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I was told that for safety offshore you need 45

21K views 138 replies 37 participants last post by  MarkofSeaLife 
#1 ·
I was told that for safety purposes you need at the least 45 feed of sailboat. How many of you agree with this statement?

:cut_out_animated_em
 
#55 · (Edited by Moderator)
Back in day went to the trouble of getting a captains license, doing my SAS. As I recall it didn’t lower my insurance but did lower my rider for ocean races on my own boats. Having that stuff plus being a doc and doing some wilderness CMEs also helped getting a ride as crew on boats I wanted to sail.
Block is a simple 4h daysail even when entirely upwind from the top ( Barrington) of Naragansett bay and shorter for the rest of the bay. Hence it’s popularity.
Many of have wives. Hence bigger boats.
Go cruising. US citizens are rare compared to their population. French, brits and even Canadians seem much more adventurous and inclined to cruise distances. Look at the Ocean cruising club. Admittedly started in Britain but has been international for quite some time. Still most members are brits or members of their commonwealth. Or how the French are bananas about sailing. Although more expensive there many more 30 somethings sail. Or Sailty Dawgs. There the number of Canadians is impressive.
No Americans of my generation don’t like to be stressed now. There are times sailing is quite stressful. See hope as my kids are more adventurous. Back in my mentality at that age.
 
#56 ·
....Block is a simple 4h daysail even when entirely upwind from the top ( Barrington) of Naragansett bay and shorter for the rest of the bay. Hence it's popularity.......
4 hrs, beating upwind from Barrington? That's optimistic. It's 36 nm, if you never have to tack.

Nevertheless, it's always been in the same place. What do you think is driving how many more boats are there than there were 30 years ago.

Do you remember when the Oar was just the inside bar and it had no glass in the windows (let alone a sushi bar)? Block has changed alot.
 
#59 · (Edited)
Lots of good stuff, I enjoyed reading through Wharfrats list. Quite a number of sub 30 foot boats, including engineless. Smallest on the list was a 21 foot yawl I think 5 total under 25 feet.

I am still curious what the OP meant by the term Offshore. I am of the opinion that offshore can be a much lower threshold than transoceanic or a circumnavigation. If you look at common usage of the term "offshore", you see references to offshore races wich are frequently coastal in nature, such as the Lake Ontario 300 and Chicago to Mac, the Fastnet Race (which takes place mostly within 100 miles of land). "Offshore" oil rigs are generally within 200 miles of shore, they have to be, oil is drilled on the continental shelf. "Offshore" sport fishing generally occurs with 30 miles or so of shore, again the fish like the shelf. The Royal Yachting Association considers an offshore skipper qualified to operate not more than 150 miles from shore. The controversial CE ratings even consider Offshore to be a lower threshold than "Ocean" its the title they give to their CE B rating mostly 27 ish to 32 ish feet.

So I am curious if the OP meant offshore to the carribean or the Dry Tortugas type of off shore. If so, the minimum boat size gets a lot smaller. I know a guy who took a Sea Pearl 21 to the Bahamas- no engine, stink pots regularly do the run, I know a guy who entered a Sandpiper 565 in the Lake Ontario 300.

Tankage, shelter, fuel range, speed, weight of provisions all allow for much smaller boats within a couple hundred miles from shore vs the demands of a transoceanic voyage.
 
#61 ·
Agree with you but teenagers are crossing oceans on sub 20’ boats. Hell folks row across a the Atlantic in stuff a few feet smaller.
Going to leewards/windwards from New England/ chessie is a different kettle of fish at 7- 12 days than over night to the Bahamas. Going east to west across the pond is yet another jump up. Think off the continental shelf is offshore and that distance varies. Miami to Bahamas is near shore. But the whole thing is meaningless. I’d be more concerned going up the coast of Portugal and Atlantic France then doing a salty dawg Hampton to bvi. Think talking about good sea boats is more useful.
Or even outside helicopter range i.e. 200-400 m. Or self sufficient in significant weather. Dislike the bwb label as well for the same reason.
 
#62 ·
Maybe a bit of semantics, but most of the major sailing organisations would call New England to Carribean direct Ocean/Oceanic/Unlimited Voyage. Coast of France, Uk, Miami to Bahamas as Offshore.

RYA makes the offshore/ocean distinction, CE makes it, World Sailing makes it. World sailing defines Oceanic as any offshore race over 800 miles in length, while offshore is any race held in unprotected waters whether that be coastal or Ocean.


