The Self-Sufficient Sailor by Larry and Lin Pardey

[Sea Hunt Video]

I have been somewhat "side lined" the past couple of weeks and have had a chance to read some books I had intended to read much sooner.

I just finished The Self-Sufficient Sailor by Larry and Lin Pardey. It was an excellent read. Although I will never sail the routes they sailed, this book made the adventures come alive. Although published 30 years ago, it remains timely (at least I think so) except possibly for the chapter on the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Somali coast, etc.

The book contains many interesting ideas for rigging sails, handling in rough seas, etc. For anyone planning a blue water adventure I would think this book should be on the "must read" list.

[MFC]

Hope you are back on your feet soon Robert. The Pardey's are pretty great, huh? Between them, they have written more than a half dozen books -- all worth the read. Their heavy weather treatise is definitely must reading - IMO. If you get a chance to make it to the boat shows, they are very accessible folks and generous with their knowledge.

Hope to hear some sailing stories from S/V Bali Ha'i soon.

Matt

[pete faga]

Hi Robert.wish you a speedy recovery. The Pardeys books are great reads. Sereffyn is a few moorings from me and still looks in Bristol shape. I have been invited for a day sail and when it happens I hope it's windy. Hope to remember my camera. Pete

[Steve Laume]

I have read a couple of the Pardey's books and they have been very good. I also watched one of their trailers for a video on heavy weather sailing where Lin recommends going forward on your boat without a safety harness. She suggests you do this in increasingly bad weather so you will feel at ease if you ever have to go forward, quickly, in a storm without putting your harness on!? If the situation is that bad, the first thing you would want to do is clip in. I don't understand the logic of getting comfortable going to the bow without a safety harness. I also don't understand the logic of cruising without an engine but they are an awesome couple and things seemed to have worked out for them for a very long time, Steve.

[Bob Ohler]

I had the pleasure of meeting Lin at the Annaoplis Boat Show. I always enjoy their books and ideas.

[fenixrises]

Hi all.

Knew the Pardeys years ago, back when I was building BCCs for Sam Morse.

I second Lynn's idea. After something like 70,000 miles of sailing I have only worn my harness three times. Each time on the foredeck, each time in about 50 knts. And only on my CD28.

So far have had no need on the bigger SunShine. So far have only seen 50 kts sustained once on this boat for a 24 hour period returning from Hong Kong earlier this year.

I will wear it if the need arises. But for me that rarely happens. I much prefer the freedom and speed of movement without a harness. And I believe in the "HOLD ON TO THE BOAT" theory of self-preservation.

Also hopefully I never encount sustained conditions over 40~50 knots. That 50 knot blow with 20 ft seas was exciting enough for me.

Take care,
Fred

[Dick Barthel]

Of course I very much respect the views of such experienced sailors but those who aren't around to disagree must be many. Also aging seems to me more reason for caution.

Simplicity is one of the Pardey's recurrent themes and that is hard to argue with at least from my limited perspective. All of their books are worth reading for sure. I'm thinking there may not be a more famous sailing couple. Cheers, Dick

[Sea Hunt Video]

I have some experience in climbing back on board a boat with a low freeboard (RIB or similar) moving at speed. As I stated in a post several years ago, it is pretty much impossible to do it without substantial assistance. For anyone who thinks differently, anchor your boat in a calm area. With 1-2 strong males on board for safety, jump in and then try to climb on board a stationary boat BY YOURSELF. I respectfully predict you will find it pretty much impossible to do.

Now think about what it would be like to climb back on board BY YOURSELF if your sailboat was moving at just 2-3 kts, while you are tethered to your sailboat with most of your body being dragged in the water. I respectfully predict you will (or should) conclude that it would be impossible to climb back on board. A Navy SEAL or a Marine Recon, after a lot of training and repetition, might be able to do so but 99.44% of "us" will not be able to do so. Eventually you will either release your harness (if you can ) and watch your sailboat sail away or you will succumb to the water you are swallowing while being dragged along at speed and you will drown. Not pretty but, I think, accurate.

The Pardeys are fortunate in that they are both very experienced sailors. If one were to fall overboard the other, assuming she or he realizes the other has fallen overboard, would have the skill to conduct a MOB rescue and with the use of winches, etc., get the victim back on the boat.

If you are sailing solo (or you have guests with no sailing experience) you do not have the luxury the Pardeys have to conduct a MOB rescue.

It was a small ego boost to read that my thoughts from my post several years ago agree with the Pardeys. "If you fall overboard, you are dead [unless close to shore]." Page 178. Fortunately, I will probably never be in such a situation. My sailing will probably be confined to Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys. If I fall overboard I should be able to swim to shore. S/V Bali Ha’i may make landfall in Bimini but I will make landfall in Key Largo - alive.

