Training_manual_2019-20 (2).pdf

TRAINING clipperroundtheworld.com

02

Clipper Race Crew Manual

© Copyright 2018 Clipper Ventures plc. All right reserved.

03

04

Clipper Race Crew Manual

INTRODUCTION Sir Robin Knox-Johnston Ben Bowley (Head Of Training) Race Training Overview Crew Hub

08-09 10-11 12-13 14-15

TRAINING LEVEL MANUAL 1 Race Training Hubs Level 1 Syllabus The Evolution Of Clipper 70 Internal Design Pre-Course Reading Introducing The Clipper 68 Collision Regulations Safety Overview Life Jackets & Harnesses Safety Ropes & Deckwork Working With Sails Deck Roles Furthering Your Knowledge Glossary Of Basic Terms Man Overboard Clipper Race Crew Assessment

18-19 20-21 22-23 24-25 26-33 34-35 36-37 38-39 40-43 44-45 46-51 52-57 58-59 60-61 62 63 64-65

TRAINING LEVEL MANUAL 2 Race Training Overview Level 2 Syllabus Life On Board Roles On Board Rule Book Highlights Sails Emergency Situations

68-69 70-71 72-81 82-83 84-85 86-91 92-95

TRAINING LEVEL MANUAL 3 Race Training Overview Level 3 Syllabus Sails Helming Controlling A Broach The Art Of Gybing Hyde Sails Racing Techniques Racing Strategy & Techniques Racing & Regulations Race Performance Emergency Situations Man Overboard

98-99 100-101 102-103 104-106 107 108-111 112-113 114-121 122-125 126-129 130-131 132-134 135

© Copyright 2018 Clipper Ventures plc. All right reserved.

05

06

INTRODUCTION © Copyright 2018 Clipper Ventures plc. All right reserved.

07

KNOX-JOHNSTON WHEN WE FIRST STARTED THE CLIPPER ROUND THE WORLD YACHT RACE BACK IN 1996 MY OVERRIDING AMBITION WAS TO MAKE THE SEA ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE FROM AS MANY WALKS OF LIFE AS POSSIBLE. SINCE THAT FIRST EDITION THE RACE HAS GROWN BEYOND ALL BELIEF BUT THAT AMBITION STILL REMAINS TODAY.

08

Clipper Race Crew Manual

INTRODUCTION

00

The Clipper 70 fleet has raised the bar. The boats are much faster than the previous fleet and provide a challenge to the crews that can only be compared with all professionally manned boats. The success of the Clipper Race has been nothing short of incredible; not just for us but also for those who dared and achieved so much, especially those who started with little or no knowledge of the sea and have finished as experienced sailors. The training programme, based on the practical need to make everyone safe at sea has, for so many people, been the bedrock of this success and has now trained more than 5,000 people and collectively the boats have raced more than three million miles. How much sailing experience you already have or what qualifications you may have already achieved is immaterial. If you are an experienced sailor some of this may seem a little elementary but we make everyone do it with one aim in mind – safety. All Clipper Race crew do the full training so that they use the same techniques, orders and descriptions, which avoids unnecessary and possibly dangerous mistakes.

It is imperative that you study this manual and take part in the training programme in the sequence we have laid out. If you miss any part of it, fail to return the requested forms or obtain the necessary insurance, visas or inoculations you are jeopardising your berth on the race. Like everything in life, it is the more difficult challenges that bring the greatest rewards, both in experience and satisfaction. The Clipper Race provides those challenges, be it in the wide range of weather conditions across the world’s oceans, to learning how to run, maintain and race a thoroughbred ocean racing yacht. Since 1996 more than 5,000 people have now dared and achieved a life-endorsing goal. While learning the skills that make an accomplished sailor they have seen the planet at its most raw and enjoyed some of the more exotic and exciting ports of the world, in the company of others with a similar outlook on life.

I hope you enjoy your time on the yacht, learning to sail and meeting your fellow crew members, who will soon become your family and the characters of your stories, which will forever remind you of the time when you decided cruising through life wasn’t enough. When you wanted more and started the race of your life. Make no mistake there is a lot for you to learn and understand and you need to have a good general understanding if you are going to take your place as an efficient and safe team member. Good seamanship will make your passage that much better and that much more enjoyable and the essence of good seamanship is safety.

We have one very simple philosophy - finish the race by saying, “That’s the best thing I have done with my life.” I hope you will add, “So far,” because then I know we have truly widened your horizons. Welcome to the team.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston CBE RD*

Chairman, Clipper Ventures PLC

Introduction

09

HEAD OF TRAINING

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT ANY TIME DURING YOUR TRAINING PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT THE TRAINING TEAM.

10

Clipper Race Crew Manual

INTRODUCTION

00

Taking part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is likely to be one of the most challenging, exhilarating, and ultimately, rewarding things you do in your life. Make no mistake, facing Mother Nature in all her raw glory will test your mind and body to their very limits…and then make you realise that your limits are more extreme than you ever gave yourself credit for. The purpose of the Clipper Race Training Program is to ensure that you are suitably prepared for this toughest of challenges. By the time you complete your Race Training you will have all the skills you need to keep you safe whilst harnessing the awesome power of the world’s weather systems. You will quickly learn that a sailing yacht is designed to work in harmony with the elements, thereby carrying you swiftly across the world’s oceans.

some changes on deck. By the time you complete your training, you will not only know how to effect these changes, but just as importantly when, and why you make them. This manual is a training resource designed to complement and enhance your learning experience, not a standalone “how to” guide. If you are reading this before attending your Level 1 please don’t worry if some parts do not make perfect sense to you yet. Take in what you can and then once you have completed your Level 1 course, read through it again.

at the end of Level 1 is to get all crew to a point where they can safely operate the yacht under the close supervision of one of the instructors. Although new topics are introduced at each of the subsequent three levels of training, the vast majority of time on these courses is spent consolidating everything covered on Level 1. It is also imperative that you to keep practising and revising what you have learnt when you are not on a course so as to ensure that you do not suffer from knowledge or skill fade. For example, I can guarantee that if you do not practice your knots between Levels 1 and 2, you will have forgotten half of them by the time you return. However, once you have tied a bowline three hundred times, you will never forget how to do it. There are two final points I would like to make that are sometimes forgotten when people go sailing. Firstly, no matter how experienced you are, every day is a school day on the water. The learning never stops, and a truly skilled sailor knows that they can learn things from anyone, not just those more experienced than themselves. Secondly, let us try to remember that sailing is a leisure pursuit; if you are not having fun, then you are probably not doing it right…

However, as with any tool designed to work in a highly dynamic environment, keeping a sailing yacht working in perfect harmony with the prevailing conditions requires the crew to be highly attentive to both the general set up (the sail plan) and the fine tuning (trim). If at any point the yacht feels like she is fighting against Mother Nature or is not progressing as fast as she should, then the crew need to make

Although Clipper Race training is spread over four separate levels, your first week on the water can often seem the most intense. This is because we have to introduce you to all the basic concepts of sailing a Clipper Race yacht on Level 1 training. It is perfectly normal to feel a bit of ‘information overload’ during your first week, and if you do please don’t worry; we do not expect you to remember everything you are taught in your first week as, by the end of Level 1, you are only 25% of the way through the process. Our objective

CLIPPER RACE TRAINING UK

CLIPPER VENTURES AUSTRALIA

CLIPPER RACE HEADQUARTERS

Charles House, Gosport Marina, Mumby Road, Gosport, Hampshire, PO12 1AH

Suite 546, Level 5, 202-223 New South Head Road, Edgecliff, NSW 2027, Australia

Tel: +44 (0) 2392 601253 Email: [email protected]

Tel: +61 (0) 2 9363 2020 Email: [email protected]

1A Granary and Bakery Building, Royal Clarence Yard, Weevil Lane, Gosport, Hampshire, PO12 1FX UK

Sail safe, race hard, and have fun out there!

Tel: +44 (0) 23 9252 6000 Email: [email protected]

Introduction

11

OVERVIEW LEVEL 1 Crewing Skills

LEVEL 2 Offshore Sailing and Life On Board

LEVEL 3 Asymmetric Spinnaker Training and Racing Techniques

LEVEL 4 Team Tactics

12

Clipper Race Crew Manual

Introduces the basic principles of sailing, how a boat functions and teaches personal safety, along with the principles of good seamanship. Incorporated within this course will be the RYA Competent Crew qualification.

Continues the development of basic sailing and seamanship skills from Level 1 but focuses more on living on board and sailing in watch systems. This course has a heavy offshore component with a number of nights spent at sea which will allow crew to experience life on board at sea and experience the roles that occur whilst not on deck. This level includes a one day sea survival course.

While continuing to draw on the skills learnt on the previous levels, Level 3 will introduce the asymmetric spinnaker. This level enables crew to further develop their sailing skills and acquire new sail trim and racing techniques in an offshore environment. This level also incorporates a 1 day World Sailing offshore safety course.

Consolidates all the crews sailing, seamanship and racing skills in an offshore racing environment and enables the race Skippers to develop their race teams and boats in a realistic setting.

INTRODUCTION

00

Level 1 = 7 days (total duration), 6.5 days (on water), 0 days (shorebased)

Level 2 = 6 days (total duration), 5 days (on water), 1 day (shorebased)

Level 3 = 6 days (total duration), 5 days (on water), 1 day (shorebased)

Level 4 = 7 days (total duration), 6.5 days (on water), 0 days (shorebased)

Race Training Hubs It is very important to us that the training we provide is both relevant to the adventure you are about to embark on and of the highest possible standard. For this reason there are only a few places where you can undertake your training. You can choose to complete all of your training at one centre or mix your courses between them.

UK Training Headquarters Training in the UK takes place at Clipper Ventures training base in Gosport on the south coast of England. Conveniently based on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour we have easy access to the Solent and English Channel, a world renowned sailing area. The highly experienced training Skippers take full advantage of this incredible sailing area and during your training you will encounter a variety of conditions in the shelter of the Solent and out in the less forgiving seas of the English Channel. Your training may also take you to some of the more remote ports along the south coast of England. The training is delivered on our fleet of ocean racing yachts. The Clipper 70s and the earlier fleet of Clipper 68s, having completed four circumnavigations, are the perfect platform for the Level 1 course.

Introduction

13

HUB A guide to using the Clipper Race Crew Hub

There is a secure log-in that, once entered, will allow you to: • Update personal and emergency contact details • Download all resources (training advice, race crew experiences, kit advice, crew offers, race schedule)

The Crew Hub is a secure portal of the Clipper Race website that enables you to manage your race and view the most up-to-date and useful advice about your adventure.

My Race This is the area where you can update your personal details, including updating your Crew Hub password. •P  lease fill in all the required fields. All this information is secure. •D  uring the race year, after Crew Allocation has taken place you will be featured on your Team Page on the Clipper Race website under teams. • Information included is your Name, Age, Nationality, Occupation and Legs participating in. •T  his will sit alongside your Official Race Crew Photo, which will be taken at various events during the Clipper Race calendar.

14

Clipper Race Crew Manual

• Complete your Crew Biography • View messages and recent newsletters • Plan your training dates You will receive details on how to log in to the portal and once registered you are able to change the password to something more memorable. If you have any questions about the Crew Hub please contact [email protected]

INTRODUCTION

00

Documents

Messages

This section is where we will gradually upload any important documents that will be helpful when preparing for your race. They will be uploaded into various categories to make it easier to navigate when the number of documents increases. Simply select your chosen drop down category on the right-hand side of the site.

In this section, we will post all of the Clipper Race Crew Newsletters that are sent out. If for any reason you are not receiving these or would like to read what has been sent before you joined the race you can look through the history of messages.

For example, within the Training category you will find directions to the training offices, guidance on what to bring, race crew experiences of training and your crew manual. As the race year progresses you will receive the Clipper Race Crew News which will regularly include new and important information that will be uploaded to the Documents sections of the Crew Hub.

Here you will also receive occasional messages and, after Crew Allocation, your Race Skipper can also message your team privately.

FAQs Within this section we try to address some of the frequently asked questions such as visa requirements, health insurance and contact information.

My Forms This section will allow you to easily supply the crew team with some important information. You’ll be able to select the required forms to complete or download. These will become available when they are required to be completed.

My Training This section will appear once training dates are available for your race year. Via this area you can select which are your preferred dates for training, you will then be contacted by a member of the training team to confirm your place on that training level. Please be aware that selecting your preferred dates via the crew hub is not confirmation of booking. There may also be other dates available so please contact the Training Team if you have any questions.

Race Timetable This section will show the generic race route until the final route and Host Ports are announced. Once the final race route is announced this section will be updated with dates and all other relevant information. Please be aware that the Race Route is subject to change each year.

Introduction

15

16

LEVEL 1 © Copyright 2018 Clipper Ventures plc. All right reserved.

17

HUBS Clipper Race Training Australia Launched in 2014, the Sydney based training hub is currently the only training centre outside of the UK accredited to deliver the Clipper Race training scheme. The centre is operated by highly experienced instructors, some of whom are previous Clipper Race Skippers.

UK TRAINING

Our Australian based training will be delivered on the Clipper 68s and will follow the same format as the training provided in the UK. Levels 1-3 are available for completion in Australia, with the requirement for Level 4 to be completed in the UK.

AUSTRALIA TRAINING

LEVEL 1

LEVEL 1

Crewing Skills

Crewing Skills

LEVEL 2

LEVEL 2

Offshore Sailing and Life On Board

Offshore Sailing and Life On Board

LEVEL 3

LEVEL 3

Asymmetric Spinnaker Training and Racing

Asymmetric Spinnaker Training and Racing

LEVEL 4 Team Tactics and Offshore Fleet Racing

18

Sydney Harbour provides a great place to learn to sail providing protection from the Pacific Ocean with a typically north easterly breeze, plenty of space to practise in whilst being surrounded by iconic scenery. Offshore passages can take you either north or south of the harbour providing challenging training in a variety of conditions.

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

01 Level 1 Training Total duration: Time on water:

7 days 6.5 days

Level 1 training will introduce you to the basic principles of sailing and seamanship and teach personal safety techniques. You will learn all of the basic crewing skills which will become the bedrock of your sailing expertise. We will focus on personal safety, good seamanship and the importance of teamwork, learning key skills which will promote both personal safety and the safety of your fellow crew mates. It will also provide an important insight into the inherent risks involved in ocean racing and, most importantly, how to minimise them. You will meet your training Skipper and mate who will introduce you to the Clipper 68 training yacht which will be your home for the week. During the evening you will be briefed about safety on board as well as all of the on board safety equipment. The following six days will be spent in the English Channel where you will be put through your paces, learning everything you need to know to be a safe and effective crew member.

Course content Pre-course reading

Practical talks

Practical experience

Knots

All safety equipment

Preparing the yacht for sea

Nautical names and terms

Man overboard

Sail hoisting and lowering

How sails work

Points of sail

Sail folding and care

Types of boats/yachts

Knots

Tacking and gybing

Clipper Race Crew Assessment

Technical clothing

Reefing



Life jackets and life rafts

Headsail changes



Standing Orders

Man overboard



Know your boat

Helming



Log keeping



Life jackets and life rafts



Use and care of Life jackets





Note: pre-course reading is contained within the training manual

Qualifications gained at Level 1 RYA Competent Crew

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

19

SYLLABUS This syllabus is a guide to the typical course content for this level of training. The course content may vary, perhaps due to weather conditions and crew members’ skill set. RYA competent crew course and introduction to big boat sailing. 6.5 days, crew arrival at 1700 on first day and depart last day 1600.

Day 2

Day 1



• Action to be taken in the event of Abandoning Ship

Crew arrive 1700, introduction to Clipper Race Training and familiarisation to Gosport Marina and facilities Comprehensive down below safety brief (see safety brief in SOP’s)



Setup a Clipper Race Training Yacht for sailing On water training



• Hoisting Mainsail • Hoisting yankee • Hoisting Staysail and use of running backstays • Upwind helming and tacking • Man overboard under power including recovery, use of harness, and scramble net



Evening Lecture



• Points of sail • Rules of the road



• To include detailed explanation of use of bunks and lee cloths • Moving down below and use of grab rails • Actions to be taken in event of fire, flooding, and gas leak • Knot practice and talk through of Clipper Race Crew Assessment (CRCA):

Figure of eight Admiralty stopper knot Clove hitch Round turn and two half hitches Single and double sheet bend Reef Knot Rolling Hitch Bowline

Comprehensive above deck brief (see safety brief in SOP’s)

Day 3

Reefing mainsail Downwind sailing

• Use of foreguys • Gybing • MOB Downwind including recovery, use of and harness, and scramble net

Tethered MOB Evening lectures

• Flares and their use • SART • VHF and Mayday call

20

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

01 Day 4

Day 5 and 6

Refresh

Refresh and strengthen any weak areas of above syllabus Anchoring Night sail/pilotage

• Reefing

Long triangular course



• • • • •



Sail trim A flappy sail is an unhappy sail If in doubt let it out Use of tell tales by the helm and trimmers Introduction of car positioning to create twist/different headsails • Interaction between traveler/vang/mainsheet/foreguy • MOB under sail including recovery, use of and harness, and scramble net



Evening Lectures



• Proper use of log book • Plotting a GPS position on to a chart • Manners and customs (as per RYA competent crew syllabus)



• • •

Rig climb (if conditions allow, at anchor or alongside) Use of dinghy Evening meal

Clipper Race Crew Assessment (CRCA)

Day 7

Deep clean and individual crew debriefs

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

21

THE CLIPPER 70

The introduction of the Clipper 70s marked a great milestone in the history of the Clipper Race. The 70-foot yachts, designed by renowned Naval architect Tony Castro are the shining jewel in the Clipper Race crown. As with all stripped down ocean racing yachts, the Clipper 70s are not for the faint hearted. They are, by design, stripped of all luxuries. You will need to become an expert at living in a confined space, managing all your kit and belongings as you settle into your home.

New features on the Clipper 70s include twin helms, twin rudders and a six-foot bowsprit, which allows the inclusion of three large asymmetric spinnakers and a suit of yankee headsails, which will all add to increase performance and boat speed.

The Clipper 70 design is faster and more dynamic than previous Clipper Race yachts and promises to attack the 40,000-mile race course head on.

The inclusion of state-of-the-art features in the new hull design produces a better performance and control, especially in the light winds encountered near the equator or between weather systems when crossing oceans.

The fleet is a stark comparison to the one which began the very first Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 1996. Development ideas have been taken from both the previous yacht designs: the Clipper 60s and Clipper 68s.

22

Clipper Race Crew Manual

The design provides total control in the heaviest of conditions, ensuring not only high speeds, but safety too.

LEVEL

01 The hull construction utilises lessons learnt from the previous races employing well-proven composite construction materials and methods. The hull and deck are of a sandwich construction using glass fibre, epoxy resins and structural foam. More commonly called Foam Reinforced Plastic (FRP), this construction method is light, stiff and is proven to produce an incredibly strong and safe hull. Modern features have been included within the design of the hull, which along with the twin rudders will give improved directional stability when heeling, provide the helm with more control and an overall faster ride. The deck layout provides a well-designed office for the crew to perform in. Eleven Harken winches, including the primaries controlled by twin three-speed coffee grinders, will swiftly bring the sails under control.

The addition of a state-of-the-art HD fixed camera system also ensures that every piece of action on deck will be captured and used by media and broadcasters around the world to showcase the conditions faced during the race by the crew.

Jammers and organisers have been located in easy to operate locations allowing crew to swiftly change settings. The mainsheet has been placed further aft in the cockpit, permitting a better level of communication between the crew as they undertake the various evolutions during tacks, gybes, hoists and drops. The aluminium mast towers 95-foot above the waterline and is rigged using tried and trusted materials and methods to further improve overall safety.

VITAL STATISTICS Length overall (LOA)

75ft 10in

23.15m

Length on deck (LOD)

69ft 10in

21.30m

Length at waterline (LWL)

67ft 11in

20.70m

Beam

18ft 6in

5.65m

Draft

31 tons

31,700kg

Full load displacement Clipper Ventures PLC, Mast Unit 1 height A, Granary & Bakery, Royal Clarence SAIL AREA Marina, Weevil Lane, Gosport PO12 1FX. Asymmetric Spinnaker Tel: +44(0)23 9252 6000 Mainsail Fax: +44 (0)23 9252 6252 Yankee Email: [email protected] Staysail

34 tons

34.54 tonnes

95ft

29m

FOLLOW US GET CONNECTED

Facebook/clipperroundtheworld Twitter/clipperrace 3,552ft2 330m2 Youtube/clipperrtw 1.326ft2 123.19m2 Instagram/clipperrace 1,812ft2 168.43m2 Live Stream/clipperraceteam 538ft2 50m2

Insta

BERTHS 24 CONSTRUCTION

Foam cored glassfibre

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

23

DESIGN

You will find a stripped-out interior below decks with 24 bunks, a state-of-the-art navigation station and a simple galley. Watertight bulkheads and doors are placed at strategic locations to provide compartmentalisation in case of flooding.

The navigation station is placed towards the stern. It is equipped with all the latest navigation electronics, navigation computers and up-to-date satellite communications. This area of the yacht will provide the Skipper and media crew member on board with the ideal area to work in.

24

Clipper Race Crew Manual

GRIB weather files will be studied and courses mapped on the navigation computer while photos, diaries and videos will be edited and sent back to Clipper Race HQ using the powerful marine computer.

The engine and generator are mounted behind the companion way steps. Their mid-ship position brings increased stability and balance to the hull and it also keeps all the ancillaries and electrical components in one maintenance-friendly area.

Centrally, just aft of the mast, sits a simple horseshoe-shaped galley, which will feed in to the communal area. This is where crew briefings and all-important meal times can take place. Crew accommodation runs from the stern forwards in a series of double bunks and stops short of a watertight bulkhead towards the front third of the boat. Ahead of this is a large compartment for storing sails, with the main hatch located directly above.

LEVEL

01

CLIPPER 60

CLIPPER 68

CLIPPER 70

• 60-foot yacht

• 68-foot yacht

• 70-foot yacht

• 72-foot mast

• 89-foot mast

• 95-foot mast

• Designed by David Pedrick

• Designed by Ed Dubois

• Designed by Tony Castro

• Debuted in the Clipper 1996 Race

• Debuted in the Clipper 2005-06 Race

• Debuted in the Clipper 2013-14 Race

• Retired after the Clipper 2002 Race

• Retired after the Clipper 2011-12 Race

• 11-strong fleet

• 8-strong fleet

• 10-strong fleet

• Tops speeds of over 30 knot

• Record top speed 19 knots surfing

• Record top speed 29 knots surfing

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

25

READING The Clipper Race training courses have been designed to teach you all you need to know in order to be a safe and efficient crew member on board. There is a lot of information to take in. We recommend you take a look at the following pre-course reading in order to begin to learn and understand some of the techniques and principles of sailing. Many of these will be covered during your course but if you already have a good grasp of them before you step on board you will benefit greatly.

Figure of eight This is a stopper knot. It is used to stop the end of a rope pulling through a hole. 1) Make a bight in the rope

2) Make a loop by passing the tail over the standing part

Knots Introduction The ability to tie and use appropriate knots while at sea is an essential skill for all sailors. At first there will seem to be a lot of complicated knots to learn but, with time, you will find yourself tying them without any thought. It is also very important that you learn how and when to use the different knots. Making sure you are able to untie a knot is equally as important as making sure it will not come undone at the wrong time. Here you will find a guide to tying the eight most useful knots that you will use. Try to learn these off by heart. Once you master these there are many more you can learn.

3) Pass the end under the standing part of the rope

4) Pass the end through the loop

5) Pull the knot tight

26

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

01 Reef knot

Rolling hitch

The reef knot is used when there is tension on both ends, for example tying a bundle of sail when reefing.

This is used to attach a rope to another rope so that it grips it. It is used to take the strain off a line that is fouled.

1) Remember to keep working with the same end. Right over left

1) Pass the end over the fouled rope

2) And under

2) Pass it around the rope and itself

3) Carry on with the same end...

3) Take it around the rope and itself again

4) Left over right

4) Around the rope again but this time pass it under itself

5) And under and pull tight

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

27

READING Sheet bend and double sheet bend This is used to join two ropes of similar thicknesses.

1) Make a loop in the thicker rope

1) Start with a single sheet bend

2) Pass the thinner rope through the loop

2) Pass the end under the thick rope for a second time and back under its own standing part

3) Pass the end around and under the loop in the direction that will eventually leave both ends on the same side

3) Pull tight

4) The end of the thinner rope then goes under its own thinner part

5) Pull tight. Double check that the loose ends are on the same side

28

Clipper Race Crew Manual

A double sheet bend is a more secure version of the knot and can be used if the ropes are very different thicknesses.

LEVEL

01 Bowline The bowline is one of the most important knots you will use on the Clipper Race boats. It is used to make a secure loop in a rope and its main use on board is for securing the yankee and staysail sheets to the clew of the sails. One of the main advantages of the bowline is that no matter how much load the knot has been under it can easily be undone.