For me, I will call any voyage beyond sheltered waters offshore. Cape Breton to Newfoundland- Offshore, Miami to Bahamas- Offshore, a run down the East side of Vancouver Island- Coastal however a run down the West Coast of Vancouver Island- Offshore, run down the Coast of Florida or Georgia- offshore, unless within the barrier islands. New York to Bermuda- Offshore Ocean, or just plain Ocean.
 
#63 · (Edited)
Stand corrected Arcb. You’re right. Still think in many parts of the world when being within 50 -75$m of land you’re more likely to see miserable conditions that will stress you and the boat. Passive options are more limited due to the hard edges and increased traffic. Breaking waves are more likely. forecasting seems pretty good for 3 d and reasonable for 5 so further agree when coastal hopping you can wait it out and pick your window which is not an option mid ocean. But large cyclonic systems although increasing in severity and becoming less predictable are still predictable. You see the squalls on radar. Your weather router sends you to the correct side of the storm or prevents you from sailing into it. Last time going north we sat for 6 days waiting for a front from the Bahamas to Newfoundland to disperse. So other than microbursts, waterspouts and the like you can hunker down in advance. Wind against wave is miserable. The gyre gives you a washing machine at times in every ocean/shore combination. I’m not talking about crossing the stream but more local near shore conditions. Personally have never gotten across NJ without some unpleasantness.
In terms of the boat and crew focusing on the distinction between near shore, offshore and ocean leads to less helpful thinking and prep. How many people get into trouble thinking “ well I’m not crossing an ocean so it will be alright”.
In terms of size and construction believe the distinction between protected waters boats and good sea boats is very useful. Beyond that don’t see much utility.
 
#65 ·
Totally agree Outbound, just an exercise in terminology. I agree, bad stuff happens when the Ocean hits the shelf and even worse stuff happens where the ocean hits the rocks :)

I see the main difference between offshore and offshore ocean as range, self sufficiency and sea keeping ability. Basically, the boat needs to be able to survive offshore conditions and be an effective off-grid home.
 
#67 ·
oh good bludi george. i must have died. i sailed a friends err former friends irwin citation 37 south in 30 ft following seas. day after an el nino storm 1994 january.
ohmygeorge i am dead and donot know it!!!!!

hahahahahahahahaha
It depends on the period those monsters and if they were breaking. Not too many boats will be happy with a 30 wave braking on it.
 
#70 ·
did gom in 37 seidelman sloop. craved my ketch during the gale parts and loved the sloop sailing during the sweet times.
prefrontals give high breaking seas... mine were essentially quartering to following seas as the trek i made was downhill. uphill, waiting for a lil less weather coming from nw is a blessing. bashing into this stuff is a pit from hell, no matter what you sail. rollers, however, beat the hell out of the chop in gom. i havent sailed across from fla to bahamas, prollhy wont, as i have no draw to visit them. i have considered bahamas overcrowded since 1960s. EVERYONE went to bahamas from ny.

my best choice for cruiser is a heavy displacement 41 ft ketch. works well in trades and beam winds. doesnot beat ye to death on a rough passage, and it is not mandatory to put boat in irons for cooking. ....

is a shame common sense has been educated out of people lately, as it is requirement of successful anything. is common sensical to avoid bad weather in a wee small boat. many are defying this , and some finding issue with loss. some successful. the successful were blessed with good luck or awesome guardian angels.

as far as insurance is concerned...that is a snake oil therapy i avoid. hull insurance places mandates on travel and prohibits use of hurricane holes designed to keep boats safe in canes. that means half of the migrating cruisers time must be spent in specified locales for the insurance company safety. not yours, theirs. the other half time is s[pent travelling in that particular boat to avoid said weather conditions.
to have an insurance company mandate minimum size for sailboat ownership is rank abuse of power.
 
#81 ·
The other side of the equation is how big is too big. We choose the O46 because although she has all powered winches and an AP I can run the boat by myself in the absence of any power. Same reason there’s a hydro and on the back. Find many long distance cruisers end up on something in the 40 to 50 ft range with cutter or solent rigs. Big enough to get you there. Big enough to live in comfort. But not to big to manage as a mom and pop.
Multis are a different matter. Size equals safety. They move too fast for any form of mechanical wind driven steering to work ( most say 10k is the upper limit for vanes). So you’re going to be dependent on electrons. They’ve gotten so dependable many don’t think that’s a big deal.
 
