Going the distance

Persistent Shift

Tony Bull offers advice to readers who will sail in the various ocean races to Tasmania over the Christmas break.

As the Christmas New Year period looms, a lot of yachtsmen and women will be looking forward to participating in the ocean races on offer.

The Iconic Rolex Sydney-to-Hobart takes precedence as it is one of the great yachting classics. As well, over a hundred vessels will partake in the rugged West or East Coaster, the recently launched Launceston-to-Hobart and the perennial Melbourne-to-Launceston. All in all we are looking at over fifteen hundred sailors heading out into the briny over the period of a few days. Among the fleets will be varying levels of intensity, but one thing all have in common is to do as well on the scoreboard as possible.

In ocean or long passage racing, a new set of sailing criteria is required. The priority is to sail the boat as rapidly as you can from A to B. It is worth remembering that a lot of the competition will not even be sighted after the start. So for the most part we need to concentrate on simply sailing fast.

The priorities of snappy crew work and close tactical racing take a backward step. Ocean races are won by superior navigation, steering and trimming. While the split-second timing of team manoeuvres are virtually obsolete, the crew competence is still extremely important. Anyone who has spent an hour in the middle of the night trying to sort out a spinnaker wrapped tightly around a forestay will testify to this. It is more important to be methodical and thorough rather than speedy. With a watch system in place, a lot of the crew structures will change and usually be done shorthanded. So surety becomes the main concern.

The other major change is time. We are sailing twenty-four hours a day and not just for an afternoon jaunt. To excel over this period of time is hard and it is important to be in good shape, both prior to and during the race. A degree of personal fitness is helpful in preparation for any event where fatigue will occur.

Diet will play a part, not only in the race but also in training for an event. If you are departing from your regular habits then be ready. I sailed a Sydney-Hobart a few years back where we decided to do the complete freeze-dried food thing. A lot of the crew during the race were uncomfortable with the new chow. I was amazed that despite knowing we were going down this path, a lot had never even eaten it and as a result it had an effect on their constitution. Those that had purchased and eaten a few packets in the weeks leading up to race had no issues. So be prepared!

The single most important member of the crew in a longer race is the navigator. Good navigation is all about knowledge and judgement. Knowing what is likely to occur weatherwise and deciding how to use it for your benefit. With so much riding on the navigator’s shoulders be sure that on those occasions where they have a bit of downtime, let them rest. There is no doubt there will be long periods when he or she has to be focussed and alert. They don’t need to be woken up simply to answer “where are we”?

All members of the boat need to pace themselves to last the duration. Lose the gung-ho attitude that is prevalent with so many sailors early in the race. After the start you will see crewmembers stay on deck, caught up with the excitement. This is a trap. Later that night they will be tired and struggle to stay awake. Every experienced ocean racer will tell you the biggest gains to be had are during the “dog watch” in the wee small hours when the fleet becomes sleepy and just rolls on along the course.
So use the watch system and get rested. If you can’t sleep, even a relax period is good.

Steerers in particular need to be kept fresh. Falling asleep can have dangerous consequences. A crash gybe in the middle of the night can end your race. Don’t steer too long – have a break before you get tired. You shouldn’t be getting on the helm while still tired from your last spell. I am a big fan of having a separate helming watch system which gives regular breaks to facilitate the freshness of the helming role. It also helps to have an overlap with the crew watch to keep up the continuity of the race tactics.

I don’t like seeing half the crew arrive blinking on deck and the other half disappearing downstairs straight away. An overlap period of interaction and a précis of the situation are mandatory. For night-time sailing in particular, it is important for the replacement steerer to just sit for a while to acclimatise to the feel of the boat and get his night awareness. It is always much harder to steer at night and so the watch rotation for the helm must give the better steerers more time in the hours of darkness. With the loss of visual stimulae the practiced sailors that have more innate skill will be better off than the more mechanical.

With steering, the easiest trap to fall into is sailing the easy angle.
It can be quite simple to slip into a wind angle, particularly downwind, that is a little more comfortable and undemanding, rather than the optimum. I often hear crowing about top boat speeds when in reality the better steering is to sail 10 degrees lower and a bit slower. It is a lot harder but invariably better. Constantly liaise with your navigator on the best VMG angle.

Crew need to have a similar approach to keeping fresh. Talk trim and speed regularly – it helps keep the helm on the ball. Don’t natter incessantly – you may end up wearing a winch handle around the ears – but keep encouraging and helping. Keep the boat shipshape, make sure all the halyards are sorted and sails packed. Do as much as you can during the day – it is obviously a lot harder to do stuff at night. Don’t leave chores for the next watch. Keep active. Rotate the trimmers and grinders regularly. If you are a competent steerer give the helm a spell when things are quiet. He will appreciate a break or just an opportunity to trim a bit when he knows a long night waits ahead.

Keeping the crew fresh is a priority. When things get tough it will be a lot harder to sail as fatigue, “mal de mer” and lethargy sink in, so be prepared. Some stages will invariably be rough and getting through them in good shape can be the difference between winning and losing. It is important to be pushing as hard on the final day as the first.

Ocean racing is tough and can be pretty miserable, but we keep going back.