Although Sailing Chavurah members enjoy activities both on and off the water, the real heartbeat of our club lies in what we do on the water.  And what we do most that brings us together is cruise to near and far locations. We communicate via VHF radio and, sometimes when we’re lucky, we get the chance to brush with each other on our ways to and from cruise locations and we raft together when we get there.

In order to make the trip to a destination more enjoyable, encourage informative and friendly communication and assure safe and effective raft ups, these guidelines for cruising are offered.

I.       Signing Up

II.     Cruising to a Location

A.    Radio Communication

Since very few boats sail from the same location it is both beneficial and enjoyable to “link in” to the rest of the flotilla at your earliest convenience. 

Boats on a cruise should hail each other via VHF Channel 16. The channel to which hailing boats then switch should be the Working Channel for the day or for the entire cruise. The de facto Working Channel for Sailing Chavurah is Channel 71. The Cruise Director may designate another channel as the Working Channel if it is felt that Channel 71 is being used by others as the primary channel for races or other significant communications. Of course, it is every skipper’s responsibility to monitor Channel 16 for distress calls or other critical Coast Guard communications.
 
Boats should hail and communicate with each other on the lowest power that will allow for clear communications. When within five miles of each other, a low power setting is recommended to help keep busy channels from becoming congested. Channel 67, with a restricted frequency of one (1) watt, is the preferred channel for rafting communications.

B.    Reaching the Destination

Skippers are encouraged to freely request and relay information on routes, waterway entrance considerations, aids to navigation and other information that may facilitate the safe and timely arrival of all cruisers. Early-arriving boats should disseminate any pertinent route and navigation information to boats that are still enroute.

When approaching the rafting site, arriving boats should hail on the VHF for final information, directions. and rafting instructions. The channel on which this communication should occur is the one already chosen as standard for the day or for the entire cruise. 

III.    Rafting

When the cruise/leg destination is an anchorage, boats may cluster together in the spirit of camaraderie and sharing. This clustering, where one or more boats drop anchor and tie up to each other, is called rafting. Boats reaching the destination are free to either anchor by themselves or join a raft. Deciding whether there should be one or more rafts is left to the skippers of the (potential) anchor boats.

A.    Establishing a Raft

A raft is begun as soon as a boat sets an anchor. The skipper of the boat that sets the first anchor is referred to as the Raft Captain. The raft increases in size as other boats tie onto the one(s) already in the raft. At the Raft Captain’s request or with the Raft Captain’s permission, one or more additional boats may set an anchor; the skippers of these boats should coordinate their roles as anchor boats with the Raft Captain.

As soon as the anchor is set and the anchor boat is prepared to accept arriving boats, the Raft Captain, hailing on behalf of the anchor boat, hails the cruise fleet on Channel 16 and specifies that communication regarding rafting is going to take place on Channel 67. All boats, when entering the raft basin, should hail the Raft Captain on Channel 67 and await rafting instructions. Only the Raft Captain should respond with such instruction.

The composition of a raft is anywhere from 2 up to about 10 boats, depending on size and weight of the boats, weather conditions, and preference of the raft and/or Raft Captain.

Typically, one of the larger boats, with larger anchor and ground tackle, will take on the role of anchor boat (and Raft Captain). Being the anchor boat is a voluntary job – no boat irrespective of size is required to be the anchor boat. The intent, when possible, is to congregate the larger and heavier boats in the center of the raft with the boats getting progressively lighter toward the (port and starboard) raft ends. 

Matching size and weight on starboard and port sides is an important consideration for anchor holding ability, security of the raft and safety of the rafted boats. It is the role of the Raft Captain to regulate the order (and side of the raft) in which boats are added. It is the Raft Captain who determines the number of boats on the raft and decides each boat’s location in the raft. 

The decision to declare a raft as completed, with possible startup of an additional one, should normally be a joint decision by the Raft Captain and Cruise Director. The decision to break up a raft for anchor holding or other safety reasons is a decision of the Raft Captain. Of course, any boat should feel at liberty to leave the raft based on its own considerations for safety and comfort.

B.    Rafting Gear

Every boat in the raft should minimally have the following gear:

1.    Two adequate-sized fenders to act as a buffer between the itself and the boat onto which it is tying. Manufacturer fender sizing guidelines, for fenders having a continuous hole through the center, are:

2.    Four lines, preferably nylon or other designated docking line:

• 2 bow and stern breast lines and 2 fore and aft spring lines. 
  