1) Form a bight of the required size. The bigger the bight the bigger the loop will be

4) Pass the end under the standing part of the rope

2) Make a small loop as shown

5) Then pass the end of the rope back down through the small loop

3) Pass the end up through the small loop

6) Finally, pull the knot tight

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS The bowline is one of the most useful knots to know. You will need to tie it quickly and sometimes in difficult conditions so give it some extra practise!

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

29

READING Round turn and two half hitches The round turn and two half hitches is used to attach a rope to either a ring or post. It is a very secure knot that is easily undone, even after large strain has been exerted on it. Its most common use on the Clipper Race yachts is for tying the fenders onto the stanchions when mooring the boat. 1) Pass the end around the object

4) Repeat to form a second half hitch

2) Take another complete turn

5) Pull tight

3) Take the end over the standing part, around and back through to form a half hitch

30

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

01 Clove hitch

Admiralty knot

The clove hitch is used to attach a rope to a ring or a post. It is a very secure knot that is easily undone even after large amounts of strain have been exerted on it. Its most common use on the Clipper Race yachts is for tying the fenders onto the stanchions when mooring the boat.

The admiralty knot is a stopper knot used to prevent the end of ropes passing through sheaves. On many small boats a figure of eight is used for this purpose, however, with the size of the lines on the Clipper Race yachts and the durations for which they are at sea the Admiralty knot is more secure.

1) Pass the working end around the object

2) Then pass it back over the standing part

3) Pass the working end around the object and tuck the end through the loop that is formed

1) Start by looping the tail over the standing part

2) Then wrap the tail over the standing part three times anti-clockwise

3) Pass the tail through the wraps going from the standing part

4) Finish by pulling the tail and standing part away from each other 4) Pull tight

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

31

READING Tugman’s Hitch The tugman’s hitch is a knot used to secure a line over a bollard or winch. It can be easily untied, even when under great load.

32

Clipper Race Crew Manual

1) Fully dress the winch drum, but do not put the bitter end into the self tailer

5) Send the bitter end of the line a full turn in the opposite direction around the winch (anticlockwise) over the standing part of the line

2) Pass a bight of the bitter end under the standing part of the line

6) R  epeat step 2 ensuring the bight passes under the standing part in the same direction as step 2

3) Bring the bight of line over the top of the winch

7) Repeat step 3

4) Pull tight against the winch drum

8) Repeat step 4 For a really secure finish, repeat steps 5 – 8

LEVEL

01

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

33

THE CLIPPER 68 17 31 16

21 18

25

19

30

26 15 23

22

12 1

32 10

8

2 7

3

11

34

20 29

9

13 24

6

5

33

14

27

4

1.

Satellite communication system

12. Halyard winches and clutches

23. Vang

2.

Radar

13. Companionway hatch

24. Cockpit

3.

Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon

14. Main hatch

25. Pulpit

4.

Gas locker

15. Rope locker

26. Foredeck

5.

Horseshoe lifebuoy

16. Main sail

27. Topsides

6.

Helm

17. Yankee

28. Life raft

7.

Compass binnacle

18. Staysail

29. Shroud

8.

Main sheet

19. Yankee sheet

30. Backstay

9.

Primary winch

20. Staysail sheet

31. Forestay

10. Three speed ‘coffee grinder’ winch control

21. Mast

32. Guard wire

11. Snake pit

22. Boom

33. Boarding ladder

Clipper Race Crew Manual

28

LEVEL

01 How Sails Work Many people think that sailing boats are pushed along by the wind. This is true when sailing downwind however upwind sailing is a little more complex.

Air flowing around the outside convex surface travels faster than the air on the inner concave surface.

A sail works in the same way as an aircraft wing. The flow of air over the aerofoil shape of the sail produces pressure changes on either side of it. High pressure is generated on the windward side of the sail while low pressure is generated on the other; this pressure difference results in a force known as ‘lift’ and it is this force that essentially sucks the yacht along. There are several theories as to how ‘lift’ is generated by a sail and this is the subject of many books. Our intention here is simply to help you understand the basics of how sails work. The fluid dynamics of sail power can come later for those who are interested.

If the air flowing around the outside did not flow faster a vacuum would form at the leech

As air flows over the two surfaces of the sail, the air on the inner (concave) surface is slowed slightly but has a shorter distance to travel than the air passing over the outside (convex) surface. The result of this is that air passing over the outside surface of the sail accelerates. If it did not accelerate, a vacuum would form which nature will not allow and therefore air accelerates to fill this potential vacuum. So, we have established that air flow around the back of a sail is faster than air flow on the inside of the sail resulting in a difference in air pressure on either side. This is explained by Bernoulli’s principle.

Bernoulli’s principle As the velocity of a fluid increases, the pressure exerted by that fluid decreases. A good example of this principle is when you see the smoke from an open fire being sucked up a chimney on a windy day. The air at the top of the chimney is accelerated due to the wind while the air inside is stationary therefore according to Bernoulli’s principle the air pressure at the top of the chimney is lower than the air pressure inside so the smoke is sucked out of the chimney. The resultant force caused by this pressure gradient is known as ‘lift’ which is exerted in a direction perpendicular to the sail. It is lift that enables sailing boats to sail upwind. The force generated not only moves the boat forward, there is also an unwanted sideways force. We are constantly trying to improve this mix through sail trim.

High pressure

Low pressure

Difference in pressure creates lift

This is obviously a very simplified explanation of how sails work but will give you a basic grasp of the principles. We will build on this at a later stage.

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

35

REGULATIONS Despite the vastness of the world’s oceans the large majority of vessels still operate in a relatively small area. Whether this is the giant, unmarked marine highways known as shipping lanes or in and around ports and harbours where you can find merchant ships, fishing vessels and yachts happily exist alongside each other, pursuing their separate agendas. This is possible due to a set of rules by which all vessels operate and which has been developed over the past 150 years. These rules are the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCS). The IRPCS are comprised of many rules and it is imperative that everyone who goes to sea has a clear understanding of how they are applied on the water. There are many books from which you can learn the rules and several of these are listed in the reading list in Section 9. We will look at them in more detail during your Level 3 training however, for now, there are a couple to be aware of. In the first level of training the important rule is to Look Out!

Rule 5. Look out Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision. This is the most fundamental rule. If this is not observed the rest of the rules may as well not exist, however most sea farers will admit to letting it slip from time to time, especially on a sailing yacht where the sails and sometimes the heel of the boat obscure the view. It is the responsibility of everyone on board to maintain a good lookout by both sight and hearing at all times. If you see or hear something report it to the Skipper, mate or watch leader immediately and never assume they have already seen it. On a sailing yacht there are two potential blind spots. Low clewed headsails create a very large blind spot on the leeward bow. The high cut clew of the sails on the Clipper 68s helps mitigate this but there is still a blind spot when the boat is well heeled over. On any yacht this spot is particularly bad if you are sitting on the windward side of the cockpit.

36

Clipper Race Crew Manual

The second blind spot exists to windward during strong winds when rain and spray sting the eyes making it very difficult to maintain a good lookout. In addition to this our natural instinct to stay dry and warm does not encourage us to maintain a good watch to windward. Once another vessel or object has been identified the next task is to determine whether a risk of collision exists and what action needs to be taken in order to avoid it. In order to do this you will need to understand a little about the different types of vessel you are likely to meet.

Merchant shipping The great majority of vessels that you will encounter at sea will be merchant vessels. These will come in all shapes and sizes depending on their function and area of operation. These ships generally operate on an unforgiving schedule and will usually take the shortest route between ports, forming giant, unmarked marine highways called shipping lanes. These ships are classed as motor vessels and are therefore required to give way to sailing vessels however it should be noted that often the field of view of the deck officer is limited due to the size of the ship and its cargo. In open water the bridge will often only have two people on watch at any time. You should therefore never assume they have seen you! In inshore waters these vessels are often restricted by their draftt and ability to manoeuvre. A large container ship can draw up to 15 metres (50 feet) and their propellers and rudders are less effective in shallow water, so even if they wanted to try to avoid you they probably couldn’t! During the day these ships will display a cylindrical day shape on their mast.

LEVEL

01 Fishing boats Other very common vessels that you will come across are fishing boats and trawlers. They will often be found working in groups and are massively constrained in their ability to manoeuvre when engaged in fishing activities. Most commercial fishing is conducted at around five knots but these vessels are capable of some impressive speeds, especially when they are on the way home!

Unlike merchant and fishing vessels, not all the Skippers in charge are qualified or experienced seafarers. This is not to say that these vessels will not be sailed professionally as there are many highly experienced and professional Skippers out there. The point is that you cannot always take it for granted that the Skipper will take the consistently predictable actions you may expect. It is also worth remembering that sailing vessels engaged in racing conform to a whole different set of rules: the racing rules of sailing. This does not mean that they are not also bound by the normal collision regulations but it is perhaps worth making some allowance as they may be preoccupied by the racing.

Motor vessels Like sailing vessels, motor vessels also come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, from large luxury super yachts which often look more like ships, to smaller leisure craft and rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) designed for inshore use. As with sailing vessels there is no requirement for the Skippers of these smaller vessels to be qualified or even experienced. This is not to say that these vessels will not be driven professionally as there are many highly experienced and professional Skippers out there. The point is that, as with sailing vessels, you cannot always take it for granted that the Skipper will take the consistently predictable actions you may expect.

During fishing and trawling operations these vessels are often connected to hugely complex structures of wire, cordage, heavy metal and netting making them very unmanoeuvrable. They also often operate in close proximity to each other, wrecks and other underwater obstructions. It is well worth keeping a good lookout for these vessels and ensuring you give them a wide berth. During daylight hours these vessels will display an hourglass shape in their rigging when they are fishing but be warned – they often display this whether they are fishing or not!

These days even the smallest of motor vessels has a lot of power and is capable of travelling at high speed therefore a boat spotted several miles away will be on top of you very quickly and this needs to be taken into consideration when trying to avoid them.

Sailing vessels Sailing vessels come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, from old fashioned square riggers with enormous sail area and limited manoeuvrability to cutting edge high performance racing yachts which are highly manoeuvrable and capable of high speeds. There is, of course, a raft of yachts between these extremes with differing functions and manoeuvrability.

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

37

SAFETY

38

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

01 Safety Brief A safety brief must be given on each boat before it leaves the dock. The safety brief should include all of the following as a minimum: • Welcome • Introduction to the boat and staff • Overview of the day / course • Orientation of the sailing area • General deck safety (moving around the deck) - Always work on the high side – staying out of the Cockpit Cautionary Zone (CCZ) - O  ne hand for the boat, one for yourself - T  ransiting the CCZ when sailing upwind and downwind (to windward of the traveller and underneath the traveller respectively) - Trip hazards Cockpit fiddles Hatches / open and closed Spinnaker / Jockey polls Deck blocks Hand rails Winches Cleats Jammers Ropes / lines Jackstays - Boom, Traveller and mainsheet - F  logging sheets and lines • Winch safety - Minimum number of turns - P  ulling in by hand - L  oading up - E  asing - R  eleasing - U  se of safety turns - Use of jammers in conjunction with winches - U  se of and stowage of winch handles • Personal equipment - L  ife jackets Clipper Race life jackets are to be worn at all times when on deck Fitting Crotch strap Inflation •  Automatic •  Manual Crew MUST be able to demonstrate correct use of the spray hood without assistance Light Whistle What to do if in the water Re-packing of the lifejacket including correct packing of the spray hood (concertinaed with deployment tabs easily accessible, not rolled) - S  afety Tethers and Clipping on Times to clip on (see section 21) Looking out for the person next to you (buddy system) Location and use of strongpoints / D-rings and Jackstays Crew able to demonstrate one handed operation of tether clips



n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n

Use of three point tethers / two tethers to remain attached whilst moving from one jackstay / strongpoint to another Importance of checking tether is securely attached by tugging on it after clipping on Importance of clipping on as far to windward as possible Length of tether to be used (“where will you end up if caught by your tether?”) Clipping on before exiting companionway Not un-clipping until inside the companionway - W  et weather gear Availability and location Importance of staying warm and dry - S  unburn and Exposure - A  voiding dehydration • Safety Equipment on deck - L  ocation and operation of life rings and Danbuoy - Location and operation of EPIRB - L  ocation and operation of throwing line - Location and operation of safety knives - Location and operation of Liferafts - L  ocation and operation of emergency steering • Safety equipment below deck - Location and operation of fire extinguishers, fire blankets and fire pump - L  ocation and operation of man overboard equipment (including the scramble net) - L  ocation and operation of search light - Location of first aid kit and medical stores - L  ocation and operation of all through hull fittings - Location and operation of bilge pump system - Location and operation of pyrotechnics - Location and operation of gas system shut off valves - Location and operation of fuel shut off valves - Location and operation of VHF radio, DSC, Sat C and Satellite communications • Safety below deck - Precautions when using companionway steps - C  lipping on before exiting the companionway - P  recautions when moving around below - P  recautions when cooking - U  se of lee cloths and securing them correctly when in use • Safety procedures - G  as routine - Maintenance of the ships log and position on paper charts - Emergency radio procedure - Skippers standing orders • Domestic - Heads Location and operation Hygiene - F  resh water system and pumps Necessity to save water - L  ights Location and operation (Red / White, etc) Save battery power Emergency torches - T  idiness and Hygiene - S  moking and Alcohol policy



n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n





n



n





n





n





n

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

39

AND HARNESSES Yachting is one of the safest leisure sporting activities and many sailors will never be required to deal with a serious emergency situation. However it is a well proven fact that in the event of an emergency at sea, people who have received training are more likely to survive.

40

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

01 By its very nature ocean racing involves an element of risk. It is not possible for us to remove this, nor would we want to as it is a key part of the appeal for so many people. Accidents are unfortunately inevitable; it is only through continuous awareness of potential dangers and creating techniques that reduce exposure to risk that we are able to minimise them and deal with them appropriately and quickly. This is as important for us as race organisers as it is for the race crew and is a priority right throughout the yacht build, the training and the race itself. For this reason emergency drills such as a man overboard, steering failure and medical emergencies will form a key part of your training. They will be repeated time and time again throughout your training sessions and you will gain experience of the actions to be taken under a wide variety of conditions. For your own safety you and everyone else you are training with must make themselves aware of the Clipper Race Standing Orders and SOPs.

Life jackets and harnesses Each time you join your Clipper Race yacht you will be supplied with a life jacket with integral safety harness. This will be yours for the duration of the trip and could save your life, so look after it! Providing a minimum of 150N (Newtons) of buoyancy it is designed to ensure that an unconscious person floats face up and is suitable for both swimmers and non swimmers alike. Your life jacket can either be inflated orally, by blowing into the inflation tube, or by carbon dioxide which is stored in a sealed metal bottle. The gas is released manually by pulling a toggle or automatically when immersed in water. Each time you are issued with a life jacket you should carry out the following checks • Inflation test: orally inflate life jacket and leave for one hour, then check it is still fully inflated

Personal Safety We all have to take responsibility for our own personal safety as well as a responsibility towards the safety of others on board. An example of this would be to look after other crew members by checking their life jacket is fitted correctly whenever you know they have just put it on – they will do the same for you.

Basic seamanlike practices •

• Remove the CO2 cylinder and make sure it has not been pierced. Ensure you replace it tightly into the firing mechanism • Check the straps for chafe and that the stitching on all straps, including your safety line, is not worn • Check the emergency light is working and the whistle is present and attached to the life jacket • Check all buckles and clips for damage

Always move along the high, or windward, side of the yacht

• One hand for you (to hold on) and one hand for the yacht (for the job) •

Always be aware of what is happening around you

• Always sit upwind of sails and rigging, especially when a sail is being lowered • Always look out for others, especially when involved in manoeuvres or on the foredeck • Always have your knife with you and easily accessible • At night you should always have your torch easily accessible • Never run, either on board or on the pontoons • Look after all the on board equipment • If you see a job – do it • If you do a job – do it properly

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

41

AND HARNESSES Your life jacket should be worn at all times whilst on deck. • Adjust your life jacket each time you put it on. The waist belt

When clipping on make sure you only clip on to the jack stays which

should be a tight fit when your fist is placed between the strap and

run down both side decks or the fixed eyes which are designed for

your chest

this purpose. Also ensure you always clip on to the windward side of

• Always use the crotch strap • Your life jacket should be kept around your neck or in your designated life jacket pocket • Never leave it lying around on or below deck. You may need to be able to locate it quickly

Use of safety lines Safety lines should always be worn with life jackets. Crew who fall

the yacht as this will prevent you falling overboard. Never clip on to •

The steering pedestal

•

The pulpit / pushpit

•

Sheets or running rigging

•

Standing rigging

•

Guard wires or stanchions

overboard on a yacht have often gone to the trouble of putting on a safety harness yet have not actually clipped on, possibly one of the easiest aspects of using a harness. You should clip on at all times but particularly in the following situations • At night • When working on the foredeck • In heavy weather

42

Clipper Race Crew Manual

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS As well as holding on make sure you clip on whenever you can. It may slow you down as you move around the boat but your safety is more important.

LEVEL

01 Distress Situations Man overboard This is every sailor’s worst nightmare and prevention is definitely better than cure. Being physically attached to the boat is an excellent first step! Your safety line should be used whenever there is any danger of unsteady motion on the boat. Remember that if you go overboard at night or in bad weather there is a significant risk that you will not be found. Immediate action • Raise the alert • Stop the boat • Locate the casualty

Throw the danbuoy and life ring The crew member nearest the danbuoy should immediately throw this and the horseshoe life ring overboard.

Press MOB button on GPS The crew member nearest the navigation area presses the GPS Man Overboard button and writes down the GPS position in the logbook.

Start engine Once the GPS MOB button has been pressed the same crew member should start the engine and inform the helmsman they have done so.

Drop sails Both yankee and staysail should be dropped.

In the event of a man overboard follow this standard procedure

Prepare equipment

Raise the alarm

The boat hook, lifting strop and scramble net must be made ready and attached to the deck or an appropriate halyard. A crew member must be prepared as a swimmer with a life jacket and climbing harness.

The call of ‘MAN OVERBOARD’ should be made by everyone, as loud as you can. If the Skipper is sleeping make sure he/she is woken.

Stop the boat Once the helmsman is certain that everyone on deck is in a safe location they should immediately perform a crash stop or hove to.

Locate the casualty One person should constantly look and point at the casualty. This is a VITAL role and this person should not do anything else.

Recovery under engine Man overboard manoeuvres are always carried out under engine unless, for some reason, the yacht’s engine is not functioning. This is to ensure that the casualty is recovered as quickly as possible in order to maximise their chances of survival.

Man overboard whilst attached to the vessel (tethered mob): As with normal procedure surrounding an MOB the following points must be conveyed to the crew should anyone go overboard whilst still attached to the boat via tether: • Raise the alarm shout MOB • At least two crew to immediately pull the MOB’s head out of the water whilst an appropriate spare halyard is attached directly to the casualty’s safety tether. Once attached, this halyard is to be ground tight so as to hoist the casualty out of the water as swiftly as possible • At the same time the boat is to be stopped immediately • Once MOB is back aboard, check for ABC (airway, breathing, circulation) and follow up with general assessment. Monitor for at least 24 hours for shock, secondary drowning, and hypothermia

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

43

SAFETY WIND DIRECTION

Recovery manoeuvre under engine 1. Casualty falls overboard (

4

) 2&3

2. Crash stop 3. Throw the danbuoy and life ring 4. Start the engine and drop the headsails 5. Manoeuvre downwind of the casualty

To windward of casualty 1

6. Approach the MOB into the wind so that the mainsail is depowered. Pick up the MOB on the

To leeward of casualty

6

leeward side by the shrouds

5

Recovery manoeuvre under sail 1. Casualty falls overboard (

)

WIND DIRECTION

2. Crash stop and throw the danbuoy and life ring 3. Put the boat on beam reach and drop the headsails 4. Tack around and manoeuvre downwind of the casualty

3

4

2

5. Approach the MOB on a fine reach so that the mainsail is powered up when pulled in and depowered when released 6. Pick up the MOB on the leeward side by the shrouds

6

To windward of casualty

1 To leeward of casualty 5

Recovering a casualty from the water There are several pieces of equipment on board a Clipper Race yacht to aid in the recovery of a man overboard including a MOB Recovery Hook, helicopter strop and scramble net. The technique employed will be dependent on the situation and whether the casualty is conscious.

Conscious casualty The MOB recovery hook is by far the most effective means of recovering a casualty. It should be attached to the end of a halyard and lowered to the casualty. The casualty attaches the hook to both lifting beckets of their lifejacket and is then smartly hoisted back on board.

Unconscious or injured casualty There is only one option – someone has to go in and get them • A swimmer should be prepared wearing the climbing harness and the “Rescue” lifejacket. They are then lowered over the side on a halyard with the MOB lifting apparatus (attached to another halyard) being lowered to them once they are in position

44

Clipper Race Crew Manual

• The swimmer then attaches the MOB recovery hook to the casualty’s double lifting beckets on their lifejacket. If for any reason the lifting beckets are inaccessible, then the helicopter strop is to be used instead of the recovery hook • Both the casualty and swimmer are hoisted back on board simultaneously Remember that the swimmer will also be cold and wet when they come back aboard and should therefore be treated in the same way as the casualty.

LEVEL

01 What to do if you are overboard Fire blankets should be used on liquid fires

• Make sure someone knows you have gone overboard

(cooking oil) or people, smothering the flames

• Inflate your life jacket and pull the spray hood over your head

and depriving the fire of oxygen.

• Switch on light • Fasten cuffs and ankle seals on foul weather sailing suit and put up hood and fasten spume visor • Adopt HELP (Heat Escape Loss Prevention) position, crossed

Dry powder extinguishers are primarily

arms and legs but relaxed

for use in the navigation area on

• Keep movements to a minimum to prevent cold water shock

electrical fires

• Put waves to your back • Do not swim to the danbuoy unless it is very close • Do not try to swim after the yacht, let it come to you • Use your whistle to make sound signals • DON’T PANIC

In the event of a fire breaking out, tackle it •

Raise the alarm; make sure everybody on board knows about it

Fire

• Shut off all fuel valves for the engine and generator. These are

Several flammable items are carried on board the Clipper Race

•

Turn off the engine if the fire is in the engine space

yachts including gas, oil and solvents. Great care should be taken

•

Close off ventilation to the fire

when handling these items and when lighting the stove or oven. A fire

•

Apply extinguisher to the base of the fire

on board is very serious and can spread rapidly around the boat.

•

Use all available means of communication to raise the alarm

•

Prepare life rafts and crew for abandonment

under the galley counter

Fire prevention • Keep the engine bay and electrics clean and tidy • Never smoke below deck, when refuelling, handling gas bottles or upwind of flammable items such as sails • Always turn off the gas at the stop cock as well as on the cooker • Always take care when cooking fats and solvents • Always report smells of gas or gas alarms • Always put used matches under a tap before discarding in the bin Fire requires three elements to burn: oxygen, fuel and heat. If any of these elements are removed the fire will go out.

Fire fighting The Clipper Race fleet is fitted with several types of fire fighting equipment including both foam and dry powder extinguishers, fire blankets, and a manual fire pump. It is important that all crew members know exactly where each piece of equipment is stored as well as when and how it should be used. Foam fire extinguishers can be used on all other types

Flood Any flood on board is very serious. Floods can happen for several reasons, including a hull breach due to striking an object or if one of the underwater fittings (seacocks) fails. The Clipper Race yachts are fitted with bilge alarms to warn of floods however it is very important to check the bilges regularly in order to identify flood risks early. The bilges should be pumped dry every hour as it is normal for them to have some water in them. In the event of flooding due to a failed seacock or hull damage the following steps should be taken. •

Commence bilge pumping immediately

•

Close watertight bulkhead doors

•

Identify source of water ingress

• Stop water ingress by closing seacock or plugging hole with a wooden bung or other object •

Prepare life rafts and crew for abandonment

•

Use all forms of communication to raise alarm

• If possible manoeuvre vessel relative to weather to reduce motion which could result in early swamping

of fire other than diesel or oil based fires. For fires in the engine compartment, there is an automati fire suppression system which also has an manual override from outside the engine compartment.

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

45

DECK WORK There are many ropes and lines on board a yacht. They need to be kept tidy otherwise they will become tangled, preventing us from reacting quickly when we need to. Ropes should always be neatly coiled before being stowed. Coiling a rope 1) In order to make all of the

4) Pull a loop of rope through the top

coils the same length use

of the coil

the width of your arms each time

2) Always coil the rope in a

5) Finally push the end of the rope

clockwise direction into

through the loop. The line can now

your left hand. Twist your

be hung up with a clove hitch or

right hand away from you

round turn and two

each time you form a coil,

half hitches

this will stop the coils kinking

3) Keep coiling until you have about two metres left then wrap the rope three times tightly around the coil near the top

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS Everything on board should be stowed neatly and ready to use. This is especially true of ropes. You don’t want to be untangling them at the time they are needed.

