Saturday July 24th, my buddy Cameron Hausman and I are going to do our first ever Crew of Two around Catalina Race. We’ll be taking Charisma V – a 41 foot racing sailboat normally crewed by 8 to 12 people – out and around the island by ourselves.
I must admit that I am quite excited! I have that fizzing sensation in the pit of my stomach that I used to get as a kid the night before Christmas or on a really fun rollercoaster.
Cameron and I have done longer races on Charisma V, in particular the Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race, but this will be the longest race we have done with the least crew ever.
You may be wondering, besides a sea-worthy boat, what do you need to do something like this? As it turns out, you don’t need that much gear, but what gear you do need should be quality gear. After all, you are going to be in open water on the ocean over night and it gets cold and damp. There is nothing out there to radiate the heat and the boat, being made of aluminum, acts like a big heat-sink. As soon as the sun goes down, it gets very chilly in an instant.
First and foremost, the most important gear you need is safety gear – namely a PFD (Personal Floatation Device). PFDs come in types that range from ones that look like a water-skiing vest to advanced minimalist harness types that auto-inflate based on water pressure. The main differences between the various PFD types is comfort and cost. Wearing a vest type jacket for 24 hours is very uncomfortable, especially in the hot sun – but it’s cheap. Wearing a minimalist harness type for 24 hours is no problem, but it’s not cheap. A couple of other things to consider about PFDs is if they auto inflate and have a built-in safety harness and pockets. Why get one that auto-inflates? Very simple – what happens if you get struck in the head by the boom or in some other way are knocked unconscious and go overboard? Enough said. If you are going to spend the money, get one that auto-inflates and has a harness and pockets. After all, how much is your life worth to you?
So now that you have your PFD with a built-in safety harness and pockets (you did get one, right?) the next thing you should get is a good quality safety tether. At night, it is always a good idea to have yourself tethered to the boat that way if you do fall overboard, you stay with the boat. You would be amazed how dark it is at night on the open ocean – there is truly nothing like it – the words “inky blackness” fail to describe how truly dark it is on a moonless night. Trying to pick up a crew member who has gone overboard during the day in calm seas is tough enough, but at night in calm seas it is triply hard. Mix in some choppy seas and the difficulty starts to climb exponentially. In cold water like we have here off the coast of Southern California, a robustly healthy person with some meat on the bones has about an hour before they begin to succumb to hypothermia. Skinny people even less time. By the time someone has been in the water for two hours, they will be in a downward spiral and begin to be nearing death.
This is where the pockets on your PFD can help – you did get one with pockets, right? In those pockets I personally keep a strobe light, two glow sticks (one red, one green) and a safety whistle. At night, the strobe and glow sticks will help the boat find you visually. And if visibility is compromised, that is where the whistle comes in. If you do go overboard, regardless if it is day or night, blow that whistle ASAP! At night activate your strobe AFTER you have whistled and the keep on blowing on that whistle once your strobe is fired up!
Ok, so now that we’re safe, tethered to the boat, and able to found should we go overboard, the next step is staying comfortable and warm.
The most important thing to remember on a boat at night in cold water, much like anywhere it is cold, is to dress in layers. Being on a boat at night in cold water is much like being in the snow without all that pesky snow (unless you are a psycho Northeast Winter sailor). Unlike the mountains in winter where the air is dry, at sea it is always damp. Who would have ever guessed sitting in a giant puddle of water would lead to dampness? Go figure...
First and foremost for overnight races you need a good set of foulies. Sure, you could wear jeans and look fashionable instead of looking like the Gordon’s fisherman, but you’re going to freeze your butt off. I’ll take looking goofy versus being cold any day. One thing to consider when buying foulies is the color. I stick to yellow since it is highly visible. Second, you’ll need a good middle layer. Fleece is the preferred material but a good synthetic is also acceptable. Personally I am a huge fan of Under Armour ColdGear Base 2.0. Keeps you warm, dries fast, and wicks the moisture away. This brings me to the third layer and most important layer – the dry shirt and dry shorts. Again, I am a huge fan of Under Armour Long Boxerjock undies. They dry fast, prevent chafing on my fat middle aged thighs, and wick moisture away (and as a bonus are anti-microbial and stink less than cotton).
Ok, so all in all what does it come down to? Here is a picture and a list:
From the top left to the right:
- Neoprene back brace – my lower back gets cold this keeps it warm
- Crew hat
- Crew shirt
- The afore mentioned underwear
- Daytime technical sailing shorts
- Musto wind proof watch cap
- Minus 33 wool balaclava
- Socks – wool for night and cotton for day
From mid left to right:
- Dry shirt
- PFD, tether, and foulies
- Fizzy water for after the nervousness of the race start
- Light foulie pants
- Light weather jacket – Light colored for visibility
- Extra fleece top
- Under Armour top
- Under Armour bottoms
- Polarized sunglasses and yoke
- Four Diet Red Bulls – it is a 24 hour race
- A headlamp
- Dinghy boots – The best for keeping the feet warm at night
- Helly Hansen Technical shoes – gripy, cool looking, and they dry in no time
- Gloves, gloves, gloves and more gloves – from warm to cold; you’ll be using them so keep them comfortable.
On the bottom:
- The bag all this crap get packed in.
Ok, so – on this note – time to take my fizzy bellied self to bed.
…As if I can sleep…
Sailing – get into it – its salty crack.