Yachting Monthly - July 2018

A QUES TION OF

SEAMANSHIP

James Stevens, author

of the Yachtmaster

Handbook, spent 10

of his 23 years at the

RYA as chief examiner

 Q

Mike and his crew of five

have been sailing overnight

from Milford Haven towards

Kinsale on the south coast

of Ireland. The intention

is to enter the Regatta with Mike’s J/111,

a fast yacht well suited for racing, 11m long

with a draught of 2.2m. The crew is keen

and experienced though quite tired after

the 120-mile trip.

Mike, trusting his crew as he rested, has

failed to notice the lights dimming as the

batteries try to cope with plotters and other

instruments, along with bunk lights and no

real attempt to conserve power.

They are off Kinsale, broad reaching on port

tack in 20 knots of wind from the SSE. It’s low

water and the tidal stream is weak at sea

outside the harbour. It’s coming up to the

time to gybe on to starboard and sail in. In

the dawn light, one of the crew notices that

the starboard cap shroud

is parting from the mast.

A gybe would almost

certainly bring

the mast down.

Mike immediately

drops the sails and

secures the main

and spinnaker

halyards at deck level on the starboard side

to support the mast. It seems reasonably

secure but probably wouldn’t support even

a storm jib. Time to start the engine. He

turns the key; nothing happens. There’s no

battery power. Somehow, the engine battery

is as flat as the domestic batteries.

Suddenly, a simple trip has

turned into a tricky one.

The VHF isn’t working

and his mobile phone

has no signal. The

crew thinks it’s

time to use the

EPIRB. Is it?

Are we in a Mayday situation or not?

 A

They are not in grave and

imminent danger, so the

EPIRB can wait.

While they have been

sorting out the jury shroud,

the yacht will have carried on sailing under

bare poles. A light, fast yacht is surprisingly

manoeuvrable with just the windage on the

mast. Obviously it will only sail downwind

but it is possible to steer on a broad reach,

certainly well enough to enter Kinsale with

the tide and get to within striking distance

of the marina where they can anchor and

phone or signal for help. Progress will be

quite slow but not unsafe.

Anchoring outside the harbour is a very

uncomfortable option and continuing to sail

somewhere else on port tack with a parting

starboard shroud is asking for trouble. For

the time being, this is not a Mayday situation,

but Mike should be prepared just in case.

Alamy

N

KINSALE

0 5 cables

Sandy

Cove I.

Preghane Pt

Kinsale

Harbour

Bulman

Bulman Rk

THE KNOWLEDGE

The entrance to Kinsale

is fairly simple, but can

Mike make it in these

circumstances?

Before he calls for help, what

other options are open to Mike?