46

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

01 Cleats Cleats have many uses on boats but perhaps the most common is for securing mooring lines to the deck when mooring the yacht in a marina. As the Clipper Race yachts are so heavy it is important the mooring lines are secured properly to ensure the boat is safe but also to prevent the mooring lines jamming under tension. Using them correctly is very simple

Put a turn all the way around the cleat

Follow this with a figure of eight

And then another turn all the way around

This is enough to hold the boat and it will never jam. OXO is a good way to remember it. Mooring lines Every time we moor the yachts it is important to ensure that they are secure. The boats should always be secured with a minimum of a bow and stern breast line and two springs. Often we will add two extra breast lines.

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

47

DECK WORK Winches Everything on board a Clipper 70 is big and heavy; for this reason we use winches for pretty much everything we do. The winches operate under enormous loads and, if not treated with respect, could cause serious injury – hence the need to understand how to use them correctly. Using winches 1) Always load the rope clockwise around a winch

3) Once you can’t pull any more put a fourth turn around the winch and then a final turn into the self tailor

2) Put three turns around the winch and pull in as much as you can. You should never operate a winch with less than three turns

4) Put the winch handle into the top of the winch and start turning it anti-clockwise. The winch has two gears so, once it gets hard to turn, try going the other way 5) Once you have finished, put the winch handle away. It should never be left on the deck. Finally put one more safety turn around the winch to prevent the rope being kicked out of the self tailor

Always be aware that the line you are pulling in has two ends. Winches are very powerful and can easily damage sails and other deck gear. Always have one eye on what you are doing at the other end of the line.

Easing and releasing winches 1) Be very careful when letting

quickly, first ease the pressure

is a lot of tension on it. To

off and then lift the line up

let a little bit out, carefully

vertically and flick off all the

take the rope out of the self

turns except the last one

tailor but keep tension on it. Put the flat of your left hand against the winch (as shown in the picture) and use both hands to slowly ease it out

48

Clipper Race Crew Manual

2) If you need to release a rope

a rope out on a winch, there

LEVEL

01 Clutches Since it would be impractical to provide a separate winch to deal with all the various control lines, clutches are provided for some of them. These devices grip a line under tension by means of a lever and cam, which enables winches to be freed for other purposes. Using them correctly is very simple

Clutch open

Clutch closing

Clutch closed

2) To release a rope from a jammer

3) To close the jammer

Using jammers

1) An example of both open and closed jammers. The white plate section

simply winch the line tight until the

simultaneously pull the release

at the forward end of the handle

white plate section is visible and

trigger whilst pushing the sliding

indicates the jammer is open

the release trigger clicks closed

part of the mechanism back inside the body of the jammer

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

49

DECK WORK

50

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

01 Clipper 68 and 70 deck gear In addition to the aforementioned deck gear, both the Clipper 68s and 70s have additional pieces of deck equipment, the pedestal grinder, which is often called the coffee grinder.

Before grinding make sure that the pedestal is connected to the working winch and disconnected from any lazy winches. The grinder is very powerful and can easily damage sails and other deck gear. Always have one eye on what you are doing at the other end of the line.

In Level 1, using the individual coffee grinder on the Clipper 68 will be good preparation for using the twin system on the Clipper 70 in later training and the race. Situated in the centre of the Clipper 68s deck it enabled two people to work together to operate the primary winches and perform some of the harder jobs more quickly. Two people should work together on the grinder. One crew member should stand on each side of the pedestal and take hold of one outside handle and one inside handle as shown in the picture. This will help to stop your heads banging together. Make sure you do not stand too close to the pedestal or you might hurt your hands by hitting your lifejacket buckle as you turn the handles.

Connecting the grinder to a winch: The grinder is designed to operate both primary winches. It is important however that the grinder is only connected to one winch at a time. This is done using two levers which are situated at the base of the grinder pedestal. A winch is connected when the lever is pointing towards it, and disconnected when the lever is pointing either forward or aft. Winch selection levers:

Pointing out towards the working winch

Pointing aft away from the working winch

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

51

WITH SAILS Each Clipper Race yacht carries eleven different sails which can be used in a variety of combinations to suit the conditions. Each sail has a specific wind range within which it will provide optimal performance. The best sail combination will depend on the following: • • • •

Wind speed Sea state Point of sail Condition of sail

Below is a guide to the maximum wind ranges for each sail. The key to maximising the boat’s performance is knowing the conditions in which each sail will perform best and this is where experience is key. Each sail has its own idiosyncrasies and knowing these will help prolong their life and also make the yacht go more quickly. A good starting point is to have a guide to the basic settings for each sail and one to indicate which combination of sails makes the yacht go faster in any given conditions.

Sail

Recommended maximum wind strength

Main

Reef to conditions

Yankee 1

16 knots apparent

Yankee 2

25 knots apparent

Yankee 3

34 knots apparent

Staysail

40 knots apparent

Spinnaker 2.2oz 30 knots apparent Spinnaker 1.5oz

20 knots apparent

Spinnaker 0.75oz 12 knots apparent Windseeker

52

8 knots apparent

Clipper Race Crew Manual

Always remember that your sails are your power. Without them you will not be able to race so you need to make sure they are properly looked after. They must never be •

Trodden on

•

Allowed to flog

•

Stretched out of shape

•

Sheeted in before they are fully hoisted

•

Allowed to rub (chafe) against the rigging

Inspection on a regular basis should be a high priority

Sail Anatomy •

Head

- Top of the sail where the halyard is attached

•

Clew

- This is the aft corner of the sail where the main

•

Tack

- This is the front corner of the sail

•

Foot

- This is the bottom edge of the sail

•

Luff

- This is the front edge of the sail

•

Leech - This is the aft edge of the sail

outhaul or jib sheets are attached

LEVEL

01 Mainsail Controls

Headsail Controls

Halyard

Halyard

This is the rope used to hoist the mainsail. We use the halyard to adjust the luff tension which affects the shape of the sail.

This is the rope that pulls a sail up the mast. It is also used to adjust the luff tension of a sail which, in turn, will adjust the draft position. As the luff is tensioned the draft position moves forward.

Sheet

Sheet

This is the line used to control the angle of the mainsail. It has a dedicated winch on the port side in front of the helm. Care should be taken when adjusting the mainsheet as the loads can be large. There should always be a minimum of three turns on the main sheet winch.

This is the rope that pulls the sail in and out. By pulling it in the headsail will be sheeted in and the boat will be able to sail closer to the wind. When the boat bears away the sheet will need to be eased.

Vang The vang is operated from the snake pit. The line applies a downward force to the boom and must always be released before any manoeuvre that results in the boom being lifted. The main purpose of the vang is to control the amount of twist in the sail when off the wind.

Traveller The traveller is used to adjust the angle of the mainsheet which helps us to control the amount of twist in the sail. Both traveller lines are operated from one winch on the starboard side of the cockpit. Always ensure that both lines are jammed off before taking anything off the winch.

Car position The position of the headsail car can be moved forwards or backwards. By doing this we adjust the angle of the sheet. If the car is moved forwards the sheet will exert more tension on the leech of the sail, decreasing the amount of twist and allowing the foot to become fuller. Moving the car back will increase the tension in the foot and flattens the lower section of the sail while increasing the twist in the sail.

Points of Sail A modern yacht will sail at any angle to the wind up to an angle of about 40ºeach side of the wind. Depending on the direction in which we want to travel we could be required to sail at many different angles to the wind. Each time the boat changes direction the sails will need to be adjusted. The diagram below shows the different points of sail and the associated sail trim.

WIND STARBOARD TACK

PORT TACK

The above three mainsail controls work in harmony with each other to

CLOSE HAULED

In Irons (No go zone)

CLOSE HAULED

control both the sheeting angle and the twist of the sail. This complex interaction will be demonstrated during your practical training.

FINE REACH

FINE REACH

Cunningham The cunningham is employed by attaching a handy billy (block and tackle) to the cringle (metal ring) just above the tack and then applying tension. Like the main halyard the cunningham is used to adjust the luff tension and the shape of the sail.

BEAM REACH

BEAM REACH

BROAD REACH

BROAD REACH

Leech line The leach line is used to prevent the leech of a sail flapping or vibrating. On the mainsail it is adjusted at the tack.

RUN

RUN

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

53

WITH SAILS Close-hauled or beating

Using tell tales for sail trim

When sailing a straight line, keep the sail almost entirely hauled in for maximum speed. If your destination requires you to sail closer to the wind than the yacht is able to point, you will have to zigzag to it. This zigzagging upwind is called tacking or beating (to windward). Aim as close as you can to your destination with the wind on one side. After a while, tack and aim as close as you can again. Continue like this until you reach your destination.

Tell tales are small strips of wool or ribbon which are attached to the sails. Their purpose is to show the air flow across the two surfaces of the sails. When trimming sails we try to get them so they are flying on both sides which shows even air flow on both sides of the sails. On the headsails if the windward tell tale is not flying the sail needs to be brought in whereas if the leeward tell tale is not flying it needs to be let out. The tell tales on the main sail are attached to the leech; let out the sail until all of the tell tales fly then bring it back in until the top tell tale only flies 50 percent of the time. Please be aware, tell tales may only be used when the wind is on or forward of the beam. We will look at sail trim in more detail at Level 2.

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS Good sail trim is essential to generate good boat speed. The wind is constantly changing so the sails will need constant attention. Remember TRIM, TRIM, TRIM!

Close reach or fine reach When sailing a straight line, let out the sail just slightly from completely hauled in for maximum speed.

Beam reach When sailing a straight line, position the sail at just over a 45° angle to the boat for maximum lift.

Broad reach When sailing a straight line, position the sail at an angle of 45° or more to the boat to catch as much wind as possible. With the spinnaker up this is ideal for high boat speeds and high adrenaline levels.

Running When sailing a straight line let out the sail nearly perpendicular to the boat for maximum speed. As modern sails are aerodynamically efficient, using a sail in drag mode (i.e. dead downwind) is actually slow, as the drag creates less drive than the lift of the sail would. Therefore it is quicker to sail at angles to the wind and gybe, rather than dead downwind. It is safer and more comfortable, too.

Basic sail trim There are two simple rules for trimming sails • •

If in doubt, let it out A flappy sail is an unhappy sail

An over-trimmed sail is less efficient than an under trimmed one. Over-trimming causes the sail to produce more sideways and heeling forces which are detrimental to boat speed and direction. An under-trimmed sail will flap and generate less lift. It should be noted that a sail is most efficient just before its point of collapse.

54

Clipper Race Crew Manual

Sail Evolutions Sail changes on a yacht are like gear changes in a car – the whole idea is to get back up to speed as quickly as possible. The crew is divided into two fundamental groups – the trimmers and the changers. The trimmers have to concentrate on sail trim all the time, even during evolutions, and the changers have to execute the evolution in as efficient and safe a manner as possible.

Reefing Reefing the mainsail or shaking out a reef are both evolutions that are performed time and time again as they are a quick and easy way to react to a change in wind speed. The Clipper 70s use a slab reefing system which, as the name suggests, allows large sections (slabs) of the sail to be taken out of or put into play. The following explanation does not specify individual winches for the lines used as winch selection will depend on the tack the boat is on and which reef is being worked on.

Putting in a reef Preparation • Flake the main halyard on deck for a smooth drop and take up all the tension on the main halyard winch so as to allow the jammer to be opened

LEVEL

01 • Ensure the correct reefing line is ready to go on a winch and have the other two ready to be pulled hand tight • Have the topping lift ready to be winched in

Shaking out a reef This is the reverse of the previous evolution Preparation • •

Set up the main halyard on its winch with the jammer open Set the working reefing line on a winch with its in-boom jammer open. If the other two reefing lines are involved (e.g. if the first reef is shaken out, the second and third reefing lines will also have to be let out) they will have to be flaked on deck and their in-boom jammers opened

Depowering the main (VMT) •

 ase vang and mainsheet whilst the topping lift is pulled hand E tight until the sail is sufficiently depowered

Shaking out the reef •

•

•

 elease the reefing line. It is vital that the aft end of the sail is R released before the luff end, to prevent mainsail sliders being pulled from the mast track Once the reefing line is free the cunningham can be released and the mainsail halyard winched up to the desired height and luff tension The two other reefing lines must be checked to ensure they do not catch as the sail goes up

Depowering the main (VMT)

Trimming the main (TMV)

• Release the vang, easing it out to avoid the boom bouncing up • Ease out the mainsheet until the mainsail depowers, grinding up the topping lift to support the boom

•

Lowering the main

•

 he topping lift is now released and the mainsheet and vang T applied as necessary to properly trim the sail

Tidying up All lines are tidied up ready for use

• Ease out the main halyard until the reefing cringle can be attached to the cunningham, then pull the handy billy tight so that the cringle is as low as possible Setting the reef • Grind in the main halyard to the desired luff tension. While this is happening the relevant reefing line can be pulled in by hand on a winch • Once the luff tension is correct, grind in on the reefing line until the clew cringle of the sail is down to the boom Trimming the main (TMV) • Ease the topping lift so that it is loose and pull the main in until it is correctly trimmed. Finally apply the vang as required Tidying up • If the first reef was put in, both the second and third reefing lines will need to be pulled in by hand to stop them flogging around. If the second reef was put in, only the third reefing line will still be loose and so need pulling in • The lines should be tidied up as usual, and made ready for use

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

55

WITH SAILS Tacking and Gybing

Helming

We tack and gybe to turn the yacht through the wind resulting in the sails changing sides. When we are sailing upwind we turn the boat so that the front of the boat passes head to wind; this is a tack. Downwind we turn with the back of the boat passing through the wind; this is a gybe. Both tacking and gybing require a lot of crew members as all of the sails have to be transferred from one side of the boat to the other.

On ‘Helm’s a lee’ make your turn. Just before you turn, look down a line perpendicular to the yacht’s heading and to windward. This gives you an idea of your new heading. Turn the yacht steadily and remember to start to straighten up before you think you need to.

When tacking or gybing all crew members must be in a safe position, ideally in the cockpit. Watch out for the boom and mainsheet which will travel across the deck. Also remember that the low side of the boat will become the high side and vice versa. Crew members in the snakepit should also be aware of the yankee sheets as they can flog wildly during a tack.

Tacking Tacking involves turning the bow of the yacht through the wind so that the wind moves from one side of the yacht to the other. The sails will also swap sides. In order for this to happen the yankee and staysail sheets will need to be released from the working winches and hauled in on the opposite side of the boat. The mainsail will change sides of its own accord however may need to be tended if the sheet is eased or if adjustment to the traveller is required. There are four basic command calls ‘Ready to tack runner back’ - Everyone should move into the correct positions by the relevant winches and prepare to tack. ‘Ready about?’ - This is a question: ‘Are you ready to tack?’ If you are shout, ‘YES!’ ‘Helm’s a lee’ - The helmsman is initiating the turn. Safety turns should be removed from winches. ‘Lee ho’ - The boat has turned through head to wind and sails should be released from the working winches and pulled in and trimmed on the new side. There are four main action stations: running backstays, helming, headsail sheets and the main sheet.

Running backstays On ‘Ready to tack runner back’ one crew mans each running backstay winch. The lazy runner (on the low side) should be brought back until it is just touching the mainsail. It should then be loaded up onto the winch, and a winch handle inserted. DO NOT WINCH! On the working winch, all spare line can be thrown off. DO NOT REMOVE THE SAFETY TURN – the runner is still needed to support the mast! On ‘Lee ho’ ease the working runner to the guard position. Winch the new runner tight. Once the headsails have filled, on the new tack, send the old runner all the way forward and close the new runner tricing line clutch taking out any slack.

56

Clipper Race Crew Manual

On ‘Ready to tack runner back’ keep on going. Make sure you know which way you are going to turn (to windward).

‘Lee ho’ will be called sometime through your turn; just keep on going. As your experience grows, you will be making the calls through the tack and you will learn several techniques to make tacking easier.

Headsail sheets On ‘Ready to tack runner back’ one crew should go to each working winch, make sure the line is flaked and clear to run (no feet in the line etc). DO NOT REMOVE THE SAFETY TURN! Two crew should go to the lazy winches. One should make sure there are three turns on the winch, pull in any slack and be ready to pull the sheet in, whilst the other gets and holds a winch handle and readies themselves for winching. On ‘Helm’s a lee’ the crew on the working winches remove the safety turn. KEEP THE SHEET IN THE SELF TAILOR! On ‘Lee ho’, the crew on the working winch should spin the turns off the winch apart from the last turn which strips any twists out of the sheet, and LET GO! The crew on the lazy sheet should pull it in. When the sail is over on their side and they can no longer pull it in, the sheet should be loaded onto the winch and final tension applied by winching until the sail is trimmed for course.

Main sheet On ‘Ready to tack runner back’ make sure the slack has been taken up on both traveller lines and they are secured by the jammers. If the mainsheet has been eased, take the winch to three turns and prepare to pull in the slack during the tack. On ‘Helm’s a lee’ pull in any slack in the mainsheet to prevent it catching on deck gear or crew as it passes across the deck. Once the yacht has settled on its new course, trim the main as appropriate. Wait for the main to settle on its new side before adjusting the traveller. After each tack all lines should be tidied.

LEVEL

01 Gybing is similar to tacking – the difference is the stern of the yacht passes through the wind. Because of this the sails are powered up throughout and the mainsail particularly will come across with a bang.

Helming On ‘Stand by to gybe’ keep going straight but get an idea of what your new course will be. On ‘Helm to weather’ start your turn. Keep the turn slow; you have a lot of time in a gybe. When the wind fills the main from the new side there is a tendency for the yacht to heel and round up. This can be avoided by a small amount of opposite rudder at the right time. When the yacht is under control and the main is filled from the new side, head up onto your new course.

Gybing The main is often well out and, for safety reasons, this needs to be brought into the centre before a gybe. It also allows the lazy runner to be brought aft. There are four basic command calls ‘Stand by to gybe’ - Indicates preparation for a gybe ‘Ready to gybe?’ - This is a question and needs an answer. If you are ready a ‘Yes’ will do, but if not call, ‘No’ and put your arm in the air to signal this as your shout may be drowned out by other crew’s shouts. ‘Helm to weather’ - Indicates that the helmsman is initiating the turn. ‘Gybe ho’ - Indicates the boat has turned through the eye of the wind. As with tacking there are four main action stations: running backstays, helming, headsail sheets and main sheets.

Main sheet On ‘Stand by to gybe’ pull in the main, initially by hand and then winch it until the boom is secured in the centre of the boat. Also check that the slack has been taken up in both traveller lines and secure them both with the jammers. On ‘Helm to weather’ wait for the mainsail to blow across the boat and then ease out the sheet in a controlled and smooth fashion. ‘Gybe ho’ will not be called until both headsails are backed, the mainsail will already have swapped sides by this time so do not wait for ‘Gybe ho’ to be called. Once the yacht has settled on its new course trim the main appropriately.

Running backstays On ‘Stand by to gybe’ one crew mans to each backstay winch. The lazy runner (on the low side) should be brought back as the mainsail is centred until it is just touching the back of the mainsail. It should then be loaded up onto the winch, and a handle inserted. DO NOT WINCH. On the working winch all the spare line can be thrown off.. DO NOT REMOVE THE SAFETY TURN - the runner is still needed to support the mast!

Headsail sheets On ‘Stand by to gybe’ one crew mans each working winch to make sure the line is flaked and clear to run (no feet in line etc). DO NOT REMOVE THE SAFETY TURN. Two crew should go to the lazy winches and make sure there are three turns on the winch and be ready to pull the sheet in. Two other crew should be ready on the coffee grinder and ensure it is connected to the lazy winch. On ‘Helm to weather’ remove the safety turns from the working winches but keep the sheets in the self tailors. On ‘Gybe ho’ the crew on the working winches should spin the turns off the winch, just leaving the last one to strip any twists from the line, and LET GO! The crew on the lazy sheets should pull it in. When the sail is on their side and they can no longer pull it in, the sheet should be loaded onto the winch and final tension applied by winching. It is very important for the sheets to be held until ‘Gybe ho’ is called as, if they are released early, the sails will end up in front of the forestay. Winching them back is hard work, time consuming and may result in damage to the sail or hanks. After each gybe all lines should be tided.

On ‘Helm to weather’ remove the safety turn from the old ’working’ runner and send it all the way forward. Whilst this is taking place the new working runner should be winched on tight.

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

57

ROLES

On board the Clipper Race yachts we have an ethos of full participation; you will be able to get involved in all areas of the boat. Often, however, we find that crew will go on to specialise in the areas where their strengths lie. By specialising they become more efficient at a job, understand how that job fits in with others on board, and this improves communication. In order for a crew member to specialise they need to understand all the roles so, even if you wish to be bowman, a few days in the snake pit will be invaluable. When training, specialisation is not encouraged, partly for this reason and partly to allow everyone to experience as much as possible. The definition of the roles below is not absolute; each team finds different defining edges to each job. Each watch should be able to fill each slot so when all the crew is up, there will be double the hands in each area. To avoid confusion, clear guidelines need to be laid down for situations when the whole crew is up, otherwise crew will get in each other’s way.

58

Clipper Race Crew Manual

Bow The bow is the high adrenaline position on the boat. The bowman leads the team on the foredeck and anything in front of the mast is their responsibility. You will need to be agile, strong and prepared to get very wet as you will often need to climb out to the end of the bowsprit.

Foredeck The foredeck crew works closely with the bow and should be able to step into their shoes if they are injured or on mother watch. They play a key role in sail changes and preparing sails pre-hoist, as well as helping at the mast with the mainsail during reefs. Like the bowman you will need to be strong and agile.

LEVEL

01 Mast

Helm

The mast crew is normally made up of the last two members of the foredeck crew. They need to be able to work together in order to hoist as quickly as possible. Like the rest of the foredeck team they need to be strong and agile as well as being able to tie bowlines quickly under pressure and sometimes underwater!

The art of good helming is the ability to maintain a steady course and get the most out of the yacht in all conditions and especially in light winds.

Snake pit

Trimmer

A good snake pit is always a step ahead of the game ensuring that each line is ready when needed.

A good trimmer has an eye for what works built up by experience through trial and error. They should not be afraid to reverse what they have just done in a bid to find optimum sail angles. Good communication with the helm is paramount.

This is the centre of operations for every manoeuvre. In the snake pit you control all of the halyards as well as many other sail controls. You should be able to lay your hands on any line, day or night, and prepare it for action in a flash. A small mistake in the snake pit can disrupt the momentum of any manoeuvre.

A good helm should develop a natural feel for the yacht and have the ability to remain focused when everyone else is working rapidly around them. They are often the first to notice changes in wind direction or strength and should communicate this information to the Watch Leader.

Cockpit

Watch leader

The cockpit is where all of the sheets are controlled. Every crew member should be able to operate any point of the cockpit rapidly and accurately. If the cockpit crew get it wrong it can cause a lot of extra work for the rest of the crew.

The watch leader is the Skipper’s 2IC. He or she is responsible for running the yacht when the Skipper is sleeping. They must maintain a cohesive functioning team, coordinate sail changes and trimming as well as ensuring a steady course and standard of helming. In addition to this they must always have an eye on the meteorological and tactical situation. With good, all round knowledge they are able to act quickly to remedy a problem encountered during a manoeuvre.

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

59

KNOWLEDGE Sail Trim

Racing Rules and Tactics

North U. Performance Racing Trim by Bill Gladstone

The Rules in Practice 2017 - 2020 by Bryan Willis

Perhaps the best and most readable book on sail trim around. Covers sail trim, helmsmanship and boat handling with extra emphasis on honing your trim skills. Excellent for beginner and advanced.

North U. Trim CD The CD puts performance in motion and shows how changes in trim change the sailing performance of your boat. Use the interactive ‘sail shaper’ to see how different sail controls change sail shapes. Understand how to adjust angle of attack, depth and twist to match different sailing conditions. Detailed trim guidelines are provided for mainsail, jib, genoa, spinnaker and asymmetric spinnaker trim.

Sail and Rig Tuning – Ivar Dedekam An excellent book for novices and experts alike. In this book the author has distilled the best rules and theories pertaining to sail trim and rig tuning commonly agreed upon among the sailing community. What makes this book different from most other books on this topic, is the short, concentrated text with adjacent corresponding illustrations.

IRPCS International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea This gives the text of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCS) together with a commentary after each rule for yachtsmen. It is thus the most effective way for yachtsmen to become familiar with the ColRegs, as they are colloquially known.

www.sailtrain.co.uk/Irpcs/index.shtml Excellent tutorial for the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea.

60

Clipper Race Crew Manual

A clear, concise, well illustrated book explaining the Racing Rules.

North U. Performance Racing Tactics by Bill Gladstone This is perhaps the best and most readable book on racing tactics around. It is perfect for both the beginner and more experienced. Topics include strategy, tactics, race preparation, starts, upwind, reaching, downwind, rounding marks and wind shifts.

North U. Tactics CD The CD covers starting, upwind and downwind topics, including strategy, tactics and rules using animations, graphics, photos, photo sequences, video, and the interactive wind shift simulators. Additional topics include mark rounding, finishing and distance racing tactics.

