Approaching the outer reaches of Lerwick harbor as the passage was ending, I gathered the crew to debrief. Below are the discussion points that emerged, some newly learned and some reaffirming lessons learned from past passages.
Lesson One: Seasickness is invariably a factor during a passage. We all felt its unwelcome effects shortly after embarking Kvitsoy. The sea state did not create rough or unpleasant conditions; none-the-less, the symptoms of seasickness crept in before we could adjust to our new environment. Each of us experienced lethargy, disorientation, and, of course, nausea to varying degrees. Each bore these symptoms well, suffering through without complaint for most of the first day. And each was strong enough to continue working despite the discomfort. But for the skipper, the important thing is to recognize that, even with a seasoned crew, seasickness is a factor that may reduce crew strength, and contingency plans must be contemplated to compensate if necessary.
Lesson Two: Prevailing conditions are likely to cause deviation from plan. In our case, no sooner had we left than we adopted a different schedule and start and end point for the passage than the one planned. Plus, the wind direction dictated a point of sail that took us miles from our intended track so we could maintain boat speed. More than once as we sailed along, I recalled some of the last words I had said to Jocelyn before departure. As our shoreside “responsible party,” she was supposed to have accurate knowledge of the passage. As we left, I had given her a lat/long as our starting point and the bearing to the east-northeast that we had set as our intended track for the voyage. If we did not arrive in Lerwick (and no EPIRB signal was set off by us), search and rescue parties would have to look for us along that track. But conditions and whimsy led us to deviate from that track almost immediately. At one point, we were more than 50 miles south of it. I don’t think we were unusual in deviating from plan. The nature of sailing long distances requires adaptations, and the likelihood of these adaptions must be recognized.
Lesson Three: Sleep deprivation is a factor during passage making. Long distance passage making of necessity requires disruption of normal land-based sleeping habits for maintenance of round the clock watches. This disruption is known to cause short term disorientation and fatigue for the first few days of a passage until the body adjusts to its new sleep schedule. With a short-handed crew, sleep deprivation and attendant lapses in judgment can set in. I liken it to the impacts of altitude on the brain where lack of oxygen impairs rational thinking. I have experienced such effects when climbing Colorado’s Fourteeners. Though I suspect the physiological influences are different, the effects of sleep deprivation seem similar to oxygen deprivation. Rational thought becomes more difficult and sound judgments are harder to come by. This particular voyage was of insufficient duration for the full effects of sleep deprivation to be experienced, but I for one certainly felt the fatigue and disorientation from disrupted sleep.
Lesson Four: Pre-cooked recipes make meal preparation at sea convenient. Jocelyn had cooked a delicious beef and beer stew for our mid-passage meal and stored it in the fridge in Tupperware containers. As a result, meal preparation while underway was a snap. The one-pot meal was easy to reheat and, with crusty bread, made for delicious sustenance on Friday evening. For a longer passage, organizing and storing ingredients on a day by day basis should be done as a minimum. These steps should be considered essential so preparing meals at sea can be simplified.
Lesson Five: Being at sea offers a lot of time for pensive reflection. Once the initial novelty of embarkation wears off, the monotony of the watch schedule sets in. Conversation slows, and each crew member retreats into his own routines. As the miles roll by, the mind often drifts into a mesmerized mode alternating between daydreaming and deep thought. Like staring into a fire, man has been at sea for eons, and both have the same primal effects on the brain. Both pleasant and distracting, these effects must be managed so that developments potentially affecting safety (e.g., wind shifts, hazards) do not go unnoticed.
Lesson Six: Making a short hop as a prelude to a passage has benefits. In our case, rather than begin the passage immediately after the new crew arrived, we elected to hop over to Kvitsoy Island for a meal and some rest before setting off. This allowed the crew to relearn the boat and each other before being fully committed to the passage. The short sail, meal, and rest let everyone ease in to “boat mode” without the pressure of the continuous passage right off the bat.
Lesson Seven: Murphy is out there. As we learned with the skipper’s unplanned swim to free the gennaker line, shit happens, and the skipper and crew must be resilient enough to respond to any eventuality.
Lesson Eight: Modern weather forecasting is very reliable for short passages. On this passage, the wind and waves behaved as forecast, supporting this conclusion.
Lesson Nine: The saloon berth is the most comfortable while on a passage. With each pitch, heave, or yaw, fore and aft berths move more than the mid-ships saloon berth, making it the most desirable sea berth.
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