FOREWORD
These articles have been written to bring to the attention of owners
some of the more unique problems which present themselves in the
efficient and safe handling of catamaran cruisers. It was perhaps a
lack of awareness of these problems, coupled with an unfortunate chain
of events, which resulted in the capsizing of an Iroquois Class
catamaran towards the end of last summer.
The opening paragraph and notes on inversion are by the designer, Rod
Macalpine-Downie, who is one of the most successful catamaran
designers in the world.
The advice from the builders is by Reg White, Managing Director of
Sail Craft Limited, builder, helmsman, and crew of four winning ‘C’
Class catamarans in the International Challenge, and Yachtsman of the
Year for 1966.
Preparing for sea and notes on handling are by Michael Ellison,
Master Mariner, who sailed Iroquois in the Round Britain Race in 1966,
winning the Genesta Handicap prize by 1½ days. Also in 1966 he
helped to sail a 30 foot catamaran across the Atlantic.
I hope these articles will help owners to make the best use of their
yachts, and prevent any future avoidable misadventures. They are not
meant to be read as a set of rules, but rather as suggestions by three
qualified and experienced men.
IROQUOIS
The Iroquois is a quart in an admitted pint pot. There are, it seems
to me, two principal threshold sizes for such a boat: at about 30
feet, when you can get full sitting headroom across the bridgedeck
with full standing headroom in the hulls, and at about 45 feet, when
you can get full standing headroom throughout. The Iroquois is our
choice of the former.
She aims at moderation, between the outright racer and the unashamed
houseboat. She is reasonably spacious, but limitations on load and
headroom are the price of some pretensions to performance.
Boat owners, like the rest, want to have their cake and eat it. They
often wish to fill their cats corner to corner: lots of lovely
sundeck, marvellous accommodation, two nice Perkins diesels (no fire
hazard) and enough crew to make a healthy football team - American,
with reserves. Unfortunately, unless they curb their appetites they
tend to end up with a kind of nautical dyspepsia, sogging slowly
through the sea like a latter day Kon Tiki with the bridgedeck heaving
over the waves like the skipper’s stomach.
Owners talking themselves into weight often take refuge in being
unworried about the ‘extra half knot’. Don’t be had.
Performance is only half the story. The whole handling, feel and
seagoing ability of the boat is at stake, and worst of all the freedom
of the bridgedeck from serious pounding. The lighter the owner can
bring himself to sail, the more boat he will find he has to do so
with.
INVERSION AGITATION
What we are talking about is of course only a possibility. But since
the possibility is of death by drowning, it bears taking seriously.
Boat Insurance is splendid, but Life Insurance is a misnomer - they
don’t pay you a thing, and for myself I would rather support a
wife than a widow anyway.
The risk is probably not great. But the point is that it is also
unnecessary. Below the ‘Act of God’ level, trouble is
largely our own fault. We cannot, of course, legislate against a
full-grown hurricane or the 28 foot standing breakers of Hawaii’s
Makaha beach. If you find yourself sailing in these things, enjoy them
first time round. There is not likely to be a second. But for normal
sailing, take sensible precautions.
Cat against keel boat, we barter a higher risk of capsize for freedom
from sinking. Not too bad a bargain, on the whole. As to capsize, we
can do just three things: we can avoid it, we can prevent it from
becoming total, and we can provide means to right the boat after it
occurs.
Avoidance is a matter of ordinary sailing sense, but a catamaran
demands a higher degree of vigilance than a keel boat. A lookout for
squalls, sheets that can be quickly released, shortening sail in
reasonable time and a sharp knife readily available (e.g. a stainless
steel one in a sheath screwed to the side of the cockpit) should be
enough.
If capsize we must, only mast buoyancy of some sort seems to offer
real protection against total inversion. In early days we tried
spreader-end buoyancy on the Iroquois. This had the potential of
rendering her self-righting by arresting capsize before top dead
centre, but we dropped it after trials because of the difficulty of
coping with inertial loads in a seaway. The cost and complexity of
doing so, together with the duplication of floats (each needed to be
nearly as large as the single masthead unit) also seemed pretty
unpalatable.
Since then a single fixed masthead float has been available in a disc
shape offering slightly more stability in the capsized boat than
upright. Unfortunately it has not been widely used. It is undoubtedly
inelegant, but in one case where it was fitted the boat suffered no
harm and was easily righted by a passer-by in a motor launch who
needed only to lift the float and give it a modest shove. In my
opinion flotation of some kind is absolutely essential, and should,
despite its shortcomings, have been used on every boat without
exception. It is daft to risk your boat and your life for appearance
sake.