Navigation, Strategy and Tactics by Stuart Quarrie As the title suggests, this book covers all aspects of a fascinating subject. The layout makes it simple to extract information, while both the text and line diagrams explain a complex subject in easy to understand diagrams. Anyone who is interested in navigation or tactics should have a copy whether or not they are the navigator on the yacht.

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS The beauty of sailing is that there is always something new to learn. Read as much as you can and, if you have the opportunity, sail on as many different boats as possible. It is all great experience and will help you on your race.

LEVEL

01 Weather

Sailing Theory and Practice

North U. Weather for Sailors by Bill Biewenga

The Complete Day Skipper by Tom Cunliffe

North U Weather For Sailors explains weather from a sailor’s perspective, starting with global weather and narrowing in to explain how local forces and regional weather patterns interact to create the sailor’s weather. From there the workbook shows how to interpret forecasts and apply predictions to improve your sailing performance. Included are dozens of examples showing how to see if a forecast is ‘coming true’ and how to apply a forecast to a particular race or cruise.

RYA Weather handbook (Northern and Southern Hemisphere) by Chris Tibbs This RYA handbook explains the complexities of weather and is full of practical and useful advice on how to understand weather maps and improve your forecasting skills.

Weather at Sea by David Houghton Best selling colour-illustrated basic textbook on meteorology for yachtsmen. Set book for the RYA Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore courses.

Weather on the web https://www.fnmoc.navy.mil/ Brilliant site for everywhere except southern Africa. http://grads.iges.org/pix/wx.html Good for far south but not very detailed. www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning Useful information within Learning section. www.weathersa.co.za/ South African Bureau. www.bom.gov.au/nmoc/MSLP.shtml Southern hemisphere weather. Has archives – very good. www.nhc.noaa.gov/ US National Hurricane Centre, leads on to North Atlantic forecasts. www.youtube.com Many useful YouTube videos available that explain weather systems.

Very readable book covering basic boat handling, seamanship, navigation and life aboard.

Blue Water Sailing Manual by Barry Pickthall This is the manual for ocean sailing and racing offering up-to-date advice on topics as diverse as equipment, setting sails, rig strength, electronic navigation, weather routing, preparing the crew, boat handling, night sailing, heavy weather tactics, jury rigs, survival techniques and much more.

Ocean Sailing by Tom Cunliffe A full-colour guide to crossing an ocean, by a favourite author who has done lots of it, in a sailing or power yacht. Covers sextant work, ocean weather, navigation, Skippering, etc. Ideal reading for the Yachtmaster Ocean certificate.

Racing Skipper – Techniques to Make You a Winner by Mike Golding A guide to winning in all types of yacht. Use the Golding technique to tune the boat, motivate the team and hone your strategy. As Skipper of Group 4 Mike Golding won the BT Global Challenge and is one of UK’s most successful racing Skippers.

Coastal and Offshore Navigation second edition by Tom Cunliffe Upgrade your navigation to Yachtmaster standard. This edition now also covers electronic navigation.

Seaman’s Guide to The Rule of the Road by JWW Ford An extremely useful visual aid. This easy to read study guide provides clear and simple questions and answers to a complex subject.

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

61

BASIC TERMS Aft: Toward the back of the boat.

Mainsheet: Line that controls the position of the mainsail.

Backstay: Fixed length of wire from masthead to stern of boat.

Mark (buoy): An object the sailing instructions require a boat to pass on a specified side.

Bearing away: Turning away from the wind. Boom: A pole running at a right angle from the mast. Bowsprit: Fixed strut protruding from the bow of the boat. Serves to keep the spinnaker away from the forestay. Cleat: Used for securing mooring lines. Clew: After corner of a sail. Coffee Grinder: Used to drive either primary or mainsheet winches on board. Checkstay: Stabilises middle part of the rig. Cunningham (also called main luff downhaul): Adjusts the tension of the mainsail’s luff. Downhaul: Line running out to the end of the bowsprit. Attaches to the tack of the spinnaker, used to control the shape of an asymmetric spinnaker.

Obstruction: An object that a boat could not pass without changing course substantially to avoid it, e.g. the shore, perceived underwater dangers or shallows. Outhaul: An adjuster that tensions the sail’s foot. Port: The left side of the boat when you are looking forward. Port tack: Wind across the port side. Primary winch: Biggest winch on a boat, normally used for yankee sheets. Pulpit: Fixed metal railing enclosing bow section of foredeck. Pushpit: Fixed metal railing enclosing aft deck area of boat. Reaching: Sailing with the sail eased.

Fairlead: Prevents chafe of mooring lines.

Reefing: Reducing the amount of sail area.

Foreguy: Attached to the end of the boom and lead forward when the apparent wind is aft of the beam. Gives the helm a few extra seconds to “head up” if the course gets close to an accidental gybe.

Rig: The arrangement of a boat’s mast, sails and spars.

Forestay: Fixed length of wire from masthead to bow of boat onto which yankee sails are attached. Foot: Bottom edge of a sail. Gybe: The action of turning the boat before the wind, i.e. turning her so that her stern goes through the wind. Halyard: Line used to hoist a sail. Hank: Clip attached to the luff of a headsail used to attach the sail to a stay. Head: Top corner of a sail. Headsail: Any sail forward of the mast.

Rudder: Underwater part of a boat used for steering. Running: Sailing before the wind with the sail out. Running backstay: Used to oppose the load of the inner forestay. Sail trim: The position of the sails relative to the wind and desired point of sail. Sails that are not trimmed properly may not operate efficiently. Visible signs of trim are luffing, excessive heeling and the flow of air past tell tales. Seacock: A valve going through the hull which can be shut from inside the boat. Sextant: A navigational instrument used to determine the vertical position of an object such as the sun, moon or stars. Used with celestial navigation.

Head up: Sailing closer to the wind.

Sheet: Line used to control the trim of a sail.

Inner forestay: Fixed wire between upper section of the mast to the deck (runs parallel to forestay). The staysail is hanked onto this.

Shrouds: Fixed wires preventing lateral movement of the rig. Spinnaker: A very large lightweight sail used when running or reaching.

In irons: Boat is pointing into the wind, sail is flapping and probably also going backwards.

Spreader: Spars extending toward the sides from one or more places along the mast. The shrouds cross the end of the spreaders, enabling the shrouds to better support the mast.

Jackstay: A strong webbing strap running the length of the boat on each side. By clipping the lifeline to this, it ensures that Jack stays on the boat. Jammer/Clutch: Device used for holding lines in place when not on a winch.

Stanchion: Metal post supporting guardwire railing. Starboard: The right side of the boat when you are looking forward. Starboard tack: Wind across the starboard (right) side.

Kite: Another commonly used name for a spinnaker.

Stern: The back end of a boat.

Lay line: The course on which your boat, sailing close hauled on starboard tack, can just make a windward mark which is to be rounded to port is the starboard tack lay line for that mark. The most windward line on which you would approach the mark on port tack is the port tack lay line.

Tack: Forward corner of a sail.

Leech: Aft edge of a sail. Leeward: The direction the wind is going downwind. Letterbox: The gap between the foot of the mainsail and the boom. Luff: Forward edge of a sail. Luffing: Pointing the boat into the wind, sail flapping.

62

Mast: A pole usually going straight up from the deck, used to attach sail and boom.

Clipper Race Crew Manual

Tacking: Changing direction by turning the bow through the wind. Traveller: Transverse track allowing sheeting point of the mainsail to be moved from port to starboard and vice versa. Vang (also called a kicker): A device used to keep the boom from rising. Windward: The direction the wind is coming from, upwind. Yankee/Staysail car: Moveable turning block for adjusting sheeting angle of headsails.

MAN OVERBOARD

LEVEL

01

UNDER SPINNAKER

WHITE SAILS

Shout ‘Man Overboard!’ CREW ON DECK

CREW DOWN BELOW

At least one crew to spot at all times

Make all crew aware of the situation

MOB equipment deployed

Press MOB button on GPS plotter and pass up MOB lifting hook and strop to crew on deck

Helm immediately heaves to. Crew check for lines and ask for engines to be started

Check to make sure enough crew are on deck and go on deck if needed

Once hove to, yankee/staysail halyards to be swiftly eased; dropping the headsails to the deck

Start the engine, checking that gear selection lever is in neutral and no lines in the water

Crew blow the tack of the kite by swiftly easing out the tack line then move straight into a letterbox drop

Send a mayday by VHF (confirm with Skipper first) or Sat. Comms if applicable

Once the kite is dropped, helm to steer into the wind with one crew member easing the foreguy as another crew member sheets on the mainsail

Be prepared call out a ranges and bearings to the casualty for the helm (Range and bearing displayed on GPS plotter)

Rescue swimmer in harness to ready themselves to retrieve man overboard

Make a note of all communications, actions taken in the logbook

Helmsman to position yacht to retrieve man overboard at midships

Prepare an area down below to treat the MOB for any injuries, drowning, hypothermia etc.

Rescue swimmer lowered to attach lifting hook to both lifting beckets of MOB’s life jacket. MOB and Rescue swimmer then winched up to deck together Clipper Race Training - Part 1

63

CREW ASSESSMENT Introduction The Clipper Race Crew Assessment has been introduced to encourage all Race Crew to apply themselves and to reinforce their learning experience from Level 1 training in order to improve their overall awareness on board.

64

Clipper Race Crew Manual

It is very important that we have fully engaged Race Crew who have the base knowledge whenever they take part in Clipper Race training or join their respective team on the race. This will help to continue to improve overall safety and awareness on board all Clipper Race yachts. The assessment incorporates several topics both practical and theory which will demonstrate learning, application and commitment of our Race Crew. The assessment should be conducted by the relevant Skipper or Mate and ALL Race Crew should be assessed at the end of Level 1 training and also at the beginning of Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 Clipper Race training.

LEVEL

01 New or re-joining Race Crew that are joining their respective teams in stopover port locations around the world shall be assessed at the beginning of the refresher training day.

PART 3 - Sailing Knowledge

All candidates will have to demonstrate the ability to pass all parts of the assessment and any failure to do so will result in the crew member having to re-take the assessment.

Identify all main sail control lines and explain their use.

In the event of any part of the assessment not being passed successfully by any Clipper Race Crew at the beginning of Clipper Race training levels 2, 3 and 4, then the crew member will have to re-take the assessment at the end of the training week and MUST demonstrate the ability to pass all parts of the assessment. Failure to pass all parts of the assessment will result in the crew member failing the course and they will have to re-take that particular training week before being allowed to proceed. In the event of any part of the assessment not being passed successfully by any new or re-joining Clipper Race Crew at the beginning of the refresher sailing day in the relevant stopover port, then the crew member will have to re-take the assessment within 24 hours and MUST demonstrate the ability to pass all parts of the assessment. Failure to pass all parts of the assessment will result in the crew member failing the assessment and they will NOT be allowed to sail.

PART 1 - Knots Demonstrate the ability to tie any three of the following knots correctly (as chosen by the assessor);



• Bowline • Round turn and two half hitches • Clove hitch • Rolling hitch • Reef knot • Admiralty stopper knot • Sheet bend • Double sheet bend

Accurately name and describe all points of sail of a sailing yacht. Correctly name all parts of the sails on board a sailing yacht.

PART 4 - Safety Identify the three main areas of danger on deck and explain why. Demonstrate the ability to don a lifejacket correctly and carry out all relevant checks. Demonstrate correct use of a safety tether and describe appropriate clipping on points around the vessel. Demonstrate the correct procedure for an emergency distress voice call on VHF radio using the MAYDAY prompt card in the navigation area. Demonstrate the correct procedure for activating the MOB button on the chart plotter in the navigation area.

PART 5 - Clipper Race Agility Test Climb into and out of, a top bunk (with assistance, if necessary). Transit under the mainsheet traveller in full sailing gear and lifejacket (with assistance, if necessary). Climb onto the yacht without the use of a step or fender step (using spring line, unassisted). Grind a “bricked” up staysail (in bag) to the height of second spreader, as a pair. Demonstrate the correct procedure for activating the MOB button on the chart plotter in the navigation area.

PART 2 - Ropework Demonstrate the ability load a winch correctly and secure with two tugman’s hitches. Demonstrate the ability to tie a fender onto a guardrail and stanchion using the appropriate knots. Demonstrate the ability to coil and throw a mooring line appropriately. Name and describe the use of all standard mooring lines on a Clipper Race yacht.

Clipper Race Training - Part 1

65

66

LEVEL 2 © Copyright 2018 Clipper Ventures plc. All right reserved.

67

OVERVIEW

68

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

02 Level 2 Training Total duration: 6 Days Time on water: 5 Days Shore based training: 1 Day

During Level 2 Training you will continue the development of basic sailing and seamanship skills from Level 1 but this level focuses more on the living on board and sailing in a watch system. The course has a heavy offshore component with a number of nights spent at sea which will allow crew to experience life on board at sea and experience the roles that occur whilst not on deck. This level includes a one day sea survival course. You will have received joining instructions in the month leading up to your Level 2 course. Please note that although the majority of Level 2 courses start on a Saturday, the location of where the course starts from may differ. On your arrival you will either be starting the RYA Sea Survival course, the location of which will be provided in your joining instructions, or you will be met by your Training Skipper who will take you to the yacht that will be your home for the duration of the course. You will be briefed about the safety equipment and on board systems. Out on the water the primary focus of the week is life on board and sailing in watch systems. Remaining offshore for a number of nights will allow the crew to gain their first taste of the need for self-sufficiency at sea when racing across the world’s oceans.

Course content Pre-course reading

Talks and demonstrations

Practical experience

Collision regulations

Onboard radio communications

Review all Level 1 topics

Basic sail trim

Safety equipment

Yankee and staysail trim



Sail trim

Mainsail trim



Collision avoidance

Racing headsail changes



Basic chart work

Man overboard



On board radio communications

Emergency steering

Meteorology

Mother Watch





Daily engineering and safety checks



General yacht husbandry and basic maintenance



Helming techniques



Living to a watch rota

Qualifications gained at Level 2 RYA Sea Survival

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

69

SYLLABUS This syllabus is a guide to the typical course content for this level of training. The course content may vary, perhaps due to weather conditions and crew members’ skill set. Day 1 (may vary) Sea Survival course Crew arrive for at Clipper Race Training, carry out below decks safety brief Evening lecture on meteorology Clipper Race Crew Assessment

Day 2 Crew complete full safety brief as per the Annex in the SOP’s (slip lines by 1200) Recap on: • Tacking and upwind work including running backstays • Downwind sailing, foreguy, and gybing • MOB including recovery, use of and harness, and scramble net (including tethered MOB) Crew to then be placed in watches and to head off on offshore phase Offshore phase (day 2 till day 6) In watches crew are to refresh and cover the following skills: • Reefing • Racing headsail changes (changing up to bigger sails only) • Sail trim including Tell tales Car positions and twist Use of vang Use of traveler Emphasize difference between upwind and downwind trimming, e.g. can’t use tell tales when apparent wind is well aft of the beam • Helming To tell tales when going upwind Helming to a compass course Night helming/blindfold helming practice (feel the boat) Use of Windex/sailing to wind angles (TWA down wind and AWA upwind) Target boat speeds/angles Communication from helm to watch leader of change in wind strength/direction, weight on the helm

70

Clipper Race Crew Manual

MOB offshore and if conditions allow, at night, including recovery, use of and harness, and scramble net (including tethered MOB) Proper use of and maintaining the ships log Yacht Maintenance and upkeep • Mother Watch • Yacht Cleanliness and bilges kept dry • General yacht husbandry including basic maintenance when and if required (whipping, taping of split pins etc.) • Daily engineer checks for both main engine and generator • Daily safety checks to ensure the yachts safety equipment is ready to be used • Steering gear checks

Watch Keeping duties

• Keeping a good look out • Collision avoidance Anchoring Emergency steering Storm sails

Day 6 Yachts to arrive early morning (0600 – 0800) at Gosport Marina for deep clean and debriefs, crew depart by 1600 Clipper Race Crew Assessment re-sit (if required)

LEVEL

02 Test your knowledge

6. What should you do before opening a loaded jammer?

1. Name the type of knot you would use for the following:

a. Transfer the load from the jammer to a winch

a. Tying a fender to a stanchion?

c. Wrap the line around your hand so you can’t let go

b. Attaching a sheet to the yankee?

d. Use a winch handle to hit the jammer so that it will open

b. Make sure you are holding the tail of the line tightly

c. In the end of a sheet?

7. Name the five main points of sail. 2. Which side of the boat should you walk along while underway?

8. What are the three corners of a sail called?

a. The low side b. The high side

9. What are the three edges of a sail called?

c. It depends what job you are doing d. Whichever is quickest

3. When should you wear your life jacket a. At all times on deck b. Only when you have your wet weather kit on

10. What is the name given to a rope used to hoist a sail? 11. What is the name given to a rope used to control a sail?

c. When you want to d. When there are one or more reefs in the main

4. What is the first action to be taken in the event of a man overboard?

12. Which part of the boat passes through the wind when tacking, the bow or the stern?

a. Stop the boat

10. Halyard

d. Drop the sails

11. Sheet

c. Raise the alarm

12. The bow

b. Throw the dan buoy

9. Luff, leech, foot 4. c 3. a 2. b

c: admiralty knot

1. a: Round turn and two half hitches; b: bowline;

ANSWERS

d. Four

5. c

c. Three

7. Close hauled, fine reach, beam reach, broad reach, run

b. Two

6. a

a. One

8. Head, tack, clew

5. What is the minimum number of turns that should be on a working winch when pulling by hand?

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

71

ON BOARD

Watches In order to race a yacht 24 hours a day the crew needs to operate in shifts or watches. Different boats will opt for different watch patterns; a common system is four hours on, four hours off during the night and six hours on six hours off during the day.

This system has the advantage of the opportunity for a long sleep during the day (six hours) while keeping your time on deck low at night. Six hours on deck in cold dark conditions can seem like a lifetime! No matter what system you work in there will normally be a mother watch system running alongside it. The on watch is responsible for running the deck; the mother watch cooks and cleans, whilst the off watch rests.

72

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

02

When on watch you are responsible for: • Sailing fast

•  Carrying out routine maintenance

In order to maximise the performance of your yacht the sails and helm will need constant attention. There is no substitute for good boat speed.

As the saying goes, if you look after your boat she will look after you. Routine maintenance will need to be carried out on a daily basis to keep your yacht running smoothly.

•  Maintaining a good lookout

•  Waking the new watch

When keeping a lookout, keep an eye out behind the yacht as well as ahead. It should not be up to the helm alone to spot other vessels.

The new watch should be woken in plenty of time to prepare for coming on deck. Some watches like longer than others, whilst differing conditions also affect the time taken to prepare. Twenty minutes to watch change is normally sufficient but 40 minutes should be given if the on-coming watch needs to eat.

•  Navigating and maintaining the Ship’s Log The Log should be kept every hour, preferably on the hour or as near as possible if a manoeuvre is being carried out.

•  Collecting weather data Weather reports should be received and reported as often as possible. These come in several forms. Synoptic charts and GRIB files will be sent to the fleet from the Race Office but other weather information can be gathered using the VHF radio and Sat C equipment.

It often takes a crew 24 to 36 hours to settle into a watch system. These first few days can seem very hard as you are unlikely to sleep very well. Once a routine is established that allows plenty of time for rest whilst also keeping the yacht running efficiently, life will soon seem quite normal.

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

73

ON BOARD Standing orders Each Skipper will publish a set of standing orders. While these will vary from boat to boat the fundamental standing orders will be the same across the fleet. The aim of the standing orders is to enable the safe and efficient operation of the crew and yacht. The standing orders should be followed at all times and will include at least the following topics: •

Informing the Skipper

•

Use of life jackets and life lines

•

Safety on deck

•

Winch safety

•

Ships Log and chart work

• Lookout •

Watch handover

• Traffic •

Safe navigation and passage planning

•

Gas procedure

•

Working aloft

• Smoking •

Ship and personal hygiene

•

Prescription medicine

•

Maintaining course control and standard of steering

•

Maintaining a cohesive functioning team

•

Coordinating sail handling and trimming

•

Avoiding other vessels

•

Keeping track of yacht positions by regular fixing

•

Ensuring an up to date log is kept

• Overseeing daily checks on standing and running rigging as well as all deck fittings and safety equipment • Analysing changes in wind strength and direction with a view to pass detailed information onto the Skipper and navigator

When to wake the Skipper The Skipper is ultimately responsible for everything that happens aboard their yacht. However it is unrealistic to expect them to be awake all of the time; in fact it is important that everyone on board gets as much sleep as possible in order to be able to continue functioning as an efficient crew member. This is no different for the Skipper. Before going below most Skippers will tell the watch leader when or under what circumstances they should be woken. In order for the Skipper to sleep they will need to be confident that they will be woken up when appropriate. The Skipper should always be woken for any form of emergency or if the watch leader has any doubts concerning:

• Alcohol •

Drugs, weapons, laws of the land

• Swimming

•

any damage to the yacht or systems not working as expected

•

•

whenever visibility is reduced

Safety drills

It is very important that all crew members are aware of the standing orders and comply with them at all times. In the absence of the Skipper from deck it is the watch leaders’ responsibility to ensure they are enforced.

The watch leader Each watch will be led by a watch leader. This will be a member of the crew who has been selected by the Skipper to lead the watch in the Skipper’s absence. To be a good watch leader you do not necessarily need to be the best sailor on board but you will need outstanding leadership, communication and decision making skills. These are required in order to motivate your watch, keeping them working together effectively and also making appropriate decisions concerning the performance and safety of the yacht within the boundaries set by the Skipper. Responsibilities of the watch leader: • Ensuring the Skipper’s standing orders and instructions are carried out by the crew

74

• any injury or illness to any crew member

•

Waking the Skipper when needed or if in any doubt

•

Sailing the yacht, her safety and the safety of the crew

Clipper Race Crew Manual

• whenever there is a significant (Skipper to define) change in the expected weather conditions •

whenever another ship or yacht is within a three mile radius

• whenever a ship is considered to be on a collision course (irrelevant of distance) • when approaching land or a navigation hazard the Skipper shall specify an ‘inform/wake me’ distance for known navigation hazards or land (eg. “Wake me when we are at this point or distance,”) whenever there is a concern or a question over set, drift or course to steer •

an MOB situation

•

an evacuation due to fire or flooding

• on receipt of urgent communications from other Clipper Race vessels, the Clipper Race Office or on receipt of any MAYDAY or PAN PAN call and •

whenever there is concern over the crew or ship’s safety

Nobody should hesitate to call the Skipper. They are on call 24 hours a day. If in doubt, SHOUT!

LEVEL

02

Mother watch duties A high performance sailing team needs fuel in order to perform. It is the responsibility of the mother watch to prepare and serve food for the rest of the crew as well as cleaning and tidying the yacht in order to maintain a healthy crew and living area. Mother watch duties need to be taken very seriously. They form a fundamental part of a race team as without adequate good food the team cannot function. Take care when preparing the food and try to make it as tasty as possible. If you are not naturally a cook or do not have much experience, make sure you read the instructions. There is nothing worse than coming below after a cold, hard watch, dreaming about a hot cooked meal, to then be presented with something inedible.

Mother watch duties include: •

Assisting the duty watch on deck as required

•

Preparing meals and washing up

•

Helping re-pack sails

•

Keeping below deck clean and tidy

•

Cleaning heads and grab rails

•

Providing stand-in for any injured crew member

•

Encouraging the on watch to stay hydrated

Mother watch provides a change from the usual routine. Every crew member will take their turn as mother on a rota system. This also gives you an opportunity to catch up on some sleep as, provided no sails need stitching and help is not needed on deck, after the yacht is cleaned and all meals have been cooked and tided away you are left to your own devices. This normally results in the mother watch catching up on their sleep, enabling them to arrive on watch next day refreshed and raring to go.

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

75

ON BOARD Nutrition and hydration The varied sailing environments that you will experience during the Race result in dynamic nutritional and hydration requirements. During long distance races intense, vigorous activity needs to be supported with the appropriate intake of energy in order to sustain proper blood sugar levels throughout the event. Studies have shown that offshore sailors need to consume between 3500 and 5000 calories per day in order to sustain these high levels of exertion. This equates to about twelve portions of spaghetti Bolognese! The normal recommended daily intake is 2000 calories for women and 2500 for men. It is important to make sure you eat enough of the right type of food at regular intervals throughout the day in order to sustain your energy levels throughout each race.

The average, moderately active individual requires 1.9-2.6 litres of water per day. Compared to this an active, persistently sweating individual (for example an America’s Cup sailor in tacking duel) will require 1.8-2.0 litres per hour. They may need to replace upwards of 11 to 15 litres per day. The quantity of water you will require will not only be affected by your level of physical activity but also the climate. In hot, tropical conditions you will obviously need to consume more fluids. The most important thing is to monitor your own hydration level in order to prevent dehydration. It should be noted that someone who is only five per cent dehydrated will experience at least a thirty per cent drop in both physical and mental performance. “What colour is your urine?”

You may laugh but this is an excellent means to check your hydration levels. If you are fully hydrated your urine will be clear. If this is not the case the deepness of colour or lack of clarity gives a good indication of your level of dehydration. It is important to keep a regular check on this and adjust your fluid intake accordingly.

