Poll-Sailing Experience

[OldFrog75]

Originally Posted by Richard5

I apologize, apparently one is only to vote for one occurrence. Apparently it is the nature of the poll but not my doing. Feel free to add text relating to multiple conditions as it may apply.

When you create the poll there is an option to make it "multiple choice" which enables participants to vote more than once...

[cal40john]

y

y

y The jibe below resulted in a broken boom, repaired in a couple of hours.

y Accidental jibe, why is a jibe in the list of capsizing/roll over? Not same at all

n One trip the Loran was dead before leaving dock,
others didn't really have electronics,
so celestial nav. Had a Ham ssb,
only had a tech license so had
to use morse code. That didn't fail.
Had a flashy light fathometer and crystal
VHF that didn't fail also.

y But not 500 miles offshore

n

n

[Hudson Force]

Now that I've seen other's responses, it seems I was too quick to say "No" to all. I have simply not had dire consequences. Sure, I've had rigging break,- a club foot flying about loose while offshore. I've have a couple of little fires of no consequence while underway. I've been blown aground on a lee shore in a tropical wave. I've had my diesel engine full of seawater. I've had food poisioning in a third world country,-"Chicken Quarentine"! I've been without 12VDC,- hasn't everyone? I've awakened to look down at my shoes floating above the bilge ceiling.
....,but none of this was unusual to general cruising and more importantly, all these events can be traced back to my errors,- not my expertise!

The whole premise of this poll suggests that the sailors with the most experience are those that have made to most mistakes. This can't be true!

[Dsanduril]

YYYYYNYN

I'm with CaptForce, it's called "cruising".

[crazyoldboatguy]

Wouldn't most of these issues be more dire if they were to occur on a lee shore in a storm? 500nm seems like a nice cushion to me. More time to jury rig, etc. Besides, w/a functioning EPIRB even the sat phone challenged have a chance.

Ooop's I should STFU. Just a flat lander here.

[Sailmonkey]

yyynynny

this is a really pointless excercise........and I just helped.

[boatman61]

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y(if broken ribs count) N

[blackswan]

Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N (although I did sink my dinghy from an overzealous water hose once though)

I prefer atolls poll although I would add number of singlehanded passages and number of passages with no autopilot or selfsteering (to separate the men from the boys, or is it the sane from the insane

[blackswan]

Number of times sailed into close quarters crowded charter anchorage at drinks hour gusting 30knots with no engine?
Number of times painter has been caught around the propellor shaft?
Number of times skipper scaled the mast, lost sunnies from the masthead, had the admiral jump in to rescue and realised swim ladder was up with no way to get onboard?

This poll could be much better if the questions were hence my lighthearted ramblings (yes all based on fact) kids dont try this at home..

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

Now that I've seen other's responses, it seems I was too quick to say "No" to all. I have simply not had dire consequences. Sure, I've had rigging break,- a club foot flying about loose while offshore. I've have a couple of little fires of no consequence while underway. I've been blown aground on a lee shore in a tropical wave. I've had my diesel engine full of seawater. I've had food poisioning in a third world country,-"Chicken Quarentine"! I've been without 12VDC,- hasn't everyone? I've awakened to look down at my shoes floating above the bilge ceiling.
....,but none of this was unusual to general cruising and more importantly, all these events can be traced back to my errors,- not my expertise!

The whole premise of this poll suggests that the sailors with the most experience are those that have made to most mistakes. This can't be true!

agree totally.. just another day in paradise....

[belizesailor]

Polls apparently don't work on mobile app. Am I missing something or should I just STFU?

[Stu Jackson]

Crude is plain rude.

[snort]

The mast breaking and the rig coming down was an interesting and fun experience.

[blackswan]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

Now that I've seen other's responses, it seems I was too quick to say "No" to all. I have simply not had dire consequences. Sure, I've had rigging break,- a club foot flying about loose while offshore. I've have a couple of little fires of no consequence while underway. I've been blown aground on a lee shore in a tropical wave. I've had my diesel engine full of seawater. I've had food poisioning in a third world country,-"Chicken Quarentine"! I've been without 12VDC,- hasn't everyone? I've awakened to look down at my shoes floating above the bilge ceiling.
*....,but none of this was unusual to general cruising and more importantly, all these events can be traced back to my errors,- not my expertise!*
*
The whole premise of this poll suggests that the sailors with the most experience are those that have made the most mistakes. This can't be true!