#83 ·
The other side of the equation is how big is too big. We choose the O46 because although she has all powered winches and an AP I can run the boat by myself in the absence of any power. Same reason there's a hydro and on the back. Find many long distance cruisers end up on something in the 40 to 50 ft range with cutter or solent rigs. Big enough to get you there. Big enough to live in comfort. But not to big to manage as a mom and pop.
Multis are a different matter. Size equals safety. They move too fast for any form of mechanical wind driven steering to work ( most say 10k is the upper limit for vanes). So you're going to be dependent on electrons. They've gotten so dependable many don't think that's a big deal.
Yup… The average size of circumnavigators on that Latitude 38 - West Coast Circumnavigators' List referenced earlier came out to be 41-feet.. This is a list that includes all the PNW circumnavigators going back to the 1960s. It also includes a fair number of round-the-world racers.

I bet if we charted average size vs time we'd see the average size increasing over the decades. I'd postulate that today, the average size is mid to upper 40s.
 
#82 ·
Sal-
Every insurer sets and follows their own unique rules, even if they appear from time to time to be the same.
The key to the whole insurance industry (excluding the "mutual assurance" groups no matter who calls them what) is that each of them has their own actuaries, and each of them generates their own risk factors. And in theory, if my actuaries are better than your actuaries, my company will make more money than your company.
My guys tell me "five percent of boats over 45' go offshore without adequate crew, and die". So, I set the rates for them a little higher. Your guys counted boats differently somehow, and they say "Only 2% of boats ever go offshore and only two percent of them die" so you figure, eh, no need to raise rates, just require "an adequate watch" and exclude coverage when there isn't one.
Who wins? Who got the numbers right-est?

Insurers rightfully treat most of that as "trade secret" and will not tell you what they are basing their rates on, because that's the key to their whole success. When AIG came into the US auto insurance industry around 1988? 1990? their initial policy quotes were 10% cheaper than the competition. They swore it eas because they knew risk assessment better. Then after one year, all of a sudden they needed 10% increases across the board. Ooops? Or a lowball to get business? No one will ever tell you.

You could argue that the boat is irrelevant, the guy commanding it is the penultimate "seaworthiness factor". One of them might very well be doing it that way. Or, basing coverage on your auto accident & ticket history, in the belief that a wreckless person is a wreckless person, at home or afloat.
 
#85 · (Edited)
Capta my experience is much more limited than yours but still feel compelled to disagree. I’ve been declared overdue with th cg sent out and have been in a few storms however. In each case the ability to set the boat up to be safe passively has saved the boat and my life.
Even on boats with 4 souls aboard they will become exhausted if hand steering. With a mom and pop crew this will occur earlier. In storms hand steering much beyond 1/2 h to 1 h becomes problematic. After a day or two of that you are dragging your fanny and more likely to not catch that wave just right or make some other mistake. Yes hand steering through a squall is wise but once you’re in multi-day gales or storms your approach needs to be different on a small boat. imho.
Depending on the boat I’ve used hoving to ( in gales not storms where it may not be successful), warps and drogues. I’ve never used a sea anchor but others tell me of success with these on multis and full keel boats. Other than exceptionally fit racers crewing I’ve not heard of boats hand steering for days successfully.
Think it’s important to acknowledge your limitations and be realistic about your ability to function in a gale let alone a storm.
I agree due to average wave period and size mono boats in the mid to upper forties may be better seaboats. I’ve not been in storms on multis so can’t comment on whether there is a too big for smally crewed cats. Would say strong steering systems and powerful APs seem required. Storm damage to cat steering systems seems to occur. Also agree in a storm “ a mono takes care of you....you take care of a multi”. Although that seems to changing with better APs and the more common use of drogues.
 
#86 ·
Capta my experience is much more limited than yours but still feel compelled to disagree. I've been declared overdue with th cg sent out and have been in a few storms however. In each case the ability to set the boat up to be safe passively has saved the boat and my life.
Even on boats with 4 souls aboard they will become exhausted if hand steering. With a mom and pop crew this will occur earlier. In storms hand steering much beyond 1/2 h to 1 h becomes problematic. After a day or two of that you are dragging your fanny and more likely to not catch that wave just right or make some other mistake. Yes hand steering through a squall is wise but once you're in multi-day gales or storms your approach needs to be different on a small boat. imho.
Depending on the boat I've used hoving to ( in gales not storms where it may not be successful), warps and drogues. I've never used a sea anchor but others tell me of success with these on multis and full keel boats. Other than exceptionally fit racers crewing I've not heard of boats hand steering for days successfully.
Think it's important to acknowledge your limitations and be realistic about your ability to function in a gale let alone a storm.
I agree due to average wave period and size mono boats in the mid to upper forties may be better seaboats. I've not been in storms on multis so can't comment on whether there is a too big for smally crewed cats. Would say strong steering systems and powerful APs seem required. Storm damage to cat steering systems seems to occur. Also agree in a storm " a mono takes care of you....you take care of a multi". Although that seems to changing with better APs and the more common use of drogues.
Hand steering in storms is very exhausting ergo dangerous. You need to find a comfortable safe point of sail or heave to... and wait for better conditions.
 
