SEAMANSHIP Words by Geoff Linter
Physical and 
Human Limitations
The boats we trust our lives
to should be lovingly cared
for and well maintained.
The same should also
apply to the Skipper and
crew.
ven if we are in good
E
health and physically
fit, we are more easily
damaged or subject
to wear, than the boat itself. In
difficult circumstances or stress
it is usually the crew who will fail
first.
It is imperative for the boat’s crew
to get sufficient sleep, and to keep
well nourished for the entire duration
of the journey. Only then can they
remain fit enough to make sensible
decisions and complete the tasks
of navigation, sail changes, watch
keeping, and repairs whilst underway,
and do them safely.
Decision making on board, might
sound a simple process and at times
it is. Sometimes it is complicated
by tidal factors, weather changes,
daylight hours, fuel availability,
system breakdowns, seasickness,
A well trained, we fed, well equipped crew can achieve amazing things provided they are well organised and well led by their skipper
even the need to get back to work.
There will be other complications
its course, sail changing, monitoring all on board systems, keeping the boats
not mentioned here, which can
log up to date, navigating and plotting the boat’s position, collecting weather
make decision making very difficult.
forecasts, listening for VHF radio traffic, keeping a lookout for anything the boat
Decisions taken on board a boat at
may encounter, including ships, other vessels, fishing floats or any floating hazard.
sea, can influence its very survival. In
Watch keeping is an essential and important job, vital to the safety of both boat
short, one bad decision could sink
and crew.
the boat and drown all hands. Think
of the 1979 Fastnet.
Shift Systems If the trip is likely to take more than six hours or so a shift system
must be introduced so that when those on watch are tired, another fresh watch
Watch keeping involves one or
keeper(s) can take over. In this way we can keep the boat sailing and safe at all
more people being in charge of the
times.
boat for a specified period of time.
During their watch they are in charge
By far the most challenging scenario is for the single hander. The trip will need
of running the boat, maintaining
to be carefully planned with stopovers to get some rest. If sailing long distance,
14  MULTIHULL REVIEW : OCTOBER 2009
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