The second common objection to such a fixed float - that it has high
windage - is nonsense. A disc of this sort offers extremely low
resistance to wind from any quarter. Indeed its effect on head losses
in the mainsail may well improve performance rather than the opposite.
Now it looks as if we are to get the self-inflating masthead buoyancy
originally promised us by the manufacturers in time for last Summer’s
Round Britain Race. This uses a light buoyancy bag neatly stowed at
the masthead, with a small compressed air bottle with automatic wet
release and manual override at deck level. Details are not yet final,
but it stands to be of reasonable cost, unobtrusive and little over
five pounds weight in all. As to its reliability, it is of the same
family as apparatus used in air sea rescue work, and in the wheel
hubcap flotation of some helicopters, and well made. With manual
override the risk of it not inflating when required should be
negligible. A little care and common sense are needed in the design
and installation to guard against the risk of chafing or tearing, but
this should not be beyond the wit of man. Speed of inflation depends
on the type of wet release we end up using, and on whether the bottle
is at decklevel or with the bag at the masthead - preferable except
for the weight. If they are together should be total within five
seconds. Adequate masthead flotation would rob the capsize problem of
its sting.
Floating on her masthead such a boat requires little effort to right
her. In a seaway the wave motion alone might well suffice. With
outside assistance it is simple.
When we have the chance to test the finished gear we will know more
about it, and hope to produce a simple, cheap righting lever
permanently stowed under the bridgedeck, possibly with a waterballast
bag inflated when required by the bilge pump.
One way or another, the Golden Age seems just round the corner. Warned
against capsize, armed against inversion, we can brave the dreaded
Solent (miles from Makaha, and not too bad for hurricanes either)
without a worry in the world beyond delamination and cirrhosis of the
liver.
ADVICE FROM THE BUILDERS
Setting Sail at Moorings
We recommend that the mainsail should be hoisted first and reefed, if
it is thought necessary for the prevailing wind. At this point the
centre-boards should not be down, especially if the wind is over tide.
In setting the mainsail, it is essential to make sure that when the
sail is pulled out along the boom it is secured by the outhaul line
and should remain under tension at all times. In addition to the
outhaul line, which is attached to the clew, there is another line
which should be firmly lashed round the boom itself to prevent the
bolt rope of the foot of the mainsail, at this point, from coming out
of the luff groove of the boom. When hoisting the mainsail make sure
that the downhaul, which is attached to the fore part of the boom, is
released to allow the boom to travel to the upper part of the track on
the mast. This will allow the mainsail to go to the top of the mast
without having to sweat too tightly on the main halliard. The
necessary tension on the luff of the sail can be adjusted by the
downhaul. Prior to hoisting the jib, one should attach the jib sheets.
Make sure that the jib sheet itself runs inside the main shroud - this
applies to No. 1 jib and No. 2 jib. When setting the jib it is
essential to sweat it up on the foresail halliard, as tight as
possible, using the snatch block on the foresail halliard for extra
purchase. When putting the rudder blades down make sure that they are
in fact vertical and not in line with the transom, since the rudder
itself is semi-balanced. A few moments prior to casting off, lower
both centreboards.
Tacking Out of Creeks and Restricted Waters
When sailing in restricted waters to windward the boat can, in fact,
be sailed with the boards half down, still maintaining quite good
manoeuvrability. We recommend that if the wind force is between 4 and
5, the No. 2 jib should be set for easy handling.
Setting Sails According to the Weather
In light airs the Genoa can be set. In force 1-3 it should be set on
the inside of the main shroud, secured to the block supplied which is
fastened by means of a rope end to the mooring cleat, and because the
Genoa lead is adjustable it is possible to put the tension on the
luff, or the foot of the sail. Between force 3 and 4, the Genoa should
be set on the outside of the main shroud going to windward. Obviously,
in light airs the Genoa will have to be set on the outside of the main
shroud, on any point other than going to windward. In force 5 it is
recommended that three rolls should be put in the mainsail, and the
No. 2 jib be set for extensive cruising. In force 6, the mainsail
should be reefed until the headboard of the sail is approximately
level with the main shroud attachment on the mast. In force 7, three
further rolls should be put into the mainsail. In force 8 and 9, take
the No. 2 jib off completely and put a further two rolls in the
mainsail. In real storm conditions it is advisable to hove-to -
suggested method for this is to ease the main sheet slide right out to
the stop and then proceed to pull the mainsail in, as you would when
going to windward. If the boat will not hold head to wind, pull the
main sheet slide up to windward until the stage is reached where it
will in fact hold head to wind, as it is the pressure on the after
part of the mainsail which keeps the boat head to wind, and the more
the boom is amidships the less tension will be required on the main
sheet. According to how much the mainsail is reefed, it may be found
necessary to have the boom up to weather.