Dehydration may be the cause of poor sailing performance

Similar to a car needing fuel and oil, the body requires water and electrolytes to perform all the cellular processes necessary for both communication and function in the body. If water is low and electrolytes out of balance, cell communication deteriorates and systems do not function properly. It then becomes hard for the body to physically respond, limiting your ability to function effectively on board. It can sometimes be difficult to maintain good levels of hydration at sea as you need to consume much more fluid than usual. It is a good idea to carry a sports bottle with you all the time so you can drink at frequent intervals.

76

Clipper Race Crew Manual

Hygiene During the race up to 22 people will be living, eating and sleeping in the confined space of a Clipper Race yacht. In this situation good hygiene is of paramount importance in order to prevent the spread of bacteria and illness amongst the crew. If the crew becomes debilitated due to illness their ability to race effectively will be significantly reduced. There are three main areas where hygiene is of paramount importance • Cooking • Cleaning • Personal Hygiene

LEVEL

02 Ten food hygiene requirements when preparing food

Ten boat cleaning standards for good hygiene

• Always tell your Skipper if you are suffering from any skin, nose, throat, stomach or bowel trouble or infected wounds • Keep any long hair away from face • Clean down any food preparation surfaces and wash hands properly • Cover any cuts and sores with a waterproof high visibility dressing • Make sure raw meat is kept and returned to the bottom of the cool box. It should always be stored in sealable containers • Cover food • In preparation, separate raw meats and ready to eat food and use separate chopping boards and preparation surfaces • Make sure food is cooked or reheated right through and is piping hot in the middle. Don’t reheat it more than once and cool leftovers quickly • Do not prepare any food which has passed its ‘Use By’ date • Clean knives and utensils thoroughly after use with raw food

• Use separate cleaning sets for the galley, the heads and below decks • Use a disinfectant cleaner in the heads, never in the galley • Use an antibacterial cleaner in the galley and for all food and hand contact surfaces • Always wash hands after visiting the heads, handling raw food, touching ready to eat food, cleaning the galley and heads and before preparing food • Clean as you go – clear away used equipment, spilt food etc., as you work and clean surfaces thoroughly • Clean food areas and between tasks, especially after handling raw food. • Wash any cleaning cloths after use and leave them to dry in the air • Store cleaning equipment away from food • As soon as rubbish bag is full, double bag it, tie it securely and store in the lazarette until next ashore to dispose of

Personal hygiene Personal hygiene is of great importance on board a yacht. You will be living in close proximity with the rest of your crew and life can become very uncomfortable and smelly unless everyone maintains high levels of personal hygiene. Due to the restricted availability of fresh water on board you will not be able to take a shower on a regular basis. Instead we recommend the liberal use of wet wipes to keep yourself clean. This is also much more practical in rough weather than trying to stand up in the shower. The use of antiperspirant/deodorant is also very important.

Water

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS When cooking the meals remember that in most watch systems the crew eat in two shifts. If this is the case, cook foodstuffs such as rice, pasta etc in two lots. This way the amounts are smaller and each watch has fresh food.

On any long voyage fresh water needs careful husbandry. On the Race the yachts all have water makers on board however any piece of machinery can break down and water makers are no exception. In addition to the water maker the race yachts have water tanks but these too should not be totally relied upon. There is always the risk of contamination. For all these reasons you must bear in mind that rationing of water could occur. Careful husbandry of fresh water supplies should become second nature on the yacht. • Use salt water for washing of dishes and personal washing with salt water soap • Clothes can also be washed in salt water, saving fresh water to rinse them • Use a small cup of water when brushing teeth rather than running a tap

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

77

ON BOARD The off watch When you are off watch it is important to ensure you get as much rest as possible. This is not always easy, especially in stormy conditions nor the extreme temperatures of the Tropics. It is always worth remembering that you never know when you will get your next good sleep so take any opportunity you can to get some rest. The Clipper Race yachts have enough bunks for everyone on board

Electricity

so you will be allocated a bunk when you arrive. However this does

Electricity on board comes from batteries. These can only supply

bunking’ system. This is ensure everyone is sleeping on the high

a certain amount of electricity before they need to be charged.

side of the yacht which helps with the boat’s performance. In order

Therefore, when you have finished using a light, turn it off. The

to operate this system you will normally pair up with someone from

batteries are charged using the generator when at sea, whilst shore

the opposite watch who’s bunk is opposite yours. This way you

power is used in harbour.

can always sleep on the high side. It is important to remember to

Stowage

not mean you will always sleep in it. When racing we operate a ‘hot

keep the area around your bunk tidy and clean at all times as your counterpart from the opposite watch may need to use it.

While on board you will have a bunk which comes with stowage space for all your clothing. Space is limited so think carefully about what you bring. There is no space to store suitcases on board so bring a soft bag instead. It is very important that you keep your bunk and stowage area clean and tidy to prevent your belongings being spread around

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS

the boat as it heels over. It cannot be guaranteed the stowage area will remain dry at all times, it is therefore highly advisable to use some form of waterproof dry bag.

Seasickness Seasickness affects different people in different ways. Some are not affected, while others are incapacitated. Each crew member normally

Living on board with 22 other people is as much of a challenge as sailing across the oceans. You will need to be tolerant but when problems arise deal with them quickly before resentment develops. Remember, never go to bed until the issue is resolved. As you will be going to bed three times a day that should nip any problems in the bud!

develops his or her own methods of dealing with it. Some throw up and get on with things, others eat ginger biscuits, whilst others know they will be better after a certain amount of time. The important thing to remember is that most people recover well after a short time, usually 24 to 36 hours or less. Once you know you get over it the actual experience is easier! During your training you will spend a significant period of time at sea and you will often find crew on day three enjoying a jovial meal down below in Force 6 or 7, when 48 hours earlier they were laid low in a Force 4 or 5. There is life after seasickness and until you know that,

Watch changeover The ongoing watch should put on oilskins and lifejackets before going on deck unless otherwise briefed when called. Harnesses must be clipped on before leaving the companionway. At night crew should call out their names as they come up as it is difficult to recognise people in the dark. The oncoming watch need to all

you will just have to trust us!

be on deck ten minutes before watch change in order to be briefed

Avoid working yourself up as this can make things worse. Crew often

going on deck as you will be a little disorientated at first. Give

get worked up about going below and nightfall. If you feel sick below,

yourself time to acclimatise.

and to give them time to settle in. Always remember to be careful

try to make it back on deck. If you are sick below, use a bag, try not to be sick in the heads or galley sinks as this can spread germs. On

The watch leader (or anyone who navigates on his/her behalf)

deck make sure you are clipped on and go to the low side aft. Let your

should carefully study the chart with the navigator they are

Skipper know you are feeling sick.

relieving before going on deck. Watch leaders are to hand

If you are feeling well, look after those who are not!

78

Clipper Race Crew Manual

over their watch on deck.

LEVEL

02 The following points should always be covered during a watch handover: • Course ordered and any navigational hazards expected during the next few hours •

Sails carried and present weather conditions

•

Wind and weather trends during previous watch

• Race tactical situation and Skippers policy; for example, tack if the wind backs •

Movement of any shipping in sight or on radar/AIS

•

Any other instructions from the Skipper

•

Sail changes or checks performed during previous watch

•

State of deck

Husbandry

The Clipper Race yachts will be your home for the duration of the race. Good habits of yacht husbandry and seamanship should become second nature. It helps with your comfort and the comfort of members of your team as well as safety. Good practices start from training and should be continued throughout the event.

‘State of deck’ means anything unusual should be pointed out. Barber haulers, foreguys, sheet car positions etc should be all pointed out, as should information such as, “The starboard yankee halyard is on the middle winch (in the snake pit). We left it there so that we do not lose any more tension,” or “The kicker is on that winch so it can be eased if the boom goes in the water. Someone needs to be standing by it all the time.” And so on.

Everything ready for use Always tidy up after a job and put things away. Every piece of yacht kit has a stowage place and if the piece of kit is not in use, it should be stowed ready for when it is next required. Winch handles especially should always be re-stowed after use. Anything that can move, will move!

On deck Halyards and sheets must be stowed or coiled away for instant use and should be recoiled or stowed should they be disturbed. Before use, halyards should be flaked to ensure easy running. •

Don’t lash sails to the guardrails

• Keep checking the sails for chafe – using binoculars where necessary •

Ensure leach lines are at the correct tension

•

Don’t drop hatches

Watch out for and prevent wear and tear Keep all ropes taut – a flapping rope wears. Halyards that are not in use should be pulled taut and secured off the mast. The same applies to spinnaker sheets. Nothing should be flapping in the breeze. Routine checks and maintenance are a vital safeguard on a long voyage to ensure that everything is standing up to the strain. Anything out of the ordinary must be reported so that it can be investigated and remedial action taken.

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

79

ON BOARD Sheets and halyards should be adjusted regularly so that the section in the sheave is varied. Prevent sails chafing on spreaders, running backstays, shrouds and guard rails. Put leather patches on chafe points. Look out for cringles (eyelets) working loose. Try not to damage anything by thoughtless actions like dropping something heavy or slamming doors. A door swinging and banging down below is not only noisy but is damaging itself – tie it back. Sails should be folded carefully. •

If you see a job – do it

•

If you do a job – do it properly

•

Time spent in preparation and maintenance is seldom wasted

• Prevent plastic bags, drinks cans and loose items from blowing overboard. Ban loose items such as sandwich wrappings or the plastic yokes on multi-packs of cans of drink from coming on deck • If litter does find its way overboard use the opportunity to practice your man overboard procedure • Set an example to the rest of the crew by not throwing any litter (including biodegradable waste) overboard • Cigarette ends can last up to five years and can cause birds to starve if swallowed. If your team decides to allow smoking on board provide receptacles for cigarette ends • Remove as much excess packaging as you can before heading off to sea •

Recycle as much waste as possible as you would at home

There are two basic principles to remember in order to adhere to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. Fines can be levied against offending businesses or individuals who break these rules • It is illegal to dump any plastic, including synthetic fishing nets, ropes and plastic rubbish bags into the sea • Food waste and other ground garbage including paper products, bags, glass, metal and crockery must not be dumped within 12 miles of land

How long until it’s gone?

Rubbish

Traditionally, oceans were seen as vast areas in which rubbish was dumped regardless as it became invisible, either decaying or sinking. Today attitudes are different and the situation has changed, mainly because of the number of non-biodegradable products that are used. Once thrown into the sea, non-biodegradable products may not sink or decay and can be fatal to marine life. Plastic bags can be mistaken for food by fish and seabirds and other marine life can try to eat them. Plastic material also entangles seabirds, seals, turtles and fish, trapping them and slowly choking them to death. There are a few things that you can do to help prevent pollution.

80

Clipper Race Crew Manual

Discover the decomposition rates of common debris and help save the planet and prevent more rubbish in our seas. Orange/Banana Peel:

2-5 weeks

Cigarette Butt:

1-5 years

Plastic Grocery Bag:

10-20 years

Tin Can:

50 years

Aluminum Can:

200 years

Plastic Bottle:

450 years

Fishing Line:

600 years

Glass Bottle:

1 million years

LEVEL

02

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

81

ON BOARD In addition to sailing your boat and maintaining your boat during the race there will also be other roles that need to be fulfilled that may not seem that obvious initially. Medic

Engineer The race yachts are full of mechanical equipment such as generators, engines, watermakers, plumbing, pumps, steering gear etc. all of which require regular maintenance. The engineer is responsible for carrying out this work, ensuring that the yachts equipment remains in good working order. If things go wrong the engineer may be required to come up with improvised solutions to keep the yacht operating until it reaches port.

This role is normally filled by someone who has medical training, a doctor, nurse, paramedic or even a vet. Working with the Skipper (who is also medically trained) they take responsibility for the welfare of the crew, treating any illness or injuries that occur on board. The medic is supported by doctors in the UK who are on call 24 hours a day to offer advice and support, as well as other medics within the fleet who offer advice within their own areas of expertise.

Sail repair In any ocean race it is inevitable that sails will be damaged and need repairing. When a spinnaker is blown it is replaced by a smaller, heavier sail. The down time can cost miles so it is important to be able to repair them as quickly as possible. The Clipper Race yachts carry heavy duty sewing machines for this purpose. The sail maker/repairer will often find themselves working under great pressure in hot, cramped conditions.

Photography and media State of the art satellite communications systems are on board each Clipper 70 makes it easy to send back video and photos to Clipper Race HQ, as well as live broadcasts mid-race. James Rogers, media and round the world crew member on board Qingdao, said: “On board we decided that keeping the best record of our adventure was going to be really important from the off. We took advantage of all the kit that the media team provided, as well as the cameras that crew had brought to capture the action. “It is just the simple pleasure of looking back over the videos, photos and blogs and being reminded of one of the thousands of memories that you find hard to believe are real when you have returned to your normal life.”

Team Coordinator This is a highly demanding role as the Team Coordinator is responsible for the majority of administration related to the day to day running of a race yacht. The Skipper’s time requires careful management and it is important for them not to try and micro manage the campaign. The Team Coordinator will normally liaise with the Clipper Race Manager and the Boat Secretary to ensure that the Skipper is presented with all pertinent information in a timely manner. Via the Team Coordinator, the Skipper can then delegate tasks to the various other heads of department within the team.

82

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

02 Safety Officer The role of the Safety Officer (SO) is to ensure that all safety equipment is checked and maintained in a fully operational condition. The role will include ensuring that all safety equipment is on board prior to the start, is fully operational and undamaged and if relevant is within its service dates. The role also includes ensuring that all crew are kept up to date and trained on how to use the safety equipment correctly i.e. running fire drill practice. The SO will also ensure that new crew joining the yacht are fully briefed on the operation of safety equipment and are familiar with drills.

Stopover Manager

Boat Secretary Helps to co-ordinate team events/contacts and acts as a useful focal point for communications to the Skipper and Team Coordinator. This is a great position for someone doing a later leg of the race as a lot of their job requires them to have a decent internet connection and the ability to provide information for leggers waiting to join the boat. The boat secretary will normally also manage the team’s social media threads.

Social Secretary This role would either suit a round the world crew member or a group of leggers acting as a committee. Responsibilities include: Organising all crew social events, crew parties, management of the crew kitty, sorting out crew entertainment whilst racing and the organisation of crew clothing. This role requires significant commitment prior to the start and at each stop over.

The Stopover Manager works in conjunction with the Skipper and the Team Coordinator to manage the day to day maintenance and activities that are required to be carried out during each of the stopovers. This position requires a lot of commitment in port and will normally be shared around the crew from stopover to stopover to ensure everyone gets their fair share of R+R between races. Crew members with hands on project and man management experience would be well suited to this role.

Bosun The Bosun is responsible for the routine maintenance, care and repair of all sailing related deck equipment including sails, standing and running rigging, winches, halyards, sheets, guys, blocks, stanchions, guard wires, dinghy, etc. The Bosun will organize the repairs and maintenance pre-start, during each leg and at each stopover port, ensuring sufficient spares and tools are carried on board and topped up when used. They are also responsible for ensuring the deck and hull of the yacht look clean, tidy and free from rust stains before arrival in port. Some training will be given for this role prior to the start. While the Bosun manages all of the above, they will be calling on team mates of assistance with the rolling jobs list.

Quartermaster/Chief Victualler This role carries significant amounts of responsibility. The role of the Quartermaster is to ensure that all the correct supplies are purchased, prepared, loaded and correctly stowed aboard prior to the start of each race. Their main responsibilities include: Organising the menu plan (taking into account the nutritional and dietary requirements of the crew for each specific leg), organising the purchases of food stores in each port, managing the menu whilst at sea, tracking the usage of stores and implementing stock takes pre-stopover. This position would ideally suit a round the world crewmember with experience in organising logistics, menus and food supplies for large groups of people. The Quartermaster will be assisted by several other crewmembers at each stopover and will also be responsible for managing the yacht’s food budget on the Skipper’s behalf.

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

83

HIGHLIGHTS

84

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

02 International Regulations for Prevention of Collisions at Sea (COLREGS)

Rule 12 Sailing vessels a) When two sailing vessels are approaching one another so as to involve risk of collision, one of them shall keep out of the way of other as follows:

As you will know from your Level 1 training, the International Regulations for Prevention of Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) incorporate a vast number of rules. It is very important that everyone who goes to sea has a good understanding of the rules in order to enable each of us to play our part in preventing a collision at sea. It is not our intention to present you with all of the rules of the road here. There are many books which already do this and some of these can be found in the further reading section. However, we will highlight a few selected rules that have particular relevance to the race and sailing vessels.



i. When each has the wind on a different side, the vessel which has the wind on the port side shall keep out of the way of the other;



ii. When both have the wind on the same side, the vessel which is to windward shall keep out of the way of the vessel which is to leeward;



iii. If a vessel with the wind on the port side sees a vessel to windward and cannot determine with certainty whether the

Rule 5

other vessel has the wind on the port or starboard side, she

Look out

shall keep out of the way of the other.

Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and the risk of collision.

Rule 7 Risk of collision Every vessel shall use all available means appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions to determine if risk of collision exists. If there is any doubt such risk shall be deemed to exist.

b) For the purposes of this rule the windward side shall be deemed to be the side opposite to that on which the mainsail is carried or, in the case of a square rigged vessel, the side opposite to that on which the largest fore-and-aft sail is carried.

Rule 16 Action by give way vessel Every vessel which is directed to keep out of the way of another vessel shall, as far as possible, take early and substantial action to keep well clear.

A yacht should take a series of compass bearings on a closing vessel. Unless the bearings change appreciably, a risk of collision exists.

Rule 17 (abridged) Action by stand on vessel a) i. Where one of two vessels is to keep out of the way, the other shall keep her course and speed

ii.  The latter vessel may, however, take action to avoid collision by her manoeuvre alone as soon as it becomes apparent to her that the vessel required to keep out of the way is not taking appropriate action in compliance with the rules.

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

85

SAILS Headsail Changes The speed of a headsail change is not measured by the overall evolution time but by the time that the yacht does not have a trimmed headsail up, otherwise known as being bareheaded. To minimise the time for which the yacht is bareheaded, a racing change is usually done.

Great care should be taken not to let go of the end, even when the halyard is connected to the new sail. As with the sheets, the snakepit crew should control the tension on the halyard to allow the bowman to work unimpeded.

Preparation •  The new sail should be brought up from below tack first and pulled up to the bow along the windward side of the boat. •  The new sail is tacked on to the appropriate deck strop and then hanked on to the bottom of the forestay by the bowman, who will be in the pulpit. Depending on which sail is already flying the lower two hanks may need to be undone on the existing sail. •  The headsail halyard is put on to the appropriate winch, the jammer released and the halyard flaked to ensure a smooth drop. •  The sail bag is taken down below and the foredeck crew should place themselves along the foot of the sail. The furthest forward crew member should be as close to the tack of the sail as possible as he or she will be vital in gathering in and controlling the major part of the sail. Dropping the old sail •  On the bowman’s signal the halyard is smoothly eased out so that the bowman can release the hanks of the old sail as they drop down to his or her level. The speed of the drop should be matched with the speed at which the bowman can undo the hanks. •  The foredeck crew gathering in the sail should tie it securely with pre-positioned sail ties as quickly as possible and then two of them stand by to sweat the halyard. •  When the old sail is safely under control, the cockpit crew ease the sheets in order that they may be changed from the old clew to the new and one member goes forward in order to change the leeward sheet car to its new setting. The windward car can be changed while the foredeck crew are preparing the hoist. •  The foredeck crew member at the clew of the sail should change the sheets from one sail to another as soon as possible. The working sheet should be changed first. The cockpit crew should closely observe this operation so as to give the right amount of slack whenever it is required. •  Once the old sail is completely un-hanked the bowman swaps the halyard from the head of the old sail to the head of the new sail.

86

Clipper Race Crew Manual

Raising the new sail • When the bowman, the mast men and the cockpit crew are ready the sail is hoisted smartly. The final tension is applied under the control of the bowman at the pulpit. • During the hoist the cockpit crew should endeavour to ease enough sheet so that the hoisting party is not battling against a partially filled sail but at the same time trying not to let the sail flog excessively. • Once the sail has been hoisted it is then trimmed immediately.

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS Communication is the secret here. The bow team, snake pit and cockpit need to work in unison. Remember communication is not just verbal; keep your head up and watch what is happening in other parts of the boat so you can react to their needs.

Tidying up • The old sail should be brought back on the windward side of the boat and neatly flaked with the luff forward. Be careful to pack it in the correct bag and have the tack end of the bag matched with the tack of the sail. • The sail bag is taken down below and the foredeck crew should place themselves along the foot of the old sail. These crew should position themselves as near to the tack of the sail as possible as they need to control and gather the main bulk of the sail.

LEVEL

02 Basic sail trim The purpose of this section is not to be an exhaustive guide to sail trim (the web and books in the recommended reading section are excellent) but to give the basic theory of how sails work as well as how to maximise their performance. Your training and race Skippers will spend a large portion of the training time talking to you and teaching you about sail trim. And rightly so; the difference of 0.1 knot in boat speed equates to 2.4 miles each day which, at the very least, gives you about 20 minutes extra in port and, at worst, could be the difference between first and last place.

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS Good boat speed is vital when racing, without it you will soon drift to the back of the fleet. Always remember, TRIM, TRIM, TRIM and then TRIM again!

Definitions Before we can start discussing sail trim we need to define a common language. Only once we are able to describe sail shape can we look at the difference it can make to a boat’s performance. Draught – This is the depth of the sail at its deepest point

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; and the realist adjusts the sails. William Arthur Ward

Chord length – This is the horizontal distance from a sail’s luff to a leech. Draught position – This is the position of maximum draught. It is measured along the chord length from the mast and is usually expressed as a percentage. For example, if a sail’s maximum draught is half way between the luff and leech the draught position would be 50 percent.

Luff Draught position Basic sail shape can be described by the amount of draught and its position along the chord length

Draught

Chord length

Leech

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

87

SAILS How sails work The theory of lift In order to sail we rely on air flowing around a sail (or wing). As air flows over the two surfaces of the sail, the air on the inner (concave) surface is slowed slightly but has a shorter distance to travel than the air passing over the outside (convex) surface. The result of this is that air passing over the outside surface of the sail accelerates. If it did not accelerate, a vacuum would form which nature will not allow and therefore air accelerates to fill this potential vacuum. Air flowing around the outside convex surface travels faster than the air on the inner concave surface.

We have now established that air accelerates as it flows around the outside of a sail. Bernoulli’s principle states, “As the velocity of a fluid increases, the pressure exerted by that fluid decreases.” Therefore the air flowing around the outside of the sail exerts a relatively low pressure on the sail and creates lift. It is this lift that drives the boat forward.

High Pressure

Low Pressure

Difference in pressure creates lift

The lift acts as perpendicular to the sail at the point of maximum draught. The lift generated has two components – one forward and one sideways. Assuming the shape of the sail does not change, when the sail is sheeted in the lift produces a lot of sideways force, and when the sail is eased out, then the lift produces lots of forward force, and a little sideways force. If the air flowing around the outside did not flow faster a vacuum would form at the leech

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS Never be afraid to re trim the sails but always do it in measurable steps. This way if your changes cause the boat to slow down you can return the sails to the original settings and return the boat to its original speed. It is only through trial and error that you will learn the intricacies of sail trim.

88

Clipper Race Crew Manual

The forward component acts against drag (friction) caused by the air and the water and what is left causes the boat to accelerate. When the forward component equals the drag, the yacht is travelling as fast as it can in the conditions (i.e. it is no longer accelerating). The sideways force acts against the lateral resistance of the keel, rudder and hull. The keel and rudder also act as foils, and generate their own lift as they travel through the water. In order to maximise the boat’s speed in the right direction, we want to minimise the resultant sideways force and any drag caused, whilst maximising the resultant forward force. Two or more sails can be used together to increase the lift generated. When the sails are set together correctly then the combined lift generated is greater than the sum of both sails independently. So, when setting the headsails, think about how they affect the main and vice versa. The spinnaker also acts as an aerofoil. It also interacts with the mainsail.

LEVEL

02 Use of ‘tell tales’ Tell tales are very simple and highly effective trimming devices attached to the luff of headsails and the leach of the mainsail. We shall explain the use of leach tell tales in the Level 3 section of this manual. There are two important factors to remember when using tell tales on headsails. Firstly, they will not work when sailing deep downwind because if the apparent wind is very far aft, the sails are no longer working as aerofoils. The second point to bear in mind is that they work most effectively once the correct amount of leach twist has been set. This is done by moving the sheet cars to the appropriate position. We shall explain this in more detail after looking at how tell tales work.

The reason this happens is because there is not enough air passing over that side of the sail to keep a good laminar flow of air attached to the inside of the sail. Conversely, if the boat is sailing too far away from the wind then the outside (leeward) tell tales will start to flutter due to them not getting enough clean air passing across them.

