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Herb
Mosher of Orchard Park, NY, asks:
When
it's necessary for a crewman to be on deck, are they harnessed
in as on sailboats? And if not, are they required to wear
a PFD with an EPIRB?
Dan
Streech responds:
So
far, we have not used harnesses aboard NORDHAVN. The protocol
aboard a power cruiser is quite a bit different than a sailboat.
As we all know, it is necessary to conduct sail changes, rigging
adjustments and reefing on the foredeck of a sailboat - usually
because the weather is worsening. This is the very time that
the boat is heeling and the deck is pitching and wet. It can
be quite dangerous.
Assuming
that the vessel has been prepared properly, there is no reason
for one aboard a well-found power cruiser to venture on deck
forward of the Portuguese Bridge during rough weather. This
advantage, together with the fact that one tends to be less
exhausted and sleep deprived, makes a power cruiser - in my
mind - much safer than a sailboat.
In
1970, I cruised on our family sailboat which was a tired and
leaky (and in retrospect) dangerous old Alden yawl built in
1926. We hand steered that boat from Marina del Rey, California
to Ft. Lauderdale over a period of about 7 months and encountered
every kind of misery you can imagine from being lost, wet,
cold, dirty, terrified, hit in the head with the boom and
nearly being swept overboard. We wore harnesses and foul weather
gear. Last year, I made part of the same trip in a Nordhavn
62 and was in the lap of luxury sitting in the pilothouse
in air conditioned comfort with computer charting, DVD movies,
a washer/dryer, an endless supply of water, hot showers and
long periods of time off for sleeping (free of dread).
Modern
sailboats don't need to be as primitive and miserable as our
old "Malabar", but as a rule, they aren't as comfortable
and safe as a well designed and built and well prepared power
cruiser.
The
above said, one should wear a PFD if they are going on the
foredeck of a power cruiser in rough weather and should also
wear a harness in very rough weather. The key is to avoid
the need to go on the foredeck in those conditions.
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