Additional Equipment
Additional heavy equipment, i.e., ship to shore telephone, etc.,
should be installed aft of midships.
When Boat is Left on Moorings
- Always make sure that the centreboards are completely pulled up,
and this will allow the boat to lay head to wind. In addition to
this, if the mooring dries out, it will prevent the boat sitting on
the centreboards, since they are in fact angled inboard and not
vertical - this would put unnecessary strain on the centrecase.
- Tiller bar should be taken off the rudder tillers and the rudder
blades should be facing inwards to each other, to avoid getting
damaged. All loose halliards should be tied to the main shrouds and
kept under tension, to avoid slapping against the side of the mast,
which would cause unnecessary wear on the halliards.
- Calor Gas should be checked that it has, in fact, been turned
off. Make a habit of doing this when the cooker is not in use.
- Turn off main supply switch on battery to prevent unnecessary
drainage of the battery in the event of somebody leaving any
electrical apparatus on.
- Make sure that any extra fuel carried is not stowed in the
vicinity of the cooker and the batteries.
- When using the anchor for mooring the boat, we suggest that the
rope should be through a polythene tube at the location point on the
stem head roller, in order to prevent excessive chafe.
- It is suggested that No. 1 and No. 2 jibs should be kept in a
waterproof bag in the self-draining locker in the bridgedeck. The
Genoa, which is rather a bulky sail, can be stowed in one of the
fore peaks. The mainsail is best left on the boom protected by a
sail cover.
- The engine should be cocked-up when not in use.
Points to Watch when Sailing
It is recommended not to run before the wind over a force 3 - 4, the
reason being to prevent the sail battens from breaking on the main
shrouds. In these conditions it would be better to tack down wind.
The Iroquois can in fact be driven very hard indeed, and if you want
to go more than 12 knots then be prepared to sail it, and this means
not having the main sheet permanently cleated. The boat is very stable
between 6 and 8 knots, but once she breaks through her wave making
speed, she will immediately go up to 12 knots or more - at this point
she seems to be a completely different boat. Be prepared if the hull
is inclined to lift, i.e., just kissing the water, to have the main
sheet uncleated. If an extra gust of wind catches you at this point,
the hull itself will come out of the water approximately one foot, and
by this time the boat is travelling at about 12 to 14 knots. When
sailing with the weather hull out of the water by about one foot, at
the same time having the main sheet not cleated, repeat not cleated,
should any additional wind be forthcoming the helmsman must ease the
main sheet to prevent the hull lifting further. It is our opinion that
if the hull is allowed to lift more than l2" to l8" the boat
will be in danger of capsize, and the process of capsize will be very
quickly completed if the helmsman is asleep on the job. Summing up,
the real danger of capsizing a catamaran is going to windward, or on a
close reach. A catamaran which cannot lift a hull is either built too
heavy or just has not enough sail - in fact it is like two floating
logs, one not knowing what the other is going to do!
Preparing for Sea
Before going afloat it is necessary to have on board a minimum of
equipment which can be endlessly increased by further aids to
navigation and comfort according to one’s pocket. They can all be
very useful and worth their cost to someone or else they would not be
on the market. All marine equipment varies according to the conditions
under which it was designed to be used. As an example each of the
different shapes of anchor is better than the others under some
conditions and with different types of ground.
Equipment is useless without someone with the experience and knowledge
to use the information available in the correct way. There are
numerous experienced yachtsmen available who long for a chance to sail
with you. With some book work ashore and great care an inexperienced
owner should quickly master the arts of navigation, handling the
Iroquois and the essential knowledge of the International Collision
Regulations and distress signals. The law demands that on seeing or
hearing a distress signal you must do everything possible to render
assistance. To comply with this you must know all the signals. Under
power the Iroquois will handle as any other light displacement vessel
and presents no problems, she is very stable and steady.