Tell tales are a visual representation of how well the air is flowing over either side of the sail. If the tell tales on both the windward and leeward sides of the sail are flowing straight along the sail in a fore and aft direction, there is a good, equal and attached laminar flow of air over the sail. The tell tales will start to flutter and point upwards when there is turbulent air on one side of the sail.

What we aim to see is the leeward tell tales steaming straight aft and the windward ones pointing just slightly up from the horizontal. This will provide the best compromise between speed and pointing ability, or Velocity Made Good (VMG) to windward.

The easiest way to understand tell tales is when sailing as close to the wind as possible. When sailing close hauled, the headsails are sheeted in as close to the centreline as possible, and the tell tales can be used to steer the boat by. If the boat is pointing too close to the wind then the inside (windward) tell tales will start to point up and flutter.

As soon as our course dictates that we start to ease sheets, tell tales are used to assess how well trimmed our headsails are. If the windward tell tales start to flutter, see figure 2, we need to sheet on and present more of the inside face of the sail to the wind, thereby re-attaching a good laminar flow of air to that side of the sail. If the leeward tell tales start to flutter, see figure 3, we need to ease the sheet and present more of the outside of the sail to the wind. One final point to remember is that a sail is always most efficient just before its point of collapse. It is therefore best to ease the sheet until the windward tell tales just start to break away and flutter and then sheet the sail back in a small amount until both sides are streaming nicely fore and aft along the sail.

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

89

SAILS Headsail car position Our aim when setting headsail cars is to have an equal amount of tension on the foot and the leach of the sail. If the car sits too far forward on the track, the leach becomes tight before the foot and we lose drive from the lower parts of the sail. If the car is too far aft, the foot becomes tight before the leach and air will spill out of the upper parts of the sail, this is known as twist. We can use our tell tales to assess if we have too much or not enough twist in our headsails.

If we luff up and the bottom windward tell tale starts to flutter first, it indicates that the sail has too little twist and not enough air is flowing past the bottom parts of the sail. To correct for this we move the car aft. If we luff up and all the windward tell tales break and flutter simultaneously then we have the correct amount of twist.

A good rule of thumb when initially setting headsail cars is to have the sheet angle bisecting the sail and pointing to approximately half way up the luff of the sail.

From this starting point, we can then use the tell tales for fine tuning. If we deliberately point a little too close to the wind (luff up) and watch the tell tales, we will normally see that either the top or the bottom windward tell tale will start to flutter first. If the top flutters first, it indicates that the sail has too much twist and the top of the sail is spilling air. To correct for this we move the car forward.

90

Clipper Race Crew Manual

This method works when reaching under white sails too. After we bear away and ease the sheet then we need to move the car forward to bring the top windward tell tale back into line as easing the sheet changes the sheeting angle of the sail. We would normally only do this if we are planning to stay on the same point of sail for a decent amount of time as moving the cars when the sheet is loaded can be a little tricky. When we change to a different sized headsail, we always need to move the cars. This is because the clew of the sail sits further forward the smaller the sail is and therefore the sheeting angle changes. Once you start sailing on your own boat on Level 4 training, you will compile a list of different car positions for different sails on all points of the wind. This will allow you to quickly set the cars during headsail evolutions.

LEVEL

02

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

91

SITUATIONS Emergency Situations and Sea Survival

Search and Rescue

Safety is the number one priority during training and on the race. Before you race oceans you must be familiar with all the safety equipment and procedures on board.

abandon ship the whole Clipper Race fleet, as well as any

To maximise your chances of survival at sea four priorities need to be attended to: protection, location, water and food.

In the event of a yacht having a man overboard or having to commercial vessels in the area, will be required to assist with the search and rescue operation.

Helicopter rescue Before a rescue helicopter initiates a rescue they will contact the boat via VHF radio. Always remember that they are experts and their instructions should be carefully followed. Everyone on board needs to be briefed about what is going to happen as when the helicopter is overhead it is very noisy on the yacht and communication is almost impossible.

Protection Attend to any injuries or disabilities and set up the canopy to provide protection from the elements.

Location You must be located, seen and heard by rescuers. Equipment for this ranges from emergency locator transmitters, night and day flares and distress rockets to strobe lights, whistle, torch and reflective tape.

Water Sourcing drinkable water is difficult at sea. Generally you need at least two litres of water each day to sustain normal bodily functions. Without water most people will not survive longer than three to four days.

Food An average adult can survive 25 to 30 days without food. Do not eat until your water problem is solved. Food such as chocolate and fish require water to digest them and, as such, are not ideal emergency rations.

Below is a guide, but remember each circumstance is different and the aircrew are in charge, so it is important to follow the instructions that they give you to the letter. • Stow all loose gear on deck as the downdraught from the helicopter is very strong • If necessary use a hand held flare or smoke flare as a signal to

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS It has always been the tradition at sea to help those in danger and should we get into trouble we can still rely on this today. But remember the cavalry is not necessarily going to come charging over the horizon immediately. Although the response will be instant, the closest rescuers may be hundreds of miles away and will take time to reach you.

92

Clipper Race Crew Manual

the helicopters. Never use a rocket flare if a helicopter is nearby • Always follow the pilot’s instructions • The helicopter will lower a lightweight line. This line develops a static charge as it is being lowered so you should not touch it until it has been earthed by being dipped in the water • Once you have hold of the end of the line the diver will be lowered. Pull in the line and flake it into a bucket •

When the diver indicates, pull him on board

•

The diver will then take charge of the situation

LEVEL

02 Abandonment to liferaft The thought of having to abandon a yacht and seek the sanctuary of a liferaft is a sobering one and, for the majority of us, it is something we will never have to experience.

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS We all hope that we will never have to abandon our boat but we must always be prepared. Make sure you know the location of all of the liferafts and how to launch them in an emergency but remember: your best chance of survival is to stay with the yacht for as long as possible.

Before we go to sea it is important that we understand the process in case the worst should happen. One of the major lessons learnt from the Fastnet Race disaster of 1979 was that the yacht remains your best survival craft and should never be abandoned unless it is on the point of sinking. Of the 48

If the decision to abandon ship is made then the actions

yachts abandoned during the storm, 38 were later recovered. By

to be taken are as follows:

contrast, five of the 15 crews who took to the liferafts reported that they were capsized by the seas and one liferaft broke up completely. The design of liferafts has been greatly improved but the simple lesson is stay with the yacht whenever possible. Each Clipper 70 has three 12 person liferafts, thus enabling the entire crew to be saved even if one raft should be lost. It is important that everyone on board knows where the liferafts are stowed and how they are launched. The liferafts are only used on command from the Skipper or senior person present and will only

• Crew musters on deck with lifejackets and oil skins. If time allows, spare warm clothing should be stuffed into oilskins pockets and survival suits should be worn •

Send distress message by all means possible

•

Gather grab bags containing:



-



- EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating and Reporting Beacon)



-

be used in extremes, i.e if the vessel is sinking or if there is an uncontrollable fire. It should be noted that stability and protection from the elements are largely a matter of size, thus the Clipper 70 provides greater potential for safety than a life raft. Only extreme damage should lead to the abandonment of a vessel since the use of emergency pumps and watertight bulkheads and doors can control flooding.

Emergency rations and survival equipment

SART (Search and Rescue Transponder)

- Torches

-

Hand held VHF radio and GPS



-

Additional food, flares and water should also be collected



-

Documents such as log book, charts and passports



-

Medical kit and personal medication

• Liferafts should be launched on the leeward side after checking that the painter is attached. If the boat is on fire it may need to be launched to the windward side • Strong members of the crew should board each liferaft first in order to load stores and assist those weaker than themselves. Try and stay dry when boarding the liferaft • The liferafts should then be tied together and the painter cut allowing the liferaft to drift clear of the vessel • Everyone should take sea sickness pills once on board the liferaft •

Everyone should also urinate after getting in the liferaft

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

93

SITUATIONS

94

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

02 RYA Sea Survival A one day course providing an understanding of how to use the safety equipment on board your boat. A genuine lifesaver The one day basic sea survival course consists of theory sessions in a classroom followed by a practical session in an indoor swimming pool. All the instructors are approved RYA Sea Survival Instructors with over 25 years practical experience. They are supported by fully qualified lifeguards and all the instructors are first aid qualified. On commencement of the training all students are required to complete a short medical questionnaire, this won’t restrict any student , it is only required to inform the instructors if additional precautions need to be introduced to the practical session, such as inhalers etc.

The theory session consists of four presentations on the following: Session 1: Principles of survival (the basics) Subjects covered •

Principles of survival

•

Survival requirement (what makes you a survivor)

• Prevention • Protection • Location • Water • Food Session 2: Modern lifesaving equipment Subjects covered • Lifejackets •

Launching a liferaft

•

Actions on entering a liferaft

•

Righting a liferaft

•

Casualty recovery

•

Immediate actions on boarding a liferaft

•

Secondary actions on boarding a liferaft

Session 3: Medical aspect to sea survival Subjects covered •

Effects of immersion

•

Cold shock

•

Protective measures

•

Long term immersion

• Hypothermia •

Post immersion

•

Secondary drowning

• Frostbite •

Heat exhaustion

• Burns Session 4: Location and recovery Subjects covered •

Rescue equipment and how to use it

•

How to be rescued using a rescue vessel and helicopter

Session 5: Practical This session is designed to put into practical use the lessons learnt during the theory sessions. You will spend up to a maximum of two hours in the pool area. All trainees will be wearing 150N lifejackets during the practical session. The practical session will cover: • How to inflate a liferaft and transfer a full complement of crew into the raft from the poolside and from the water •

Immediate actions on boarding

•

How to right a capsized liferaft

•

How to haul a casualty into a raft

•

How to tow an unconscious person

•

Assistance using throwing line to recover nearby survivor

You will be awarded the one day RYA Sea Survival Certificate on completion of the course. You will also be given a sea survival booklet.

Clipper Race Training - Part 2

95

96

LEVEL 3 © Copyright 2018 Clipper Ventures plc. All right reserved.

97

OVERVIEW

98

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

03 Level 3 Training Total duration: Time on water:

6 Days 5 Days

While continuing to draw on the skills learnt on the previous levels, Level 3 will introduce you to the Clipper 70 and asymmetric spinnaker work. This level enables you to further develop your sailing skills and acquire new sail trim and racing techniques in an offshore environment. After a day of Level 1 and 2 consolidation, you will head offshore to sail around a simulated race course. The course will incorporate plenty of spinnaker drills. Although the procedures and general deck handling of a Clipper 70 are the same as on a Clipper 68, the Clipper 70’s are faster, more powerful and less forgiving to sail. They feel very different on the helm and require different trim settings to attain their maximum performance potential. The hull shape is designed for achieving electrifying speeds down wind and as a result, they can be hard to get in the groove when sailing on the wind. The 70s are real racing thoroughbreds that in the right hands can deliver excellent performance. The key difference is the type of spinnakers used. The 70s utilise asymmetrical spinnakers flying from a fixed bowsprit, whereas the 68’s employed symmetrical spinnakers with twin poles. The use of asymmetric spinnakers simplifies the processes for rigging and gybing the sail and also changes the way in which the boat has to be sailed tactically. An asymmetrical spinnaker cannot be sailed as deep downwind as a symmetrical spinnaker. This means that to achieve a decent Velocity Made Good (VMG) downwind the boat must be gybed more frequently.

Course content Pre-course reading

Talks and demonstrations

Practical experience

Racing Rules

70 Orientation

Review Level 1 and Level 2 Topics

Advanced Sail Trim

Racing Rules

Clipper 70 Familiarisation



Start Line Tactics

Spinnaker Hoists



Advanced Sail Trim

Spinnaker Trim



Spinnaker Gybes



Spinnaker Drops



Helm Coaching



Advanced Sail Trim



MOB under Spinnaker



Race Boat Handling Skills

Qualifications gained at Level 3 World Sailing Offshore Safety Certificate

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

99

SYLLABUS This syllabus is a guide to the typical course content for this level of training. The course content may vary, perhaps due to weather conditions and crew members’ skill set. 6 days, crew arrive at 0830 on first day and depart at 1700 on last day Day 1 WS Offshore Safety Course (0845 Start) Crew join the boat at 1700 and commence full safety brief as per the annex in the SOP’s Clipper Race Crew Assessment

Day 2 and 3 Complete safety brief as per the annex in the SOP’s Recap on previous training including • Upwind work, tacking and running backstays • Downwind work, use of foreguy and gybing • Reefing • Racing headsail Changes (changing up to bigger sails only) MOB including recovery, use of harness, and use of scramble net (including tethered MOB)

Day 4 to 6 Asymmetric Spinnaker Training to include: • Setting up the asymmetric kite ready to hoist • Hoisting the Kite • Show and explain the reason for leaving the lazy sheet/tack retrieval line ready for a letterbox drop • Dropping the Spinnaker (do this before gybing so crew understand the actions if needed) • Gybing the Spinnaker with a foreguy • Helming with a Spinnaker • Trimming a Spinnaker including Sheet Mainsheet Traveler Tack line What to do in a broach, dump the vang! • MOB under kite including recovery, use of harness, and use of scramble net

100

Clipper Race Crew Manual

Offshore race training • Crew to be given a race course to sail round • Crew in watches to simulate a race and whilst keeping the boat racing carry out duties including Mother Watch Engineers Safety checks Proper use of ships log Ensuring weather forecast are obtained by VHF Racing rules and race tactics theory chats and then to be applied practically, to include • Practise Race starts • Sail selection • Upwind Performance headsail and mainsail fine tuning Angle of attack Shape (draught) Twist Changing ‘gears’ on the boat to suit prevailing conditions • Definitions Clear astern Clear ahead Overlap Keep clear Leeward and windward Obstruction Proper Course Luffing • Mark Rounding and giving mark-room • IRPCS (not RRS) at night

Day 6 • • • •

Yachts to return between 0100-0400 Clipper Race Crew Assessment re-sit (if required) Deep clean and debrief Crew depart at 1700

LEVEL

03 Introduction to the asymmetric spinnaker

Preparing for hoist: • Bring the spinnaker on deck and make sure to immediately attach the bag to the guard rails on the leeward side,

Asymmetric spinnakers operate more like a yankee, generating lift from the side, rather than the top like a symmetric spinnaker. This makes asymmetric a better choice on reaching courses, than symmetric spinnakers which excel when running. Due to this, when using asymmetric spinnakers, a better VMG downwind can be achieved if you sail at a shallower

as far forward as possible on the foredeck • Next, the sheets need attaching to the clew of the sail. The sheets need to run outside of everything and come back over the top of the guardrails before attaching to the sail. Make sure the lazy sheet does not drop over the end of the bowsprit and get pulled under the boat • The tack line should be then run either under the sheets (for outside gybes) or over the sheets (for inside gybes) and attached to the tack of the spinnaker • The tack of the sail then needs ‘sneaking’ to the end of the bowsprit, by hauling in on the tack line. We are now ready to hoist the sail.

angle and gybe more often, rather than trying to sail too deep and slow. Another advantage of asymmetric spinnakers over symmetrical spinnakers is that they have fewer control lines and are easier to set up, hoist, control and drop. The tack attaches to a tack line run to the end of the bowsprit, the head to a halyard and the two sheets to the clew. However, unlike a yankee, the luff is not hanked on to the forestay and is instead ‘loose luffed’. This allows the sail shape to be dramatically changed by tensioning or loosening the halyard.

Lazy Sheet Tack Line

Active Sheet Spinnaker bag

Outside Gybe

Inside Gybe

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

101

SAILS

The hoist The helm needs to steer a course deep downwind so that the main and headsail blanket the spinnaker, allowing it to be hoisted all the way without filling prematurely

Crew positions: •  Sheet trimmer needs to be in a position they can see the luff of the sail and communicate well with the helm. The trimmer should NOT sheet on until they hear the call of ‘made’ from the halyard sweater • Grinders need to be ready on the coffee grinders to sheet on the sail once the trimmer calls ‘grind!’ • Pit crew ready to adjust the tack line and tail spinnaker halyard (prepared to grind the last of the halyard if the sail fills before a full hoist can be completed by the mast crew) • One or two mast crew ready to sweat the halyard •  Bowman on foredeck ready to help spinnaker out of the bag • Once all crew are in position and ready, the command to, “hoist!” is given by person running the deck (usually the watch leader or Skipper) • Halyard is sweated until the head of the sail reaches the top of the mast; sweaters then call, “halyard made!” • Once the trimmers hear the call of, “made” they sheet on hard and fast to pop the wool and open the spinnaker • Crew then swiftly drop and secure the headsail on the foredeck to allow the spinnaker to breath and fly properly • The helm then settles the boat onto course and starts a steady dialogue with the trimmer. Together they helm the boat and trim the sail to attain maximum VMG downwind •

102

Clipper Race Crew Manual

Tack line is adjusted to create appropriate luff tension

LEVEL

03 Trimming an asymmetric spinnaker

Flying a spinnaker well requires excellent communication between the trimmer, and constant attention to the sheet. The trimmer should always have their eyes on the luff of the spinnaker, watching for the amount it curls. A well trimmed spinnaker should always have a small amount of luff curl as this indicates the sail is eased as far as it can be before it collapses (remember, a sail is most efficient just before its point of collapse).

Conversely, if the luff is not curling at all then the sail is over-sheeted and the boat will be sailing slowly. In this case, the sheet needs to be eased until the luff starts to curl again.

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS It is vital the crew work as a team, the helm will constantly be looking for feedback from the trimmer and the navigator/tactician to make sure the racing yacht is in the best position relative to your competitors.

If the luff starts to curl dramatically and it looks like the whole sail is about to back and collapse, the sheet needs tensioning.

under trimmed

correctly trimmed

over trimmed

The trimmer’s goal should be to keep the sheet as eased as

The aim is to keep the sail fully powered up whilst sailing as

possible without the spinnaker collapsing. The trimmer should

far downwind as possible. In the stronger gusts, the helm will

also be providing a constant flow of information to the helm about

be able to bear away whilst keeping the sail pulling well, but when

how much pressure/power there is in the sail. I.e:

the wind goes light, the helm must head up to keep plenty of

•

“I’m losing pressure in the sheet, come up higher.” Or...

•

“I’ve got a lot of pressure here, come down lower.”

drive in the sail by increasing the apparent wind strength. Spinnaker trim takes time and practice to get right. The more time you can spend trimming the spinnaker during training, the better.

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

103

HELMING Tack line

Helming Downwind

The tack line should be seen as an active trimming component and although it is not adjusted as often as the sheet, it will still require regular attention and adjustment.

The importance of the spinnaker trimmer

The tack line controls the tension in the luff of the spinnaker and due to this, also moves the draft position in the sail, fore and aft. After the initial setting of the sail, the tack line should be adjusted using the following rules of thumb:

Helming downwind on reaches and runs is a highly dynamic exercise that requires excellent communication between the trimmer and helm. The spinnaker trimmer often has the best feel of the boat’s performance as they can feel the pressure in the spinnaker via the sheet. Working together as a team allows the helm to take advantage of slight changes in wind conditions.

• If the tack line is angled to leeward or if the luff becomes unstable, tighten the tack line. If the tack line is angled to windward and you want to open up the upper luff, ease the tack line • Generally, the closer to the wind you sail, the tighter you want the tack line, in order to keep the luff as straight as possible • As you bear away down wind and start sailing deeper, the tack line needs easing to allow the luff to open up, float away from the bow and eventually, when sailing deep enough downwind, rotate to windward • The tighter the tack line, the more stable the spinnaker will be. If you are finding you cannot ease the sheet sufficiently to achieve correct trim without the sail becoming very prone to collapse, take in some tack line • In lighter conditions, easing the tack line helps the spinnaker to breath and creates a better sail shape for light airs • Before hoisting or gybing, the tack line should be brought right in to keep the spinnaker as stable as possible during the manoeuvre

The spinnaker trimmer is also in the best position to tell the helm when to sail higher and lower, dependent on how much load is in the spinnaker sheet. As the wind builds and the load on the sheet increases, the trimmer should tell the helm to come down (sail deep). In strong winds, it is possible to sail very deep downwind without sacrificing boat speed. Conversely, as the wind decreases and the load on the sheet drops, the trimmer can call the helm up (sail higher). Sailing higher increases the apparent wind speed which, in turn, enables you to sail faster. It should be noted however that as your angle to the wind is higher, less of your progress is toward your destination downwind! For this reason it is always a good idea to keep a watchful eye on the VMG to the waypoint, or away from the wind. This information is provided by the on board instruments. When sailing higher on the wind with an asymmetric spinnaker, not only does the spinnaker sheet require lots of attention but so too does the mainsheet.

104

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

03 Trimming on and easing out on the mainsail will move the centre of effort aft and forward in the sail plan, which will have a big effect on the balance of the boat. If the boat is trying to turn towards the wind all the time and the helm starts to get heavy (weather helm), the mainsail should be eased and depowered. However, if the mainsail is eased too much when reaching under spinnaker, it will become backwinded by the spinnaker and disturb the clean flow of air coming off the leech of the sail, which increases drag and decreases lift. In short, if the mainsail is back winding, the spinnaker will not be performing very well and the boat will be sailing slowly. Often if this is the case, the boat will sail faster and more upright with a yankee flying, rather than the spinnaker.

Helming downwind with an asymmetric spinnaker

It is very unlikely that you will spend much time sailing dead downwind with an asymmetric spinnaker flying, as this is not the fastest way to get downwind in the majority of conditions. However the one exception to this is in very strong winds where target boat speeds can be achieved even when the wind is dead astern. This tactic can be risky though as the boat is less stable and quick, instinctive helm inputs will be required to prevent the sail from wrapping around the forestay during a collapse.

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

105

HELMING

Helming on a broad reach

In most conditions, the best way achieve a high VMG to a destination directly downwind of your position is to sail on a broad reach, aiming to sail as low as possible without dropping below the boat’s target speed for the prevailing true wind strength. If the wind then shifts far enough aft to make the other gybe favourable, the boat should be gybed and the same process repeated on the opposite gybe. As we mentioned earlier when looking at trimming the spinnaker, the general principle of sailing fast downwind is to sail deeper in the gusts and sail higher in the lulls to keep the boat speed and apparent wind up.

Be aware that helming a boat is not a numbers game and over time you should aim to use as many sources of information as possible to assess how well you are performing. If you constantly focus on the instruments and pay no attention to how the boat feels then you will always be playing catch up. During your training, make sure you spend some time helming the boat with your eyes closed and concentrate on the feel of the wind on your face and neck, how much the boat is healing, how much pressure you feel over the rudder through the wheel. This will help you to learn to trust your instincts and work with the elements to keep the boat on its feet rather than chase numbers around the dial due to lag in the instruments. (It should however be stressed that you must inform one of your instructors before trying this).

Be proactive Good helming requires you to be proactive rather than reactive. If you are constantly reacting to the information conveyed by the

Helming is as much about trusting your senses as it is about reading instruments Good helming is essential on all points of sail in order to keep the

instruments and compass, you will always be trying to catch them up, will sail less of a straight line and will require more input from the helm.

boat performing to her maximum potential speed. Helming is a skill

Larger helm input slows the boat down because the more angled

that can take some time to perfect and no matter how much time

the rudder is; the more hydrodynamic drag is exerted on the boat.

you spend on the wheel, each time you do a stint, you will improve.

The sooner you act, the less you will need to turn the wheel and the faster the boat will sail.

106

Clipper Race Crew Manual

CONTROLLING A BROACH

LEVEL

03

If you are on the helm in big wind and sea conditions, there is always a chance that you may end up a little high on the wind, with the sail starting to overpower. Before you know what’s happening, the boat can “broach”.

A broach is a rapid, uncontrolled turn, usually to windward.

If the boat is trying to broach regularly, either the sail plan or

If the boat starts to broach, the pit crew should be instructed

course needs adjusting to prevent the boat being sailed at the

to immediately dump the vang and the mainsheet, which helps

edge of her performance envelope. A couple of big broaches

depower the mainsail and move the centre of effort forward in

are normally enough to cause major damage to the spinnaker

the sail plan. The spinnaker sheet should also be rapidly eased

and often on the third, the sail will explode completely.

(but not dumped) to help reduce the heel of the boat and make the rudder more effective again. Pumping the helm back and forth can also help the rudder to start working correctly as often, it is the fact that the rudder has stalled that caused the broach in the first place.

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS  bove all else, the most important thing is that A you understand what you are trying to achieve and appreciate that boat speed should be your primary focus when helming the boat on any point of sail.

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

107

OF GYBING

Gybing Gybing with an asymmetric tends to be simpler than gybing a symmetrical spinnaker, due to the reduced number of control lines to be attended to. However, timing, excellent communication and coordinated team work are essential if the gybe is to run smoothly. There are also two methods of gybing an asymmetric spinnaker that

Listed below are the steps required for both methods: • Tack line to be pulled on tight to straighten the luff and stabilise the sail •

Helm keeps the boat on a steady course, normally a broad



reach while;

-  Bowman checks that both sheets are free to run and that the lazy sheet has not dropped below the end of the bowsprit (usually only a problem in outside gybes) -  Active trimmer ensures that slack from the working sheet is flaked and free to run -  Second trimmer loads the new sheet onto the new winch -  Two crew ready on the grinder, ready to take in the last of

you are likely to use dependent on wind strength:

the sheet after the second trimmer has tailed in all they can. (Double check that the grinder is directed to the correct

In stronger winds The sail should be gybed outside of itself with the sheets running

•

Foreguy is disconnected and main sail is centred

outside of the tack line as mentioned earlier in the Preparing for a

•

Running backstays are switched over

Hoist section.

