151 Miglia and the emotions of a great regatta in complete safety: interview with Umberto Verna from Safety World

O.S.R., Offshore Special Regulations: the acronym embracing all the rules that guarantee the safety of offshore sailing races. It includes controls on the boat and on the equipment, training and briefing of the crew, good practices for the navigation … To better understand what we are talking about when dealing with the issue of safety, we consulted an expert, Umberto Verna from Safety World. He is a professional sailing instructor specialized in safety and emergency management on board. Verna explains us how to enjoy a regatta like the 151 Miglia – Cetilar Trophy in complete safety.

Lets begin with a short presentation for the (few) sailors who are not familiar with it yet: could you explain us what are the activities of World Safety?
Safety and the equipment on board depend on several factors: the boat you own, the crew and the type of navigation you want to do. Safety World offers consulting services on board and innovative products, helping sailors and passengers to get not only the required equipment, but also the ones suitable for their navigating.

You are also the director of Center for Safety at Sea “I ragazzi del Parsifal”: what kind of activities are you conducting there?
We are committed to the idea that you can learn more from one real case than from thousands of theories: for over 20 years we collect and study real cases that occur in the world of Italian sailing, through a precise methodology that allows us to learn from them. We put into practice post–incidental analysis designed to draw lessons learned and not to identify guilt or the guilty party, that’s up to others.
 
What are the regulations to respect for the safety in offshore racing?
The Offshore Special Regulations issued by the World Sailing, former ISAF (International Security Assistance Force), the international authority supervising all the races recognized by the national sailing federations.

Generally speaking, what entails this regulation for the boats participating in this type of regattas?
It implies a series of controls on the boat and on the equipment, as well as certain training and briefing for the crews. Sets out a number of “tips”, to which owners and sailors must adapt in order to participate in a regatta. O.S.R. indicate at least 5 competition categories: category 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4. For example Category 4 refers to the windward-leeward courses of the Winter Championships, while Category 3 stands for offshore races like the 151 Miglia – Cetilar Trophy and Category 2 to races like the Rolex Middle Sea Race.

What has changed in the world of offshore sailing in terms of safety in the last years?
This is a broad question that needs a complex answer. The world of offshore sailing is very large, ranging from coastal races to sailing around the world, from regattas of solitary sailors to those with a crew. In each of these areas much has changed, some for better, others for worse.
Keeping our attention on the regattas of Category 3, the analysis of real cases pointed out that some boats have unexpected weaknesses. For example, at the 151 Miglia 2016 a boat reported by radio water on board, while at the Giraglia Rolex Cup, another regatta of Category 3, a boat broke the rudder and others had several damages with the wind of 30-35 knots and a sea of force 5, that is not something unexpected in an offshore regatta.
From another point of view we can find more frequently useful and modern equipment, such as the self-inflating life jackets, which are more comfortable and practical with a built-in safety belt.
Although we can find them more frequently, they are not used more frequently. Unfortunately the two accidents of man overboard occurred in 2016 prove this. Despite having this equipment on board, neither of them was wearing these jackets or was tied to the boat with the safety belt. So we are at the door of an evolution but we still have to work on awareness. It has to be done by spreading information, which is why I thank you for the space you are devoting to the topic and for these questions that allow us to talk about it extensively.
 
What is the difference in terms of equipment between a cruiser and a racing boat?
It would be easy to answer “nothing” because both – those who are going on a cruise and those taking part in a regatta – expose themselves to the same risks. Logic would dictate that for the same route and with the same weather conditions they would need the same equipment. However, referring to the regulations, if we have an Italian cruiser, even more so if it is Belgian, we have far fewer equipment than those required for a regatta of the 2. or 3. category. Yet we are on the same trip from Genoa to the Giraglia on a summer boat. So, before filling up our boat with unnecessary or fashionable gears, it is necessary to evaluate what we really need, both for a cruiser and a racing boat. This what Safety World does during its safety-checks.
 
During the regatta is there someone on board responsible for safety?
Keeping in mind the responsibilities of the ship-owner, in the merchant navy the person in charge for safety on board is generally the second in command. In the world of the regattas the O.S.R. introduced the obligation to nominate a second person to take charge of the owner’s responsibilities, but it is not specified that he is responsible for safety.
 
How these responsibilities are distributed between the crewmembers?
In this limbo, my advice is to arrange a briefing then it is up to the skipper to assign the responsibilities matching the various skills of the crewmembers. Formalizing this in a logbook would be even better.
 
151 Miglia-Cetilar Trophy is considered an offshore regatta, even though the route seems much like that of a coastal regatta: what does this imply in terms of safety?
Pointing out that safety means “precaution”, a regatta like the 151 Miglia requires more attention than an ocean race.
We are dealing with a time span that includes two nights in coastal areas through two geographical areas, Ligurian Sea/Tyrrhenian Sea, where the weather conditions are different. The crew’s fatigue due to lack of sleep and the little rest during these races and various factors related to the weather, together with the passage between islands and reefs require a lot of attention and therefore constant caution.