Many of us dream of completing a long, offshore voyage but wonder if our small yacht or crew are up to it.

Once away from the regular shipping routes, off-soundings and out of land-based comms, the feeling of complete self-reliance sets in.

Those who have successfully crossed an ocean, or just made a very long passage, often speak of an almost spiritual experience and a tremendous sense of achievement.

Confidence in the boat and its systems contributes to their enjoyment, and towards making a safe landfall.

The amateur sailors in the Jester Azores Challenge are well-versed in converting an ordinary, low-cost, family production boat into a deep-sea passage maker.

Many readers will be familiar with the Jester Challenge, described as ‘the antidote to the nanny state’.

It was founded in honour of former Royal Marine ‘Blondie’ Haslar who, after establishing the Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race (OSTAR), was then banned from taking part.

His 26ft junk-rigged Folkboat Jester was deemed too small to tackle the 2,700-mile crossing, despite being remarkably seaworthy.

The Jester Challenge is open to any solo sailor with a boat of less than 30ft (or slightly bigger if in the ‘Jester spirit’).

The only official requirement is that the skipper is over 18 years old and signs a ‘blood chit’ to say they are entirely responsible for their own safety.

As the event is free to enter and has no sponsors, no one feels obliged to start unless they are completely ready.

Understandably, the Jester Challenge has captured the imagination of enthusiastic sailors everywhere; with no competition and no prizes to fight for either, the event focuses on good seamanship, camaraderie and the sharing of ideas.

In this spirit, the skippers gave their tips for sailing offshore in a small yacht for the first time.

Small yacht gear: fit wind vane self-steering gear

Wind vane self-steering is the number one safety item for long-distance voyaging, even on crewed vessels, as they are a tireless, low-maintenance helmsman.

There are two main types – direct drives, which have their own rudder, or servo-pendulums which use the boat’s rudder.

Among the Jester fleet, there was no clear favourite, just the usual collection ranging from home-built Hebridean models to the top-of-the-range Hydrovane.

In-between was a mix of well-known brands such as Navik (sadly no longer made), Wind Pilot, Monitor and the ever-popular Sea Feather.

Because the wind vane needs no electrical power and can be adjusted via long lines from the cabin, it provides dependable steering whenever there is a breeze.

In simple terms, the vane is set to ‘feather’ directly into the wind, and if the boat wanders off course, the vane is blown over to one side.

Mechanical linkages immediately twist a trailing paddle which is then pushed upwards by the power of the moving water.

This servo-pendulum effect pulls strongly on control lines to the wheel or tiller, quickly bringing the boat back to its pre-set heading.

Being entirely mechanical, these devices are usually easy to repair on passage, and the only disadvantage is that if the wind veers or backs, the yacht changes course accordingly.

Several skippers had tried using electric tiller pilots on previous offshore passages, and while they were good for cruising under the motor, or in light or fickle winds, they were unable to cope with the heavy snatching loads of strong-wind sailing.

Servo-pendulum systems, however, can handle almost anything and are often supplied with two different vane sizes, standard for normal weather, and small for gales.

Modify your cockpit

When sailing south towards the Azores, the cockpit becomes a favourite place to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

However, it is also a vulnerable part of the yacht in a gale, as waves can break over the stern, quickly flooding the cockpit with half a ton of water and making further swamping more likely.

Several Jesters had installed some interesting and useful modifications which made the area more comfortable and watertight in a seaway.

Peter Collinson has designed and built boards to cover the exposed cockpit of his Sadler 29, which should result in the bulk of a breaking wave simply sloshing back out again, leaving a small amount of water to find the drains below.

With cushions added, the infill also makes a great sunbed.

Hugh Davies fitted slatted stainless drains to his beautifully restored Vertue II to prevent ropes from being washed into the sea.

He also fitted a watertight emergency locker into the corner of one of the cockpit benches, useful for torches and flares.

Beef up the companionway

The main hatch is usually enclosed by washboards, which drop into a pair of channels.

However, many Jester sailors feel this arrangement presents a breaking sea with an open goal.

To mitigate the risk of severe water ingress down below, several skippers have secured the lower washboard and hinged the top board, often adding a porthole for ‘buttoned down’ watchkeeping astern.

While this makes getting in and out more difficult it certainly adds a strong sense of security.

There is no risk of the boards dropping out if there was a capsize.

Hugh Davis added to the design by allowing the upper board to swing down so a cushion can be used to make a cruising seat; the sprayhood will offer some shelter.

Pierre-Yves Cavey went one step further and reinvented his main hatch by replacing the original design on his Jouet 24 with a door that can be swung shut from the inside and locked into place.

The door has rubber seals for watertight integrity. He added a spray screen to the outside and infilled the front of the cockpit to reduce the capacity.

The orange doghouse is made from epoxy-sheathed plywood.

Comfort is important when spending hours in the cockpit. Peter Collison created a hammock seat from part of a folding chair. It is held up by rope from the winches on his Sadler 29.

Provision well

A 1,200-mile voyage could take anywhere from nine days to three weeks, but Jester skippers routinely provision for the longest expected passage under normal conditions and then add another 20% reserve.

Water is also carried in several tanks and portable containers to avoid the problem of possible contamination.

The usual water issues experienced on passage are deck fillers leaking and turning the water from fresh to brackish, contamination at source – especially marina hoses that aren’t purged properly – or an onboard hose giving way and draining the entire tank into the bilge.

Many skippers had organised their provisions into a series of pre-packed meals. Fresh fruit and vegetables were suspended in nets to extend their freshness.

Extra netting prevents tins that may come adrift in a seaway from flying around the cabin. Water was kept in multiple tanks.