Providing there is enough fuel and that the sea is not too rough any
manoeuvre or passage can be made with complete safety under power.
Some waters are so congested that if you do not have an engine it is
necessary to ask for a tow. There is no disgrace in receiving a tow,
but if accepting assistance from strangers always arrange the price
first, especially if it is from a commercial craft. Most people are
pleased to help for nothing more than a request that you help some
else in turn. To prepare the engine it is best to read and follow the
makers’ instructions and not wait until all has failed. Make sure
that there is an ample supply of suitable clean fuel and a separate
reserve supply with a means of pouring it into the tank. Electric
batteries give off a very dangerous gas, especially while being
charged and normal care and attention are needed to this.
The crew are always the most important part of any vessel unless you
also carry passengers. Their safety and comfort are first on the list
and thus require most attention. The safety of the yacht depends on
her crew.
In order to remain efficient on any passage of more than a few miles
the crew must keep warm, must feed and after a longer time will need
rest. It is vital that the possible effect of seasickness is known.
Modern drugs are very effective but make some people too tired to
concentrate. Some lucky people are never seasick and others can
continue to work in spite of sickness. Make sure that you have at
least one of these two types on board before going to sea.
Preparing the ship’s company for sea means checking that there is
enough food, including plenty of soup, chocolate, boiled sweets, etc.,
and drinking water. Check that all have a change of warm clothes. Make
sure everyone knows the ‘man overboard’ drill; non-swimmers
at least should wear approved buoyancy garments at all times outside
the cabin and a safety harness in strongly recommended. It is
important to wear a harness when changing the headsail or preparing to
anchor if guard rails are not fitted. The Iroquois is built so that
she CAN NOT SINK no matter what happens. In the event of disaster it
is vital to remain with the yacht. This is like the lifeboat drill on
a passenger ship or aircraft - if it ever becomes necessary the
passengers remember. Be prepared for a delay of up to three times the
expected time for a voyage - head winds, fog, engine failure, torn
sail or calm may delay you. These are ordinary precautions for EVERY
vessel on every passage outside harbour - in the same way as always
carrying a spare tyre and wearing a safety harness in a motor car.
Before proceeding to sea the compass must be checked for deviation. If
there are large differences the compass must be corrected by an
expert. If only small errors are present a competent yachtsman can
make his own deviation card of corrections to apply. At the same time
as the compass is swung, the radio direction finder should be checked
if one is carried on board.
It is too late to worry about errors and insulating the rigging when
caught in a fog. Your only hope of obtaining a reasonable bearing then
is to sail in a tight slow circle taking a series of bearings of the
same radio beacon and using the average.
During otherwise idle moments while waiting for a train or in a
traffic jam, it is a good idea to consider the best procedure to adopt
under different conditions at sea. Included in this is to decide what
you will use to substitute for equipment you may not carry, such as a
sea anchor. Suggestions in this case include fenders lashed to the
light anchor using the usual warp or mooring rope and another way
would be to use a coil of mooring rope and a strong sail bag. Also
consider how to tie up to a wall with a strong tide or a large tide
range or with waves passing the wall. In all the above situations
weights, fenders and the anchors will prove most useful either to hold
the yacht clear of the wall or to hang on the mooring ropes to keep
them tight.
At anchor strong winds cause much more strain than a strong tide. The
greatest strain will occur with the wind and tide together but the
roughest sea will come with the wind against tide. Two important
points to watch are that when there is a strong wind and the yacht
swings about if you use rope with the anchor see that it is very well
protected by canvas and sacking where it rubs on the fairlead. When
the wind is against the tide great care must be taken to check that
the anchor is not fouled by its own chain. The best way to be sure of
this is to lift the anchor until you can see that it is clear as the
tide turns and then re-anchor. Many yachts are wrecked or seriously
damaged each season because of faulty mooring. A catamaran, being
lighter, tends to drift about more than a heavy yacht, so that
checking for a foul anchor is most important. Often it helps if a
second line is taken from the other bow and made fast to the anchor
rope or chain and then more rope is paid out until the strain is equal
on both bows and the rope beyond the join leads straight ahead in line
with the centre of the yacht. Do not forget to parcel both ropes with
canvas as mentioned before. Another useful tip when using rope for
anchor work is to secure a weight to the rope about half way along,
this takes up the jerk when the yacht pitches or yaws about and helps
to prevent the anchor from breaking out.
