How safe is your dream sailing yacht?

When choosing a sailing yacht for long-distance voyages there are safety concerns that don't exist in any other type of boating. Cruising over open water for more than a few days takes you beyond the most accurate weather forecasts and removes your ability to seek shelter if strong winds suddenly appear in your path. So what should you look for in a sailing yacht to keep you and your family safe? One assumption those looking for a new cruising sailboat often make is that the larger you go, the safer you will be. That’s a mistake. Size will affect speed and seakeeping abilities, both of which are safety factors, but if the small cruiser is well found and fitted out, and if it is sailed competently, it can offer its crew the world − though it will be a world bereft of hot showers, ice cream, and a large library. For most sailors, a 26-footer would be the bare minimum for long voyages, although if an extra 10ft were affordable without compromising seakeeping and safety features, the gains in comfort and speed of passage would be significant. But bear in mind that increases in size beyond 50ft can have an exponential effect on cost and this could lead to compromises in your quality of life aboard as the budget strains in every direction.   Designed For Safety The world of yacht design went through a major upheaval in the decade of the 1980s. Following the disastrous Fastnet race of 1979, so well documented and analyzed by John Rousmaniere in his book Fastnet Force 10, many leading designers and sailors began to question the direction of design trends.   During that race, a Force 10 gale (48 to 55 knots) and very large, confused seas hit the fleet of 303 boats that was racing from the southern England, around Fastnet Rock off the southern tip of Ireland. From surveys taken by race organizers and from interviews performed by Rousmaniere in preparation for writing his book, some very disturbing statistics came to light.   It’s estimated that at least 18 boats were rolled a full 360 degrees. Twenty-four boats were abandoned, five sank, and approximately 170 were rolled over until their masts hit the water. Also, it was reported that five boats became inverted — turned turtle — and remained upside down for periods between 30 seconds and five minutes. Lastly, and tragically, 15 sailors lost their lives to drowning or hypothermia. One of the earliest inquiries was published jointly by the RYA and the Royal Ocean Racing Club. The recommendations were broken down into four categories, the first of which was "The design and construction of competing yachts and of their equipment." The recommendations highlighted the weakness of much of the steering gear aboard many of the most severely affected boats and the importance of emergency steering systems. The importance of companionways that can be opened and secured closed from above and below was also emphasised, as was the proper stowage of items down below (in the case of a 180° inversion) and the importance of pumping any water in the cabin overboard rather than into the cockpit (with the exception of open cockpit designs).   Further safety effects of the Fastnet Race But the tragic effects of the race were felt in the USA as well. In the spring of 1980, the Cruising Club of America (CCA), which was preparing to run its biennial Newport-Bermuda Race took a long hard look at the Fastnet race and began to study what could be done to prevent such a disaster from reoccurring. Five years later, a final report was issued and offers several broad conclusions that help illuminate what is safe and what is not in hull and yacht design. The conclusions of the report, in brief, are: - Larger boats are less prone to capsize than smaller boats. - A dismasted sailboat is more likely to capsize than a boat carrying her full rig. - A boat has an inherent stability range, ie., an angle of heel past which it will capsize. That stability range can be calculated from the boat’s lines and specifications. - Some boats designed to the IOR rule, or any designed to be particularly beamy, may remain inverted following a capsize. Boats with a stability range under 120 degrees may remain inverted for as long as two minutes. - Boats lying sideways to a sea, particularly light, beamy vessels, are more likely to capsize than boats that are held bow to the sea or stern to the sea. It follows, then, that boats that are sailed actively in gale conditions and breaking seas are more likely to avoid capsize than those left to lie untended, beam to the seas. - The issue of whether or not a boat will capsize, and when and how it might suffer such a fate, is a key point for any sailor contemplating safe extended coastal or offshore cruising. By analysing a boat’s stability range, you can get a very good reading on how the boat will handle a gale at sea and how best to plan your own gale tactics. The CCA committee that compiled the five-year Fastnet report came up with a simple formula to determine the stability of any yacht of a fairly standard type and of a size suitable for offshore sailing. The formula is as follows:   Capsize Screening # = Boat’s Max. Beam (feet) / Cube Root (Gross Displacement / 64)   In English: take the boat’s gross displacement in pounds, divide it by 64 and then take the cube root of the quotient. Now, divide the boat’s maximum beam in feet by the cube root figure. The resulting number should be 2 or less. In general, if the number is over 2, the boat fails the screen. If the number is under 2, the boat passes. Again, the formula is a very general guide, and does not take into account a number of other important design factors that might lessen — or increase — a boat’s tendency to capsize. Use the formula  to get a quick idea of a boat’s stability, but also explore the boat’s full capsize characteristics before you decide to purchase it and set off sailing in open waters.

In the EU, the Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) was introduced to ensure manufacturers comply with basic stability requirements when advertising boats as being suitable for offshore sailing conditions.

  Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) Design categories Category A - Ocean: Designed for extended voyages where conditions may exceed wind force 8 (Beaufort scale) and significant wave heights of 4m and above but excluding abnormal conditions, and vessels largely self-sufficient.

Category B - Offshore: Designed for offshore voyages where conditions up to, and including, wind force 8 and significant wave heights up to, and including, 4m may be experienced.

Category C - Inshore: Designed for voyages in coastal waters, large bays, estuaries, lakes and rivers where conditions up to, and including, wind force 6 and significant wave heights up to, and including, 2m may be experienced.

Category D - Sheltered: Designed for voyages on sheltered coastal waters, small bays, small lakes, rivers and canals where conditions up to, and including, wind force 4 and significant wave heights up to, and including, 0.3m may be experienced, with occasional waves of 0.5m maximum height, for example from passing vessels.

Craft in each Category must be designed and constructed to withstand these parameters in respect of stability, buoyancy, and other relevant essential requirements listed, and to have good handling characteristics.

Boats built in the EU since 1998 should have documentation that they complied with the RCD when first offered for sale, and the same is true of most boats imported through authorised dealer networks.

Boats built prior to June 1998 within the EU, and which have not been sold outside the EU and re-imported, are outside the requirements.

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