New sailor, want to cross the Pacific, guide me.

Sam , the guy with the strobe light . may be using it as an anchor light while on his mooring ?

I very much doubt he is using it while sailing , should be navigation lights only .... red port ....green starb ....and white stern 180 degree

COLREGS Rule 36

Signals to attract attention

. If necessary to attract the attention of another vessel any vessel may make light or sound signals that cannot be mistaken for any signal authorized elsewhere in these Rules, or may direct the beam of her searchlight in the direction of the danger, in such a way as not to embarrass any vessel. Any light to attract the attention of another vessel shall be such that it cannot be mistaken for any aid to navigation. For the purpose of this Rule the use of high intensity intermittent or revolving lights, such as strobe lights, shall be avoided.

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samsturdy said..
Just a quick question from me gang. I think in the blog about Sailing North it was stated that sleeping was done in 15 minute
sessions and one blogger said how tired he became. Do you still have to do it that way if you are crossing the Pacific or on
any voyage where you are in a great expanse of sea ??.

G'day Sam.

Risk management is based on the probability something will happen and the consequences if it did happen. Risk management should always be considered this way, probability first and consequences second. For example, the consequences of driving a car and crashing could be death. Risk management, don't drive. However, the probability of this consequence is so low we drive and manage the consequences by driving carefully, wearing a seat belt etc.

My view, once away from the continental shelf the far greater probability is making a mistake through fatigue than hit by another vessel wanting the same 35 or so ft of space you are in.

So what is the probability of being hit by another ship. Coastal and in shipping lanes e.g. English Channel, cross Atlantic routes, the Straits of the world the probability is such that I believe you need someone on watch 24/7.

When off the continental shelf and outside shipping lanes I personally prefer to not be fatigued than worry about a ship wanting my 34ft of water.

I base this view of a low probability of coming into conflict with another vessel on the blue ocean not only on a bit of coastal and blue water sailing but also on thousands of hours flying over the oceans searching for ships during 10 years at sea with the Fleet Air Arm. Outside shipping lanes and fishing areas the odds of seeing another vessel is low and of it coming inside 1/2 a mile of you near zero. Of it hitting you even less.

Between 50nm out and Lord Howe Island and return on 3.5 trips (aborted half way once) we have seen one other vessel who was overtaking us, closest point of approach about 5-10nm.

Fatigue on the other hand has a very high probability of causing mistakes and injury. 20-30 minutes at a time might be ok for a day or so but you need longer sleep to avoid fatigue for longer periods.

Think of a 30 kt wind that slowly becomes a 50kt blow during the evening, you avoid reducing sail because you are too tired, it gets too bad and you must reduce sail and you are fatigued at 0300. You or crew forget to clip on, you haul in the reefing line before bringing the luff down, you lose control of the helm while yelling instructions to the man at the mast, your crew wraps the staysail sheet around the winch the wrong way then loses control of the vessel etc, etc. All these happenings can have major consequences for the boat and crew.

Arguably my biggest mistake as skipper was a poorly executed gybe that broke my boom at the gooseneck. We were 30nm from Lord Howe on my first trip there. Fatigue had a major part to play as we hadn't slept for a long time while in >40kt winds and very very big seas for the previous 12 hours. The idea of deliberately bringing on fatigue by not sleeping properly to avoid the ultra low probability of a collision at sea doesn't seem to be wise.

Now there's the voice of experience talking. Thanks MB, I hope sailor92 reads this just to show that
the dream you have in your head can bear little resemblance to reality. I think the fatigue aspect is
what is the most daunting to me, if you remember, I asked if you could heave to and sleep for eight hours.
I got laughed at of course, but, you can see where I was coming from.
I'm just wondering how fatigued sailor92 could become sailing solo across the Pacific. Not to suppress
his ambitions, it has been done....but was it a pleasant experience ???.

Select to expand quote

samsturdy said..
Now there's the voice of experience talking. Thanks MB, I hope sailor92 reads this just to show that
the dream you have in your head can bear little resemblance to reality. I think the fatigue aspect is
what is the most daunting to me, if you remember, I asked if you could heave to and sleep for eight hours.
I got laughed at of course, but, you can see where I was coming from.
I'm just wondering how fatigued sailor92 could become sailing solo across the Pacific. Not to suppress
his ambitions, it has been done....but was it a pleasant experience ???.

