Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Offshore Safety: an Interview with Ocean
Navigator Magazine
Q: How do you approach the subject of safety? Has your experience sailing offshore affec-
ted your thinking on safety?
A: Having a young child on board makes us especially safety conscious. For us, prevention
is more important than any single piece of expensive rescue equipment. This starts with a
cockpit jack line that we can clip in to before leaving the shelter of the cabin, and extends
to deck jack lines and safety netting. We take a conservative approach to every passage. We
wait for a favorable forecast and try not to allow ourselves to be driven by a firm schedule.
Even if other crews are heading out of port, we may stay behind and wait for a better
weather window to avoid trouble. We have learned to turn a deaf ear to well-meaning ad-
vice at times and trust our own judgment about what we are comfortable heading out in. On
the other hand, having lived aboard for four years and crossed both the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans, I am amazed at how infrequently we have encountered truly uncomfortable weath-
er at sea by cruising within safe seasons. (Knock on wood!)
Dressed for the occasion
We think of safety equipment in three categories: First, there are the things that should min-
imize the chances of getting into a distress situation. This includes standard equipment that
should be on any boat such as jack lines, suitable storm sails, radar, and most importantly,
sound and safe practices and routines on board. I guess you call that good seamanship. Se-
condly, there is the equipment that helps to communicate a distress situation: EPIRB, radio,
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