#87 ·
capta said:
But whatever you buy, "you pays your money and you takes your chances". I doubt the is any boat out there that anyone would guaranty your survival on. Wasn't the Titanic billed as "unsinkable"?
I think this is the salient point. Taking a boat offshore, particularly exposed to heavy weather, is an inherently dangerous activity. For all the talk of what makes a solid boat or a bluewater boat or whatever...end of the day we are still putting hairless apes into an environment where they do not belong and are unable to survive without their shiny tools, and where we are depending on gear and hairless ape think to see us through a thousand unknowable variables which are determined by elemental forces of nature.

We'll never take the risk out of it. We can mitigate it somewhat, and make ourselves feel better about it...but yes...money paid, chances taken. Some guys won't consider it without a nice thick steel hull, other guys do it in rowboats.

Risk is objective...risk tolerance is subjective.
 
#88 ·
Should mention think that hand steering isn’t an absolute requirement for safe seamanship. Have had occasion to leave the AP on while fore-reaching or the windvave ( a Fleming on that occasion) with warps out. Yes you need to remain on deck near the wheel but you can hide under the dodger. I’ve been hurt hand steering. Was slammed into the wheel. Had crew break fingers once as well. Forces involved, as you know, are beyond comprehension. Having a wheel spin to its stop is scary.
 
#89 · (Edited)
In reality it is the crew which determines the safety.

You can have a heavy “ well built” boat like an Outbound or Bristol but if the skipper and crew are not able to understand or deal with the current situation it means nothing what boat you are in whether it’s a mono or cat.

I haven’t been in the variety of storms like Cap, but have some offshore experience crossing the Atlantic twice early in my 20s. As I get older I actually try and avoid those situations. The last crossing I was part of a six person crew on a well founded 56 foot mono. We crossed through a force 8 storm with 35 foot faced waves. To thing you can deal with the confused seas and let an autopilot handle that is a great intellectual point of view, but in all practicality is nuts. Short hand steering shifts was the only way to keep from getting battered, stay hove to, especially in confused seas and wave trains which changed frequently. Yes it is physically challenging. However I trust a human to make the decision even tired over an AP. This is one area over reliance on electronics should be avoided. If you can’t physically handle you boat in a storm situation you should think very carefully about putting yourself in the danger. You electronics can / will fail.

It’s why when I see someone post things like is a 37 Tartan a stout boat which can handle cruising accross oceans. The answer is maybe. Maybe if the captain is experienced. maybe if there has been experienced storm handling skills already . People don’t know what they don’t know. We all know that. Is the first time you want to find that out 300 miles offshore in 20 foot waves and 55 knot winds when your electronics you rely upon give out. And you are responsible for the other lives on your boat as well as yours.

I am about risk avoidance as I age. While you can’t entirely avoid it, you can minimize your risks. First and foremost to me is actual sailing experience and HONESTLY determining your own. Then you must identify what happens if you are incapacitated. Do you have knowledge and equipment on board to handle the adverse seas and weather.

Outbound / Sander/ Mike / and others who through their posts here appears is a knowledgeable sailors with a stout boat and obviously accesses his travels carefully . Their experience to handle situations which can / will occur will allow him to overcome and face situations ( even if I don’t agree with his AP advice). Part of that experience is also understand what their limitations are as well as the crew with them and NOT putting everyone in potential danger. Any one is good in 20 knots and 3 foots seas. But what about the increased situation you can always run away from. It’s not like sailing the Chesapeake or LI Sound where a Port is only 5 hours away so they get in before the **** hits the fan. You don’t have that luxury off shore.

Many who have lofty goals of cross ocean sailing/ cruising that I know do it with some modicome of experience. What scares me is when I see the “larkers” ( spelled correctly) who embark on a lark . It’s ok if it’s only them as suicide should be permitted, however with others involved not OK.


Certainly a heAvier boat can handle this more comfortably, but again it depends on the crew and the captain. It’s not about the comfort level but about the safety. No boat is inherently built to protect an inexperienced crew. Most boat# with an experienced crew however can handle any situation, however uncomfortably.
 