In lighter winds The sail can be gybed between its own luff and the forestay. This is known as an inside gybe and the sheets should be run between the tack line and forestay.

108

winch and that the winch is in top gear)

Clipper Race Crew Manual

• Main trimmer stands by for a big ease on the mainsheet once the mainsail has gybed over.

LEVEL

03 The next six steps must be performed simultaneously as one fluid manoeuvre to ensure the boat does not come out of the gybe either too slowly and wrap the spinnaker, or too fast with the sail flogging hard on the new gybe. The key aim is to have the clew of the spinnaker sufficiently eased so that it floats around from one side to the other as the boat passes through directly downwind:

• Helm calls, “helm to weather” and starts

• Once the clew has gone forward of

a slow but continuous turn downwind,

the forestay the new sheet trimmer

only aiming to stop the turn as the

works with the grinders to rapidly

boat come out on the other gybe on

sheet the spinnaker into the roughly

a broad reach – around 110-130

correct trim for the new gybe, as

degrees Apparent Wind Angle (AWA),

the old trimmer let’s fly and completely

depending on wind strength.”They

dumps the old sheet

must keep the turn going at all times throughout the manoeuvre but should adjust their rate of turn to keep in sync with the two sheet trimmers • The trimmer on the old active sheet gives large, continuous eases, to send the clew of the spinnaker right forward of the forestay as the boat reaches dead downwind, then prepares to dump the sheet

• As the mainsail flicks over to the new side, the mainsheet trimmer rapidly eases the mainsheet so that the boat does not round up too fast, and allows for the foreguy to be swiftly re-attached on the new side

completely once the new sheet has the load of the sail and the clew is gybed over to the correct side

• While the old sheet is being eased, the trimmer on the new sheet tails in the slack that they are receiving on their sheet. They need to be careful not to take too much weight on

• NB: After the old sheet has been released, it needs to be kept under control to prevent it dropping under the end of the bowsprit and potentially getting pulled under the boat

their sheet until the clew has floated around to the new side of the forestay Please Note: If the sail is being gybed inside the tack, the bow crew should be helping to pull the clew between the forestay and tack line at this stage. By pulling down on the new sheet just as the clew reaches the forestay, they help the sail to float through the gap between the forestay and the spinnaker’s luff. If the sail is being gybed all the way around the outside of itself, the clew needs to be eased much further forward of the forestay than for an inside gybe.

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

109

OF GYBING Tidy up: • Normally the tack line needs easing and to be re-trimmed for the new course as it was pulled on tight before the gybe. If however, the new course is higher on the wind than before the gybe, the tack line will need to be kept on fairly tight • Assuming the new course puts the apparent wind aft of a beam reach, the foreguy should be re-attached as soon a practically possible and ground on tight again • Any slack from the active sheet should be flaked neatly onto the deck to allow for a rapid ease or another gybe without the risk of twists jamming in the winch or blocks Gybing an asymmetric smoothly and successfully every time takes plenty of practice and excellent team work. When it goes right it is a very rewarding experience, where the boat speed only temporally dips before the sail is filled on the new side and the boat is back up to target speed again. If the manoeuvre goes badly and the sail wraps around the forestay or twists itself up, it is generally a better idea to abort the gybe and get the spinnaker re-inflated on the original gybe before attempting to gybe again. Often, trying to make a bad gybe stick will result in compounding the wrap and potentially damaging the spinnaker. If the boat is helmed too rapidly through the turn and the trimmers do not get enough time to tail in the slack on the new sheet before the kite re-inflates on the new side, the spinnaker will start to flog hard. This puts massive shock loading into the sail and sheet, often resulting in damage to the clew of the spinnaker. The only solution here is to keep the boat on a broad reach while the grinders winch the sail in like their lives depend on it. Next time the boat is gybed, the helm should slow the rate of turn down during the manoeuvre to keep better time with the sheet trimmers.

Dropping There are many different ways to drop an asymmetric spinnaker but in this manual we shall look at the most commonly used method, the “letterbox drop” where the spinnaker is blanketed behind the mainsail during the drop and “posted” through the foot of the main sail and the top of the boom.

110

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

03 Letterbox drop set up: • The lazy sheet should be removed from the blocks on the

-  The trimmer on the active spinnaker sheet ensures that their sheet is flaked and free to run when the call is given

windward side and run forward to the forestay • The lazy sheet should then be passed around the outside of everything, back down the leeward side and a bight (loop) of rope led through the gap between the top of the boom and the foot of the mainsail (the letterbox)

to release their sheet -  The bowman prepares to trip the tack line which will release the tack from the end of the bowsprit -  All remaining available crew line up along the windward side of the boom, making sure they stay inboard of the lazy

• This bight of rope should then be run through a snatch block on

sheet and eventually the sail itself as it comes through the

the windward rail and then back to a winch

letterbox. (They must stay inboard, if they are outboard of the sail and it fills during the drop, they will be knocked over

The drop:

the side.) The two crew right at the boom have the vitally important job of ‘bear hugging’ the luff and leech of the sail together. This helps keep any wind out of the sail and prevents it from re-inflating part way through the drop • Once crew are ready at their stations for the headsail hoist, the yankee is hoisted which helps blanket the spinnaker during the drop • The helm then steers the boat deep downwind before giving the command to “trip” the tack line •

Tack line is then tripped

• The crew then tail the lazy sheet and almost immediately release the active sheet to allow the clew to come through the letterbox. The crew at the boom should pull all the foot of the spinnaker through and get both the tack and clew together. The halyard can then be eased as the crew ‘bear hug’ the luff and leech of the spinnaker together, working toward the head of the sail as it is eased down • It is important that the crew do not just pile the sail on deck as it drops. They need to ensure that the spinnaker all gets dragged down the main companionway as swiftly as possible to prevent it getting caught by a gust and pulled over the side • Once all three corners of the sail (head, tack and clew) are through the letterbox, the sheets, halyard and tack retrieval line (if used) can be disconnected and reset for the next hoist • In preparation for the drop, the crew need to get themselves in the correct positions as follows: -  One crew ready to tail the yankee halyard when the headsail is going up and then quickly switch onto easing the spinnaker halyard for the drop itself. It is imperative that they ensure the spinnaker halyard is correctly flaked and free to run all the way until the spinnaker is below deck

• While crew on deck tidy up and re-trim for the course, a team below deck work to wool the spinnaker as swiftly and tightly as they can, before re-packing the sail into the correct bag As with all spinnaker work, timing, communication, team work and lots of practice are required to get drops running well. If the drop goes badly, there is a good chance that the spinnaker may end up in the water. Some very good advice follows in this next section about recovering a kite that has been pulled over the side and is full of water.

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

111

SAILS

112

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

03

 s Hyde Sails prepare A to power the Clipper Race, here are a few top tips from the international sail makers.

Clipper 70 asymmetrical care and trimming tips: Here are some tips on how to improve performance and care of your asymmetrical Spinnaker (ASO) in various wind conditions. All wind speeds given below are Apparent Wind Speed (AWS) and angles are True Wind Angle (TWA) unless otherwise stated. Conditions:

•

Pump Rudder to keep laminar flow across it

•

Avoid snap filling the ASO at all cost

Gybing: •

0 to 10 knots: Inside ASO or outside of ASO

• 11 knots and above: Outside of ASO only •

Keep tack line tight

• Make sure the ASO luff is tight before gybing (ASO halyard) • Helms person needs to be in sync with sheet trimmers during gybes • If the helms person turns too quickly, the ASO will wrap or snap fill • The ASO trimmers need to gybe the ASO sheets quickly Tack Line: Never let the tack line out more than 1.5 feet max. When gybing, keep the tack line (luff of ASO) tight. Helms person needs to drive



to the sheet trimmers. 0 to 12 knots / Code 1A

(Lightweight spinnaker)

10 to 18 knots / Code 2A

(Mediumweight spinnaker)

19 to 30 knots / Code 3A

(Heavyweight spinnaker)

Wind Angle: 150 degrees is the maximum you can sail an asymmetrical downwind. 150 degrees is a very difficult angle to trim and requires a very skilled trimmer and driver working in sync to keep the asymmetrical from

ASO Rotation: This takes a lot of skill. Rotating the ASO to sail deeper than 150 degrees is the number one reason why the ASO gets wrapped around the headstay. The best way to avoid this is to try not to rotate the ASO. Unless you have a very skilled helms person and ASO trimmer working together, I would not recommend this trimming technique. However, if you do decide to rotate the ASO....; Rotation Step:

starving for air behind the mainsail.

•

Ease out tack line 1.5 feet.

•

Tweak ASO lead forward. This will help the ASO to rotate.

Starving the ASO behind the mainsail is one of the most common

• If the tack line does not fly to the windward side, do not attempt to rotate the ASO. There is not enough wind, or you are already

reasons for collapses. When this happens in light airs, it can lead to

running too deep with this sail, starving it behind the mainsail.

the ASO wrapping around the headstay. When this occurs in high winds, it leads to snap filling of the ASO. Snap filling is the number one reason that causes the ASO to explode.

•

Over sheet the mainsail a bit. This will allow more airflow to the ASO.

ASO Drops:

Rounding Up:

If the ASO goes into the water on the drop, make sure to do

If you feel the boat starting to load up and lean over, ease the ASO

the following:

sheet out. Do not dump the ASO sheet and cause the ASO to collapse. Also the helms person should pump the rudder to reattach

• Everyone only pull “upward” on the luff of the ASO to get it out of the water first.

laminar flow across the rudder, in order to regain steerage control.

• Once you reach the tack, start pulling in the foot of the sail. Start

Reducing Round Ups:

• If you follow these steps you will not shrimp the ASO under the boat.

• • • • • •

Tighten ASO luff to flatten the ASO Move ASO lead aft to twist off head Twist off mainsail with traveller Release the boom vang when boat is loading up Flatten out the mainsail or reef Do not ease the ASO halyard or tack line

Avoid the crew rushing to grab the leech, luff or the foot at the same

•

Do not over-sheet the ASO

at the tack and work towards the clew.

time. This will shrimp the ASO under the boat.I hope these tips will help with the performance and care of your ASOs. Harry Ostoposides Hyde Sails USA

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

113

TECHNIQUES Racing Techniques and Sail Trim Put very simply, boat speed wins races. In this section we will introduce you to some of the ways in which you can optimise your trim settings to best suit the prevailing conditions, maximise boat speed, and ultimately arrive first into port.

It is therefore generally best to change the trim of your forward most sail first (normally the yankee or asymmetric spinnaker) before then re-trimming the staysail and mainsail respectively to suit the new headsail trim.

Sail Trim Definitions • Groove

Even if you get everything else right out on the water by sailing the shortest distance, making no mistakes during evolutions and have no breakages; without good boat speed, you will never win. Boat speed is one of the most important factors in all forms of sailing boat racing and it forms the back bone to any successful campaign. One statistic that beautifully illustrates this point is: If your team’s average speed is consistently 0.1 knots slower than the rest of the teams’ over the entire race around the world, you will have spent another six days at sea in comparison to the rest of the fleet.

When a boat is sailing in the ‘groove,’ the sails are working effectively and the boat is sailing at maximum efficiency. The width of the groove

If you are to have any chance of placing a good finish position in a

can be defined by how much tolerance the sail has for changes to the

matched fleet of yachts, you must be constantly focused on getting

angle the wind hits the front of the sail.

the best possible performance out of your boat...at all times.

The narrower the groove, the less tolerance for changes in this angle and the more easily a sail will stall if small course errors or slightly incorrect sail trim are applied. However, a narrower groove will allow you to point closer to the wind than a wide groove. A sail with a more forgiving shape will give a wider groove for the helm and trimmers to work with. Generally, the rougher the sea state, the wider you want your groove – to allow for the boat getting thrown around by the waves. If the groove is too narrow in these conditions, the sail will be constantly stalling and produce only small amounts of occasional lift. •

Chord depth (draft)

In simple terms, ‘draft’ identifies the fullness of a sail, how flat or curved it is. This can be difficult to assess from the deck so the sail has a series of black lines (draft stripes) running from luff to leech. One crucial factor when considering sail trim is that the whole sail

The black draft stripes create some definition to the sail and allow you

plan works together to act as one large driving force for your yacht.

to see how curved it is. The deeper the draft in a sail, the more lift it

This means that if you change the trim of one sail, it will affect the

will create but with more lift comes more drag. A flat sail will produce

airflow passing the other sails in the sail plan.

less power but also exert less drag. One rule of thumb states that in flat water you should have flat sails and in choppy water fuller, deeper sails.

114

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

03 •

Draft position

This is defined as how far back from the luff the maximum amount of draft can be found in the sail. A good starting point is to have the draft at 50 per cent (half way between the luff and leech) and then try moving it forward and aft from there to suit your conditions. The draft stripes on the sails can be used to judge draft position as well as chord depth. Moving the draft further forward gives a lower lift/drag ratio and also means that you can’t point quite as close to the wind. It does, however, provide a rounder entry for the wind to start interacting with the sail (more forgiving sail shape), which in turn widens the groove. In rough conditions, or at night, this makes the boat easier to helm, as discussed previously. Moving the draft aft on the sail improves the lift/drag ratio, meaning the sail is working more efficiently. It also allows the boat to point closer to the wind and big gains can be made on a long upwind beat by having the draft set to the correct position. Be warned though, moving the draft aft makes for a finer entry (less forgiving sail shape), narrowing the groove and making it more difficult to keep the sails from stalling. As you can see, it is always important to consider the abilities of the helm and sea state before deciding on where to set your draft position on sails. • Twist The amount of twist a sail has in it can be defined by how much the upper parts of the sail fall away to leeward when compared to the lower parts of the sail. Due to the true wind speed being higher at the top of the rig than the bottom, the apparent wind angle is slightly further aft at the mast head than it is at the boom. For this reason, we need to always have a little bit of twist in our sails otherwise top sections of our sails would be over-sheeted most of the time. The taller the rig, the more noticeable this effect. More twist creates a wider groove (more forgiving sail plan) and is better for getting the boat moving after a tack, or in light winds. More twist also depowers the upper aft sections of the sail which will reduce the healing force on a boat and decrease weather helm. Less twist creates a narrower groove as the sail is more inclined to stall. It will also increase the healing force on the boat which, in turn, increases weather helm. Decreasing twist in the leech of the sail does allow for higher pointing ability, although this height comes at the expense of a little boat speed. Setting the correct amount of twist on headsails has been covered in Part 2 of this manual when we discussed using tell tales to set car positions. To assess the twist on the mainsail, we must look to the leech tell tales on the back of the mainsail. The leech tell tales show us whether the air is flowing cleanly off the back of the mainsail or not. If all they are all streaming cleanly aft then we probably have a little too much twist in the sail for most conditions.

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

115

TECHNIQUES

Remember, a sail is most efficient just before it’s point of collapse; a boat will sail much slower with over-sheeted sails than it would with under-sheeted sail.

116

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

03 When sailing upwind, the main trimmer should aim to have the top tell

We alter a sail’s angle of attack to the wind by using either its

tale flying around 50% of the time as this gives a nice combination of

sheet, or in the case of the mainsail, a combination of sheet and

helm balance, power, groove width, and pointing ability.

traveller. Bringing the sail more inboard will increase the angle of

A good way to set a nice, average amount of twist in the main is to sail

attack, and letting the sail further outboard will decrease it.

close hauled with the traveller centred. The mainsheet should then be

The easiest way to assess if the sail has the correct angle of attack is

adjusted to get the top tell tale flying about 50 per cent or the time. If

to let it out until the luff just starts to ripple and collapse, we then sheet

all the tell tales are flying then the main should be tensioned to reduce

on or move the traveller up until the luff section of the sail just fills.

the twist and get the top one curling around to leeward of the leech about half the time. If the top tell tale is never streaming, the main should be eased to increase the twist as the top of the sail is stalling. Once the top tell tale is flying at least half the time, the correct amount of twist has been set and the traveller should be used to change the position of the boom relative to the centreline.

Remember, a sail is most efficient just before it’s point of collapse; a boat will sail much slower with over-sheeted sails than it would with under-sheeted sail.

Sail shape rules of thumb defined by gears on a car One way to simplify how to decide on a good sail shape for the

Generally speaking, more twist creates a more forgiving sail plan

conditions is to imagine sail shape selection in

that is good at getting the boat going again after she is slowed by a

the same light as you would gear selection in a car.

large wave or error on the helm. For this reason we tend to have more twisted sails in rough water and tricky helming conditions.

In flat water, where our objective is to point as close to the wind as possible, very little twist will be employed in a bid to increase VMG to windward. In very light airs (2-6 knots) it can be very hard to get the boat moving. In this situation, we set the sails with lots of twist, to help encourage what little wind there is to stay attached to the sail along the whole length of the chord, which will create some lift.

1st Gear/Low ratio:

(Good for strong, unstable winds and rough, short sea states) Low gearing gives lots of power for acceleration after a tack or when the boat is constantly being knocked about by big waves. It will not give ultimate top speed or pointing ability but will allow the boat to quickly regain a good pace after the sails have been shaken about and her forward motion has been hindered by dropping off the top of a wave. To put the boat in low gear we need to:

•

Angle of attack

In simple terms, the angle of attack of a sail is the angle of the wind relative to that sail; how far in or out the sail is.

• Create full, deep sails that have a lot of twist and the draft far forward to give us a wide groove • We achieve this by: Easing the outhaul, easing the mainsheet

For the sail to work efficiently, this angle between the luff of the sail

and vang (depending on point of sail), easing both headsail

and the wind must remain the same on all points of sail. We wish to

sheets a little and ensuring the halyards on all sails are

keep the angle of attack of the sail the same as our course, relative

sufficiently tight to take the draft position well forward of

to the wind changes.

50 per cent

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

117

TECHNIQUES 2nd Gear/Medium ratio:

3rd Gear/High ratio:

(Good for medium to strong, consistent winds.

(Good in medium winds and flat seas)

Works well in more moderate sea states)

Now that the boat is no longer slamming and being knocked wildly

High gear gives us maximum pointing ability and speed but at the

off course by waves, we should be able to settle her down into a

expense of creating a very narrow groove. When sailing in high gear,

smoother rhythm as the waves have a steadier pattern and longer

the helm focus on steering the boat with the upmost of accuracy; if

wavelength. Medium gear increases the top speed by reducing the

they get it wrong the sails are likely to stall very quickly. We are now

amount of drag on the sails and it also allows us to point higher too;

more concerned about reducing our drag than creating powerful sails.

giving us medium power and medium pointing ability. To put the boat into medium gear we need to: • Flatten the sails and reduce the amount of twist they have. However, we still want the draft position relatively far forward to

To put the boat in high gear we need to: • Flatten the sails right off and have minimum twist. The draught position can also be moved further aft in both sails • We achieve this by: Tightening the outhaul, tightening both headsail and main sheets and easing off slightly on all halyards

allow the helm to guide the boat smoothly over the waves

to drop the draught further back on the sails

• We achieve this by: Tightening the outhaul, tightening the mainsheet and vang and bringing the traveller up the track a

Trimming devices

little. We also need to sheet on a little with both headsails to

Mainsail trimming devices to be found on a Clipper 70:

decrease their twist. We may ease the halyards a small amount as we want to have a forward draft position, but not as far

•

Mainsheet, traveller and vang

forward as for first gear.

SIR ROBIN’S TOP TIPS  he crew need to work as a team to ensure that boat T speed is maximised at all times. The boat that sails the least distance, at the maximum speed attainable for the prevailing conditions, will always win the race.

These three trimming devices work together to determine the angle of attack and amount of twist a mainsail has. When sailing upwind, the angle of attack of the mainsail is controlled by the traveller and the twist in the leech is controlled by the mainsheet tension.

118

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

03 When sailing upwind the vang should just be brought hand tight as it plays no part in the active trim of the mainsail until the boat has borne away past a close reach. Once the boat bears away from the wind enough, the traveller will not drop sufficiently to leeward to achieve the correct angle of

•

Staysail/yankee sheet

The sheet mainly controls the sail’s angle of attack to the wind, but it will also have some effect on the twist of the sail. This is due to the fact that as you ease the sheet, and the clew moves outboard, and the sheet is no longer pulling down as much as it was when the clew was

attack for the mainsail. At this point, the mainsheet is used to control

closer to the sheet car.

angle of attack and the vang must be used to control the amount

•

of twist in the mainsail.

Staysail/yankee car position

The position of the headsail sheet car on the track has the biggest

This is due to the fact that as the sheet is eased to let the boom out,

influence on the amount of twist in your headsails. The further forward

the angle of pull on the mainsheet becomes less vertical and more

you move the car, the less twist there will be in the leech of your

lateral. By tensioning the vang before easing out on the mainsheet, the

headsail and vice versa.

height of the boom remains fixed and therefore so does the amount of

As mentioned in Part 2 of this manual, you can use the tell tales at the

twist in the mainsail. • Outhaul The outhaul is used to control the chord depth in the lower part of the mainsail. Easing the outhaul creates a deeper lower section to the sail providing more power, but also more drag. Tensioning the outhaul flattens the lower part of the sail creating less power and less drag. The outhaul can obviously only be used to

luff of a headsail to assess where your cars should be set to get the correct amount of twist you desire for the prevailing conditions.

Upwind performance Good sail trim is crucial for maintaining optimal upwind performance. As on all points of sail, the sails will require constant attention and adjustment in order to maintain optimum shape and performance. Very slight changes in wind strength or direction, sea state and even

change the sail shape when there is a full mainsail flying (i.e. no reefs.)

helming styles will all require you to tweak the set up of your sail plan.

•

It is the job of the yankee trimmer to guide the boat upwind. This is

Main halyard

achieved through constant sail trim and clear communication with the

By varying the halyard tension we can move the draft position forwards

helm. The two must work together to find the optimum balance between

or aft on the sail. Tightening the halyard moves the draft forwards.

speed and pointing in order to attain maximum VMG to your destination.

Loosening the halyard moves the draft aft.

Headsail trimming devices •

Staysail/yankee halyard

As with the main halyard, changing the tension in a headsail halyard

There are several ways in which you need to constantly monitor your boat’s performance: •

Boat-on-boat comparison if in sight of another Clipper Race yacht

•

Whether you are attaining the target boat speed for the conditions

• Current performance vs. recent performance in the same

moves the draft position forward and aft on the sail.

conditions •

The ‘feel’ of the boat

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

119

TECHNIQUES

By continuously assessing as many of these factors as you have available to you at the time, the trimmers can direct adjustments in sail trim and driving style. The trimmer should be constantly communicating the boat’s current performance and suggesting ways to improve it. Sail plan set up Before you can begin to think about sail trim, it is important to consider your sail plan for the prevailing conditions. The boat will be easiest to handle, more comfortable and generally fastest when

the CE of the sail plan, relative to the CLR, is of vital importance to attaining a balanced boat. If we set a full mainsail but only a very small amount of headsail, the CE is likely to be well aft of the CLR. This will have the effect of pushing the stern away from the wind and the bow toward the wind. To keep the boat going straight, we would need a constant amount of helm input, steering away from the wind to stop the boat turning to windward. This is called ‘weather helm’ and the more we have, the more the defection of the rudder will slow the boat down by causing drag. If we regularly need to use more than around 8 degrees of rudder deflection, we know that the sail plan set up could be improved.

she has the correct size sails up in the right combination. We refer

If we set a very large headsail and a small amount of main, the

to this as a ‘balanced’ sail plan.

CE in the sail plan is likely to be well forward of the CLR. The

The aim is to get the combination of sails working together in harmony as one continuous ‘sail plan’. Within any sail plan there is a sweet spot of power, where the majority of drive comes from. This sweet spot is known as the Centre of Effort (CE). The underwater profile of a boat (especially the keel) plays a vital role in stopping the boat drifting sideways when wind fills her sails. This hydrodynamic resistance to slipping sideways also has a focal point, normally the top centre point of the keel. This point is called the Centre of Lateral Resistance (CLR).

120

The boat will tend to pivot around her CLR so the positioning of

Clipper Race Crew Manual

bow of the boat will get pulled to leeward and to keep the boat in a straight line, we would need a constant helm input steering toward the wind. This is known as ‘lee helm’ and can be very dangerous as the boat is always trying to bear away and eventually gybe. There are other factors that affect helm balance on the boat but for now, we should aim to have a small amount of weather helm all the time when sailing upwind.