1. offshore 500 nm
2. 500 nm for a minimum continuous 72 hours
3. experienced boat failure (rigging, vital electronics, engine, shipping water)
4. capsizing, knock down, roll over, accidental gybe while 500nm or more offshore
5. electronic failure
6. fire at sea
7. required medical attention beyond and above that onboard vessel
8. vessel swamped or sunk or not coming back up after capsize or roll over

The way I read the poll questions:
1. Self explanatory
2. Self explanatory
3. Boat failure = critical equipment failure (that results in an incident or drastic change of plans)
4. Any one of these potentially serious events that resulted in a serious event or the implementation of your emergency procedures.
5. An electronic failure: that results in a return to traditional techniques until landfall.
6. Any fire at sea until it's dealt with is an emergency in my book.
7. Self explanatory
8. Self explanatory

Different cruisers with different experience and/or training levels will have different personal responses to some of these questions. However if you weren't prepared/trained for it and/or it results in a "change of mission" then it probably means you have answered "yes" to the question.*
Questions 3 and 4 are the ones that might have you debating whether you did or didn't.*
For my part:
3. Cap shroud chainplate failure while skippering a triple spread 50 foot yacht on a delivery having just cleared Sri Lanka. Resulted in a return to port to effect repairs.
4. Accidental gybe resulted in a rip along the whole main foot, repaired over two full days at sea, without which we would not have made our destination landfall.

CaptForce I agree that most of these "incidents" over time can be attributed to typical cruising problems (as we all sail yachts with similar kit) however they should not come to be what we accept as normal cruising.*
I have a friend of a friend who's recent accidental jibe resulted in his wifes death and they were only 4 mile offshore.

Ideally we are always fully prepared and ready for anything, however no vessel is always in Bristol condition and no crew is fully prepared all the time. At some point we as skippers need to say we are as ready as we need to be given the season, latitude and passage we are about to undertake. Its our crew that we are responsible for and the trust they place in us is humbling in the extreme. Even if they don't know it (ie greenhorns) they are trusting us to know the difference between being ready or not ready yet. This is the "art" of cruising, sailing and seamanship.

Our mistakes over time teach us to prepare and train well for the worst and hope for the best. The lessons I learnt from the cap shroud failure was that I reacted correctly by tacking the boat (thereby saving the rig), that some things are unavoidable and that a well trained crew will be your best means of returning safely. From the main ripping on the jibe that: I shouldn't have gone to sea with such an old mainsail and that a permanent preventer/boom brake is good safety gear.

Each of your errors taught you something new and added to your own hard won knowledge.. It can't be taught but must be experienced.
Unless you are one of those rare people who are always prudent, always prepared and never have any incidents then your best learning will be from your experiences. May we always be lucky enough to practice the "art" without having any serious consequences so that our vessel and crew return home safely.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

The whole premise of this poll suggests that the sailors with the most experience are those that have made to most mistakes. This can't be true!

Interesting observation, but sometimes the "mistakes" can simply be a function of the higher risks associated with your marine career.

I can truthfully answer yes to all of them.

Have saved and been saved.....
Have shattered both ankles leaping from a barge back to tug after reconnecting towline..5 days to get to hospital..
..survived major ER electrical fire in a storm half way between Tokyo and Seattle.
...Numerous broaches in the 70 & 80's when delivering larger sailboats long distances worldwide.

In my 20's & 30's I often worked offshore on Salvage tugs....purposely heading into danger to help stricken ships.

My other career was yacht and ship delivery at a time when storm avoidance was not so easy.

Luckily no one ever died under my command but I know others doing the same things, who were not so lucky.

My only claim to fame is that I have never "accidentally" run aground!

Today.. with the same events....operator error is far more often the common reason and 'mistake' ... rather than lack of available situational awareness.

We have a lot more tools and aids at our disposal.