Fear

[Mr B]

Big Ships do,
They might be going sideways and backwards, But they still drive straight into it, 70 knot winds and over,

[tonytheboat]

Im an ex soldier and ex merchant marine , any man who says hes never been scared is either a liar or a fool, and i should know i used to hunt bombs, ive crossed the Atlantic twice once being dismasted. i had been through the scean in my mind so often it all went to plann, then we diverted to the Azores and rebuilt the mast and kept on going, Plan for the worst and then enjoy the rest , dont trust the mercant navy watc officers as some of the buggers sleep on watch. (regardless of what they say) make sure its one hand for yourself and one hand for the ship also in rough weather if someone cooking make sure that they have the bottom of their oilies on just in case the pans decide to attack , on that not if anyone is getting sea sick put them uptop on the helm, it does work. lastly enjoy what your doing we pass this way but once, may fair winds and a gentle breeze go with you bye.tony

[mbianka]

Delancy:

Yeah, there was the Rebel Heart and Cheeki Reefiki out a thousand of miles away from land on the ocean. There recently were two sailors here on Long Island Sound and the fellow in San Francisco Bay. All within sight of land and rescue services minutes away who did not make it. You don't need to go far to get into trouble. It's about how prepared you are. Knowing your limitations and trying to have some backups ready. Hopefully, you won't need them but, having them will help sooth your anxiety.
I'm noticing my sight and night vision may not be as good as they once were. Knowing that I'll try and take that into account in my cruising plans. It's just the way it is as you get older. Another thing is don't panic when something goes wrong. Take a few minutes to sort things out sometimes things are not as bad as they first seem:
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG: LESSON LEARNED: Fear and Panic in East Hampton

[Delancey]

Chicago to Mackinaw race in the early nineties. The boat was a J-35 called Telegraph Road owned by a guy named Miles Allen. The fleet got rolled by a massive storm the afternoon following the start. Half a dozen boats including the Santa Cruz 70 Pied Piper got dismasted and in total a dozen boats dropped out.

We had eight guys on the rail with no main and a blade jib and pinched our way to weather. We saw sustained winds over fifty knots for more than a couple hours and probably saw seventy plus for at least a half hour. At the worst of it I personally saw our wind speed indicator top out at 83 knots. We placed first in our one design fleet of more than twenty boats that year. It's a fact you can check.

Going to weather in seventy knots is possible and has been done before. Yeah, kinda helps to have eight guys on the rail. The guy driving needed another guy to block the spray. You simply could not look to weather and we didn't have goggles. People who think the Great Lakes are puny puddles are fools, they have beaten me badly before. Because the water is fresh, the seas are very steep. I have nothing but respect for the Great Lakes.

PS. We were making seven knots while we were doing it. Lots of sideslip, but to weather we went.

[Mr B]

I know what Fear is,
Its coming thru the gap in the reef at night leaving Fiji, Using Electronic Equiptment That I had no idea on how accurate it was, Or whether it was working properly or not,

I could see the reef splashing in the dark, and the gap I had to go thru, about half mile wide, and not very deep, Then I was safely into 10,000 feet of ocean,

I had two things in my favour, a two foot draught and a very big spotlight,

The 12 metre wave standing vertically over the transom while standing in knee deep water in the cockpit, I had no Fear whatsoever, If that thing dropped on me, It was quite simple, I was Dead, Waves like that dropping, Smash the covers on ships and sink them,
You can go past Fear,
Suppressing Sheer Panic, Can also be conquered, If you want to live,

Chucking your arms up in the air and giving up, Thats what you need to be afraid off,

[Delancey]

Twenty seven boats out of three hundred dropped out. Not sure where Thirsty Tiger was in relation to us, I think they were much further to the north and missed the worst of it. Other boats in our section that were nearer us also reported winds over seventy knots.

Thirsty Tiger Uses Wind To Win Mac - Chicago Tribune

[Delancey]

Riddle me this one. According to the pilot charts, the mean maximum southern limit for icebergs in July extends well south of our track off Newfoundland and it has been a brutal winter in the northern hemisphere, do we have to worry about having to dodge ice?

If you run encounter it, what do you do, just drive south until there is no more? Heave to at night? What?

[Delancey]

Link to the North American Ice Service and today's Ice Patrol Chart for those who are interested.

Ice Patrol Charts & Chart Archives