Teamwork in Stormy Seas: Navigating Challenges and Finding Success
Mark Wilkes
May 31, 2024
Working well together, planning to stay out of trouble. Working with a team
Working well together, planning to stay out of trouble. Working with a team
In the last 10 days I have sailed my yacht, Frizzante, from Capo d’Orlando in Sicily to Milna, Brac in Croatia.
I recruited a crew that I had sailed with before of 6 people.
1 had been with me many times including racing and a rather stormy trip to Palermo, 2 had been with me on holiday for a cruise around the Aeolian during which time we had very little wind and very hot weather , 1 had never sailed with me and 1 had sailed with me as crew on another boat. In the end 1 never got on the plane from Gatwick so we were 5.
Before we left I had written a sail plan & route, and shared it by Whatsapp. This consisted of a route with possible shelter,. I had also reviewed the weather forecast and discussed it, prepared for the eventuality of navigating without instruments , briefed the crew on safety and what to do in an emergency. I even delegated watch planning and the live sailing briefing, including how to don and wear a life jacket and safety harness before we left. I thought I was prepared. As it turns out I had forgotten two crucial questions.
Having provisioned the boat we left port in good conditions. Within a few hours the wind had built to a strong wind and we had reefed. Then we had a storm warning from Messina radio for gale force 7 and the wind built again to 45 knots gusting 55.
What happened? We were caught in the storm. With the boat reefed down, we had reduced sail. It was so windy the second foresail, a code zero used for light conditions unfolded . This occurred at the top of the sail making boat list violently, and difficult to control. In my view we were in a situation that would be difficult to recover unless we got the code zero sorted out. The temptation was to cut it loose.
However we took a deep breath and without too much fuss, despite the conditions, took the decision to put the boat into the wind as best we could. We sat in the cockpit and described what we would do next. This was complicated by the noise, language and, as I found out later, one person with a hearing problem. Simply shouting out things from 12 metres away would not have worked. Despite this comprehending and doing what should be done in practice was very difficult.
Planning includes taking action and thinking through what could happen. Prior to leaving and in calm conditions we had checked the boat, replaced navigation lights, practiced putting on life jackets and safety harnesses and ,critically, rigged safety lines or jack stays. We had not talked about storm force issues and preparing for them.
Now having briefed and prepared as the storm got worse, described what we were going to do and giving roles to each other, I found myself at the sharp end with my most experienced crew member at the helm, the boat pitching violently in sea of 3 to 4 metres and the wind whipping spray into my eyes. I was tied on and trying to scream requests to the rear of the boat. I discovered that even more description, making allowances for technical descriptions in different languages and experiences would have been advisable but we dod not have time. Doing something was further complicated by the fact that several of the lines, sheets or bits string are the same colours , and the words clamp, pull, let go, ease and other terms were not understood by all. I have no idea how long it look but we managed to lower the code zero onto the deck and recover it into the cabin without running over loose lines with the engine on and without most crucially loosing anyone overboard.
In the moment no one questioned what to do they just did it.
It was an amazing piece of team work.
Later my french friend, during a night watch a few dats later, said to me that he could not understand the technical terms and that he had trouble hearing. If only I had known.
The point. With any team, no matter how old, and how well they know each other , take the opportunity to describe what they are about to do, remain calm, and be aware that even if you have explained what was about to happen something not revealed will make the task more complicated. Be willing to be flexible and take a breath, listen to others and then make a decision and go with it listening and managing the energy as you go.
The questions I forgot to ask each time was “do you understand?” and “is there anything that you do not understand?” What I did is ask “is that clear? “ I realise now that I should have asked these privately rather than publicly.
It is tough out there and when conditions become challenging . The best prepared succeed by planning scenarios, describing what you want and getting buy-in, and then going with the energy, but above all acting. Even then the odd hitch unsettles us and in this case I was left wondering what assumptions I had made.
Create the plan to sail beyond trouble, make a note of the assumptions as you go and then review them . Mark x
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