2012 rules posted

[Ergo]

Bob’s right about the annual reaction to the new requirements. I’ve experienced it from both perspectives: inflictor and inflicted.

At some point, I pushed hard for removing the requirement that all boats carry MOB gear for the LongPac. (This was before the CG mandated additional equipment before it would issue a race permit for races going west of the GG Bridge.)

Personally, I’m not a big fan of rules but they are necessary if SSS is going to function as an organization. On that note, we need to have requirements that satisfy the Coast Guard’s requirements for getting a race permit and also need to mesh with the cultures of sister organizations such as yacht clubs that allow us to use their race decks and other clubs such as one design-fleets and BAMA. But sometimes, because of the unique nature of the SSS, this isn’t reasonable, such as complying with some organizations’ requirement that someone on a boat be CPR certified. We’re a talented group of sailors but, really, self administered CPR?

My opinion is that there’s a big difference between educating skippers about the realities and possible consequences of shorthanded sailing and requiring them to carry gear they will probably never use. Offshore, shorthanded racing is not an adventure tourism activity. I believe that trying to make it “safe”, while laudable, is unreasonable. There are just too many of worst case scenarios to cover with equipment band aids.

Also, if SSS requires Lifeslings for Farallons and HMB, it should require Ilifeslings for LongPacs and TransPacs. I know, the boats are further apart….but, what if a TransPac's skipper passed a body 800 miles offshore wouldn’t they want to be able to get it out of the water?

Required equipment should be limited to the absolute minimum necessary to run a race. Anything else may be a good idea and worth considering but should be left up the skipper of the boat.

Bill Merrick

 

[Philpott]

Our former Commodore is back and I'm glad. With regard to the Lifesling requirement, who else would be so reasonable as to ask "what if a TransPac's skipper passed a body 800 miles offshore wouldn’t they want to be able to get it out of the water?" Why, yes of course I would drag that body into Dura Mater's cockpit. I mean, duh! Welcome back, Bill!

 

[Ergo]

Thanks, Phil. I'm very glad to know that you'd give the cadaver a ride, BUT do you really think you would be able to that unless you had a genuine, patented, fool proof Lifesling and, of course, you wouldn't have one unless required by the race rules.

Bill Medrrick

 

[BobJ]

. . . This was before the CG mandated additional equipment before it would issue a race permit for races going west of the GG Bridge . . . we need to have requirements that satisfy the Coast Guard’s requirements for getting a race permit . . .

As Bill knows (he was the inflictee on that one), I had to pull the permits for the 2010 SHTP. When you've been through that process you realize the only equipment required by the Coast Guard is the normal stuff that's mandated for all boats - PFD, distress signals, fire extinguisher, etc. and since 2010, a "406 device" for races outside the Gate. Everything else is a club's idea of what makes a boat "safer" out there. For the longer offshore races (like SHTP and LongPac) the Coast Guard is also very concerned about a R/C maintaining communication with its fleet. Getting race permits isn't what's driving this.

So what IS driving our equipment rules? In the case of the SSS, it's part of our purpose as an organization and was written into our "charter" when the SSS was formed nearly 35 years ago. From the SSS home page: "The races provide an organized arena in which ideas, equipment, designs, and vessels specifically created, built, modified, or equipped for long distance singlehanded racing may be tested and evaluated through friendly sportsmanlike competition." At the core, it's why the SSS is a 501(c)(3) instead of a 501(c)(7) like a yacht club.

We get a lot of boats in our races (the majority probably) who are just there to race. Some of those skippers see the equipment requirements as a nuisance and even an impediment to being competitive. Personally I'd like to see the SSS get closer to its roots. There are some really experienced and smart sailors in our group who have taught me a lot about how to race solo offshore. They have become increasingly quiet these last several years as the number of race entries has grown.

 

[Ergo]

Thanks, Bob. Good summary of the facts. In virtually all instances of required equipment, SSS does not specify a specific manufacturer or brand: vhf radio (not icom radio), PFD (not Mustang PFD). etc.

One of the first questions asked about this requirement was about satisfying it with something other than a "Lifesling": the response from Tiger Beetle was that it was his preference that only Lifeslings would suffice. It is unknown whether this is SSS' position or just Tiger Beetle's personal preference. In any event, the rule specifies "Lifesling". One of the consequences of having been on the SSS board is thinking this anally about the race rules. As a PRO, I'd hate to have to disqualify a skipper because he/she didn't have a "Lifesling" aboard during the Farallons race but if "Lifeslings are specified, this would be the case.

