Who's yur daddy?

[thistlecap]

Yup, who's your daddy?  Who's taking care of you?  I've been talking to a young sailor with dreams of world cruising dancing in his head.  I support him in this with all my heart, but find him making the same mistakes I see too often.  We too often look for who or what's going to take care of us.  We're looking for the coast guard to come to our rescue, or we're looking for all the new electronic gadgets to save us from trouble.  And it's not his fault.  All the boating publications carry articles that seem to prove that your safety and salvation are guaranteed by the new, improved Gizmo 2000.  To get their article published or support the magazine's sponsors, they need to convince the reader that they too cannot live or function without the Gizmo.  And they do a good job of pitching. The boat shows need to convince you of the same thing in order to support the marine industry, and that's a worthy cause.  Unfortunately, they all seem to overlook the most important piece of equipment on the boat---the skipper.  Before cruising (or day sailing) the skipper needs to analyze not just what equipment is on the boat, but more importantly how well the skipper himself is equipped to navigate, hand, reef, and steer, handle equipment emergencies as well as medical emergencies, really understand the tenets of good seamanship, the regulations that govern our vessel operation, and much, much more.  For example, have you ever wondered why the coast guard always gives the rules of the road  exam element first (or at least any exams I've been in.)?  It's because that's the element the greatest number fail right out of the gate.  It clears the exam room of half or better of the people there and lightens the number of exams they need to correct.  More importantly, it shows how little knowledge skippers have, and these are people sitting for captain's licenses!  What we always forget is thousands of people over thousands of years have navigated all over the world with nothing but a compass, lead line, and sextant.  Yes, GPS is great, and so are electric running lights rather than kerosene.  A fathometer is wonderful.  But before feeling the need for radar, autopilots, inverters, radar detectors, electronic charts and plotters, satcom, wind instruments, radar transceivers, integrated systems, etc., keep in mind a couple points.
(1) For sailing around the world, once you pass an EPIRB and liferaft, compass, leadline and sextant, there's nothing here that's essential.  They're a convenience only.
(2) There's nothing here the skipper cannot do himself.
(3) Water and electricity don't mix.  Every piece of equipment brings with it it's own problems that increases the amount of time spent on maintenance and takes from the sailing enjoyment.
(4) The 2nd Murphy's Law is "Anything that has the potential to fail, will fail."
(5) Over-reliance in electronics is a greater danger than not having them.  They make the skipper and lookout lazy and over-confident.  In point, AIS was supposed to be the cure-all for collision avoidance safety.  After AIS was implemented, ship collisions actually increased. Second point, "I hadn't noticed that the COMPUTER COURSE LINE went right over the shoal, but the AUTOPILOT took me right to it." (G.T. Absten, ENSIGN, Apr/May 2008)
(6) Purchase cost is the cheapest part of any acquisition.  The expensive part is maintenance.

The safety rules of sailing are simple, but totally non-negotiable.  People who take shortcuts sooner or later pay for them.  Educating the skipper is the cheapest safety devise available, and he won't break down when he gets wet.  If you have the money to throw around and just enjoy trinkets, go for it.  If you enjoy sailing more than standing on your head in cabinets and lockers working on troubleshooting, keep it simple.  Invest in perfecting the skipper rather than your inventory list.  The buck stops with the skipper, and his knowledge of pilotage, seamanship, navigation, engine maintenance, meteorology, storm management, first aid, and yes, even electronics, is what will get the vessel home, not the Gizmo 2000.  Keep it simple!!!
I know, I'm just a voice in the wilderness.
Jim   

[AdriftAtSea]

Even the EPIRB is a convenience.  It is not a necessity, since sailors were doing long voyages long before the satellites the EPIRBs report to were launched.

[mrb]

The problem I see with nice to haves is that they usually become minimum requirements then mandatory.

I do reamember the coal oil running lights and enjoyed the daily cleaning ritual.

Oh the good ol days
mrb

[Navyvet]

If he wants to be on the water and see the world join the Navy or go coasty and see/get more boating experence or even do some coast guard aux work so he can see the "oops" people make just a thought.

[Bill NH]

Good points, thistlecap!  Nothing like taking responsibility by investing in oneself...

If he wants to be on the water and see the world join the Navy or go coasty and see/get more boating experence or even do some coast guard aux work so he can see the "oops" people make just a thought.

