Dangers

Day after day lately I seem to spend too much time on my arse, by the fire, wondering about whether I should buy a cheap Swiss Army Knife 19' trimaran or Bring Everything You Own 28' mono. 

What sways my thinking on favour of the bigger mono is comfort, but also safety. Comfort relates to wet days in port of heavy going at sea, the bigger boat will be drier. Safety comes in quietly saying "that little bit bigger boat, with secure cabin area, is safer". 

Last night I watched Sam Sails, a British lad sailing a Hurley24 around his landmass. Last night's episode featured him sailing in the Jester Challenge to Baltimore, Ireland. The weather conditions were almost benign, with calm or less than 5 knots most of the way, rising to 15 knots as he sailed into harbour at the finish. Well done Sam ! Now, the thing is that an experienced sailor on a 26' Folkboat went missing overboard near to where Sam lolled about. Apparently, the boat was recovered & there were no indications of trauma to the vessel. We can only assume that old mate went over while pissing, got a knock from the boom or tripped on deck. At the time of the tragedy, he would have been doing something he had done hundreds of times before. Having owned a Folkie, and having met Ann Gash who logged tens of thousands of miles in old wooden versions (she holled one on a rock by the entrance to her home port in easy sailing weather), I could not nominate a sturdier vessel. "Jester" itself & Val Howells Folkie sailed in solid weather in the inaugural Solo Transatlantic Challenges & came out fine. Jester  did suffer structural damage in recent years, but at that time she had crossed that ocean dozens of times, & the weather was quite heavy, if I'm correct. 

So all the teeth gnashing worry about boat length, design & preparations will not prevent death by an absent minded act or what starts out as a tiny misadventure. The important thing is to put yourself out there cos more people die on their couch than they do at sea.

PS: this years challenge was won in record time by Rory Macdougall sailing a Tiki 30 catamaran. He has previously circumnavigated in a Tiki 21, an old one of which  I am currently refitting in my backyard. 

Rory's winning Tiki before the off.