Good seamanship is the cornerstone of safety at sea, and its best allies are a seaworthy vessel and an able crew.
Time after time, were reminded that lapses in seamanship, often labeled operator error, are the root cause of most catastrophes at sea. Take for example, the foundering of container ship El Faro, caused by a captain who defied weather reports and clung to a course that sent him and his ship into the center of Hurricane Juaquin.
The untenable sea state spawned secondary problems that included down-flooding through ineffectively dogged hatches. Rising bilge water and poorly secured cargo led to a 15-degree heel and too-little engine sump oil resulted in a bearing failure. Dead in the water, and battered by hurricane force conditions, the ship went down with the captain and 32 crew.
Last year also brought unwanted, front-page attention to the U.S. Navy. Two back-to-back collisions at sea offered vivid examples of bridge watch incompetency that took the lives of 17 sailors. In both instances, the destroyers (USS Fitzgerald and USS John McCain), brimming with the latest electronics and no shortage of watchstanders, collided with merchant ships. Navy investigations deemed them avoidable incidents that occurred due to the operational errors of watchstanders and shortfalls in leadership. Training failures included too little sea time for junior officers and too much shore time for senior officers. These headline-grabbing accidents carry as much significance for small craft sailors as they do for the Merchant Mariners and U.S. Navy.
Some say that good seamanship is hard to define, but when its missing-the results are even harder to ignore.
At Practical Sailor, weve grown more and more concerned about a trend toward purchasing safety. Sailors are buying quality equipment but disregarding the need to practice with the gear.
It takes a balanced blend of crew skill and technology to handle underway challenges. Just as time spent racing and cruising enhances agility on deck, practicing with safety equipment such as a Lifesling and other man overboard recovery gear improves MOB outcomes.
But entwined in all these muscle memory, task-based reactions lie effective decision making-a cerebral process as important as the physical skills themselves. Decision-making can be improved through practice and is a talent that needs cultivating.
In our opinion, accident prevention is even better than a successful response to an incident. Good seamanship is at the heart of accident avoidance and sound decision-making underpins the process. The action-side of seamanship relates to boat handling skills, sail-setting, reefing, line handling, etc.
But agility on the foredeck isn’t enough. Theres a need to merge the thought process with the physical response and doing so is an acquired skill. For example, being situationally aware is just as important as having the physical ability to effectively set storm sails or a heavy anchor.
The skipper (person in charge) must be able to navigate and respond to collision avoidance rules while at sea as well as be able to cope with heavy traffic in low visibility near shore. The same goes for weather system awareness.
In the northern hemisphere, rising temperature, a falling barometer, veering breeze and lowering deck of clouds signals an approaching warm front that is often followed by a more eruptive cold front. Knowing where bad weather is coming from and when it will arrive, aids decision-making.
So when we refer to seamanship, we are alluding to a composite set of skills that embraces both cognitive and physical capabilities. Together, they give us the ability to recognize the early warning signs of approaching danger and provide us with the skill to appropriately respond to the challenge.
![Seamanship in a New Era](https://cdn.practical-sailor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/p1cv8qsosh873qku82g1mn01jf48.jpg.optimal.jpg)
The Complacency Trap
To open the discussion of required skills, Ive compiled the following seamanship checklist. Its based upon an extensive review of recent accidents and follow-up analysis of the causal factors that have led to such tragic outcomes.
These accidents predominantly involve lapses in specific knowledge and failures in reasonable decision-making. A few have involved design shortfalls or structural failures, but the primary causes of the majority of sailing incidents remain operator error.
While doing the background research for this piece, I repeatedly arrived at a worrisome conclusion that complacency is every sailors worst enemy. It is a pitfall that manifests itself in multiple ways and can invade every aspect of boating.
Most obvious is the penchant we have for the status quo. It causes us to assume that the weather of the moment will continue, that theres plenty of water under the keel or alls clear because there were no vessels nearby the last time we looked. This type of operational complacency becomes ingrained due more to misassumptions rather than reason.
Theres also a proclivity to confuse good luck with good skill. For example, when we ding up the topsides approaching a pier carrying a little too much way, blow out a headsail because we waited too long to reef, or when we run aground due to inattentive navigation. Such negative outcomes cause us to do some mishap analysis. It may be quite informal, but its at least a little bit of worthwhile self-scrutiny that helps us avoid duplicating the incident in the future.