Sam open ocean passages and coastal passages are two very different things.
As MB 50nm + out to sea compared to Sydney to Brisbane direct both solo but very different passages with different requirements. When you asked about heaving too most assumed you were talking by close to shore not in the middle of nowhere.

Sam, I dont think there is much difference between heaving-to & keeping sailing overnight(when far out to sea) if you decide to get a proper sleep(say 6 to 8hrs), you are still bobbing around occupying your boat length of ocean, still the same risk...if not more risk by heaving-to as its just an extra 1/3 added to the time a particular passage will take & all the added complications that brings.
cheers

There is a free book on singlehanded sailing that you can read available here: www.sfbaysss.org/main/resources/
The best advice I can give you is to go and buy a boat, now. Not after 6 months of reading about boats, and not after a year of trying other boats. Just go and by a boat now. Then go sailing. Go sailing every evening after work. Go sailing every weekend and every holiday.
After you have been sailing in local waters for 6 months or a year, then you will have enough knowledge about your boat to be able to sell it and go and buy a boat that will be a much better choice for your Pacific crossing.
But I'll tell you right now. If you spend the next 6 months or a year dreaming about it, but not actually getting on the water at every possible moment, then 1 year from now and 2 years from now you will still be dreaming.

I'm told business class on Emirates 747s is a pretty spiritual experience, a lot cheaper, quicker, less frightening, and safer than a boat. You'd still be alive to go and check out the forests in North Cal and Oregon. Beautiful up there, LA is a ****hole.

And you would die with regret of not setting out and being true to yourself.

Where is the courage? Great men are not born but grow with fearless endeavour and hard work.

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SandS said..

simmrr said..
And you would die with regret of not setting out and being true to yourself.

Where is the courage? Great men are not born but grow with fearless endeavour and hard work.

true to who ? OH for ****s sake !! ........Courage ...... i,m sure i had that at some point ... not sure where it is atm , out to lunch ? .... Great men .sure they are born , aren't they ? fearless ? oh yeah ,nah .... but hard work ! tell me about it it !

Being true to ones self was for the op. Why settle to compromise your dreams? Fear is a reality and holds men back from becoming who they really are. The fear of stepping into the unknown and out of the comfort
Zone of holding onto your 'safe' life.

What is the point of holding onto your life if you loose it in the process.

I think there has been some good advice in the post. It would be a bit foolish to go it solo with no experience and ill planning but with the right circumstances anything is possible. The memories will be forever and you can safely say as Frank put it i did it my way.

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oldtelefart said..


I'm told business class on Emirates 747s is a pretty spiritual experience, a lot cheaper, quicker, less frightening, and safer than a boat.

spiritual experience? nah, not in the slightest.

most forms of transport are cheaper, quicker, less frightening, and safer than a boat. none of those factors have much to do with why i love sailing though...

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simmrr said..

SandS said..

simmrr said..
And you would die with regret of not setting out and being true to yourself.

Where is the courage? Great men are not born but grow with fearless endeavour and hard work.

true to who ? OH for ****s sake !! ........Courage ...... i,m sure i had that at some point ... not sure where it is atm , out to lunch ? .... Great men .sure they are born , aren't they ? fearless ? oh yeah ,nah .... but hard work ! tell me about it it !

Being true to ones self was for the op. Why settle to compromise your dreams? Fear is a reality and holds men back from becoming who they really are. The fear of stepping into the unknown and out of the comfort
Zone of holding onto your 'safe' life.

What is the point of holding onto your life if you loose it in the process.

I think there has been some good advice in the post. It would be a bit foolish to go it solo with no experience and ill planning but with the right circumstances anything is possible. The memories will be forever and you can safely say as Frank put it i did it my way.

Has anyone said he shouldn't go? I thought everyone was just saying that he should get more experience first.

It's not just about risking death. It's about spending thousands of dollars and lots of time and THEN finding out after a few weeks of misery that ocean crossing is not for you, or that you went too early and therefore got chastened and lost the chance to achieve the dream later. It's also about the fact that we are not islands; that others may have to save people or mourn them.

Select to expand quote

Chris 249 said..

simmrr said..

SandS said..

simmrr said..
And you would die with regret of not setting out and being true to yourself.

Where is the courage? Great men are not born but grow with fearless endeavour and hard work.

true to who ? OH for ****s sake !! ........Courage ...... i,m sure i had that at some point ... not sure where it is atm , out to lunch ? .... Great men .sure they are born , aren't they ? fearless ? oh yeah ,nah .... but hard work ! tell me about it it !

