Cruise long, safe and smooth with the 5 tips from a great sailor

The story of “Tettamanti’s Family” set out to sail around the world on a trimaran Neel 51 Kamana we told you HERE and it has been closely followed. Enrico Tettamanti, who is on his third circumnavigation of the globe and has grinded hundreds of miles, at any latitude, from the Equator to the polar ice, gives us his valuable advice for those who are planning a long, safe and quiet “off-shore” cruise.

THE FIVE TIPS FOR A LONG AND SAFE CRUISE

MEDICAL CARE SERVICE

We have the great fortune of having many doctors in the family-Julia’s mother is a doctor and her aunt is a pediatrician-so with every need, even the smallest, we contact them for advice. Because of the importance we place on the issue of health and safety on board, as well as the ability to always have the necessary medications, we decided to subscribe to MedAire.

It is a health care service by doctors and experts who try to solve health and safety problems when needed, including in the case of special emergencies. The service operates 24 hours a day all year round. In addition to this service, he offers kits, which we took, designed specifically for those who sail and cruise offshore, as well as a pediatric kit.

The kits are designed to quickly find what we need in the various bags, and to precisely handle any eventuality. Another key point Medair offers is electronic inventory management, which makes tracking expiration dates and reorders a simple and automatic process.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Renewable energy and storage technology has made great strides. In 20 years, from Kamana 1 to the new trimaran, with the same area of solar panels, the actual yield has practically doubled.

So wind generators, hydroelectric generators (on board we chose Watt&Sea) and batteries have also evolved. Unfortunately, costs have also risen; today those who want to choose an efficient system face quite high costs.

In my opinion, however, this is something that should be carefully considered and, if possible, opted for, especially because of the environmental impact. Speaking of technical aspects, the yield and positives are countless but they are felt once you set sail, when it is too late to change everything. It is important to study from the beginning a plant with all the correct variables. Changing just one thing in a plant not designed specifically for renewable energy can cause us to lose so much efficiency.

METEO

I am a meteorology enthusiast, I have studied it for years and it is a science that interests me very much. I am a young man in my late 50s, and when I talk about the past, I don’t feel like I am talking about prehistory, yet if I compare the technology available during my early ocean crossings to the technology available today, I feel like I am well beyond prehistory.

I remember vividly when I used to download 24h/48h/72h synoptic maps with SSB (shortwave radio), now considered a war relic. It would download situation and trend maps showing low and high pressure, nothing like today’s grill files. Often, by the time we got to the 72-hour one, after countless signal losses, two days had passed and the chart, which looked more like a treasure map from the 1800s, no longer had much reliability.

I now use a variety of programs to get the data I’m interested in quickly, even in the middle of the ocean, and inexpensively. This has meant that the way we navigate, both in terms of security and performance, has changed dramatically over the past two decades.

Of all the apps and sites available, there is one that I always use and ultimately consider more than the others before making my final decision on when to set sail and what course to follow. This is Weather 4D Routing. Easy to use, it puts together data from numerical weather forecast models in a simple and crystal clear way. Multifunctions, routes, routing…. can be downloaded with any satellite system!

SATELLITE SYSTEMS

Today, as written above, SSB is not advisable, costs more than a good satellite system, and makes little sense in the recreational world because no one uses it anymore. There are many satellite systems and they are growing all the time. An excellent choice for purchase price, operating costs, and efficiency is definitely Iridium Go. That said, I strongly recommend waiting until the end before choosing one solution over another because in a few months the offerings change.

There are satellite systems that cost a lot as hardware but then offer lower traffic costs than those with cheaper hardware. Personally, I am waiting for the release of SpaceX, which could completely revolutionize the market and about which I have some curiosity. SpaceX is reportedly scheduled to go into operation in 2020 and would offer worldwide Internet service at costs comparable to the mobile phone service we have on the ground.

SAILS FOR LOAD-BEARING GAITS

Modern boats have all switched to bow sails tacked onto bowsprits: the pole, after being the most popular tool among oceanic sailors, has fallen into oblivion. Code 0, PFR, Gennaker, endless stockings or furlers, anti-twisting and non-twisting cables… In truth, however, if you are not on a purely racing craft, with a crew of serious sailors who give gennakers even in the middle of the night dribbling through the various tangles, making several edges at the slack instead of pure VMG makes no sense.

Modern boats and even multihulls are not as fast as they promise to use slack tactics, and in the end the trade winds are always too much aft. So to those who want to sail around the world along the trade winds on a monohull, I strongly recommend dusting off the good old tangon. On some boats, which don’t sail fast on the slack, it even makes sense to go back to the 1970s and think about a double tangon. The same thing applies to multihulls, although they are said to dislike full sterns.

This is true in that the mainsail, absolutely predominant in the sail plan of multihulls, rests on the shrouds even when properly adjusted and sailing at 120° apparent–let alone at 170! We, like almost all multihull sailors, often drop mainsail and sail only with headsails, a large genoa rolled on forestay, and an FFR from One Sails designed specifically for our needs.

The FFR is rolled on an endless blender but without anti-twist cable.

This allows you to be able to adjust the halyard (which works with much lower tensions and therefore wears less) to give a fatter shape to the sail and facilitate stern swings. Finally, taking advantage of the width of the vessel, we designed a system of halyards and pulleys that act as a tangon. Even when the wind exceeds 22 knots, we can sail with jib and foresail. In this gait at every wave the boat is close to 15/18 knots of speed!

TO CONTACT ENRICO

Kamana 3.3 and Henry’s family can be followed on their adventures through the Instagram account @kamanalife. Enrico Testamenti also works as a consultant for anyone wishing to plan crossings and world tours or expeditions to extreme destinations. From boat purchase to project implementation. If you would like to contact him, you can do so at enri.ttt@gmail.com