#90 ·
chef2sail exposes a very important aspect of heavy weather sailing...

There is no way to get appreciation of heavy weather sailing without experiencing it. Sure reading is great... videos can help... sailing in high winds in coastal waters helps...

Once you are offshore and facing a storm... full on gale or worse... you have no real idea of what it takes to survive.

Having experienced this should not embolden sailors but humble them... These are experiences you will never forget... they are terrifying.

Well said Chef!
 
#91 ·
I have lost my copy of Bowditch so I can't quote it exactly, but if I may be allowed to paraphrase his line about extreme circumstances in a hurricane at sea, "With the arrival of the bar, all navigation ceases. The safety of the vessel and her crew become paramount..."
It is a sentence that has always impressed me. I read it as all the rules go out the proverbial window and from this point forward, you are winging it.
I also prefer to avoid these sorts of experiences at sea as I age. It is a lot easier since they've thrown up a bunch of weather sats and we no longer have to rely on ship reports for deep sea weather. But that doesn't mean that you can't get a tropical cyclonic storm at sea. None of us can out run a storm traveling at 20 knots or so. Or even unforecast storms of incredible magnitude in the Gulfstream, between the NE and Bermuda, a little 650 mile hop. Even a relatively mild norther in the stream between Fla and the Bahamas (49 miles) can produce seas that can be absolutely terrifying, and there is no going back if you are around half way, as it's going to be just as bad going any direction.
So, we try to prepare. We read, watch videos and hope that if that storm ever comes, we have the ability to get through it. But when push comes to shove, as above, we are all winging it. Each heavy weather experience is unique and therefore each a new challenge. Luck often plays a part, but intelligent action and calm, collected thinking play a much bigger part.
For example, when I encountered that tropical cyclone (a Pacific hurricane) off Fiji, we went into the eye fairly early after entering the storm (it was moving at 22 knots, after all). It was such a relief to be in a calm, with small but confused seas, that we really wanted to stay there forever. But we had damage to mitigate and I paid no attention the really important thing. Instead of flat chat powering across the eye and entering the back of the storm, I allowed us to fall back into the dangerous semicircle, which meant about 4 more days of storm. Had I entered the navigable semicircle, we would have been out of the storm in 8 hours or so. Intelligent action and calm, collected thinking could have made a huge difference.
 
#92 ·
I am happy to call myself a chicken sailor. I do my best to avoid heavy weather, be it for short coastal hops or multi-day passages. I feel no need to go out and test myself, or to challenge Nature.

But at some point those who venture offshore will get caught. This is where experience, luck, skill and the quality of your boat will all come together to allow you to learn new lessons — or not.

In these times I focus on protecting the ship and protecting the crew (so we can protect the ship). I have great confidence in my little vessel, but there are no guarantees once you untie the dock lines. You do the best you can in the circumstances.

My limited experience has taught me to remain calm, and try not to get exhausted. Eat warm food if I can. Stay warm and dry if I can. Don’t try to be the hero all the time. Protect the ship, and she’ll protect you.
 
#93 ·
Unfortunately if you want to get some places you have to sail off shore. Long term forecasts are sure helpful and these days there are weather routers. This is fabulous. But weather can decide to not follow the predictions.

On almost all my ocean miles the weather was fine... the only horror was the 91 Marion Bermuda which was started on schedule and send 200 boats in the eye of a deep low in the Gulf Stream which went on to become the famous Perfect Storm and killed Mike Plant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Plant) on his way to the BOC solo round the world race.

Of course you can be trapped in heavy weather in coast waters or even at anchor in a snug harbor.

Today it's probably a lot safer when you choose your weather window and use a weather router and keep abreast of the weather.

I too am more of a fair weather sailor... I have nothing to prove and that sort or risk/excitement is for younger lads.
 
