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Bucklands Beach Yacht Club news is published in the magazine and can be found on the club web site at www.bbyc.org.nz
Check your lights. Ron A. Evans More than half the yachts on the water have incorrect lights, according to Yachting New Zealand safety inspectors, waterfront police, Coastguard vessels and boaties who know their rules of the road. Skippers of the offending yachts face a fine of up to $10,000 and/or a year in jail. While a prosecution is likely only if an incident or a collision occurs, an accident is becoming more likely as the number of high speed craft on the water increases. By far the most common problem is yachts that are motoring or motorsailing. Many display a 'tricolour' at the masthead and a 'steaming' light below it on the front of the mast. This is illegal and confusing to others. The only legal lights for boats that are under power are red-green sidelights, a white stern light and a white steaming light that is at least 1m above the sidelights. (It is acceptable for boats under 12m to combine the white steaming light and stern light into an all-round white light). In effect this means that yachts must have red-green sidelights near the deck as well as a stern light and a steaming light. The tricolour at the masthead is only an optional extra that can only be used while the vessel is under sail, this does not include motor sailing. All yachts that are required to have safety certificates for categories 1,2,3,4, and 5 must have the correct lights for both power and sail if they have a motor, and inspectors and safety officers are being asked to ensure that all yachts comply. There are a number of new yachts which have
recently been launched that do not comply with these regulations. We have requested that
designers and builders draw these requirements to their owners attention, along with the
need to ensure that lights are correctly aligned to show through the correct arcs of
visibility. Naval Skipper Recalls Wild Storm. With the recent spate of strong winds currently thrashing our coast line it was an opportune time to refresh our memories on just how vulnerable we sailors are when we stand before the might of mother nature. The old saying of "when the going gets tough, the tough get going" is only true when it's backed by good preparation and training. The Hydrographer of the Royal New Zealand Navy, Commander Larry Robbins, was in command of HMNZS MONOWAI when a huge storm, which has been recorded in history as "The Bomb", struck a fleet of cruising yachts off the north-east coast of New Zealand in 1994. Robbins' ship rescued eight people from three of the yachts and was involved in the operation for over four days. The ship and her crew received a number of awards including a mention in the United States Congressional Record. Commander Robbins received the OBE. With the summer cruising season about to start, New Horizon spoke to Commander Robbins and asked him about the lessons he learned about ocean yachting. NH: Are you a yachtsman? Cmdr Robbins: No, I sailed dinghies at school, but I have spent almost 30 years at sea since leaving school with relatively short periods ashore. I'm afraid I haven't really had the time. Nor am I particularly 'handy'… and a naval officer's pay doesn't allow the luxury of paying for boat maintenance! NH: What lessons did you learn about ocean yachting in 1994? Cmdr Robbins: Let me give you some of the main ones but please don’t take any of these comments as being critical of any of the people we encountered. They were all very professional in their own ways and 'but for the grace of God' it could have been any of us out there. I have already been quoted as saying that if I bought a yacht I would call it ‘Big Orange Thing’ and paint it accordingly! We found it surprisingly difficult to spot the yachts in the conditions, especially those yachts that were dis-masted. We could barely see them at 500 metres and frequently lost sight of them even at that range. Often it was the mast breaking the horizon which caught our eyes. The Air Force also reported problems in spotting the yachts. I realise that bright colours are not generally acceptable to the yachting fraternity but I would certainly carry a large piece of fluorescent kite-material to assist visibility and a lightweight pole lashed to the rail from which to fly it when conditions allowed. Silver Shadow was a well built vessel and beautifully prepared for the trip - everything was extremely well-secured. She still became dis-masted and her skipper was injured by a flying deck-board (probably the only loose one onboard). Even the best prepared yacht can get into difficulties but obviously anyone heading out to sea must be as well prepared and equipped as possible with everything securely stowed. I absorbed that lesson through Navy doctrine and MONOWAI’s gear stayed well stowed. Our problems were mainly caused through equipment pulling out of its fittings. The notion of sailing around the Pacific with one’s partner is romantic (though my wife and I have now dismissed this as a retirement option!). I note, though, that a number of the couples said that the man had to bear the brunt of the watchkeeping effort during the storm as the woman did not have the strength or endurance. The skipper of Taurus who was rescued in 1996, said the same thing. Romance may have to give way to pragmatism and I would suggest that in ocean or offshore yachting, ‘two in the crew is too few’. I was surprised to hear one yacht’s crew say, in the excellent video documentary that was made of the rescue story, Pacific Rescue (Ninox Films, 1995) that the yacht had never been steered by hand at sea. I believe that one must train the crew for all foreseeable eventualities (I suggest there is probably plenty of time to fill in!). Everyone should have at least passing acquaintance with the basic skills of boat handling, how to start the engine, how to lower the sails and so on. After all, it may be skipper who falls overboard! The skipper of one yacht who survived the storm later told me that while there were four people onboard, two were knocked out by the seasickness pills they took when it started to get rough and thus were unable to assist when things got desperate. He suggested that one should try such remedies before setting off as it is too late when out there to change type or brand if there is a bad reaction. Good communications are essential and I would certainly carry a weather-resistant hand-held VHF with a couple of charged batteries firmly clipped to the bulkhead. Please be ready to discuss your situation - fully and frankly - with those coming to help and say what assistance you are expecting or hoping for. Silver Shadow's crew were especially good here, and we had a very clear idea of how we could best help. Please remember that those coming to assist will themselves be stressed and they will probably not have done this before! We were touched by the confidence that "our yachties" had in us. Remember please that these days even navy ships are sailing with small crews. RESOLUTION and ENDEAVOUR have crews of 35 and 49 respectively, not many more than a merchant ship. This may limit their options. Remember too, that the most dangerous part of the operations we conducted was when the crew were transferring from their boat into the ship or when we were trying to recover our boat. NH: What are your abiding thoughts about the rescue and your part in it? Cmdr Robbins: This was the single most demanding period of my professional career. I am extremely proud of what MONOWAI achieved then, and in what we regularly achieved as part of our day to day surveying activities. I am proud of the way in which my Ship’s Company rallied to the need of those who, generally through no fault of their own, found themselves in extremis. It was a great team effort from those who were on the bridge or working on deck, manning the boat, nursing recalcitrant engines, tending to the yachtsmen who joined us, or who were working in the indescribable conditions in the galley to ensure that we were all remarkably well fed throughout. NH: And the single greatest lesson? Cmdr Robbins: I think the biggest thing I learned - from my crew and the yachtsmen - was that discipline, experience, familiarity with one’s vessel and training will help any team of people in difficult circumstances. 'The harder one trains the luckier one gets'.
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