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Written by Peter A. Robson
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 In this month’s issue, former PY editor Duart Snow writes about how when one thing goes wrong at sea it can easily lead to a “spiral of disaster.” He offers sound advice on avoiding situations where what might have been a relatively minor problem quickly escalates into a serious emergency. I’m sure we’ve all suffered to some extent from spirals of disaster, and it is only through careful thinking and actions that we can keep cool and control the situation.
Snow writes, “I consider it a way of thinking—all the time—about how one handles self, boat and crew on the water, about what could go wrong and how to cope... When things do go sideways as a result of a minor lapse or bad luck, staying cool and thinking clearly will allow you to break the spiral and forestall disaster.” Well said!
Another article in this month’s issue (“Dismasted: 1,600 Miles Under Jury Rig”) serves as a dramatic example of how a serious accident didn’t spiral into complete disaster. Several months ago, the 83' Camper & Nicholson sloop Mustang was dismasted in the mid-Atlantic during the annual Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC). The ARC is a 3,000-mile race, from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean, in which 250 boats were participating. Mustang is owned by British Columbians Matthew Côté and Kim Dunfield. After the mast came down in the mid-Atlantic (due to a faulty casting), skipper Côté and crew did everything right. They managed to secure a temporary stay, then orient the boat beam to the seas in order to control which side the mast went over. When the mast did fall, they avoided getting the rigging tangled in the propeller and secured the broken portion of the mast so that it could not punch a hole in the boat before being cut away. And finally, after 24 hours, they were under way with a jury rig. They even managed to finish the race. The actions of Mustang’s skipper and crew—and their ability to think and act clearly—read as a textbook example of successfully avoiding a “spiral of disaster.”
On a lighter note, Mustang’s rig has been replaced and she is now somewhere in the South Pacific, where she’ll spend the next several years. Your editor recently joined Mustang for the Panama Canal transit and a two-week “adventure charter” cruise to the Galapagos. That story will appear in a upcoming issue.
Readers may note a few staff changes at PY. Managing editor Wendy Bone is leaving to spend a year travelling in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. She’ll start off as part of an orangutan research project in Sumatra, then hitchhike aboard cruising yachts to wherever the wind blows. Wendy has been a great asset to PY and we wish her fair winds and following seas. Boaters with a yacht in the area can reach her at
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Meanwhile, our assistant editor, the very capable and extremely organized Hilary Henegar, who has been with PY for the past year and a half, will take over Wendy’s roles. Hilary will also begin her first cruising lessons this month at Blue Pacific Yacht Charters.
New to the magazine is editorial assistant Dale Miller, an avid sailboat cruiser and dinghy and keelboat racer who hails from Alberta. He’s a member of RVYC and takes part in most local keelboat races. He can also be seen out on the water cruising aboard his parent’s Bavaria 37, Ulrica. Welcome to the team, Dale!
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