#94 ·
Sandero I remember that race. We were on a Hinckley center cockpit ketch and scared sh-tless. On trip back bent the mandrill for the in mast roller fuller. Got DQ’d as captain talked to a ship about the weather.
Think I’ve been misinterpreted. Have used the AP in squalls with someone in hands reach of the wheel. Have used the windvane with warps out. Haven’t put the AP on in a storm and gone blithely down below. Agree that would be a tactic of last resort (incapacitated crew and no other option). Like Mike my storm experience is limited and I work hard to keep it that way.
I’m a wimp. Usually reef before nightfall as I hate to reef in the dark. Carry a jsd and rig an extra forstay for a storm jib if leaving on a passage. Don’t single on passage so carry at least two crew with me. Try as hard as I can to prep the boat before leaving. Always get multiple weather sources but still pay for weather routing service.
In spite of this as Capta has rightly pointed out it’s not if but when. Hopefully it’s just a squall or two. Still I think you must hope for the best but prepare for the worst. In a small boat with 2 to 6 crew of average experience and endurance some way to passively endure the weather should be in your toolkit. Hobart, fastnet and so many other reports would seem to support that view.
Would add to the discussion just like Capta has no faith in drogues I have no faith in hoving to on a fin keel boat once winds>~30. I be curious if others feel the same way.
 
#96 ·
I think the 91 some was hit in the head by the boom.

This was my first offshore passage aside from sailing from Ptown to ME. It was also the worst.

I entered not to race, but to do an offshore passage with 200 other boats, a crew and the boat that was prepared and inspected by the race committee.

When I go offshore I always rig the inner forestay and have the storm jib either hanked on and tied up or ready to go with sheets attached. Set up the gybe preventer. I often rig a 3rd sheet for the genny which can be used if the working jib gets messed up... or if I want to re position the car Usually reef before dark. Kept a regular radio sched with SouthBoundII.

Jack lines in the cockpit and on deck of course... Liferaft lashed in the back of the cockpit ready to go... radio checks, weather routing flares etc all in order.

I do not make these preparations for coastal.

After 91 I experienced nothing by good weather with some squalls including sailing past a deep low which developed into a hurricane Emily... no more than a period of gale force winds and tons of rain and a waterspout!

The boat performed admirable all times. I would often sail to a more comfortable course and lose some VMG. I was never in a hurry.

I don't know if I was lucky... I've done the trip 10 or 12 times and had mostly lovely weather.,.. even flying the chute for an entire day until sunset. Sailing offshore is something I want to do as little of as possible... that is faster passage is a safer passage.

You never can be too prepared.
 
#99 ·
I suppose there is offshore and there is offshore... that is where you cross and what the historical weather and sea states are at the time of your voyage.

Sailing to the Caribbean from the US east cost means you have to cross the Gulf Stream. Gulf Stream is notorious for bad conditions, it's own weather system. There are eddies and so forth around it. Sure it can be benign and dead calm... but this is the exception not the rule.

Caribbean sea has rather reliable and predictable weather. Sure it gets Hurricanes... but these pass through at a predicted and well known time frame.

Data about the weather and sea state is vastly improved and available to the off shore passage maker now as it never was before. This makes sailing off shore safer... and short term AND longer term forecasts should inform departure decisions because you're out for a longish term...

Today off shore passage making IS safer because of technology and better boats...and equipment. But while all that is changing... human capability has not changed... You still need sleep and can only lift so much etc.

I think the boat size needs to be handle-able by the crew in rough conditions and probably an optimum size is low to mid 40s. Of course sailing a larger boat in fair weather is not much of a problem... but in rough weather the forces of wind increase geometrically... So there you have it.

Find the balance.
 
#100 ·
....Today off shore passage making IS safer because of technology and better boats...and equipment. But while all that is changing... human capability has not changed... You still need sleep and can only lift so much etc.......
Excellent point. One should also consider having an incapacitated crew member along the way too. btdt

In a way, this can be where tankage matters offshore. An insufficient crew is likely to need to motor more.
 
#104 · (Edited)
^^^ you never know how the sickness thing is going to play out. Great lakes crossing in May, 35 ft boat, not just rough, but it was cold too. Had a 10 month old with us, so he had to stay below for the cold, but all other adults were too seasick to go below. They would become incapacitated with sickness if they went below. So, all the adults except me (the owner and skipper) had to remain in the cockpit while the skipper hung out below with the baby. Worked okay because my nav station was down below and there was one other strong sailor on board up on deck, but it was an unusual set of circumstances.
 
#105 ·
^^^ you never know how the sickness thing is going to play out. Great lakes crossing in May, 35 ft boat, not just rough, but it was cold too. Had a 10 month old with us, so he had to stay below for the cold, but all other adults were too seasick to go below. They would become incapacitated with sickness if they went below. ...
Along the same lines, my partner suffers from mal de mer. She's copes incredibly well, but when things get bumpy she has a hard time functioning down below. She's never missed a watch, but it means I end up taking over most galley tasks, and other down-below duties.

Since we're a two-person crew, this means we have to protect her from getting too seasick, and we have to protect me from trying to do too much and missing too much sack time.
 
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