• The diameter of all lines should be equal to the boat’s regular docking or anchor lines. 
  
• The spring lines should be at least 80% of the length of the boat.

Since any boat in the raft may be a candidate as an anchor boat (first or additional) ) or a raft may break up due to weather or other conditions, boats should carry adequate anchor and ground tackle. An anchor boat should have ground tackle capable of holding a raft of several boats in normal situations. An oversized anchor and long chain enabling 7:1 scope, (10:1 where space in the anchorage allows), make rafting feel much more comfortable during the night.

As a measure of comfort for both crew and boat 2 additional fenders are recommended; use them where most needed on either side of the boat.

Also, as needed, any boat in the raft must be ready to set an anchor light and to operate its motor for maneuvering or breaking up the raft. 

While paralleling the inside boat, the approaching boat should be brought to a stop. This is not a coasting process! The arriving boat should be under control of its skipper and crew at all times while approaching and must not power into position anticipating that one or both crews will arrest boat motion and bring the boat under control. Remember, it is not the responsibility of the crew of the receiving boat to haul (schlep) the arriving boat into proper fore-and-aft position; that responsibility remains with the skipper and crew of the arriving boat. Also, rather than bumping into the inside boat the approaching boat should stand off at some appropriately small distance (about 3-5 feet) and the bow and stern breast lines should be used to pull the outside boat to the raft. 

Starting with the bow line, ends of the bow and stern lines are handed off to the inside boat. Crew on the inside boat should cleat, not loop., the tossed line as soon as practicable. With the crews making sure that the fenders are effectively placed, the bow and stern lines are made secure on each boat. Skippers of each boat should ensure that the cleating is to their satisfaction. By cleating, rather than using a loop, on both boats either boat can free itself up, i. e., initiate separation, at any time during the raft-up. The breast lines should be adjusted so that the fore and aft centerlines are parallel. Spring lines are applied to minimize back and forth surging motion between the boats, establish desired relative fore and aft position, and to ensure that the athwart ships plane of the masts and spreaders are separated by at least 2 feet. All lines are snugged up in order to minimize motion between the adjoining boats.

The fenders deployed by any two adjoining boats should provide a level of comfort and boat protection satisfactory to both skippers. It is the prerogative of either skipper to call off the rafting process if, due to the combination of inadequate number or sizes of fenders or lines or inherent boat size or shape mismatch, it is felt that the boats pose an unsafe or uncomfortable pairing.

If at all possible, a boat planning to leave early should be an outside boat in the raft. Despite well-laid plans it may still be necessary to slip a boat into or out of a raft, i. e., bring a boat into, or have a boat leave, an inside position in the raft.

 F.   Breaking Up a Raft

While most rafts stay together throughout the night, severe weather, storm threat or other potential for a raft dragging anchor or excessive boat motion are causes for breaking up the raft. The Raft Captain decides if and when a raft will be broken up and has the responsibility to communicate clearly the decision to all boats in the raft. However, once again, any boat should feel at liberty to leave the raft based on its own considerations for safety and comfort.

G.    Dinghies

H.    Rafting Dos and Don’t's

There are many aspects to rafting and so much detail on things recommended and discouraged that it would serve us well to have thumbnail lists of dos and don’t's:

 1.    Rafting Dos

a.    Be physically and mentally prepared to join the raft.  Have all gear deployed or ready to be deployed. Have a plan of how you will approach and tie onto the inside boat and share the plan with your crew.

b.     Before joining a raft make sure that 1) you have the “go-ahead” from the Raft Captain, 2) you have identified the location of the inside boat and 3) you have ascertained that the inside boat is ready to receive you.
c.    Have at least 2 large fenders on board. When joining the raft, deploy the fenders to face the inside boat; use any other fenders as you deem prudent including buffering the boat that will raft to you. Fenders must be rigged prior to approaching the raft.
d.    Have 4 docking lines on board with which to tie up to the inside boat. The lines should be long enough to act as bow and stern breast lines and fore and aft spring lines with the boat to which you’re rafting.
e.    Keep your boat under control when pulling alongside the receiving boat. It is the arriving boat’s responsibility to establish proper fore-and-aft positioning. Rather than “bulling” into the inside boat and its fenders, err on the side of caution (especially in high wind or lumpy sea conditions) and rely on crewmembers to toss and catch lines to pull the arriving boat to the inside boat. Try for an arrival distance of 3-5 feet between the parallel boats.
f.    Place fenders at the points of greatest contact.
g.    Unless circumstances prevent it, it is the responsibility of the crew of the arriving boat, using breast lines, to move their boat abeam and into contact with the inside boat.