I suspect the amount of actual relevant small boating experience he'd get in the Navy would be minimal unless he's a BM or QM... and the slice of the world he'd see in a couple years is pretty limited.  As an alternative, I'd recommend he just go out and sail with people as much as possible and learn from those with more experience, whether daysailing or world cruising.  Volunteer time and hard work for the learning and experience that would come with it. 

I've had the privilege of sailing with a number of fine captains, and have also mentored many upcoming deckhands and mates myself.  Several of my family members have followed the volunteer crew route, crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific without ever buying their own boats and becoming fine seamen that would be welcome on any oceangoing vessel.  In my book on the job mentorship is the best form of training bar none...  and one of the cheapest in terms of $$ outlay.  All it takes is sweat and desire.

[Joe Pyrat]

and the slice of the world he'd see in a couple years is pretty limited.

Bill, I saw Hawaii, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong. in 7 months (1 cruise).  Not exactly a small slice of the world.  Some of these ports are not available anymore, but if you want to see the world, the Navy isn't a bad way to go.  Small boat operation-wise, the Coast Guard offers some outstanding training, although not sail training.  Your suggestion to volunteer as crew is a good one, but you need to be very selective about who you go with.  There a lot of skippers out there who are not all that competent. 

[Bill NH]

and the slice of the world he'd see in a couple years is pretty limited.

Bill, I saw Hawaii, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong. in 7 months (1 cruise).  Not exactly a small slice of the world.  Some of these ports are not available anymore, but if you want to see the world, the Navy isn't a bad way to go. 

I got lucky too and saw alot of the Med with the Sixth Fleet, but I also know people who ended up on vessels that rarely went anywhere that would be considered a "destination", and some didn't hardly go anywhere at all.  They saw alot of Norfolk and scenic ports like that...  A good cruise is certainly a possibility  but far from guaranteed, and once you're in you go where you're told.  Shore time can be pretty limited, as can be the opportunities for quality interaction with the locals.  I'm not trying to dis the navy -  for someone looking to serve their country at sea its a good option.  However, for someone who wants to be on the water, learn some voyaging skills and travel I think there's better ways to do it with a greater chance of actually getting what they're looking for.

[Bill NH]

Your suggestion to volunteer as crew is a good one, but you need to be very selective about who you go with.  There a lot of skippers out there who are not all that competent. 

Very true, especially if you're committing to more than just daysailing! 

In addition to the local sailing club scene, another way to approach volunteering is to look at the sail training programs, working museum ships, day charter sailing vessels and the like found in many areas.  Operated by experienced professionals, these programs often have at least some educational focus and tend to have staff who enjoy sharing their knowledge.  Sometimes they have structured volunteer programs, like the excellent one on the barque Elissa in Galveston http://www.galvestonhistory.org/elissa-volunteer.asp.  Other times it's less formal and you just need to offer.  It's a great way to hook up with experienced sailors and really accelerate the learning curve!

[thistlecap]

We're a Navy family (GO NAVY!!! BEAT ARMY!!!), but the kind of education we need to become self-sufficient and safe skippers is best found elsewhere than the military.  Many years ago the staff of the Naval Academy reviewed the curriculum of the U. S. Power Squadrons and agreed the training was on a par with the nautical education received by a graduate of the Academy, minus the college degree and military service commitment.  Now that the academy no longer teaches celestial as a requirement of the core instruction, USPS would have to be considered even better, as they teach four semesters of celestial navigation.  The short American Boating Course, approved by the National Safe Boating Council for meeting state boating operator licensing instruction is offered to the public.  Advances and elective grade courses are taught to members all over the country for free by dedicated volunteer instructors.  The only expense is to cover cost of instruction materials.  A training squadron can be found near you at usps.org.  Instruction includes the complete boating course, piloting, seamanship, advanced piloting, basic celestial, advanced celestial, marine electronics, engine maintenance, weather, GPS, compass adjustment, sail, cruise planning, marine electronics, and others.

The sail training program that was mentioned would be most advantageous for those who have some nautical education so they'd better understand what's going on and be able to be more involved, but would be enjoyed by everyone.  Check out sailtraining.org, the site for the American Sail Training Assoc.  A $50/year membership will get you the 400 pp. directory of a couple hundred vessels from schooners to full-rigged ships that you can obtain a berth for week-long cruises to circumnavigations.  The directory gives you contact information for every vessel and an outline of their area of operation and program objectives. 

[Lynx]

One must understand that it is YOU that has do everything/anything. Nobody else. In any condition.