Being true to ones self was for the op. Why settle to compromise your dreams? Fear is a reality and holds men back from becoming who they really are. The fear of stepping into the unknown and out of the comfort
Zone of holding onto your 'safe' life.

What is the point of holding onto your life if you loose it in the process.

I think there has been some good advice in the post. It would be a bit foolish to go it solo with no experience and ill planning but with the right circumstances anything is possible. The memories will be forever and you can safely say as Frank put it i did it my way.

Has anyone said he shouldn't go? I thought everyone was just saying that he should get more experience first.

It's not just about risking death. It's about spending thousands of dollars and lots of time and THEN finding out after a few weeks of misery that ocean crossing is not for you, or that you went too early and therefore got chastened and lost the chance to achieve the dream later. It's also about the fact that we are not islands; that others may have to save people or mourn them.

Yep two people said get on a plane.

Select to expand quote

FreeRadical said..
COLREGS Rule 36

Signals to attract attention

. If necessary to attract the attention of another vessel any vessel may make light or sound signals that cannot be mistaken for any signal authorized elsewhere in these Rules, or may direct the beam of her searchlight in the direction of the danger, in such a way as not to embarrass any vessel. Any light to attract the attention of another vessel shall be such that it cannot be mistaken for any aid to navigation. For the purpose of this Rule the use of high intensity intermittent or revolving lights, such as strobe lights, shall be avoided.

Best thing I saw leaving panama we're fishing boats draped in flashing Christmas lights. They were lit up like, well, Christmas trees.
There was no way you could miss them and you could still see their nav lights quite clearly.

Select to expand quote

MorningBird said..

samsturdy said..
Just a quick question from me gang. I think in the blog about Sailing North it was stated that sleeping was done in 15 minute
sessions and one blogger said how tired he became. Do you still have to do it that way if you are crossing the Pacific or on
any voyage where you are in a great expanse of sea ??.

G'day Sam.

Risk management is based on the probability something will happen and the consequences if it did happen. Risk management should always be considered this way, probability first and consequences second. For example, the consequences of driving a car and crashing could be death. Risk management, don't drive. However, the probability of this consequence is so low we drive and manage the consequences by driving carefully, wearing a seat belt etc.

My view, once away from the continental shelf the far greater probability is making a mistake through fatigue than hit by another vessel wanting the same 35 or so ft of space you are in.

So what is the probability of being hit by another ship. Coastal and in shipping lanes e.g. English Channel, cross Atlantic routes, the Straits of the world the probability is such that I believe you need someone on watch 24/7.

When off the continental shelf and outside shipping lanes I personally prefer to not be fatigued than worry about a ship wanting my 34ft of water.

I base this view of a low probability of coming into conflict with another vessel on the blue ocean not only on a bit of coastal and blue water sailing but also on thousands of hours flying over the oceans searching for ships during 10 years at sea with the Fleet Air Arm. Outside shipping lanes and fishing areas the odds of seeing another vessel is low and of it coming inside 1/2 a mile of you near zero. Of it hitting you even less.

Between 50nm out and Lord Howe Island and return on 3.5 trips (aborted half way once) we have seen one other vessel who was overtaking us, closest point of approach about 5-10nm.

Fatigue on the other hand has a very high probability of causing mistakes and injury. 20-30 minutes at a time might be ok for a day or so but you need longer sleep to avoid fatigue for longer periods.

Think of a 30 kt wind that slowly becomes a 50kt blow during the evening, you avoid reducing sail because you are too tired, it gets too bad and you must reduce sail and you are fatigued at 0300. You or crew forget to clip on, you haul in the reefing line before bringing the luff down, you lose control of the helm while yelling instructions to the man at the mast, your crew wraps the staysail sheet around the winch the wrong way then loses control of the vessel etc, etc. All these happenings can have major consequences for the boat and crew.

Arguably my biggest mistake as skipper was a poorly executed gybe that broke my boom at the gooseneck. We were 30nm from Lord Howe on my first trip there. Fatigue had a major part to play as we hadn't slept for a long time while in >40kt winds and very very big seas for the previous 12 hours. The idea of deliberately bringing on fatigue by not sleeping properly to avoid the ultra low probability of a collision at sea doesn't seem to be wise.

Well said MB