A certain amount of revisionist history comes into play when a bit of luck lets us off the hook. This is especially true if theres no gouge in the topsides, torn sail or kedging to be done. By dodging the bullet, one often dispenses with the beneficial self-scolding, and reverts to a self-congratulatory pat on the back.
Luck may seem to erase culpability, but bad habits are more likely to become ingrained. Many agree with the old adage, Id rather be lucky than skilled. However, counting on luck as an ally in dangerous situations seldom ends well.
Those shaving the corner of a fringing reef need to recognize the gamble they are taking. Especially when a large long-period ocean swell is adding extra energy to the seaway. This is exactly the scenario that the crew of Low Speed Chase faced during the 2012 Farallones Race. Their big gamble involved cutting across a 4-fathom shoal while a swell was building.
The first large swell they encountered turned into a steep breaking wave and knocked the Sydney 38 flat. Dismasted and driven into the surf zone, five out of her eight-person crew perished. At about the same time, another competitor luckily scooted across the shoal; the rest of the fleet wisely steered clear of the shallow spot.
Risk assessment is a key aspect of seamanship, and effective decision makers always take full consideration of wind, wave, and weather constraints.
Complacency influences more than the operational aspects aboard a sailboat. It can cause an owner to delay checking the keelbolts, the mast step, chainplates, and rudderstock of a twenty-year-old sailboat. These key components are tested in extreme conditions at time when a failure can be least tolerated.
A Kiwi friend of mine, the late Master Mariner Ross Norgrove once said that the reason those who spend more time at sea have less trouble is because they get better at what the are doing. The same holds true when it comes to making the platform you sail more structurally sound and seaworthy.
These comments remind me of Dr. James Reason and his Swiss cheese analogy for risk (see Risk Management and Renting Adventure, PS January 2017). In a nutshell, Reason theorizes that most accidents don’t normally occur as a sole source incident. They are contingent upon a series of precursors that may span considerable time and categorical description.
Take for example, a crew overboard scenario. The outcome may involve a sailor stumbling into a lifeline and flipping right over the side. But the incident may actually entail several additional contributory factors. Such precursors can go back to the designer who favored cabin volume over side-deck width, or too much deck camber.
The builder may have played a role by providing inadequate nonskid or deciding to eliminate some of the handholds on the coach roof forward of the mast. A previous owner may have added a dodger, Bimini, or Florida room, that causes those climbing in or out to have little to hold onto as they transition from the cockpit to the very edge of the side deck. In short, the boat and crew have a symbiotic relationship that should enhance seamanship.
A Seamanship Check List
A list is always a daunting task, and one that purportedly enumerates the full scope of seamanship will either be too generic or so long that its best used is as a sleep aid. So, what Ive put together is a composite of fairly detailed, task-oriented examples of seamanship, and a highlighted phrases that sum up each section of bullet points. The goal is to underscore the scope of whats at the heart of good seamanship-a compilation of physical and cognitive capabilities that continuously interact.
Physical skills
Boat handling – pick up a mooring under sail, return to an MOB
-docking skills
-steering in a seaway
-turning radius when running with a current
-downwind docking
Sail handling – demonstrate singlehanded jib and mainsail reefing
-setting, dousing, and furling
-reefing the mainsail
-headsail reefing
-light air headsails and shorthanded crews
-storm sail handling
-jibe prevention
Boat agility and strength – evaluate your surefootedness on deck with and without a harness
-moving around the boat in a seaway
-volunteer to go aloft
-handle winch, block and tackle, adaptive rigging
Tender handling – row your dinghy upwind, reboard from the water
-launch the dinghy
-lift and lower the OB
-rig for dinghy towing, recover a capsized dinghy
Ground tackle deployment – deploy a secondary anchor from the dinghy
-hefting anchors, windlass operation
-set an anchor from the dinghy
-responding to an anchor dragging incident
A watermans skill set – swimming ability, rig a tender as a push boat, clear a line in the prop
-clearing a prop thats been fouled by a line
-possess dexterity in the water
-capable of approaching a pier or landing a tender in a small swells/waves
The onboard engineer – describe in detail how each major system works
-repair/replace pumps, drive belts, alternator, filters etc.
