59) A synopsis.

Well, to start, I now have the content that I thought I needed to write a book about sailing that will appeal to more than a limited audience.  I have about enough offshore miles to have gone around the planet and that has always been a benchmark in the back of my mind.  I also thought that if something significant happened, in the realm of safety, then I would re-assess. 

The recent run from Kaneoh'e Bay to Long Beach literally started with a dockside blessing and then the first 6 days were some of the best sailing conditions I have ever seen.  In context, I have crossed the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Caribbean and a lots of the Pacific. 

At the hands of the skipper on this run from Oahu to California we had an incident at night 1,100 miles west of Long Beach and 1,200 miles north of Oahu wherein I was forced to the deck by a piece of rigging and got hurt; we also tore the mainsail in half.  I think that I got 'checked' like in hockey and chess in that I walked away, alive.

I had plenty of time to think about it since it took 9 more days to get to Long Beach.  A medium range Coast Guard helicopter has about a 300 mile range with less than an hour on site.  So, no helicopter evacuation.  That far out you get transferred to a freighter that gets you within 300 miles of the coast. 

That incident occurred on the 1st day of a small gale or lengthy squall.  After getting through that weather event we figured it was out of our system. 

The 2nd gale about 500-700 miles west of LB lasted for 4 days.  They usually burn out in 48 hours.  In that gale, I saw the biggest and baddest seas I have ever seen.  I then realized how boats are lost.  I have experience in these conditions and knew that I was at the top of my game and could do the best that I was ever going to do. 

But, we had been on a 4-hour on/4-hour off watch-system between 4 crew since leaving Oahu.  Fatigue is a real issue.  Then one of the crew could not drive the conditions at night.  We were reduced to 3 drivers with 1-hour on and 2 hours off during the hours of darkness.  I made everybody sleep in full gear while below deck in case we needed to abandon ship or rolled.  It was well evident at this time that the skipper was incompetent and since I apparently had the most offshore experience I was looked to for some answers.  We also allowed only the driver on deck thinking it was better to lose only 1 crew if we rolled.

I felt safe while driving but when the others were at the wheel I did not feel that good.  I wanted to be in control.  But, seriously, fatigue and tiredness has to be dealt with and I like all the others needed time off the wheel.  The skipper could not drive well and that put the boat at serious risk.  In effect, this became a survival situation; don't break the boat, keep the speed up to be able to steer through the waves.

The biggest reason I am stepping back from long-distance offshore sailing is the wild-card issue; not knowing the skill of the other crew members.  It's too late to discover their skills when you are already offshore.  E-mails and resumes don't illustrate the full picture.  Sailing is great at leveling the playing field.  It does not matter who you are or what you do or what you have accomplished on land because off shore and underway everyone is on the same playing field.

Here's the other kicker.  If you fall off the boat in CA water you have about 15 minutes before you lose dexterity.  If someone had fallen off in the gale we most likely would have lost them due to the difficulty of turning the boat around and finding a tiny object in an angry, frothing sea.  

I have a piece of electronic gear that sends an emergency signal to the Coast Guard to alert them of an emergency.  One of the limitations of that piece of gear is that the signal must be picked up by a transiting satellite and relayed to authorities.  A lot of time can be lost in the acquisition of the signal being sent from the surface of the ocean.  But, it will take many more hours to verify the validity of the signal and for a C-130 to find us.  If it is more than 300 miles from land then you have to wait for a freighter to pick you up.  In cold water you will be dead before they find you.  That is the real game of offshore sailing.

I still like sailing but will now be very critical of who is on the crew and where the boat is going.  I have too much experience and skill to overlook those items.