For me, a true tadpole sailor, if I have an experienced sailor on board with me, I will probably wear a PFD and possibly a harness in all but benign conditions. If sailing "solo" I will probably wear a PFD but no harness. I will try to follow the rule "one hand for the boat, one hand for me."

I have now not enjoyed a Guinness in more than 3 weeks. Ugghh If this goes on much longer, things could get ugly.

I attribute any erroneous conclusions and errors in this post to the lack of Guinness.

[tjr818]

Fear not Robert, I have been drinking enough Guinness for both of us . I hope you can start enjoying them soon.
Sláinte,

[Steve Laume]

Since I sort of started this I feel I should weigh in on my reasoning.

I think what bothered me about the trailer was that Lin was recommending this to people without much experience. Once you have spent a good deal of time on your boat you can decide for yourself when it would be prudent to clip in or not.

I do just the opposite of what Robert does. If things seem a bit dicey I wear my harness and clip in but do not wear a PFD. This would be the same if there was someone on board who I trusted which is hardly ever the case for me. If there was a capable person aboard it would be much easier for them to assist a recovery if I was dragging over the side instead of somewhere off the stern. If they didn't know I fell overboard, they soon would because I would be yelling my head off for help, close enough for them to hear. If you were floating comfortably in your PFD a couple of hundred yards astern they may never even know you were gone even if you did yell or blow a whistle. If things are rough enough to fall overboard in the first place it could be a bear to get the boat back to a person in the water. This would be especially true if you had any kind of down wind sail flying. Remember she was talking about offshore cruising so there are waves that hide a person most of the time. If it was at night, forget about it, the floater is a goner. If a person is tied to the boat you are not going to lose them. The person in the water could even advise someone on board as to what to do.

When sailing alone I still would still want to stay with the boat even if it is going to be hard to get back on board. I can definitely climb back aboard Raven from the stern by using the wind vane frame. That is if the harness and jack lines let you go over the side in the first place. I always try to go forward on the high side. If I fell to leeward I don't think there is enough slack to go over the side. If you did go over at the bow with the boat heeling you would be very close to the rail and should be able to get back aboard. The windward side would be a different story but I would still rather drag on the side of the boat and try to figure something out than watch the boat quickly sail off into the distance.

I must confess that I don't always clip in. I promised my loved ones at home that I would, when things looked bad or at night and might have even broken that promise a few times. Even if I drowned while hanging over the side those same people would at least have a body to bury or otherwise dispose of.

I look at the deck of the boat as a the ledge of a very tall building. If you fall off you are going to die. The only difference is that it will be quick and rather painless on land. I definitely don't want to watch Raven sail off into the night and not know just how long it is going to take to hit the ground.

If I wanted the ideal set up it would be one of those automatic PFDs combined with a harness that was comfortable to wear.

Robert I hope that neither one of us ever has to test our methods and that you will soon be free to enjoy your Guinness, Steve.

[Sea Hunt Video]

I do just the opposite of what Robert does.

"what Robert would do", not "what Robert does". I have done so little sailing that I do not yet have the "hours on the water" to put my thoughts into practice on sailboats. My experience comes solely from climbing back on board a moving zodiac.

When I had S/V Tadpole, I only sailed near shore in Biscayne Bay. I ALWAYS wore a PFD (but no harness) and made sure I stayed in the cockpit.

On S/V Bali Ha'i, sadly, I have so far had very little "tiller time" with her. When I have gone out it has again been with a PFD and no harness except for two times with two very experienced sailors on two very hot days with minimal winds. No PFD (my bad ) and no harness.

My only thought on all of this is that I do not believe 99% of the sailors who think they can climb back on board while being dragged through the water at a 2-3 kts clip (or higher) while dangling from a harness can actually climb back on board without assistance from someone still on board. I have no experience, expertise, knowledge or skills on anything else.

I assume that if someone else is on board then the protocols would be different. If nothing else I would think this person could at least drop the sails or let all the sheets loose or turn the engine off, thus allowing for a much greater chance of recovering the MOB dangling from their harness and tether.

Steve, out of curiosity only, how would you plan to get to the back of your sailboat while still attached to your harness Presumably, you will be at the mast or forward of the mast when you have your "fall overboard" experience. You will be clipped in to a padeye or something secure at the mast or near the bow. Even if you have a two tether harness line, the long one will be maybe 6'. How are you going to reach the stern windvane frame without unclipping If you unclip you have one, and only one, split second chance to grab onto something at the stern.

Steve, I too really hope none of us ever has to test our ideas, although I strongly suspect that given your sailing skills and adventures YOU will be testing your theories long before I ever (if ever) test mine.

