Sailing in relatively calm winds of 8-10 knots the captain decided to reef now should the storm astern bring heavy winds. Suddenly, as they were heading up to reef, the boat was hit with a tremendous increase in wind strength which heeled the boat over to at least 40 degrees. On deck were the captain and one deck hand while another deck hand was in the galley preparing dinner. No one had a PFD or was in a harness.

The wind increased and at one point the mast was virtually horizontal. Hail stones pelted both the boat and the sailors.

What would you have done in this sailing scenario?

1. Move the crew as quickly as possible to safety in the cabin.
2. Free the jib and main sheets to relieve sail power.
3. Order the crew member in the galley to the deck to assist.
4. Secure yourself as quickly as possible to avoid going overboard
5. Keep a crew member at the helm to maintain any boat control possible.
6. Jump overboard to avoid going down with the ship.

In this situation, you should secure yourself to avoid going overboard. Once you are secured free the jib and main sheets to relieve sail power. Keep a crew member at the helm to maintain any boat control possible. Order the crew member in the galley to stay put just in case one or more of you on deck should go overboard. This way there will be one crew member with the boat to conduct a man overboard procedure.

Lessons learned from this scenario?

1. This area is prone to fast changes in weather. Those on deck should have been wearing PFD.
2. At least one crew member on deck should have been in a harness and secured. This is reasonable insurance should something like this happen at least one member will stay on the boat and be in a position to rescue others who have gone overboard.
3. They should have been monitoring the VHF weather channel. Had they been doing this they would have been aware of the storm approaching and been more prepared.

Perhaps you have other ideas of what could have been done given the scenario as well as other lessons learned. Share your thoughts.

What would you do?

Seventy-Year-Old Sailor Rescued Off Santa Cruz Island (Dec. 2007)
Rescuers say a lone 70-year-old sailor lost all electricity on his 50-foot yacht near Santa Cruz Island and was airlifted to safety by a U.S. Coast Guard crew before his vessel ran aground and was destroyed.
A Coast Guard official said that without electricity, the man could not start his auxiliary engine and avoid being blown toward the island.
The official said the sailor was spotted by a Los Angeles-based Coast Guard helicopter crew about a half-mile from shore around 3 a.m. Friday and taken to a hospital to be treated for mild hypothermia. The wreckage of the yacht was later spotted on island’s shore.
Santa Cruz Island, the largest in the Channel Island chain, is about 22 miles off the Santa Barbara County coast.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

What would you have done in this situation? Here are some of my thoughts on options. Post yours as well.

1. If there was satisfactory wind, sail out of this situation
2. Depending on depth employ emergency anchor procedures
3. Radio for tow assistance from local boats in the area
4. If two separate battery banks, engine and cabin, check battery power in cabin bank replace, or wire, engine batteries with these. This would take some time so consider the rate of drift.
5. In all cases, once the solution(s) are engaged prepare dinghy for launch in case you need to abandon ship. Make sure life jackets are within easy reach or already on. Prepare radio for emergency SOS broadcast.

Post any additional options to be considered.

Call of nature leads to close call for French sailor Florence Arthaud

She is among the most respected solo sailors in the world and enjoys iconic status in her native France, where she is known as the "Little Fiancee of the Atlantic".

Florence Arthaud's career almost ended in a tragically ignominious manner, however, after she fell into the sea on Saturday night (local time) when answering a pressing call of nature without taking basic precautions.

Ms Arthaud, 54, emerged yesterday with a new nickname -- the "Mediterranean Miracle" -- after rescuers found her thanks to her cell phone and head torch.

"I stupidly fell into the water going to have a tinkle over the rail without attaching myself as usual," she told French television. "A small wave came and destabilised the boat. It's never happened to me before.

"The water wasn't too cold, but it wasn't too hot either and I wasn't at all equipped for that -- I had practically nothing in the way of gear on me."

She was sailing for her own pleasure off Corsica when the accident occurred, The London Times reported.

Ms Arthaud may have forgotten to tie herself on to The Argade II, her 10 metre yacht, but she had at least taken care to buy a watertight cell phone. "I bought it just before I set off," she said.

The sailor called her mother and brother in Paris, who contacted the French Mediterranean sea rescue centre.

Rescuers were able to locate the area in which she had fallen through her cell phone GPS coordinates. They then pinpointed her by spotting the light from her head torch.

Ms Arthaud was in the water at a temperature of 18C for an hour and a half and was suffering from hypothermia when she was found.

"When you think you're going to drown, it's a little bit frightening -- very frightening in fact. You think of all your friends who have disappeared in similar conditions," she said.

She was taken to the hospital in Bastia, Corsica, but was released yesterday after doctors gave her a clean bill of health.

(NewsCore October 31, 2011 1:13PM)

Flooding below decks....

Every sailor shutters at the thought of their sailboat flooding below decks. Here's a list of how to deal with this should it ever happen to you.

1. Get the boat level as quickly as possible. If under sail, head downwind or heave-to.
2. Taste the water. Yes, taste it. If it's fresh water then there's no risk of sinking. If it is seawater, continue with steps below.
   
3. Quickly scan the boat to see if it's obvious where the water is coming from. If it's not obvious where the water is coming from close all seacocks. Check around each seacock for any water entering the boat.
4. Start the engine if it's not already running and open diverter valve to use engine as an emergency bilge pump. Have someone constantly monitor the strainer on the engine bilge intake for clogging.
5. Use your manual bilge pump if necessary.
6. If there is sufficient crew have them bail with buckets, pans, and anything that will remove water from the boat. Only dump the water into the cockpit if you are absolutely positive it will drain overboard and not back into the boat.
7. If you are unable to reduce the water level, launch life raft being sure it's securely tethered to the boat for loading.
8. If water level is reduced sufficiently, have an extra crew member look for the source of the water.
   
9. Cushions can be wedged into the crack using floorboards. Floorboards can also be used with blankets to seal, or slow the flow, larger holes.
10. If the source of the water is a hose, cut the hose at the leak and drive a wood plug in the hose end.