Those who know me know that I am always keen to build my offshore experience. My offshore miles are somewhere around 5,000 nautical miles, and this is something that I do need to sit down and calculate.
What I love most about sailing is that it is a journey of learning that never ends. I feel I am quite conservative and have a deep respect for the sea.
My story begins with a request from a friend to help him bring his 2013 Bavaria 36 from South West Rocks to Sydney. He has just purchased the yacht and has limited sailing experience.
We met recently to plan the trip and ensure a successful voyage. I share with you, my considerations. I approached the task from a safety and risk mitigation perspective…….
Crew
Given the new boat owner is not an experienced sailor, and the trip will require an overnight passage between Trial Bay and Port Stephens, I have recruited a 3rd experienced crew member who I have sailed with before.
Engine
The engine has been recently serviced and has only 260 hours on the clock. It has had its exhaust elbow replaced last year. For a boat that is 10 years old, this raises concerns about how long it may have sat for extended periods. To mitigate this risk, we will run it for several hours under load before departing to check that it does not overheat.
Fuel
The boat has spent part of its life in Far north Queensland. This triggers a concern about diesel bug. The vendor assures us the tank has always been kept full, but before we will sample the diesel at the bottom of the fuel tank before we depart.
Other safety considerations
My experience as an equipment auditor has taught me what it essential for offshore passages, and whilst this yacht has no safety accreditation, before departure we will be checking for
- A working VHF radio
- An emergency tiller
- A fire extinguisher
- Lifejackets
- EPIRB
- A multimeter tool
- Tether
- A drogue
- Working navigation lights
- Flares
- First aid kit
- Toolkit
- Engine spares
- We will also dive the boat to check that thru-hull fittings and propeller are clear
Other safety protocols
The trip will be an opportunity to pass some offshore sailing skills to the new sailor.
I will impress upon him the need to use Marine Rescue to monitor our progress, to check weather forecasts, and to keep a log of the journey.
We will use Navionics for passage planning and course monitoring on multiple devices.
We will carry a set of charts.
I look forward to a successful delivery sometime in September and will write Part 2 of this report for next month’s Compass Rose.
I hope that my friend and his wife will be joining our Cruising Division before too long.
by Dallas O’Brien, S/V Eternity
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