Qualifications for Cat Skippers

[eyschulman]

What do you thgink about the idea of having every new(to multi) cruseing cat owner spend 20 or more Hrs as crew on a raceing multi.I am seeing more and more statements on this site of people who either have never sailed or sailed little with the intention of buying a big cat moveing aboard and taking off. Why a raceing multi? because they get pushed to brink and the skipper and crew have to learn that there is a brink and how to avoid it. While monos have there brinks they usually give warnning and scare the crew enough to change the tactics a big cat will give the ignorant little warning before the brink.

[muskoka]

It's not just cats - there seems to be a lot of people of little experience setting out on ambitious journeys. I think it has more to do with technology making it possible to actually find your way somewhere without resorting to old style seafaring & navigation.

A practical course would be a good idea. I'm kind of surprised this hasn't been driven by the insurance companies - especially for high powered ski boats and jet skis.

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by eyschulman

What do you thgink about the idea of having every new(to multi) cruseing cat owner spend 20 or more Hrs as crew on a raceing multi.I am seeing more and more statements on this site of people who either have never sailed or sailed little with the intention of buying a big cat moveing aboard and taking off. Why a raceing multi? because they get pushed to brink and the skipper and crew have to learn that there is a brink and how to avoid it. While monos have there brinks they usually give warnning and scare the crew enough to change the tactics a big cat will give the ignorant little warning before the brink.

Quite frankly, I think it's a dumb idea and pretty egotistical.

[jean1146]

I think it is all about common sense which I see less and less. I had never had a big sailboat nor a Catamaran before we got our boat. Been on the water all my life though,so we took it easy,going on small trips first,playing with the sails,slowly learning the boat reactions untill we fell more confortable,I listen to weather forecast before we decide to leave,reef before you have too,because anyway the difference in speed is not worth the stress on the rigging,I have to say that I was never overpowered to the point of beeing scared. Sure there have been times when the adrenaline is going strong,but you are always in control,those are very exciting moments.
JC.

[BubbleHeadMd]

I think the idea is...poor. I see too many compulsory qualification classes for a variety of life skills that are simply not helping. Why? Because you just cannot "fix stupid".

I agree, convenient consumer electronics are allowing/encouraging people to do all sorts of things these days that they wouldn't normally do, because it would have required investing time and intellectual sweat equity to learn critical skills.

And then there's what I call a "license to be stupid/reckless": The EPIRB. People buy this magical little box, and all risk management goes out the window because they know that the cavalry is coming to get them.

[Full Sail]

OK..OK..but how do you guys REALLY feel

[eyschulman]

Not in my time but soon- one will need a licence to run a boat and will have to pass written and practical tests-insurance,safety,and revenue for big brother will and is driving the issue. You now need a boating card to visit Canada from USA and Washington state has a card program starting with youngsters. I am sure the programs will be as useful as the highway speed limit,no cell phone use in car and drunk driving laws.I would think an insurance industry initiative to insist on education including practical for greenhorns would suit the greenhorn and the public best. Good charter companies insist on experience and check out on their boats-You would think it is simple common sense to first learn about what you are getting into before makeing a big leap-We are talking some serious $ for big cats -they make great house boats and when properly used safe travelers but in the hands of inexperience they can sting unexpectedly.One cat producer used to provide on boat education if you bought one I think it was PDQ

[Aussiesuede]

There are plenty of opportunities out the for the folks who care hone their skills. I'm comfortable with letting Darwin take care of the rest...

[maxingout]

There are some people oriented toward speed who might benefit from sailing on a racing catamaran. Not because of safety, but to learn how to make their catamaran go faster.

I find high speeds to be too much work and the ride is less comfortable, and I don't sail anywhere near the edge on my own catamaran.

I have never been afraid on board Exit Only at any time during our circumnavigation, and that is probably because we always sailed her in a moderate manner.