I'm all for the stated purpose described in the charter but, are we really honoring that purpose by telling our skippers that they meet the requirement by purchasing a specific item? I don't think so. If the safety committee thinks this is a serious enough issue to be addressed by a requirement, I'd prefer language that a skipper have the gear and ability to use the gear to get someone out of the water.

I know from experience, that thinking through a possible emergency situation, before it happens, is much more valuable than going to West Marine, buying something and checking it off the list. How many of us have a dozen or so flares but have never fired one off?

Bill Merrick

 

[BobJ]

The LifeSling is somewhat unique because there isn't, to my knowledge, a competing device that does exactly the same thing. The Mom-8 requires inflation (and periodic certification like a liferaft), and is much more expensive. A standard horseshoe may not have a floating line attached and isn't good for lifting a person out of the water.

On the other hand, the LifeSling does not qualify as a "Type 4 (throwable) device easily accessable to the helmsman" (a legal requirement for most of us).

I'm not on the rules committee this time so it's just my opinion, but if a skipper had a device, mounted and ready to deploy, that was functionally equivalent to a LifeSling, I would grant them a waiver.

What's crazy (IMO) is the OYRA rules which require a LifeSling AND a horseshoe (with a bunch of crap attached) AND a man-overboard pole, even in the SHS division.

 

[Wylieguy]

Lifesling Certification

I'm probably the guilty SSS Safety Committee guy who plugged for the Lifesling requirement, so I guess I should speak up. Of course a Lifesling won't get a singlehander back on board her/his boat and a dead body in the middle of the ocean probably couldn't grab the thing, but I could if I were alive and in the water and you sailed past. I don't think my keel's going to drop off, but I doubt if anyone who's had that happened coming back from the Farallons planned on that happening either. There are several keels out there.

As to certification. A Lifesling is a "Type V which substitutes for a Type IV". I guess you can either have bulky horseshoe/life ring (do you REALLY want to try to hang on to a seat cushion???) or a Lifesling bag hanging on your pushpit. The Lifesling is ISAF certified, too, so if it happens you want to sail in one of their races, Bob's your uncle.
Pat Broderick

 

[bobwalden]

I have a lifesling and I think they're pretty effective in the "get the mob back to the boat" stage of a recovery. But then I have a big boat and a lifesling is not gonna cost me a race (it'll be a long time before I'm a good enough sailor that things like that will make or break the race for me).

So I guess I have no probs with it being a requirement; it is true that they've been shown many times to be a very effective device for saving lives. In the majority of cases, it is not actually of much use as a hoisting device; it's real utility is in being thrown over the stern and towed in a circle to get it into the hands of a conscious person. If the mob is unconscious, forget it. You're in a bad situation. I think a gaffing stick might be the best bet (kidding!)

but with a conscious, effective mob, it's a good deal to use it to get them alongside. How you recover them then is dependent on your boat and capabilities.

Should we require lifesling brand? I would say not. I agree with those above who say if you demonstrate equivalent functionality with a home-grown design (ie, floating tether tied to a ring buoy, for example), then it should be accepted.

Just my .02.

Bob Walden
Sea Star

 

[Ergo]

Thanks, Pat. First, the folks who actually do the work necessary to have organized racing are few in number and None, as far as I know, have done more for as long as Pat has.

I apologize for my use of hyperbole to make a point. To be clear, I'm not interested in hashing out the relative merits of any specific piece of equipment. I have my preferences and other folks have their's. My concern is any club requiring that I buy a specific piece of equipment to address something that could happen. Sure, it's great to have the right thing at the right time at the right place but to REQUIRE that Every boat have the latest and greatest and then expect a race deck to enforce it?

There are emergency situations in races. There have been fatalities but, with one exception, I don't know of any in which a LifeSling would have made any difference. In the case I'm most familiar with, Daisey, no one even witnessed the incident and the CG never rendered a finding. They reacted by ramping up the requirements for getting a race permit even though having a 406 EPIRB might not have made any difference for Daisey's skipper and crew.

I can understand having a requirement for MOB gear on boats with crew - but Singlehanded boats? Not so much. Could a Lifesling make a difference in a situation where a singlehander happened to see someone bobbing around in the water? Sure. Could I win the TransPac? Sure, but the odds are about the same for both situations.

 

[BobJ]

Bill, you could win the SH TransPac. You just need the right boat and the time to sail the battens out of it.

As for that cadaver, if it was a glass fishing float I'd be all over it. The cadaver just gets his coordinates reported.

 

[Ergo]

Bob, from what I hear about some of those glass floats, they stink almost as much as cadavers but, you've got a point about the pick up. You can't clean up a cadaver and keep it in your trophy case.

