FinalThoughtsHWS-html.html

Chapter 7 Epilogue
Some Final thoughts about Storms
The first and great lesson from sailing and
particularly going through a few storms is about
you and how you handle the situation, the
decisions and how you reacted.  In my case
growing up as a single child in a wonderfully
supportive environment I have always stood on
my own two feet knowing that the worldly
experiences I have been through I have come
through them OK.  Not all the decisions have
been right  but on reflection I have continually
learned how to improve the decision making and
how to carry out the process correctly.  Sailing
alone, it is easy to do this.  There is nobody to
worry about and the messages get through to
me clearly and without misunderstanding.  For a
crewed yacht the only advice I can give is
practice, practice until everyone acts perfectly
and in unison.

The next lesson is have faith in your vessel and
its equipment.  If you can not rely on how it will
respond, then you may get a surprise.
Remember the boat will last longer in a storm
than a human, so pace yourself.  Lastly eat well

because you consume massive amounts of
energy keeping warm and undertaking the
tasks.

So how does this all translate to a single handed
sailor or a crewed vessel? Here are some
points:

Practice, practice and practice again.  From
reefing, anchoring or just going to sleep while
off watch.  Of the latter people laugh at me
when I say that but consider your routine, your
sleeping posture, your thought patterns and
most importantly how long you sleep for.  It all
matters.

Your vessel characteristics.  What I mean about
this is, at what wind strength do you take in the
first reef, the second and the third.  What to do
with the sails forward of the mast.  When does
the sea state change these numbers.  And so
the list goes.  When to take out a reef is as
important in pulling one in.  Finally in all
circumstance do it the correct way as you
practised many times before – no short cuts or
variations because...

Never sail on a schedule or time table. That
came through loud and clear in this chapter.
The reason appears obvious that one should not

set off into a poor forecast for any passage.  The
question is which forecast should you look at?
As many as you have consistently used in the
past and not just the few days before you leave
port.  Watch how systems develop and move in
your passage area.  Then drill down to the
lowest level on all attributes.

Lastly adjust and modify your plans as the
situation changes. Consider alternate
destinations, routes and lastly your watch
routines. If a crew is sick or sleepy don't
depend on them to keep you safe.

Lastly, use all technology available to get
updated forecasts, to communicate to those
watching you or even to contact a friend for
some local advice or how to fix a piece of
equipment. In the cruising situation that is not
outside assistance, but don't ask a thoughtless
question.

I could not have travelled the 70,000 nm I have
cruised alone.  My constant companion has been
my vessel, Malua.  Not every one has the
opportunity to choose their preferred design –
mine was an Australian, Joe Adams ( yes he
designed fast boat and then ones like mine
faster but also sea kindly) but one has the
opportunity to set up the systems to your liking.
The interior is a given in a production vessel or a
second hand vessel.  I purchased the hull and
deck form Bluewater Cruising Yachts and over
three years fitted the shell out and built the
systems to suit my style of single handed
sailing.  I designed the interior fitout after many
years of cruising.  If you have the opportunity to

build or redesign your boat take it, if not adjust
the vessel to suit your passages and style of
sailing.

What of the future and where to next? Well the
cruising scene has changed over the 20 odd
years I have cruised here in Australia and
further afield. In the early days at a beach
meetup one knew that the majority of those

attending had at least crossed one or more
ocean, had experienced one or more storms and
knew their boat in side out.  They would come to
your help flat or rough weather.  Over the years
that group has been overtaken by the bucket list
brigade who have purchased a vessel as if it was
a vehicle – to meet a price point, cabin numbers
and coffee machine size.  At the beach gathering
today one finds they have only crossed one
ocean, usually in a fleet and always with some
generalised advice on this or that.  Once they
get to the tick in the box it is off on the next
organised expedition.  A call for help is answered
with – “what is my liability and will it impact my
schedule.”

Where is the next cruise destination? Not a easy
choice here in Australia at the moment so I may
have to wait a while but at 78 the sand in the
hour glass is running out.

Having said that the places Malua has visited are
many from the high light of Manhattan in New
York (anchoring in the Hudson river adjacent to
Central Park) to the poverty of Haiti, it is the
people and the different cultures we have met
that gives all on Malua a better understanding of
ourselves and the human race. From the
crowded anchorages of the Greek Islands to the

atolls of the Marquesas as the sun rises in the
morning it heralds a new day with new
opportunities, more places to visit and more
cultures to explore.

To end I will use the quotes that remind me of
how I started on this cruising journey:

Go to sleep with a dream and wake

with a plan.

And then remember:

All men dream, but not equally. ...the

dreamers of the day are dangerous

men, for they may act on their dreams

with open eyes, to make them

possible.

T E Lawrence (my modification)

And lastly:

If you never try you will never know

Fast passages and safe landfalls to all who sail
over the horizon.

Here are the websites with more photos and
stories