With all the cool boat technology being touted in tens of thousands of hours of YouTube videos, it’s easy to get distracted from the things that will really get us out there voyaging safely.
There are only six:
- Keep the water out.
- Keep the crew on the boat.
- Keep the keel side down.
- Keep the mast up.
- Keep the rudder on.
- Keep the keel on.
Everything else is small stuff.
Phyllis and I came up with the “big five” over 20 years ago to guide us on where to put our energies and money first, but they never get old.
And I just added #6 in light of some disturbing modern yacht construction trends and the resulting accidents.
Further Reading
Much more on getting out there:
Best wishes for the New Year to you and Phyllis, John. We go offshore regularly in our power cat, and the same rules apply (though we do not have to worry about keels!).
Hi Kit,
Yes, and I guess in a power cat you would add “keep at least one engine running”. By the way, I have always found power cats to be interesting. I have never even been on one, but I think that in many ways they make more sense than power trawlers and I have always wondered why there are not more of them. Happy New Year.
I loved the simplicity of this list. However, I noticed that “keeping the engine in good working order” is not in this list. Would you consider that “small stuff”? I would add it as no. 7.
Hi Betty,
Good point, although on a well designed sailboat I’m not sure I would put it on this list because the engine is not vital like the other items when we have sails. But see my comment to Kit.
Hi Betty,
All of John’s requirements are safety issues for boat and crew.
It takes unusual and special circumstances (basically being close to the hard stuff) to have the loss of the propulsion engine become a safety issue.
I know a boat recently arrived in Antigua who lost their engine on the 12-day trip 2 days out and just sailed the distance. Being able to have options and not worry overly about one’s propulsion engine does put a premium on having a good sailing vessel.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
The more stuff you declare to be top priority, the less meaningful “top priority” becomes.
I’m working through a Yachtmaster Theory course right now, and the instructor is relentless about separating out things that pose a serious and immediate safety threat from things that you just have to be able to deal with when they happen. Yes, you’re supposed to keep your engine in good working order – but you’re also supposed to always have, in your mind, a plan for what you’ll do if the engine craps out right this moment. Yes, you’re supposed to keep your rigging in good shape so the mast stays up – but you’re also supposed to have everything at hand to cut it away and stand up a jury rig from whatever’s left over if it does go crashing over the side.
Fire, capsize, falling overboard offshore, structural failure, loss of steering control when there isn’t enough sea room to deal with it – those things can be promptly fatal, where no amount of seamanship will salvage the situation. So we have to work extra hard to prevent them from happening in the first place.