How to cross the ocean safely with a cruise boat

How do you prepare for a long and challenging sailing, to experience a great adventure? Not improvising. Rino Anello, an entrepreneur from Turin who decided to participate in the ARC Plus (2700-mile crossing from Gran Canaria to St. Lucia, with a stop in Cape Verde as an intermediate leg) with his Grand Soleil 50 Giogia, knows this well.

He relied on sailing coach and trainer Luca Sabiu for one-on-one boat preparation. Sabiu tells, in detail, how the preparation of the boat and crew took place. Lots of useful tips to take a cue from on your cruising boat as well.

How to cross the ocean with a cruise boat

He turned to me Rino Anello, an entrepreneur and sailor from Turin who for his 50th birthday decided to make the crossing of the Atlantic together with his 15-year-old son Giorgio and a group of friends on his Grand Soleil 50 “Giogia” (14.97 x 4.56 m, designed by Judel / Vrolijk). To do so, he signed up for Arc+ (Rally for Cruisers), the flotilla crossing devised by navigator Jimmy Cornell (still ongoing). Rino wants to use this experience as a formative moment, but also to celebrate, there in the midst of nature, the passion that his father passed on to him and in which, in turn, he involved his son. Also supporting Rino Anello’s venture are boat operators, such as the marine equipment store MagellanoStore and leading brokerage firm Abayachting, which followed Anello, step by step, in buying and selling the boat (a love affair born after the Covid period).

Rino’s is the dream of many shipowners, but it often runs up against life’s obstacles and struggles to become a reality. He, however, is determined, a kind of a “down-to-earth dreamer” and above all, highly motivated. I really liked him and his story, and so I accepted the proposal to coach him for this adventure.

On the division of roles on board, I was clear from the beginning. His is the boat and his is the design, so he is the skipper of the crossing. I will be his “second,” and my job is to work to see that his goal is accomplished in the best possible way.

Ocean Crossing- Preparation

Here is what my sailing coach work was in detail in this Arc+ 2023 with Rino Anello. Basically, it is divided into three stages:

• Ground preparation
• Prepartence
• Navigation

Step 1. Ground work: rigging, facilities and boat equipment

In these projects usually my onshore work is huge and starts from scratch, but I must say that thanks to the preventive work and planning of Rino (owner) my work on the onshore preparation of “Giogia” was limited to a very specific goal, focus on the key points to accomplish the goal for which I was called. That’s what I’ve been working on:

Mast, boom, and rigging. I wanted to check the mast of the boat ashore, including the rigging, pulleys, spreader couplings, all the sheet and sail rigging holding points. I asked for major changes, for example, new steering wheels. As luck would have it here, the rigger who had taken over the work on the boat is Antonio Caldini, who is also my trusted “magic tree-maker.” Everything was easier and more fruitful that way.

Rudder and steering system. The check on the rudder included disassembling the blade, checking the shaft, replacing the bushing and sector cables, and finally a check on the tiller.

Autopilots. The autopilot system with “switch” capability was already planned by the owner. Having two pistons on board instead of one is a security. All related instrumentation is Raymarine and interfaced to radar, Ais and pc.

Sails. With Rino, we opted for this set: a mainsail already on board with Furling system, i.e., furling in the boom, genoa, Hydranet rollable foresail, A2 gennaker with stocking that we will use to sail “low” and rollable gennaker to be used in the most disturbed weather with ease in quick closing and thus safer in the groppi phase.

Security. In terms of safety on board “Giogia” we applied the standard that I normally use in the ocean and that allows us to flawlessly pass the rigorous controls of the Arc+ organizers: ocean raft, grab bag, “survie” bin and individual and collective equipment.

Pharmacy. The shipboard pharmacy for the ocean must be knowledgeably prepared ashore: it is not enough to just “go shopping.” In an emergency, preparedness and thus speed will make a difference.

