Section 7 - Safety; General Safety; Extreme Weather; Lightning - Seawind 1600 Owner's Manual

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SECTION 7 – SAFETY

The modern catamaran with its high stability and the redundancy of foam sandwich

construction combined with multiple watertight compartments is a very safe, unsinkable craft

with well established safety records across a number of manufacturers. However, this safety is

dependent on the operator and how the craft is handled. Always sail within you and your crafts

limits.

In addition to the emergency scenarios listed below, the captain and the crew must train for

other potential failures. These include but are not restricted to rigging and sail damage,

jammed or failures on deck hardware, man overboard, running aground, damaged steering

systems. Your Seawind dealer is happy to assist with appropriate methods for dealing with

each scenario. As not every scenario is easily predicted one of the best ways to gather

experience is to talk to your cruising peers about their experiences.

All owners should read published material and consult experienced mentors regarding sailing

techniques in rough weather specifically tailored to multihulls as Catamarans behave

differently to monohulls. Below are a few common guidelines.

• Navigate well away from shoals or coastlines.

• Keep the boat moving forwards it is more stable and will absorb more of the shock

loads

• Reef the sails to keep a low centre of effort.

• Raise your dagger-boards to a minimum to allow the boat to "slide"

• Generally run with the sea if you must head directly into the sea do not run broadside.

• Waves can accelerate and propel you at significant speeds, sea anchors used according

to guidelines can aid stability.

Lightning strikes on sailing boats can and do happen. A strike is likely to hit the mast and

ground out through the conductive surfaces in your boat into the water. In the event of a bad

electrical storm one must take the following precautions.

• Stay dry inside and away from metal objects including electrical/electronics.

• Do not get in the water

After a strike there is a fair possibility that all electrical/electronic systems are damaged.

• There is an optional mechanical fresh water pump under the galley sink.

• Have backup navigation maps, measures in place.

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