-diagnose likely source of system failures
-familiarity with galley, head, and stove plumbing
-tool-handling skills in keeping with engineering skills
-damage control repair kit and requisite dexterity
-detailed rigging awareness and contingency plan
![Seamanship in a New Era](https://cdn.practical-sailor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/p1cv90pf6s1don1n0c1j1l10ar9oqa.jpg.optimal.jpg)
Decision-making
Weather awareness – develop a route plan using weather contingency, preselect safe havens
-recognize volatile lows, fronts and tropical weather
-reading trends (barometer, wind direction, cloud cover)
-acquire regular forecast information
Route planning – describe how seasonal changes affect passage making
-climate implications (tropics, temperate, polar)
-latitude and passagemaking logistics
-implication of vessel capability and crew skill
Navigation – describe a shorthanded sailors approach to safe navigation
-Maintaining situational awareness
-Electronic fixes and digital charting as primary aid to navigation
-Dead-reckoning, piloting, plotting and celestial navigation as backup
-Adjust navigation vigil according to traffic and proximity to land
![Seamanship in a New Era](https://cdn.practical-sailor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/p1cv91f3im1gvf98r8qi1vqll2bc.jpg.optimal.jpg)
Vessel-related seamanship
Structure (strength) – define the structural attributes and vulnerability of your vessel; describe your vessels attributes and limitation
-understand vessel vs. voyage alignment
-keel, rudder, rig, chain plate reliability
-vulnerability of cabin house, deck connection to hull, windows and ports
Stability – explain whats conveyed in a stability curve and how your boat would be graphed
-GZ curve and ratio of areas
-Limit of positive stability (LPS)
-Payload placement and stability implication
Condition – detail your boats as is structural condition and repair/modification history
-Implication of age, fatigue, corrosion
-Lifespan of essential equipment
-Major repairs and modifications
System complexity – describe your boats electrical load and battery charging systems
-Derived value vs. cost and power consumption
-Maintenance requirements
-Essential – might be nice – whim
Outfitting
Prioritization – explain your voyage related outfitting priorities, (bigger anchor vs. larger headsail)
-defined by individual budget, skills, voyage plan
-makes boat more seaworthy
-lessens potential for accidents
-improves crew efficiency
![Seamanship in a New Era](https://cdn.practical-sailor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/p1cv91f3imsj6h6s1bvk1nb31i1bd.jpg.optimal.jpg)
Safety gear and deck layout – describe places on board with higher risk and how to mitigate
-lessens the chance for slips, falls and potential for MOB incidents
-decreasing the risk of fire and flooding
-improving the ability to handle heavy weather
-electronic communication
Crew care – explain your approach to the onboard crew care and training
-meals and preparation
-berthing
-hygiene
-first aid and safety drills
As my old Kiwi friend, the late Ross Norgrove liked to say, as the miles at sea add up, we stay out of trouble by getting better at what we like to do. He was a big advocate of putting each lesson learned to good use and not making the same mistake twice. Time spent underway can certainly improve our seamanship, especially if we recognize when its luck that saves the day-a bonus thats seldom offered twice.
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Editor at large Ralph Naranjo is a longtime contributor to Practical Sailor and is the author of The Art of Seamanship, available at the Practical Sailor bookstore online www.practical-sailor.com/books.
![Seamanship in a New Era](https://cdn.practical-sailor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/0119_PS_Jan2019_hr27.jpg)
As the old cruising joke goes, what can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time. Cruisers often laugh about the inevitability of gear failures, when in fact these failures are usually avoidable.
Matching the right equipment for the job, making routine inspections and taking a zealous approach to maintenance and replacement schedules can keep even the most demanding cruises trouble freebut it all begins with knowing your boat:
1. Some impending stainless steel failures are hidden in plain sight. (see Hidden Causes of Rig Failure, PS May 2015 and Marine Metal Warning, PS February 2007.)
2. A well ordered circuit panel simplifies the task of maintaining the boats electrical system.
3. Regular trips aloft can reduce the risk of rigging failure. Stainless steel tip cups and discontinuous rod rigging needs regular inspection, as do other potential trouble spots like swaged terminals.