Respective equipment. On respect equipment you have to think like those who sail around the world: anything can happen on a boat and you will never have all the spare parts. So it is important to anticipate problems and solutions to as many interventions as possible: engine parts, scaled Dyneema lines, sail patches, high slip rings to create blocks and pulleys, hacksaw, resin, fabric, etc.

Tools and connections. Connected boat/unconnected boat, the difference between the two situations is huge. We chose not to invest in the Starlink system, but still use the Iridium Go system, the Garmin inReach for messaging, and the satellite phone for voice. In the coming years, Starlink will surely lead the way in these browsing both in connection speed and cost of use. However, phonics is important to me and I don’t want to give it up, especially in a medical emergency.

Facilities. On board “Giogia” all sea intakes were replaced and two bilge pumps were added. The boat is equipped with a watermaker (a convenience that I do not consider essential, however), so there was a major check to the engine and the components of this device. Same check was provided for the solar panels and the dual alternator.

A ready and aware crew makes a difference

Another part of the ground preparation work involved the crew. I did not know the other hosts of “Giogia,” but that changes little: the method must always be the same, without exception. I set up an online session to meet them in person, ask for appropriate medical examinations, including a statement from one’s dentist of stable dental status, as well as clarification on the minimum personal safety equipment they were to have on board. Pharmacy and galley on an ocean crossing always require a time of great reflection with the owner and crew. We then planned the management of on-call and off shifts for everyone, another key issue, and finally some work on weather.

Ocean Crossing. Step 2. Prepartence: check list and testing at sea

My work as a sailing coach in the prepartence of this Arc+ was a thorough verification of preparation according to my own method. During the checks I draft a check list, which will then be the same one that will be used daily on board for the daily check. The latter is performed each day by a different crew member because experience teaches that each sees details that the other does not. A fine example of applied security. The prepartenza check consists of checking all details of equipment, facilities and fittings: tie-downs, tensioning, hardware, hose clamps for sea intakes, connections, etc.

One piece of advice I always suggest to shipowners is to take advantage of the Gibraltar-Canary shipping stretch to do a sort of “coupon verification” of all the work done in the Mediterranean. It is not a good idea to start with relief work done in the Canary Islands, without the opportunity then to test it before the big “jump.”

Weather study and galley setup

As for the weather study, starting 3 weeks before the Arc+ departure, I started every other day to run “routings.” Such work so far in advance serves to gather so many details that slowly outline an outline weather situation, including possible travel times and rates at various speeds. All important data to reflect on.

The galley, previously discussed and planned, is set up with a logic that is the number of meals for the people on board. For example, 20 lunches for 6 people, and so on. The estimated travel times with routings also give important indications for calculating the right amounts of provisions, but the reserve should still always be calculated diligently. In extreme racing, where weight can make a difference, these calculations are even more minute.

Step 3. The task of the coach in navigation

Finally, my support for Rino Anello in his Arc+ project concerns the navigation part. During navigation, the roles must be clear, the skipper (in this case also the owner) decides and the crew executes. Then separately we confront each other, but the protection of hierarchy for me is non-negotiable and my job is also to keep it that way.

In the Anglo-Saxon language, the term “coach” literally means “coachman,” that is, one who helps another person navigate his or her own path in the best way possible. And that means calibrating everything you do, say and think against this goal, especially predicting and preventing as much as possible. Another important goal at this stage is to implement responsibility for safety on board, as well as the creation of the boat and crew safety plan. It is very methodical work. The owner in this case relies on your expertise, your past successes and even your mishaps that if you were able to analyze and turn into valuable experience and growth opportunity for the students.

Luca Sabiu*

• The tracking to follow the ARC Plus

*Luca Sabiu, trainer and sailing coach, has a packed season of events and training courses for the 2024 season. The hands-on courses take place aboard the workshop-boat “Flow,” his state-of-the-art Class 40, a boat in top condition and equipped specifically for doing training. Info: www.lucasabiu.com.