[Steve Laume]

Steve, out of curiosity only, how would you plan to get to the back of your sailboat while still attached to your harness Presumably, you will be at the mast or forward of the mast when you have your "fall overboard" experience. You will be clipped in to a padeye or something secure at the mast or near the bow. Even if you have a two tether harness line, the long one will be maybe 6'. How are you going to reach the stern windvane frame without unclipping If you unclip you have one, and only one, split second chance to grab onto something at the stern.

I look at the harness, tethers, pad eyes and jackline system more as an overboard preventer than a tow line. I run a double tether so I can move along with the long line and then clip in with the short line when I get to the mast or the bow. I haven't measured but I think the short tether is in the range of 3 feet. I sometimes use the short tether on the back stay for direct overboard discharge. I can lean against it while wedged into the stern pulpit. The area at the mast is pretty secure. I would be clipped in to the jack line and then go to the spinnaker car, which is fairly high, with the short tether. This lets me move around the mast but is not long enough to allow me to go over the side. I also rigged up pin rails on my lower shrouds so I have a support for my butt while working there. These help out a lot when you have to work on the low side. The bow is a bit more troubling but I still find a spot for the short tether that wouldn't allow you to go over the side unless something horrendous happened.

If I did manage to get over the side the tether would be over the life line and should keep you fairly high while preventing you from moving aft as you pointed out. With the boat heeling you should only be inches from the deck level. You would also be able to use the tether of part of the life line system to help pull yourself back on deck. Unless you were severely injured this should be doable, mostly because of the higher hand holds.

I don't think I would ever unclip unless I was trapped underwater or knew I could maintain a hold on some part of the boat.

Steve, I too really hope none of us ever has to test our ideas, although I strongly suspect that given your sailing skills and adventures YOU will be testing your theories long before I ever (if ever) test mine. [/quote]

I think you nailed the fact that these are just ideas and I have not tested any of this other than by not falling over the side or losing balance on deck. This is attributed to the original idea of holding on and moving carefully; like your life depended on it. You also have to be at ease so you are not stiff and tense; which might be what Lin was trying to promote. The only way I want to test my theories is on a warm summer day in protected water with a capable crew on board. Other than that I will be holding on and from years of manual labor I have a pretty strong grip. I think we are most cautious when the situation looks bad. Complacency can set in when conditions are mild and a rouge wake could be all it takes to catch you off guard.

So who wants to drive while I fall overboard and try to get back on board? I think falling overboard sounds kind of painful so it might be easing over just for the sake of experimentation. Robert if you were a bit closer this would make a great wager for the beer of choice. I prefer a nice IPA, Steve.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Steve:

A suggestion. After your initial post on your Bermuda adventure, I think someone (Dixon H. ) suggested you post photos, write a brief article, etc.

Given your sailing skills and gift for writing, I would like to strongly urge you to write a detailed account of your adventure, including trip planning, outfitting S/V Raven, incidents along the way, plans to deal with emergencies (that thankfully never happened ). Assuming you took pictures (if you did not shame, shame, shame) include them in your account.

To me, your planning and preparation for keeping yourself "on the boat" is a good example of what a lot of us would like to learn more about or at least think more about. There were also a LOT of questions asked of you by readers concerning all aspects of your trip. These could be topics for discussion by you with specifics unique to Cape Dory sailboats.

While I know many have made the trip to Bermuda from the NE and a few have done it solo, I doubt there are many (if any) who have done it solo on a Cape Dory sailboat. I would think your account would be a hot ticket item - especially among the Cape Dory community.

Give it some thought.

[SeaBelle]

On Moondance, a friends Sabre 452, at night or in 'rough weather' harnesses are required. We have harnesses with integrated inflatable PFDs. They are much more comfortable than standard PFDs so wearing one is NOT a burden we rig jacklines bow to stern and always travel the uphill side.

Jack

[Sea Hunt Video]

Steve and all:

I had forgotton about something I recently read until Jack posted his comment.

In the August 2012 issue of Cruising World there is a good article entitled "Prepping for Offshore". In addition to many other recommendations, the author (Richard Du Moulin - 22 Newport to Bermuda races) made several suggestions about jack lines, harnesses, etc.

He recommends installing a strong padeye at the companionway to which a tether can always be attached. In this way, before going into the cockpit, a person can tether himself (herself) to the boat. When going below, a person can get down the companionway and then release the tether.

He also recommends having a jackline run from bow to stern and then loosely draped or looped low across the transom to a cleat or other strong attachment point "so it can be grabbed by a swimmer (a/k/a "MOB" ) needing a handhold.

These seemed like pretty good suggestions. Given my limited sailing skills and even more limited sailing range I doubt I will ever have the need for either of the above but they seem like pretty simple additions and would improve safety.