No yacht should proceed beyond the harbour entrance without at least
the following equipment on board: COMPASS Liquid type, luminous or
with light CHARTS Of suitable size covering the area ALMANAC Reeds or
Browns for tidal and general information ANCHOR, CHAIN AND ROPE
Suitable for intended use LEAD AND LINE And/or echo sounder RADIO For
gale warnings - if possible a D.F. set LIFEJACKETS Of approved type,
one for each person on board DISTRESS SIGNALS Good kits are available
in watertight tins SIGNAL LAMP Or powerful torch for indicating
position SIMPLE TOOL KIT For general use and the outboard FRESH WATER
Include a reserve supply FOOD Enough for the passage FIRST AID KIT
Simple dressings, triangular bandage, burn dressing BUCKET For
bailing, fire extinguishing and general use.
For a longer cruise the following should also be included: LIFEBUOY
AND LIGHT So that you and the man in the water can find it INFLATABLE
DINGHY General use in harbour SAFETY HARNESS Essential if guard rails
are not fitted NAVIGATION AND ANCHOR LIGHT Must stay bright at least 8
hours FOG HORN Can be of cheap blow type as long as it works SECOND
ANCHOR SPARE SHACKLES AND ROPE Preferably with a short length of chain
BINOCULARS 7 x 50 or 6 x 50 are most suitable FIRE EXTINGUISHER Not
Carbontetrachloride (very dangerous) MEANS OF HEATING FOOD Check the
gas supply before sailing far BOOT HOOK AND FENDERS.
All this equipment should be stowed with care to be ready for use, out
of the way and where necessary dry. Stowing any vessel requires care,
but with an Iroquois the movement at sea is so much reduced that
things will not tend to crash about as they do on a single hull yacht.
Heavy weights should not be stowed forward and should in general be
stowed as low as is convenient in the hulls.
As with every vessel afloat care is constantly necessary to prevent
anyone placing any metal object near the compass or removing a part
which was fitted when the compass was checked for deviation. On
Iroquois special watch for knives in oilskin pockets and no moving the
gas cylinder if these are within six feet of the compass.
Handling the Iroquois
Getting the best from a vessel large or small and manoeuvring
successfully in a crowded anchorage requires practice and experience
which cannot be learnt from any book. With care this experience can be
enjoyably obtained without damage to your own or other yachts and
without causing inconvenience to anyone. If you are new to the sea
this applies to every vessel - multi-hull or single hull; if you are
an experienced yachtsman or woman new to a catamaran there are some
important differences to note which require a different technique.
Practice will provide the confidence necessary to get real
satisfaction from your Iroquois.
If before starting any manoeuvre you decide what the effect each of
the forces acting on the catamaran is having, now and again after you
have altered their relative directions you will know what to expect.
Knowing the cause you can apply the correct cure to any effect of the
wind or tide.
Consider an Iroquois in a flat calm tideless bay, she remains
completely at rest. If there is a tide or current this moves our
yacht, and every other free floating object, past fixed objects while
they all remain at rest in the water. From this it can be seen that
the tide has no effect on sailing the yacht, but a very important
effect indeed on navigation. If a breeze blows across the bay and the
yacht is not at anchor and has no sails hoisted she will drift quite
fast away from the wind while pointing in a direction approximately 90
degrees from the wind. If the rudders and keels are lowered the speed
of drift will be greatly reduced due to the extra under water area. As
lowering the keels has only a little effect on the forward movement
they should both be kept lowered when manoeuvring under sail or power,
except in very shallow water or when approaching the beach. It is also
important that the rudder blades are fully down. In this position they
are balanced so that only very light pressure on the tiller or wheel
is needed to steer. If the blade is partly hinged aft steering becomes
heavy.
From the time the mooring ropes are cast off or the anchor is clear it
is vital to keep complete control of your vessel all the time. To do
this it is very necessary to plan in stages and to COMPLETE the last
stage before starting the next. As an example the mooring ropes must
be coiled down and stowed ready for use again as soon as possible. If
you do this and the next stage does not go as planned it is usually
possible to stop and sort things out without difficulty.
