Seamanship & Human Performance
Fatigue, food, safety and staying sharp
The hardest part of an offshore race is rarely the boat. It is the body sailing her, at night, tired, wet and three days into a race that has not gone to plan.
This section is about keeping that body and that boat working. It covers fatigue, food, fitness and the plain seamanship that keeps a crew safe and fast when conditions turn: why judgement goes before anyone admits to being tired, whether real food at sea is possible, and how to win the race against your own body as well as the fleet.
Fatigue gets particular attention, because it is the risk crews most often ignore. The first beat after a long night is where many races are quietly lost.
Seamanship and performance are not opposites. The crew that reefs early, eats properly and keeps its watch system is usually the crew still sailing well on the second night, when the rest of the fleet has started to make mistakes.
I learned most of this the hard way: in the Royal Navy, in 14 Fastnets and in more than 200 RORC offshore races. Some lessons cost more than others.
The articles are listed below, newest first. Explore the other subjects in the FirstShift article library, or read the latest articles.
