Twelve days until the big trip. A growing feeling is gnawing at my insides, a feeling of uneasiness and self doubt. I have talked a good game, pretended that I am capable of throwing caution to the wind, but in reality, do I really have what it takes? 10 days aboard a boat with 5 men sailors is not what scares me. Just surviving for 10 days on a sailboat is not the source of my concern. This passage is about sailing in heavy weather, facing my fear of storms. When the going gets tough, will I succumb to my fears?

Just to help prepare for facing my fear of dying out at sea, I researched the actual numbers of how many people lose their lives on sailing vessels. I began my research by looking at the data from the US Coastguard. In a nutshell, there were 560 deaths in 2013. 77% of the deaths were due to drowning. 8 out of 10 of those deaths occurred on boats that were less than 21 feet in length (mostly motor boats). Alcohol and excessive speed were also large factors in these deaths. Looks like I am pretty safe, sailing around the Chesapeake in my 30 ft. sailing vessel. However, I’m sure the number of deaths aboard sailboats dramatically increases when you look at the factor of blue water sailing.

After spending about an hour surfing the internet and looking for international sailing fatalities, I couldn’t find one credible organization that compiled that kind of data. There were a few reports here and there about specific sailing fatalities in high profile news events. This means one of two things: either no one reports sailing fatalities at sea for blue water sailors, or there are not enough deaths to even make a report. I of course, am hoping for the latter. As far as hard facts as to the reason for deaths on sailboats, here is what I did find from:

Why Sailors Die – The Most Important Safety Lesson (sailing.about.com)

You are more likely to die in a situation like this:
You are about to go sailing on a beautiful sunny day with light winds. You row your dinghy out to your sailboat on its mooring. As you pull down the sailboat’s swim ladder to climb aboard, the wake from a passing boat rocks the dinghy, and your hand slips and you tumble into the water. It is shockingly cold this early in the season, and when your head breaks the surface you’re gasping for breath. It takes a few moments for you to get control of your breathing, and then you see that the current has already swept you ten feet away from the dinghy. With a sudden feeling of desperation you try to swim back to it, but your clothing and shoes make it difficult, and the current is stronger than you ever thought. A wave breaks into your mouth as you struggle, starting a coughing fit. You’re disoriented and gasping for air, and the cold is already taking its toll. Your head goes under again…

Statistics from the 2010 Coast Guard Reports

In 83% of sailor fatalities, the cause of death was drowning.
Only 26% of the sailors who died were actually sailing at the time.
Of boaters who died by drowning, 88% were not wearing PFDs.

Actually, researching and reading these facts is making my heart beat a bit slower, and that gnawing feeling is starting to recede a little. I have a brand new safety harness that Dan bought me at the Spring Boat Show in Annapolis, and I will be wearing it every time I am on deck. Okay, so maybe I won’t drown. Now that I can’t obsess about perishing at sea from a sailing accident, what else do I have to worry about? With the current technology and latest advantages in weather tracking, it is doubtful we will find ourselves in the middle of a hurricane. I’m hoping to run across some gales and strong winds so I can learn what to do. I guess the next level of fear is based on my ability to follow directions, being capable and efficient, and being able to focus on the tasks rather than my fears. I do believe I can do that. Hmmmm, my list is of fears is running out. Wait – pirates! There have to be some pirate attacks in the Caribbean. I just checked and I found around 7 pirate attacks in 2014 around the waters in which we will be sailing. Most of them happened while the boat owners were at shore. Nope, can’t add pirates to my list of worries.

Writing down my list of fears has been extremely helpful. I’ve been able to rationalize why these fears are basically irrational. There are many fear factors that will truly be justifiable when Dan and I are on our own, but for this trip I need to chill and trust in the experience of our captain and in the safety of the boat. There are a few things I do need to still worry about, getting burnt to a crisp with my winter white skin. I have gone to a tanning bed a few times to try and get some base tan before the trip. Running out of rum, because my husband does own a tee-shirt that says, “I am the reason the rum is all gone”. No rum, no Dark and Stormies. And lastly, losing my hat overboard, because with little showering and no hair dryer, God only knows what my hair will look like during this trip. With that being said, I would like to leave you with a few images of how everyone is perceiving this upcoming trip. I can’t wait to report back with stories and pictures from our adventure. Let the countdown begin!

What My Parents Think I Will Be Doing

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