Cold Front Before the Coastal Race
You are skipper of a 12 m production sailing yacht entered in a coastal race. The start is at 18:00. The marina forecast is south-west 5 to 6, occasionally 7, sea moderate, with a cold front expected to cross the area between 21:00 and 23:00, bringing squalls to 35 kn, heavy rain and visibility below 1 nm. The race course rounds a headland 9 nm to windward and finishes in an open bay. Your crew of seven includes two inexperienced sailors who are already seasick and one person on medication that causes drowsiness. The yacht has a storm jib, two reefs, liferaft (in service date next month), EPIRB, VHF and AIS. The alternative is to withdraw and anchor in a sheltered cove 3 nm away. The race committee says the start is still on.
1. Assess the meteorological and human factors and state whether you would start. Give your reasoning and the conditions under which you would change your decision.
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The forecast is not a steady 5-6; it contains a synchronised hazard. The cold front is due 21:00-23:00, after the start but likely before the finish. Squalls to 35 kn, heavy rain and visibility below 1 nm in darkness are exactly the conditions that produce knockdowns, MOB and collision risk. The course rounds a headland 9 nm to windward, which can accelerate and back the wind, and finishes in an open bay - a lee shore if the wind veers. Human factors matter as much as the weather: two seasick crew are ineffective, and one person on drowsy medication should not be a helmsman or lookout. The liferaft is in service until next month, so it is legal today, but it is not a reason to accept a higher risk.
My decision would be to withdraw, or at most sail a short inshore course that keeps an easy bail-out to the sheltered cove and returns before 20:30. The race committee's 'start is still on' is not a safety instruction to me; the master's decision is separate. I would change the decision only if the front were delayed beyond midnight, the crew had recovered, and I could reef before the start and keep the yacht within 2 nm of shelter. I would tell the crew and the race committee clearly: 'We are not starting; the front and crew condition do not justify it.'
2. If you decide to race but turn back before the front, what preparations and decision triggers would you set?
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If I raced, I would set the decision triggers before the start, not during the squall:
- Rig: reefed main and small jib before the start; storm jib and trysail ready; jackstays and tethers out; liferaft, EPIRB, flares and grab bag checked.
- Crew: watch bill with experienced helmsman; no one on deck without a tether after 20:00; seasick crew below, warm and hydrated; the drowsy-medication person not on watch.
- Weather triggers: any forecast of squalls above 30 kn, a rapid pressure drop, or the front arriving before 20:30 means turn back. A sustained 25 kn or visibility below 2 nm is a turn-back trigger.
- Route: stay on the inshore side of the headland, identify the sheltered cove and two alternative harbours, and set a latest return time of 20:30.
- Communications: monitor Ch 16 and the race channel; give the race committee a routine position report and tell them when I withdraw.
The point is to make the hard decision before the stress and darkness, not to improvise at 35 kn.
3. At 21:40 the front arrives earlier than forecast; a 38 kn squall knocks the yacht flat and one crew member goes overboard. State the immediate actions in order.
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Order of actions:
- Press MOB on the GPS/plotter if fitted, shout 'Crew overboard, port/starboard side', and keep the casualty in sight. Assign one person as spotter and do not let everyone point.
- Throw buoyant equipment - horseshoe, danbuoy, light - immediately. If the person is close, a heaving line is better than a throw bag that may not reach.
- Stop the boat and get the sails down without putting the propeller near the casualty. Engine in neutral, then use it only when the prop is clear. A 12 m yacht under sail in 38 kn cannot be brought back quickly; motor-sailing under reduced sail is usually more controlled.
- Transmit Mayday if the person is not recovered quickly or conditions are dangerous: 'Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is [name], MOB position [lat/long], one person in water, wind 38 kn, over.' If recovery looks likely, a Pan-Pan with position is still useful.
- Approach from downwind/downsea, keeping the casualty on the lee side, engine out of gear, and recover with a sling or liferaft if they cannot help. Do not jump in.
- After recovery: treat for hypothermia (12°C water), no alcohol, no rapid rewarming, check breathing, call for medical advice, and record times. The earlier decision to race into the front is now the subject of the inquiry.