LEVEL

03 Sail selection

Boat speed and working with targets

Each headsail has a designed strength and performance range. The table below gives the wind ranges for a Clipper 70 race yacht’s headsails: Sail

Maximum recommended wind strength guide

#1 Yankee

16 knots apparent

#2 Yankee

25 knots apparent

#3 Yankee

34 knots apparent

Staysail

40 knots apparent

Windseeker

8 knots apparent

The key skill when it comes to sail selection is choosing the correct sail when the wind is around the crossover point between two sails. Here, there are two main factors that influence our decision. Firstly, the sea state will affect our choice of sail. In big waves and choppy conditions, we should consider using the larger of the choice between two sail. The boat needs plenty of power to punch through the waves and get moving again after she is stopped by slamming off a steep wave. In flatter conditions, the smaller of two sails will let you point a bit closer to the wind, thereby increasing your VMG.

As we have already discussed, boat speed is our primary concern on any racing yacht. One of the best ways to keep crew focused on boat speed is through the use of target boat speeds. A target boat speed is a performance prediction based on the true wind speed and wind angle. For every wind speed and angle,

The other big factor in sail selection is to consider the trend of

a predicted target boat speed can be calculated. This can be

recent wind conditions. In simple terms, if the wind is increasing

done in two ways: either by using a computer model or through

then plump for a smaller sail; conversely, when the trend has shown

recording your boat’s actual performance.

a steady decrease then the larger of two sails should be used.

Many boats utilise both of these methods, starting with predictions from a computer model and updating these figures to represent their boat’s actual performance. The main benefit of target boat speeds is that they provide a constant measure of performance. They also provide a common goal for the crew, keeping them motivated and working together. Target boat speeds are excellent for letting you know if you are on the pace, however if you are not achieving your targets, they do not tell you what to do about it! Finally, always remember that the boat’s performance will be affected by such things as sea state or wind gradient (wind shear), and sometimes you will need to adjust your targets to take account of this.

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

121

& TECHNIQUES Introduction to strategy, tactics and racing rules Like all sports, yacht racing requires tactics. You cannot head out onto the race course without a plan and expect to win. Tactics, in the broadest sense, incorporate strategy, tactics and the racing rules. The strategy is the overall plan for the race and is dependent upon the weather, expected changes in the weather, tides and ocean currents. The race rules are the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) together with the Notice of Race and a specific set of sailing instructions for each race, which the Race Director explains at Crew Briefings during stopovers, ahead of each individual race start.

Strategy is all about wind and currents. The race strategy should be in place prior to crossing the start line, and its aim is to plan an optimal route, taking advantage of favourable winds and currents whilst avoiding unfavourable conditions such as areas of light winds or adverse currents. When preparing for an offshore or ocean race, the prevailing winds and currents can often be researched well in advance and an overall strategy formed. As race start day approaches you will need to look at the long range weather forecasts for the area of the race and modify your strategy to take account of current conditions. For example, when crossing the Equator you need to identify the point at which the Doldrums is the narrowest. Although this can be monitored over time, it is not until race start day that the most up to date information can be obtained. Tactics tend to be more spontaneous, short term techniques, used to implement your strategy. Tactics are used to deal with boat-onboat situations or for trying to control the actions of other boats so as to make the best use of the rules and enhance our strategic decisions whenever possible.

122

Clipper Race Crew Manual

In ocean racing there are not so many boat-on-boat situations, due to the fact that the length and duration of the races tends to spread the fleet out more than inshore racing. Therefore, boat-on-boat tactics are less important, although they will come into play at the start and often, in the last 100 miles of each race.

Introduction to start line tactics The start of a yacht race can be one of the most exciting and demanding moments of any race. Getting a good start demands dexterity, close quarters manoeuvring, impeccable timing and boat handling skills but most of all, the ability to stay calm when everything about the situation screams “PANIC!” The aim is to arrive at the selected spot on the line at full speed with clear air and no interference from other competitors as the start gun fires. This is no mean feat and achieving this best possible scenario requires clear communication and excellent teamwork.

The first tactical decision is deciding where on the start line you want to be. This will depend on the set of the line and also your first leg strategy. The set of the line means the angle of the line to the wind. Since we normally start to windward it is advantageous to start at the end which is furthest upwind. This is known as the favoured end. As an example of how important this is; when starting at the correct end of a line which is 5 degrees off from being square to the wind, you will gain a 25 per cent distance advantage over a boat that starts from the unfavoured end of the line. Another consideration to bear in mind when deciding where on the line to start is your first leg strategy. If the conditions dictate that you should sail up the right hand side of the course, then you should start at the right hand end of the line. This will allow you to tack to the right without being obstructed by other boats. Likewise, if you wish to work the left hand side of the course, start at the left hand end of the line, although the advantage here is generally less.

LEVEL

03

Once you have decided where on the line you want to start, the challenge is to get to that point at full speed when the start gun is fired.

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

123

& TECHNIQUES A practice start is always a good idea to help get your timing and approach correct. Then, as the start approaches, keep your wits about you as the Skipper manoeuvres the boat into position and call

Definitions Clear astern, clear ahead and overlap

for more or less power. On your final start approach (as opposed to your timed practice runs) there are likely to be other boats trying

One boat is ‘clear astern’ of another when her hull and equipment

to get to the same point on the line so there is normally some

in normal position (including the bowsprit) are behind a line abeam

aggressive and exciting jockeying for position just before the gun.

from the aftermost point of the other boat’s hull and equipment in normal position. The other boat is ‘clear ahead’. They ‘overlap’ when

Application of rules to ocean racing

neither is clear astern.

Ocean racing is primarily governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) which are issued by the International Sailing Federation (World Sailing) and the application of the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collision at Sea (IRPCS).

However, they also overlap when a boat between them overlaps both. These terms always apply to boats on the same tack. They do not apply to boats on opposite tacks unless Rule 18 applies or both boats are sailing more than 90 degrees from the wind.

B A C

The World Sailing RRS are more complex than the IRPCS rules but are derived from them. IRPCS rules apply AT ALL TIMES and between all vessels on the high seas, whereas the RRS

Boat A is clear ahead of boat B; however boat C is NOT clear

apply only from dawn until dusk (as defined by the times of

astern of boat B. Therefore, there is an overlap between boats B

sunrise and sunset for that date and location, which are located

and C.

in the Nautical Almanac).

A

The full RRS are quite complex. You will find the complete rules at: http://www.sailing.org/documents/racingrules/

B

Here are some extracts from the RRS which illustrate the basic principles that you need to be familiar with.

C There is an overlap between boats A and B as well as boats B and C. As boat B is overlapped with both A and C there is also an overlap between boats A and C.

Keeping clear One boat keeps clear of another if the other can sail her course with no need to take avoiding action and, when the boats are overlapped on the same tack, if the leeward boat can change course in both directions without immediately making contact with the windward boat.

124

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

03

Leeward and windward A boat’s leeward side is the side that is or, when sailed head to

In round-the-cans racing it is slightly easier to define, as you can

wind, was away from the wind. However when sailing by the lee

see the start and finish of each leg. There is no proper course

or directly downwind, her leeward side is the side on which her

before the start. This implies you can luff to your heart’s content

mainsail lies. The other side is her windward side. When two boats

before the start gun goes off.

on the same tack overlap, the one on the leeward side of the other is the leeward boat. The other is the windward boat.

Luffing

Obstruction

This is not mentioned specifically in the RRS, but is a common term

An object that the boat could not pass without changing course

steer higher than the proper course to force an overlapping yacht

substantially, if she were sailing directly toward it and one of her

to windward of you to keep clear. The permutations of under what

hull lengths from it. An object that can be safely passed on only

circumstances you may obtain luffing rights over another competitor

one side and an area so designated by the Sailing Instructions

are quite complex and lengthy, but the three common scenarios are

(SI’s) are also obstructions.

as follows:

However, a boat racing is not an obstruction to other boats unless

• You are overtaking on the windward side of the other yacht,

and practice. You have ‘luffing rights’ when you have the right to

they are required to keep clear of her, give her room or, if rule 22

within two boat lengths of her. In this case, once you overlap

applies, avoid her. A vessel underway, including a boat racing, is

the leeward yacht then has the right to sail higher than her

never a continuing obstruction.

proper course and luff you.

Proper course This is the course a yacht would sail to finish as soon as possible if no other yachts were present and covered under RRS. In an offshore race this is a moot point as different yachts will undoubtedly have different strategies when it comes to making best use of the weather and tidal systems.

• You are being overtaken by a yacht to windward. As soon as an overlap is established, you may sail higher than your proper course to luff the other yacht. • If two yachts are overlapped and sailing nearly parallel but slightly convergent courses, when they get within two boat lengths the leeward yacht may luff the windward yacht.

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

125

REGULATIONS Racing rules Below are some of the key racing rules that it is worth getting to know before you start racing. The RRS are revised and published by World Sailing every four years. The latest edition is the World Sailing Racing Rules of Sailing 2013-2016. These will be updated on the 1st January, 2017 and can be found on the Crew Hub.

11. On the same tack, overlapped When boats are on the same tack and overlapped, a windward boat shall keep clear of a leeward boat. 12. On same tack, not overlapped When boats are on the same tack and not overlapped, a boat clear astern shall keep clear of a boat clear ahead. 13. While tacking After a boat passes head to wind, she shall keep clear of other boats until she is on a close hauled course. During that time, Rules 10, 11 and 12 do not apply. If two boats are subject to this rule at

Part 1 – Fundamental rules 1. Safety

the same time, the one on the other’s port side or the one astern shall keep clear.

1.1 Helping those in danger

Section B – General limitations

A boat or competitor SHALL give all possible help to ANY person

14. Avoiding contact

or vessel in danger.

A boat shall avoid contact with another boat if reasonably possible.

Part 2 – When boats meet Section A – Right of way A boat has right of way when another boat is required to keep clear of her. The general RRS rules for right-of-way are as follows: (There are limits to the actions of the right-of-way boat explained, in detail, in the full RRS.) 10. On opposite tacks When boats are on opposite tacks, a port-tack boat shall keep clear of a starboard-tack boat.

However, a right-of-way boat or one entitled to room or mark room; • Need not act to avoid contact until it is clear that the other boat is not keeping clear or giving room or mark-room, and; • Shall not be penalised under this rule unless there is contact that causes damage or injury. 16. Changing course 16.1 When a right-of-way boat changes course, she shall give the other boat room to keep clear.

Section C – At marks and obstructions Section C rules do not apply at the starting mark surrounded by navigable water or at its anchor line from the time boats are approaching them to start until they have passed them. When Rule 20 applies, Rules 18 and 19 do not.

126

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

03 Mark-room

(d) If there is reasonable doubt that a boat obtained or broke an overlap in time, it shall be presumed that she did not. (e) If a boat obtained an inside overlap from clear astern and, from the time the overlap began, the outside boat has been unable to give mark-room, she is not required to give it.

Race Mark

B

A

When rule 18 applies Rule 18 applies between boats when they are required to leave a mark on the same side and at least one of them is in the zone. *NB: The RRS dictates the zone to be three boat lengths radius

However, it does not apply:

from the mark, however, Clipper Race SI’s stipulates the zone to be

(a) Between boats on opposite tacks on a beat to windward;

five boat lengths.

(b) Between boats on opposite tacks when the proper course at the mark for one but not both of them is to tack; (c) Between a boat approaching a mark and one leaving it, or; (d) If the mark is a continuing obstruction, in which case Rule 19 applies 18.2 Giving mark-room (a) When boats are overlapped the outside boat shall give the inside boat mark-room unless Rule 18.2(b) applies. (b) If boats are overlapped when the first of them reaches the zone,

Three-length zone

the outside boat at that moment shall thereafter give the inside boat mark-room. If a boat is clear ahead when she reaches the zone, the boat clear astern at that moment shall thereafter give mark-room. (c) When a boat is required to give mark-room by Rule 18.2(b), she shall continue to do so even if later an overlap is broken or overlap begins. However, if either boat passes head to wind, or if the boat entitled to mark-room leaves the zone, Rule 18.2(b) ceases to apply.

B

A

C

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

127

REGULATIONS

Protests and redress 60: Right to Protest, Right to Request Redress, or Rule 69 Action 60.1 A boat may; (a) Protest another boat, but not for an alleged breach of a rule of Part 2 unless she was involved in or saw the incident; or (b) Request redress 60.2 A Race Committee may; (a) Protest a boat, but not as a result of information arising for a request for redress or an invalid protest, or form a report from an interested party other than the representative of the boat herself; (b) Request redress for a boat; or (c) Report to the protest committee requesting action under 60.1(a)

need not hail but she shall inform the other boat at the first reasonable opportunity; ii. If the hull length of the protesting boat is less than six meters, she need not display a red flag; iii. If the incident results in damage or injury that is obvious to the boats involved and one of them intends to protest, the requirements of this rule do not apply to her, but she shall attempt to inform the other boat within the time limit of Rule 61.3. 62 Redress 62.1 A request for redress or a protest committee’s decision to consider redress shall be based on a claim or possibility that a boat’s score in a race or series has, through no fault of her own, been made significantly worse by; (a) An improper action or omission of the Race Committee,

However, when the Race Committee receives a report required

protest committee or organising authority, but not by a protest

by rule 43.1(c) or 78.3, it shall protest the boat.

committee decision when the boat was party to the hearing;

61 Protest Requirement 61.1 Informing the protestee (a) A boat intending to protest shall inform the other boat at the first reasonable opportunity. When her protest concerns an incident in the racing area that she is involved in or sees, she shall hail “Protest” and conspicuously display a red flag at the first reasonable opportunity for each. She shall display the flag until she is no longer racing. However;

128

i. If the other boat is beyond hailing distance, the protesting boat

Clipper Race Crew Manual

(b) Injury or physical damage because of the action of a boat that was breaking a rule of Part 2 or of a vessel not racing that was required to keep clear; (c) Giving help (except to herself or her crew) in compliance with Rule 1.1,or; (d) A boat against which a penalty has been taken under Rule 69.1(b).

LEVEL

03 Racing mindset Being a good racing sailor is not simply about technical sailing ability although this is important. It is about having the right mindset. A good racing mindset requires the right attitude.

If you have no idea what the next move is, ask. The important thing is to understand what the options are and be ready for all of them.

Anticipation Always be ready for the next move. By anticipating the next move, you will be ready to perform the moment an evolution is called, which will significantly speed up any manoeuvre.

Detail As the saying goes, ‘the devil is in the detail.’ Always pay attention to the small things and make sure they are correct. Something that appears small and insignificant will often come back to bite you on a boat, so keep an eye on the small things and always make sure they are right. The big things will then tend to look after themselves.

Speed Racing is all about speed. Performing any evolution will slow the boat down, therefore it is important that everything is done quickly. It must, however, always be done correctly. It is better to complete an evolution once, correctly, rather than having to repeat it to correct for mistakes made first time around. Always try to complete tasks as quickly as possible, but not so fast that you make mistakes.

Awareness Having excellent situational awareness will help you with all of the above. If you are aware of what the bow crew are doing during an evolution, it will allow you to anticipate when they are likely to need you to do something in the pit. The more aware you are of how the rest of your team is getting on during an evolution, the more primed and ready you are to help them at a moment’s notice, and so the

Attitude •

Anticipate – are you ready for the next move?

•

Detail – pay attention to the small things

•

Speed – if you can do it, do it quickly

smoother the manoeuvre will run.

• Awareness – be aware of everything that is going on around you

Remember •

Do it right

•

Do it fast

•

Do it now

If you are new to sailing, it will not always be easy to achieve every one of these elements. For example, it is difficult to anticipate the next move until you fully understand all of the sailing manoeuvres. The important thing is that you are aware that at the same time as developing your technical sailing ability, you also need to develop your racing mindset or attitude.

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

129

PERFORMANCE Race team development  igh performance team lessons from H missionperformance.com – the learning and development partner to the race. Mental preparation for your race: As crew allocation and Level 4 training approach, your attention will turn to your personal and team preparations. Personal preparation: Research from the 2013-14 race edition indicates that the degree to which each crew member prepares themselves mentally for the race will have a large bearing on both the value they add to the team, and the satisfaction they take from the race. At a very basic level you could start to identify and share the following: 1. Your personal values that guide you through life. 2. The expectations that you have of yourself and others. 3. Your fears and anxieties. 4. Your personal objectives and measures of success for the race. Once you and your crew mates have thought deeply and honestly about these questions, it would be a useful exercise to share them with your friends and family as a first step to sharing them at crew allocation and Level 4 training. Success on board, however measured, will rely on the quality of relationships that you have on board.

130

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

03 The model suggests that there are three fundamental components to a high performance team

High performance teams have (1) Clarity (2) Culture and (3) Interdependence, or CCITM 1. A Clarity of purpose at the individual and team levels:

Clarity: • The individuals within the team will be clear on their values, rules, expectations, and principles that will guide their behavior and will be comfortable in sharing them. • Your team has a clear understanding of where they are going, their common purpose and will understand how their contributions and roles support the central purpose team. These will rely on you exercising trust and tolerance. For without

2. A well-developed Culture that defines consistently

them, your success and that of your crew will be limited.



Building a high performance team on the race is a two way

Culture:

relationship between the crew and the Skipper. You have a responsibility to yourself, your fellow crew and the Skipper to prepare appropriately for the race. Once you have prepared yourself, you are ready to contribute to building your team.

Team Preparation: There are many models to help you and your Skippers to build a high performance team.

A simple and effective model or blueprint used on the race is the CCI – Clarity, Culture, Interdependence model illustrated here.

•

how they behave.

Your team will have an agreed set of principles and values that will guide individual and team behaviors.

• These principles and values will underpin how you do business as a team and how others experience you. 3. Mature independent people who choose to work Interdependently.

Interdependence: • It is a conscious choice to work interdependently and it requires greater levels of trust, effort and tolerance to achieve it. • Individuals will need to make sacrifices and be mentally prepared and resourceful to achieve it. Each member will choose a mindset that facilitates greater collaboration and coordination. • As a team you can identify the mission critical aspects of performance to achieve your purpose and know at an individual level how your efforts support it. More detail and support will be given to you as Crew Allocation approaches. In the meantime, work on your mental game and read around the subject of building high performance teams.

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

131

SITUATIONS Man Overboard (MOB) under spinnaker

The Drop

The standard MOB drill has been covered in Part 1 of the Training

Either the lazy sheet or the tack retrieval line should be lead through

Manual, but the basic drill can become more complicated if you

the letter box and then through a snatch block on the windward

have the spinnaker up at the time of the incident. A MOB under

rail, as described earlier in Part 3 of this Manual. By having the sail

spinnaker leaves the crew with two options;

always ready to drop, vital seconds can be saved and the amount

Firstly, you can simply drop the spinnaker, or secondly, you can

If we plan on being on one gybe for a significant length of time, it is prudent to have the spinnaker rigged to drop at a moment’s notice.

of time spent sailing away from a casualty reduced.

ditch the spinnaker. The former of these two options should be

As soon as the call of “Man Overboard!” is heard, the helm

done in any drills and, in normal circumstances, is the preferred

should aim to sail the boat on a broad reach and make a note of

option as there is less to go wrong. However, in extreme conditions,

their heading. The tack line should be released quickly as this will

the latter may be preferable.

let the spinnaker fly like a flag from the halyard and the sheet only,

Remember: • All the time the spinnaker is up, the yacht is heading at speed away from the casualty • As many extra lines are in use when flying a spinnaker, make

dramatically reducing the speed at which the yacht is sailing away from the casualty. Noting the heading sailed directly after a MOB allows the reciprocal heading to be sailed/motored when returning to the casualty. The drop should then be executed in the normal way in a swift

doubly sure that there are no lines in the water before starting

but controlled fashion. The very last thing anybody wants in this

the engine

situation is to trail the spinnaker in the water, so make sure the drop is clean and not rushed.

• The foreguy may well be on so this will need to be released or removed as appropriate

Remember, there will be fewer crew available for the drop than normal as not only is one of the team in the water, others may well be tasked to pointing, communications, MOB equipment deployment, etc.. The key priority in any MOB situation is to keep tabs on the casualty’s location.

Ditching the Spinnaker If the decision has been made to ditch rather than drop the spinnaker, then the lines must be dumped or cut rapidly in the following, strict order: 1. Lazy sheet followed by active sheet: Cutting the sheets allows the sail to fly like a flag from the masthead and bowsprit 2. Tack line: Cutting the tack line allows the sail to lift clear of the water and stream out more horizontally from the masthead. At this point the helm can turn back towards the wind, reducing the chances of running over the spinnaker and reducing the distance to the casualty 3. Halyard: Once wind is on, or just forward of the beam, the halyard should be cut allowing the spinnaker to fly away from the masthead and be clear of the yacht before it hits the water If order is altered or any of the lines snag, there is a good chance the yacht will run over the spinnaker which, in turn, will minimise the chances of even getting back to the casualty at all. It is imperative then that everyone is prepared and clearly briefed before the first line is cut.

132

Clipper Race Crew Manual

LEVEL

03 MOB recovery procedure when flying the spinnaker

The casualty should be

Wind direction

recovered in the same way as a conventional MOB

Prepare to drop spinnaker as quickly as possible Once the spinnaker has been dropped or ditched turn up wind and return to the casualty

Searching for a Man Overboard In the event that you lose sight of a casualty in the water you will need to initiate a search. There are several ways that you can do this and two good examples are described here.

Expanding box search pattern The expanding box search pattern is carried out as follows: • Create datum by deploying the danbuoy and noting the GPS position • Head past datum on heading 090o until the marker is visible only 50 percent of the time. This is the EDR (Expected Detection Range) • Continue on course for a total distance of 1 x EDR • Steer 000o 1 x EDR • Steer 270o 2 x EDR • Steer 180o 2 x EDR • Steer 090o 3 x EDR • Steer 000o 3 x EDR etc to establish an expanding ‘anticlockwise square spiral’

Clipper Race Training - Part 3

133

SITUATIONS Sector search pattern The sector search pattern is carried out as follows: • Create datum by deploying the danbuoy and noting the GPS position • Head past datum on heading 000o until marker is visible only 50 per cent of the time. This is the EDR (Expected Detection Range) • Continue on course for a total distance of 3 x EDR • Note distance run or time (this is the pattern leg length) • Steer 120o for 3 x EDR • Steer 240o for 6 x EDR • Steer 000o for 3 x EDR • Steer 120o for 6 x EDR • Steer 240o for 3 x EDR • Steer 000o for 3 x EDR This returns you to approximate datum and a second circuit can be made with the same headings plus 30o.

Post-recovery care In an offshore or ocean environment medical assistance could take some time to arrive so as soon as the casualty has been recovered they will need medical care. They will very likely be suffering from shock, hypothermia and any other injuries sustained during the man overboard. The Skipper, in conjunction with any medically trained crew on board, will see to this. One of the central bunks should be prepared with sleeping bags and suitable medical kit whilst recovery is in progress. Also remember that if a swimmer was deployed during the rescue they may also be suffering from shock and hypothermia and may need some attention.

Hydrostatic squeeze Hydrostatic squeeze is the effect of water pressure on a casualty’s body, particularly the legs which are suspended in deeper water. While a casualty is in the water the pressure around their legs squeezes the blood up into the body core and reduces the blood circulation in the limbs. This is beneficial as it helps to maintain the body’s core temperature. When a casualty is recovered from the water this effect is lost and the effects of hydrostatic squeeze are suddenly removed, allowing the blood to rapidly flow into the legs which in turn causes a sudden drop in blood pressure which can result in heart failure. Hydrostatic squeeze has been suspected as a cause of post-rescue death in many immersion hypothermia victims. In order to prevent this, rescuers should attempt to maintain the casualty in a horizontal position during retrieval from the water and aboard the rescue vehicle. If rescuers cannot recover the patient horizontally, they should lie the casualty down as quickly as possible after removal from cold water.

134

Clipper Race Crew Manual

MAN OVERBOARD

LEVEL

03

UNDER SPINNAKER

WHITE SAILS

Shout ‘Man Overboard!’ CREW ON DECK

CREW DOWN BELOW

At least one crew to spot at all times

Make all crew aware of the situation

MOB equipment deployed

Press MOB button on GPS plotter and pass up MOB lifting hook and strop to crew on deck

Helm immediately heaves to. Crew check for lines and ask for engines to be started

Check to make sure enough crew are on deck and go on deck if needed

Once hove to, yankee/staysail halyards to be swiftly eased; dropping the headsails to the deck

Start the engine, checking that gear selection lever is in neutral and no lines in the water

Crew blow the tack of the kite by swiftly easing out the tack line then move straight into a letterbox drop

Send a mayday by VHF (confirm with Skipper first) or Sat. Comms if applicable

Once the kite is dropped, helm to steer into the wind with one crew member easing the foreguy as another crew member sheets on the mainsail

Be prepared call out a ranges and bearings to the casualty for the helm (Range and bearing displayed on GPS plotter)

Rescue swimmer in harness to ready themselves to retrieve man overboard

Make a note of all communications, actions taken in the logbook

Helmsman to position yacht to retrieve man overboard at midships

Prepare an area down below to treat the MOB for any injuries, drowning, hypothermia etc.

Rescue swimmer lowered to attach lifting hook to both lifting beckets of MOB’s life jacket. MOB and Rescue swimmer then winched up to deck together Clipper Race Training - Part 3

135