When sailing and manoeuvring the faster the yacht is travelling the
faster you have to think while your time for action is reduced. If you
should strike another yacht when moving fast you can cause
considerable damage. Remembering this you must also consider that as
your speed increases your yacht answers her helm in a more immediate
and positive manner while the relative effect of the tide and wind are
reduced. At first you should proceed at the minimum speed at which you
have full control of steering, about three nautical miles per hour
(knots) depending on the weather.
The main important difference between handling your Iroquois and a ‘conventional’
ballast keel yacht is similar to the difference between a seagull or
duck floating on the water and a log of wood floating in the water. If
you start the wood moving through the water it will continue for some
distance due to its inertia. The Iroquois is light so that when the
push is removed she will soon stop while the effect of the wind
pressure is increased. If stopped head to wind with sails up she will
soon start to move astern. This is where experienced yachtsmen need to
take extra care when picking up a mooring at first. Tacking will
present no difficulty under normal conditions and the Iroquois will
gather speed at an exhilarating rate when power is applied. The extra
beam of the Iroquois does not cause any problems; many heavy built
yachts with single hulls have similar beam.
When you wish to sail slowly you will find that it is very easy to
sail around with only the mainsail hoisted, this especially applies
if there is a breeze and the sail is reefed. When tacking under
mainsail alone you may find at first that you get head to wind and
start moving astern before coming round on to the new tack. If, as you
start to move astern you put the rudder to opposite way (the tiller
towards the side onto which the wind was blowing) and at the same time
slack off the main sheet, the stern will swing towards the wind and
she will move ahead in the required direction. Then you can heave the
sheet in again. If in doubt you can always gybe round but remember to
warn the crew and watch the sheet during the manoeuvre.
If you should wish to stop for any reason while sailing it is very
easy to heave to. To do this, sheet in the headsail on the opposite
side to the mainsail: an easy way to achieve this is to tack without
moving any of the sheets. The headsail will be aback and the mainsail
will fill. While ‘hove-to’ Iroquois will travel in some
direction from 45 degrees downwind to 90 degrees from the wind
direction while pointing 25 to 50 degrees from the wind. These
headings and the direction of drift can be controlled in the above
approximate limits by adjusting the sheets and plate keels. The
rudders should never be set to bring the yacht’s head away from
the wind as a wave might cause the bow to pay off so that she could
gather speed and gybe. If the sea is choppy, the change from moving
powerfully with driving spray, to a sensation of comparative calm is
remarkable.
On any yacht with enough sail area to enable her to make good progress
during light winds it is VERY IMPORTANT to reef in good time as the
wind increases. If in doubt then roll down some sail. It is much
easier to hoist more sail if the weather proves less than expected
than to roll more down if it turns out to be worse. This is just as
important on a catamaran. Although you continue to sail with only a
slight angle of heel instead of shipping water over the lee rail it
will be obvious from the strain on the sheets and the way she handles
that it is time to reduce sail. The temptation to wait and see if the
wind moderates as forecast must be resisted, you must sail with
conditions as they are and not as you hope they will become or as
someone forecasts that they should be. If a sudden increase in wind
strength catches you unexpectedly, act just as you would in a sailing
dinghy - either run off before the wind and drop the headsail, or else
luff up into the wind and if necessary let go the sheets as required.
The main sheet is fitted with a very good jamb cleat and on releasing
this the sheet will run free.
This action will return the Iroquois from a considerable angle of
heel, but this a frightening experience to those in the cabin. Sail
should always be reduced well before this stage unless you are racing,
in complete control, have one person constantly holding the sheet and
enough experience to make these suggestions superfluous. It is much
safer to change the headsail or remove the headsail altogether and
reef the mainsail in ample time - you will still sail much faster than
single hull yachts of comparable size. When sailing across a choppy
sea it may be an advantage to pull up the plate on the lee side but
remember to lower it again when driving to windward.
When running downwind with a good breeze remember that the wind is
blowing harder, possibly much harder, than the movement leads you to
believe and sail should be reduced in good time before altering
course. If conditions become bad sail should be reduced in every case
and ropes can be towed astern to reduce speed and ease the work of
steering. Running before the wind you can cover long distances in good
time: check the navigation. Some of the plate keels should be kept
lowered and in very rough water take care not to get sideways across a
large breaking wave.
In general the extra speed of the Iroquois class catamarans will
enable you to reach port and shelter in good time before bad weather
arrives. However, if you are caught out in a blow you will be quite
safe providing you take normal precautions, reduce sail in good time
and look after your crew and yourself. |