h.  The crews of the adjoining boats should approve of how the docking lines they share are cleated.
i.    Ensure that no portion of the masts, spreaders and shrouds of adjoining boats can share the same athwart ships plane.
j.    The approaching boat should keep its engine running, but out of gear, until after docking is completed.
k.    As soon as possible after it has been secured, the newly arrived boat should stand by to receive the next arriving boat and stay tuned to conversations between the Raft Captain and arriving boats.

l.    The anchor boat should be the last to leave the anchorage. Upon leaving the anchorage, the anchor boat should notify the fleet that it has done so.

2.    Rafting Don’t's

a.    Don’t expect the inside boat to provide rafting gear, i. e., fenders and lines

b.    Don’t power up to the raft expecting others to arrest and control your boat.
c.    Don’t inch up to the stern of the inside boat expecting others to “horse” your boat into position. Don’t expect the crew of the inside boat to pull your boat to the raft; that is the responsibility of your crew
d.    Don’t use loops to secure docking lines at any time on any boat in the raft.

IV.    While in the Raft

Now, you didn’t go through all that time and trouble to join a raft just to undo all those lines and go your respective ways. No, you did it to share time and space with the people who are on the other boats in the raft-up. How well you share that time and space is what determines the success of the raft-up and, ultimately, the success of the cruise itself. 

A.    The Welcome Mat

From the moment your boat is tied into the raft, an implied welcome is extended to the rest of the raft-up. Joining a raft is an implicit invitation to all others in the raft to come by and visit. Likewise, recognize that all the other welcome mats are out for you and your crew.  A raft-up is a combination of the friendliness of a backyard barbeque, the closeness of a fireside chat, and the camaraderie that comes from having a special interest you can share with only a few.

B.    Privacy

Once the raft is established, when crossing other boats, always walk around the deck in front of the mast to respect the privacy of those on board. Should the folks on the boat you’re crossing over prefer that you tiptoe through the cockpit, respect that preference. Also, try to step lightly, so as not to disturb those whose sleep patterns may be different from yours. Remember to keep your music as well as VHF announcements (oh those cockpit radios!) pretty much to yourself.

C.    Sharing

It may not have been obvious when you came into the raft-up that you were going to share your time, your boat, your food, your expertise, your library, and your tools and equipment with the others in the raft. But you are! Rare is the raft-up where a gear or electronics problem someone is having doesn’t surface, where a tool you thought you had on board you now have to prevail upon some else for, or information that you need may be found in someone’s on-board library.

However, of all the things shared in a raft-up the most recurrent is food. It is an integral part of rafting to bring food to share with others and, conversely, to share in the food others have brought. In bringing food, try to impress the people you’re bringing it for – make them feel that they’re worth the cost and preparation time – revel in their enjoyment of it. The quality of what you have brought and the effort you have invested to prepare it is never lost on those who share it with you.

There are typically three ways, all of which are in some way pre-announced, in which food is shared:

V.     Assisting Other Boats

Any well-crewed boat out on the water has an implicit obligation to assist in maintaining the safety of any other boat and the people on it. That is why boats stand by to help in urgent or emergency situations. This should be especially true of boats on the same cruise.

If you can assist, do so. If you can only throw a line or a flotation device and wait for additional assistance, that may be all that is warranted in a given situation. Avoid endangering yourself or putting others at risk.

Conversely, be prepared to take care of your own situations so that you won’t require assistance.  Common sense, safety and knowledge of your vessel are the most important factors. However, when help is needed (and, at one time or another, we all need it), don’t hesitate to ask for it.

VI.     Summary

Good sailing and good cruising are the results of proper planning, informed execution, communication and cooperation. Let’s hope that every Sailing Chavurah cruise makes us look forward to the next one.