With experience from the Pacific, Pierre-Yves has found that several smaller containers are easier to fill than large tanks, as you move the containers from the source to the boat, rather than the boat to the source.

He modified the main cabin floor to accept four 25lt bottles, with others stowed elsewhere.

In rough water, the simplest meals are the best. Mike Atkins swears by a ready bag of gluten-free oat drink powder, simply mixed with hot water.

Tinned fruit is also recommended for bouts of seasickness. Easy down, and easy back up again!

A long voyage with a broken stove would prove tedious, so Jester galleys usually have two or more cookers, often with a different fuel source.

Norman Reubens’ all-electric Contessa 32 had a microwave and induction plate backed up by a ‘failsafe’ Origo alcohol stove.

Stay in touch

The range of mobile phone masts is usually around 10 miles via line of sight (LOS), but repeaters are being placed on some offshore structures, while VHF range is up to 40 miles LOS.

But once beyond these ranges, solo sailors must find other methods of relaying their status ashore.

“Once across the start line, participants lose touch on mobile phone coverage within the first few hours,” said Jester Helm member George Arnison.

“By the third day, they have also lost touch with each other. That’s when the feeling of isolation sets in.”

Before the advent of affordable global communications, the usual solution was the MF (medium frequency) single sideband (SSB) radio set with its 150-mile ‘ground wave’ range, but none of these was evident in the fleet.

Instead, most Jester sailors had taken advantage of the proliferation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations such as Starlink and OneWeb to send texts and short emails from almost anywhere on Earth.

By far the most popular device was Garmin’s InReach system, with the sets starting at £210 for the Messenger version and monthly subscription plans starting at £14.99.

Even the cheapest tariff allowed skippers to give daily updates to loved ones back home with a few lines of text and an embedded real-time position.

Other systems, such as the Iridium GO!, turn your mobile phone into a global communications device, but for a higher initial cost.

Norman Rubens had fitted one of the new Starlink systems to take advantage of the latest LEO constellations. He describes the service as ‘very good’ and the tariffs as ‘competitive.’

The flat antenna looks a little like a picnic table and is mounted outboard for a clear view of the sky. The sealed unit is very weatherproof.

Avoiding collisions

Jester boats are usually too small to carry power-hungry radar so most rely on the VHF-based automatic identification system (AIS) instead.

This affordable and proven system is compulsory on any yacht over a certain size and on all commercial shipping.

The software allows for a guard zone to be set up around the yacht, and if an AIS-equipped vessel wanders into it, an alarm sounds.

The AIS also identifies the target and shows its name and unique MMSI number on the screen, so a direct ship-to-ship call can be made immediately.

Other Jesters had fitted a radar signal enhancer, such as the EchoMax.

They take very little power but amplify a weak radar return to display the yacht as a large target.

When the yacht is ‘painted’ by a ship’s radar, these small, vertical cylinders amplify the return so well that your small yacht appears like a pocket battleship.

Stay aboard

The loss of the highly experienced challenger Duncan Lougee in 2023 has heightened awareness of the dangers of falling overboard.

His yacht was found sailing itself in benign conditions off the coast of Cornwall just three days after the start of the 2023 Jester Baltimore Challenge; Duncan’s body has never been found.

Marine Accident Investigation Branch staff subsequently searched his well-equipped 26ft Folkboat but there are still no clues as to what happened to Duncan.

Jester skippers have always been fastidious about clipping on, and several had also added pull-down ladders to their boats, with a release rope trailing in the water. Skippers remained sceptical of their ability to haul their waterlogged bodies out of a cold sea but thought it could prove easier further south.

Even a long lifeline isn’t a perfect solution, as sailors could end up being towed along behind their yachts at 5 knots, unable to disengage the self-steering.

Instead, the focus was on not leaving the deck in the first place, with jackstays on both sides and set a long way inboard.

There were also plenty of boats with multiple hard points for hook attachment and a choice of both short and long lifelines.

The idea is to stay attached to the deck, with minimal slack. The halyards and other control lines are usually run aft to minimise the need to leave the safety of the cockpit.

Have a drogue or warp handy

Almost every Jester boat had some kind of drogue on board. This is a long rope with either a large parachute on the end or a series of small cones attached evenly along its length.

The drogue is deployed in stormy weather to slow the boat in a following sea, preventing it from somersaulting down a wave.

Those who prefer to hold the boat’s bow into the sea can use a strong point of the foredeck instead.

Most had opted for a stern drogue, as the yacht continues to make better progress in a seaway. The bridle required is attached to towing points on each quarter, through-bolted into the hull and onto substantial backing plates inside.

As the drogue could be needed quickly, most Jesters had it pre-assembled and ready to go.

Other good ideas for a small yacht

Deployable storm jib: Rather than having to connect an emergency forestay and then hank-on a storm jib, the whole thing is pre-assembled with a 4:1 pulley system. Everything is controlled from the cockpit, including the halyards and sheets. The jib is pulled out of a (secured) bag once the inner forestay has been winched taut.

Reinforced stanchion rail: The rail at the embarkation point always gets pulled on by the crew, so the Vertue II has been given extra reinforcement with a small bracing piece. Even the largest visitor will be unable to bend it out of position now.

iPad bracket: Pierre-Yves Cavey spends many hours sitting behind his doghouse in a seaway, so has made this simple iPad bracket to keep himself entertained whilst on watch. Proprietary, weather-proof versions can be bought from suppliers such as Scanstrut.

Electronic barometer: A stand-alone battery-operated digital barometer from Steamrock gives the trending pressure over an 84-hour period. The numeric figure shows the net value changes at 3-hour intervals.
More info at steamrock.com

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