In response to the need for vessel inspection guidelines for Category 1 races, I developed a PowerPoint show which highlights a generic process for getting one's boat through the inspection process (which obviously varies from race to race) that is accompanied by a description of the 10 or so items most likely to trip up prospective racers. These items are the ones that I have encountered over many years of inspecting boats for the West Marine Pacific Cup and Transpac, the two key Cat 1 races on the West Coast.

Owners generally don't have a problem buying or renting the required gear, but they can be challenged by modifying their boats so the meet the requirements. Items like the mast butt attachment, stanchion height and spacing, companionway access, trisail attachment, and bilge pump discharges are common stumbling blocks.

In addition, the presentation spends 5-6 slides repeating important concepts in Section One of the Special Regulations regarding the owner's responsibilities, which are an attempt to keep the responsibility on the owner and not the inspector or the race committee.

Copies of this presentation are available from me.

I have also worked with US Sailing to get everyone on same page for transition of duties for who runs a SAS seminar.

Paul Miller
New Business - Storm Trysail Club

I believe the Safety at Sea Committee should review the STC’s work and determine whether there are any items that the US SAILING Safety at Sea Committee might consider acting on.

SAFETY GUIDELINES - January 2004

This past weekend at its Annual Meeting, hosted in Annapolis by its Chesapeake Bay Station and Commodore Dick Neville, the Storm Trysail Club (STC) adopted its own Recommended Guidelines for Safety. Since the 1998 Sydney-Hobart Race, the Safety at Sea Committee of the STC has sent three questionnaires to the STC membership and sought input from experts and other organizations such as RORC, US Sailing, and CCA. The resulting Guideline represents the opinion of the STC only.

It is interesting to note that while approximately 25% of the STC members believed that the use of PFD's and harnesses should be left to the discretion of the captain (owner) and crew, an overwhelming 75% believed the STC should be more pro-active and issue guidelines and recommendations that might, in certain cases, be stronger than existing regulation or prescriptions.

STORM TRYSAIL CLUB RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES

The Storm Trysail Club (STC) as a service to competitors may prescribe certain safety equipment and procedures, but sailing is an inherently risky activity and it is the captain (owner) and crew's responsibility to use their best judgment regarding participating in a race, continuing to race, and the use of safety equipment and procedures.

Except as modified by these STC Guidelines, the provisions of Section 5 "Personal Equipment" in the Offshore Special Regulations apply. STC Guidelines take precedence whenever they exceed the requirements of Section 5, except competitors are not required to wear personal flotation or harnesses while starting or finishing unless the captain (owner) so requires or any one of the conditions in the following paragraph apply.

A harness (with tether) and lifejacket with whistle and reflective material shall be worn:

a) between the hours of sunset and sunrise
b) when alone on deck
c) when reefed
d) when true wind speed is 25 knots or above
e) when visibility is less than one nautical mile

For Category 3 and 4 races, the harness (with tether) is recommended but not required.

Each crew shall carry a personal strobe between the hours of sunset and sunrise.

In any case, any and all safety equipment should be utilized by the crew whenever conditions warrant.

Competitors specific attention should be directed to the Racing Rules of Sailing 2001-2004 Fundamental Rule 1.1 which states "A boat or competitor shall give all possible help to any person or vessel in danger."

The STC reserves the right to alter these Guidelines at any time."

Glenn McCarthy
Web Site Report

You can see that the interest in what we present continues to grow.  If this track continues, we should have over 100,000 User Sessions in 2004. 

• Visitors are not limited to the U.S.  We have had visitors who have sent emails looking for specific answers which have covered 6 of the 7 continents.  Our audience is worldwide.
• Creating and adding content has slowed dramatically since the beginning.  We have captured all “reports” that we know of and have put them on the website.
• The ISAF extracts are now on the site.  I still believe that this Safety at Sea Committee must pass a resolution that the U.S. Regs are FROZEN for a 2-year period.  We should not chase ISAF’s changes (which they agreed to freeze for 1 year periods).  Without freezing, it is possible to have printed books sold that are contrary to what we have on the website (the website would have to start using nomenclature like Version 2.3, Version 2.4, etc. and keep the older Versions available for users).  Notifying book buyers that an item has changed is an expensive proposition.

Resolved: The ISAF Special Regulations Governing Offshore and Oceanic Equipment and Preparation with US SAILING Prescriptions shall remain unchanged until the 1^st of January on even years.  Any change ISAF makes in the interim, shall not take effect until the 1^st of January on even years.  The only exception to this will be a resolution passed by the US SAILING Board of Directors.

• The Safety at Sea section of the website began approximately June 1999 and is almost 5 years old.

Project’s Underway

• Recently I tracked down 20 of the early Hanson stories that have been missing and added them to the website bringing the total story count up to 113.  There are now 5 early Hanson stories that we do not have a story on.

Completed Projects

• I did a full review of the entire site and updated any outdated material, if you see anything out of whack, give me the web page in an email and what should be corrected.
• Added the Fall 2003 Meeting Approved Minutes.
• Added the Spring 2004 Draft Agenda.

Web Liaison Resignation

• Who would like to take the Safety at Sea website from here on?  With Dan Doyle assuming the Hanson job, and the website becoming more of a maintenance rather than building effort, the job should be relatively easy compared to the growth during my reign.  You’ll have my full support.

Hanson Report

RRS 1.1

Rudi Millard
Safety at Sea Report

I wanted to let you and fellow SAS Committee members know that a very successful US Sailing approved Safety at Sea Seminar was conducted this past weekend in Newport, RI  (3/06 & 3/07) by the Cruising Club of America in connection to this year's Newport Bermuda Race.

The event was well attended and organized by Sheila McCurdy and Rush Hambleton.  They did a fantastic job.  Also, Dan Nowlan was available all weekend to answer any questions and was a big help.

I am now wearing a new hat as Chairman of the CCA's Safety at Sea Committee and will keep our US Sailing SAS Committee updated on any important issues that we might be focusing on.

Evans Starzinger
Safety at Sea Report

We have spent the past 6 months sailing around Tasmania and had the opportunity to talk with many folks involved in the Sydney to Hobart event.  I thought it might be useful to feedback the Australian priorities to the SAS group.

They have primarily focused on five areas:

1. Crew experience and training – minimum of half the crew required to have previously done a Sydney to Hobart.
2. Insurance – minimum of Aus$10m ($8mUS) liability required.
3. Boat measurement – double-checking that all boat’s measurement trim meets the race requirements AND that boats are actually sailing in measurement trim.
4. Race committee communications capability (Increased equipment and manpower, mandatory check-in at about halfway point) and weather forecasting (education of both the forecasters and sailors) .
5. Ensure crews know how to hoist and sheet storm sails – required to sail by start line with storm sails set.

Additionally there has been some attention/discussion to storm sail areas, life raft specifications, and surveys for older vessels (especially planked wooden construction) but no major results yet in these areas.

The Australian focus has clearly been on building crew capability and responsibility.