Left: Cam Lewis’s Team Adventure crew haul their diver aboard during preparations for the The Race 2000. This gives an idea of the physical scale of the challenges on a large multihull. And this exercise is being carried out with the boat stationary and in flat seas; imagine the same scenario with the stern thrashing up and down in a seaway – even if by a miracle the crew had managed the almost impossible task of bringing a 100-footer to a near-stop. The hugely experienced Rob James (above) was unable to get back onboard his tri Colt Cars after falling through the netting when alone on deck, stowing sails after arriving in Devon following an easy delivery
prepared to shut down the engine(s) if visual contact is lost with the MOB. Margaret Pommert, a cruising cat master
instructor in the US Pacific Northwest, offers excellent suggestions: ‘If one side of the cat has better side visibility from the helm – for example, a starboard steering station – then the Lifesling should be set up on the starboard hull and the cat should leave the MOB to starboard while circling clockwise with the deployed Lifesling. The helmsman maintains line of sight with the MOB and the Lifesling more effectively hooks the MOB. ‘If not towing a Lifesling, but approach-
ing under power to make contact alongside (leeward preferred), the typical approach is on a slight “close-hauled” angle, with the MOB brought to the helm side of the boat for best visibility. As the cat slows its high windage will cause pronounced leeway, which the Pointer and helmsperson must anticipate and allow for. ‘If attempting a MOB rescue under sail
on a cruising cat the importance of bring- ing the MOB to the leeward and helm side of the boat is critical enough to warrant adding an extra tack if necessary during the final approach. This tack may be incor- porated into heaving to, though many cruising cats have self-tacking jibs, making heaving to difficult.’
Large racer/cruiser multis These tend to be large cats over 45ft LOA (Gunboats, HH, Outremmer and the like) and are capable of speeds up to 20kt+. QuickStops at some sailing angles/wind- speeds might risk capsize, but in short order it should be possible to slow down and stop. All headsails – jibs and zeros – are usually rigged for furling. All crew should wear an AIS beacon because it is highly likely that the combination of speed and a relatively small crew to furl sails will make pointing alone at the MOB somewhat ineffective. With the sails down
these big cats with an engine and propeller in each hull should have the same plus/ minus as the cruising multis above. Ralf Steitz of the US Merchant Marine
Academy Sailing Foundation points out that some of these cats have outside or aft steering stations that improve visibility. They may even be able to motor in reverse to approach the MOB. Some designs, such as the HH66, in moderate sea states can readily launch a tender to recover the MOB. The tender crew must be well trained and fitted with PFD/helmets/AIS. The tender might not be easily retrieved but it can sometimes be towed home.
Small racer/cruiser multihulls These tend to be trimarans (such as the Farriers) under 40ft LOA with an outboard engine. They are very popular in certain regions (Great Lakes, US Gulf coast and the US west coast) and do race in the ‘nearby offshore’. Evaluating these tris helps set the table for the real ‘alpha predators’, the big offshore tris, most with French names. We have some experience here, having
practised in light air on Lake Travis with skilled offshore tri sailors like Pete Pattullo (Farrier 33) who has also experimented extensively in moderate/heavy air and seas. The lightweight and ample sail area
makes these tris exciting, and the Quick- Stop has to be used judiciously. The helms- man must always know whether heading up or down is the safest way to slow down. This makes the personal AIS criti- cally important since the distance from the MOB can open up rapidly. Not all head- sails are on furlers since spinnakers are often still part of the inventory; letterbox takedowns are an essential tool. Here is where the divergence of tris
from monos and cats gets interesting. Both monos and cats with their sails down (or luffing) keep their hull(s) in the water when the MOB is brought alongside. However, the tri adds another degree of
risk as its port and starboard hulls alter- nate rising and smashing down when the tri is stopped in open water. On Pete’s Farrier 33 the protocol is to
never pick up an MOB on the windward side. By using the leeward side, if the seas are not too big, the crew weight on the lee hull, assisting the MOB, keeps that hull pressed down in the water. The windage of the rig, and luffing mainsail if it is up, also help. Another benefit of the tri’s leeward hull is the lower freeboard that simplifies bringing the MOB aboard. In recent offshore trials in 15-20kt with
6-8ft swells, with its rudder and dagger- board both fully down, the Farrier made slow leeway, providing a good platform for a leeward recovery. More heavy weather testing is needed. We tested another technique that
avoided both outer hulls. On the Farrier 33 we hoisted the MOB onto the aft cross- beam between the port and centre hulls (avoiding the outboard motor located on the starboard side). This worked well from a mechanical angle: the raked rotating mast allowed the spinnaker halyard to lead directly aft at a nice down angle. The MOB was easily winched aboard. But this needs testing in a seaway and may be boat specific in terms of the halyard. On Lake Travis we evaluated the basic
mono technique described in detail in the previous three Seahorse articles: use of the Lifesling under power with sails down, towing at 3.5-4kt (max before it sub- merges), the button-hook J-turn, contact with the MOB, turning the boat abeam of the MOB, holding position, pulling in the MOB to the lee hull. With its outboard linked to the tiller the Farrier 33 was quite agile. The shifter and speed controls were also led to the cockpit. However, testing the effectiveness of the outboard motor in a seaway is essential. What about the use of the Lifesling under sail? These tris just can’t go slow
SEAHORSE 47
ALAMY
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