Exit Only is always talking to us when we are sailing. All I have to do is listen. She tells me when she needs less sail, when it would be a good idea to trim the sails differently, or to slow down. I don't think sailing a cruising catamaran offshore is rocket science or particularly difficult or dangerous. Sailing a racing catamaran at full capacity is an entirely different matter.

[David M]

Common sense cannot be legislated.

[SimonV]

Please do not even talk about this in jest. I have 30 years experience and about 40,000 ocean miles under my belt in the last 15 years. I had to sit for a recreational boat operator’s licence to operate a POWER boat which at the time was the dinghy. That was the law so I complied with it. Now you need that same licence to operate a sailboat fitted with an engine over 4hp, the practical test is done in a 14 foot tinny not much bigger than the average tender. Had I not had my licence which I have held since the dawn of time, I would have had to sit for this course and licence test even though I had more experience than the instructors, as have some of my friends had to do recently. Prior experience does not count. AS for the radio course, the law says you only need this licence/certificate IF you operate the radio....but you won’t be given an MMSI number for you DSC safety feature without it. Again if you have the experience with radios it means squat, you sit board out of your brain listening to what you already know, after handing over more cash. Please do not give the boffins in the Government something else to oppress us with....Just think about ladders, ladders have been found to be a major cause of injury or death around the home, so before you can use/operate/purchase a ladder you need to do a course, this course will be at your expense and no prior experience will be excepted, could it happen? I think it could.

[SearenitySail]

I try not to post just to vent, but...

Is there any reason a monohull sailor would start this thread?

Are monohull sailors all smart enough to sail their boats without training?

This seems like another monohull swipe at the multihull community, though thinly veiled!

Couldn't even sign his name. What a load of cr*p!

Marshall

[Sandyh]

We bought the boat to CRUISE!! Specifically, I've done enough racing not to want the pressure of working hard and being yelled at.

Now, the racing [and yelling] was many years ago in a mono-hull. Posters above give good reasons not to go down a racing-training track. The problem as SimonV points out, is that any licensing system doesn't examine you in YOUR boat, just whatever fits their system.

Common sense is the go!!

Cheers

[Bash]

Originally Posted by SearenitySail

This seems like another monohull swipe at the multihull community, though thinly veiled!l

As a general policy I personally attempt, whenever possible, to interpret posts benignly. I can see where a cat owner might have difficulty doing so in this case, and I have to agree that the circumstances behind this origin of this thread are unfortunate.

We need to get to a point, collectively, where we understand that cruising is NEVER about the mine-is-better-than-yours phenomenon.

You have more hulls than me? WHO CARES?
You paid more for your boat than me? WHO CARES?
Your dealer told you my boat wasn't a "bluewater boat?" WHO CARES?
Your boat is ancient and slow and has a full keel? WHO CARES?
Your boat fits on a trailer and has water ballast? WHO CARES?
Your boat might one day sink? WHO CARES?
Your boat might turtle in a microburst? WHO CARES?

This should be our creed:

-Anyone who doesn't understand that every boat is a compromise is a fool.
-Anyone who feels superior to someone else because of the type or brand of boat s/he owns is a fool.
-Anyone who can't appreciate the good qualities of "The Other" type of boat is a fool.
-Anyone who believes that a boat should function like a bomb shelter is a fool.
-Anyone who would judge a stranger based upon the type/brand/age/cost of a boat they own is a fool.
-Anyone who believes the hype put out by the boat industry is a fool.

Folks, this needs to be about cruising, not about owning.

[muskoka]

Well, as one poster said 'Common sense cannot be legislated.' But you can legislate to mitigate idiocy and recklessness.

Though personally, I don't feel the sailing community represents much risk on the water. On the other hand, the skiboat / jet ski operators kill and maim more than their fair share of hapless recreational boaters and swimmers. My windsurfer was chopped in half by a ski boat whilst under sail!!!!

Operating any high-powered, high speed machine should require some licensing system and minimum age requirements. If the price of safer boating for all means I have to take a test as a sailor, then I'm more than happy to go through the motions.