Safety Prep Newport Bermuda 2018
Part 4: 2018 Newport Bermuda Race
When first asked about the most important things about participating in the Newport Bermuda Race (NBR), Chris Cannon said:” Safety is goal #1! Boat speed is next, solid navigation, and making memories.” We soon realized that safety preparation is a daunting task. The NBR publishes sixteen pages of detailed safety requirements. These requirements are not a replacement, but a supplement to requirements of the US Coast Guard, the Racing Rules of Sailing, the rules of various Class Associations and all applicable racing rules.
The NBR is very specific about who bears the responsibility for the safety of the crew and vessel. As owner of Verissmo and retired business owner, Chris Cannon, takes this responsibility very seriously. After maintenance has been addressed during the winter months, Chris and his Captain Matt Reinhardt will spend considerable time reviewing all aspects for the race.
All boats are subject to inspection by the Technical committee of NBR. These inspections thoroughly cover the hull and construction, safety equipment, and crew’s safety skills. They require that “equipment must function properly, be regularly checked, cleaned and serviced, and be of a type, size and capacity suitable for the intended use and size of the boat and number of crew”. The crew must be able to demonstrate their capabilities to use all equipment while underway. Wouldn’t it be nice if this was standard for all boaters whether it’s an Optimist, a 52 ft sport fisherman, an 80 ft schooner, or a 20ft center console outboard!
Guidelines for the Hull and Structure Construction This category focuses on the seaworthiness of the vessel which means any openings including ports and hatches, must be able to be secured immediately to maintain watertight integrity. The boat must be properly rigged and ballasted, but most importantly sturdy enough to withstand ocean waves and possible knockdowns.
Among some of the more specific requirements, which may not be found on many recreational cruisers, include the following:
Bilge Pumps - There must be two operational manual bilge pumps with capacity of 10 gallons per minute (GPM). One must be able to operate below deck and the other topside with the cabin closed.
Companionways must be able to be closed off securely from the main deck and watertight integrity.
Main deck must be completely enclosed by lifelines and pulpits which strictly comply with NBR specifications.
Sleeping arrangements – there must be enough bunks on board to provide sufficient space for off-watch crew.
Cooking - boats must be equipped with a stove with a fuel shut off. The barbeque grill off the stern will not be available on this trip!
Potable Water - there should be a water tank with a delivery system that will make water available to the crew in the event the primary system fails.
Verissimo was built for ocean cruising and racing to many of these features were part of the boat from the beginning.
Safety Equipment
When it comes to safety equipment, at the top of everyone’s list is PFDs or life jackets. This year’s race, in addition to having his own Type 1 or Open-ocean life jacket, each crew member is required to be equipped with his own AIS overboard beacon.
Since Chris is extremely safety conscious, his crew all carried personal AIS devices in the 2016 race as well as the Marblehead Halifax race in 2017. Each AIS device is tested for battery power, to verify the ships radio is notified by DSC upon activation, and the device appears on the chart plotter.
Both Chris and Matt discussed some of the other safety equipment onboard :
Safety harnesses and clipping points – every crew member must have a safety harness and the vessel must be equipped with jack lines and clipping points throughout which will allow crew members to clip on when emerging from below.
Emergency capabilities – as we discussed safety Chris told us, “the only time navigation lights don’t work is when you need them!”. How true, Verissimo carries two sets of navigation lights which can be connected to alternative power sources.
Another example of back up are installed and handheld VHF radios (which can operate in International and US channel mode) as well as a spare antenna. Verissimo also carries a satellite phone which remains on for the duration of the race.
The MAGNETIC compass at the helm and the electronic instrument compass are primary. Then are handheld compasses onboard which can be used in an emergency. Just to be sure both are good, Chris gets his compasses compensated before the race.
Binoculars, both day and night vision with internal bearing compass, are helpful batteries for them as well as flashlights, searchlights are essential and replaced along with extras stored on board.
Emergency Drinking water – each vessel is required to carry at least one gallon of water in sealed containers for each crew member in addition to any other water carried. This water with seals unbroken must be aboard after the finish of the race! For Verissimo that means lot of water!
One final and important piece of safety equipment is the medical bag. The contents of the bag are based on the diversity of the crew and aim to ensure all possible mishaps can be addressed. As in past voyages, Chris has included a defibrillator …just in case.
To check out all of the safety equipment each race is very time consuming. For Chris and Matt it is much more than inventorying all of the equipment (by the way what we mentioned here is only a fraction of the equipment required), each item must be examined tor wear and tear and a determination made to replace or repair. This year the only major replacement was one of the two inflatable life rafts, each with a capacity of eight.
Crew Training and Skills
In a previous segment, we discussed the selection and qualifications of the crew of Verissimo. Most of the crew have now sailed together in at least one NBR and the Marblehead Halifax race and Chris has a good feeling for their capabilities. Still there are several training cruises scheduled before the June 18th dash to Bermuda.
One of the requirements of the NBR is that at least 30% of the crew must have attended a Safety at Sea Seminar within the past five years. Currently 13 of the 14 crew members have met that standard.
The first practice will be on the weekend of May 12, Mother’s Day…sorry Mom gotta work! Most of the time will be spent adjusting to some of the modifications made during the past winter (Steering ratio and power traveler) and just getting back to working together as a crew. Chis will be evaluating the steering capabilities of some of the less experienced sailors and how different members of the crew work together.
These practice cruises help the crew ensure all safety equipment is in working order. Among some of the exercises they will go through are: sailing with the Storm trysail, use of the life raft, safety harnesses, communication equipment, procedures for steering without a rudder, dismasting, discussion of the muster list, and abandoning ship. Weather permitting there will be man overboard and recovery drills with testing of AIS devices. All of this in preparation of demonstrating these skills to NBR officials before the race! Quite a daunting task indeed!
Next time we will look at the game plan for the race, discussing the possible routes, what the weather predictions hold for Chris and his crew.
This entry was posted on March 2, 2020.