Bill Merrick

 

[Philpott]

lifeline discussion

I've really enjoyed the very civil back and forth between Bob J and Richard V regarding the recent lifeline rules change on Pressure Drop. Too bad it couldn't have taken place in this forum.

 

[BobJ]

Thanks Jackie. As you read, I encouraged Richard to post his concerns here but apparently there's a problem accepting new SSS forum registrants.

 

[Culebra]

Hey, it works.

In coastal waters, racing or not, singlehanding or not, where other sailors are likely to be nearby (like a Farallones race), I do think it's a sailor's duty (sounds stuffy, but it's sincere) to be prepared to rescue another sailor in the water. The SSS rules committee I think correctly interpreted their job to promote this "rule" of seamanship IMHO, for this set of races. It's their job to take a stand, and actually, I think, to set a standard, which they emphatically did. To be fair, sure a skipper can exercise their autonomy to effectively prepare their boats and skills any way they like, and do a very fine job of it. But just not in an organized event. In the organized event you get rules and standards. Nothing new here. Ugh. And, totally fair.

Anyway, to the point: Try sidling up to a crew overboard in the ocean and grabbing them with just a boathook or by tossing a heft of line. No thanks. The lifesling concept allows you to circle the COB so you can effectively snatch them in a seaway. And then it gives them floatation because they're totally exhaused by now. I suspect this is the standard the rules committee was aiming for. If you aren't familiar with how the lifesling works, scroll forward to 3 min on this video (or watch the whole thing if you can tolerate Rousmaniere's very boring delivery, but hey, he's the king of seamanship so we have to cut him some slack, right?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnhjOhWD4j0

Paul/Culebra

 

[bobwalden]

Second to Culebra's post. It don't have to be lifesling-brand IMHO, but it is an effective, low-cost device.

bw

 

[cafemontaigne]

Paul,

I don't get it, I have a ring buoy and a horseshoe buoy on my transom. They each cost me $20. The ring is attached to 25' of polypro line, and I've played around with towing it around in a circle just like in the video - it works fine. The only benefit of the $400 lifesling seems to be you can then use it as a harness to pull your COB out of the water. But you could have a separate device on board for this purpose - say 3ft of webbing ($3), or even a piece of line that you tie a couple eyes in ($0) - that you pass around the COB when he's been brought alongside, then hook him to a halyard and haul away. That's been my plan at least... The Lifesling is an elegant package, but it seems like you're just paying for their marketing.

Adrian

 

[Harrier]

Life sling requirement

My thoughts exactly, Adrian. Which is why I questioned the requirement for a "specific" commercial product "way back when". The main point in my mind is: "Do you have a means of doing what we want you to be able to do?"
Demonstrate that, and you should be OK! The plot thickens...?

 

[Culebra]

Just to be clear, I'm not speaking for the committee, just offering my thoughts on the subject. I too think a brand shouldn't be specified, and I would agree that there are some (not many) homemade solutions that work perfectly well. But my point is that the committee correctly exercised their job of defining a requirement that assures their desired outcome, which in this case was obviously a very high standard of safety. There are no boat inspections to validate if a skipper's home grown approach meets the standard. I happen to agree that the standard should be high, so with that premise in mind, either you write a rule that is unambiguous, as they did, or you get very clever in describing the allowed substitutes (which I concede has some appeal). But if you go with the latter, then you probably don't achieve the desired outcome fully.

The smaller Lifesling costs $129. W/out the block+tackle. Which is still plenty if you're on a budget.

Paul/Culebra

 

[Harrier]

Lifesling

Good points, Paul. It would seem that many "rules" are driven by the difficulty of deciding whether the eqipment specified will accomplish the desired result. Requiring the Lifesling sidesteps that problem. All very academic to me, since I don't race locally with you guys...ha ha.
By the way, where did the "coastal cruiser" tab under "Harrier" come from?

 

[BobJ]

Many of these computer forums give you a "status" that changes as you accumulate certain numbers of posts. For example, you might start out as "New Member" and when you reach 20 posts you become "Not-so-New Member" and at a 1,000 posts you become "Expert Veteran" or some such.

I post on another sailing forum where the status labels are based on the stages of development of the male anatomy. On that one (and here) I asked the Forum Admin to permanently change my status to "J/92 Ragtime!" which somehow seemed more useful than "Testies Dropping." As I write this, I note that our distinguished Commodore currently enjoys the latter status on that other forum. But not to worry - if he continues to post over there, he will soon become a "Group 3 Studmuffin."