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April 26, 2017  |  By John Rousmaniere In Safety

Three Emergency Steering Solutions

Emergency Steering

A veteran offshore sailor offers a multilayered defense for avoiding rudder failure—and for coping with it when it does occur.

BASED ON STATISTICS THAT MY partner, Beth A. Leonard, and I’ve been gathering in the decade we’ve been out cruising, approximately five to 10 boats out of 1,000 suffer a rudder failure while crossing oceans each year. Experienced offshore voyagers consider the successful steering of a boat without a rudder to be one of the most demanding feats of seamanship. Faced with the challenge, some crews simply give up and abandon their boats. However, with the proper preparation and attitude, almost any boat can be steered to within sight of a safe harbor. We’ve met several crews who’ve sailed hundreds of miles—and, in one case, more than 1,000 miles—without a rudder.

Rudders Fail in Four Ways

The rudderstock breaks: If the stock fails, the rudder blade will be lost, leaving only the stub of the stock in the boat. A severe impact can break the stock, resulting more often in damage to unprotected spade rudders than to skeg-hung rudders. Corrosion of a stainless-steel stock, though, can result in failure of both spade and skeg-hung rudders. Improper lamination can result in stock failure on fiberglass/carbon stocks. Previous strain can also cause a failure.

Keep Reading Article
Emergency Steering Rudder Safety
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The 52nd Newport Bermuda Race will start June 19th, 2020. Co-organized by Cruising Club of America & @royalbermudayc

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Instagram post 2198258384121372721_3271899327 Thora, Vince Todd's Little Harbor 36 will be back racing next June in the Double-Handed Division. Welcome back, Thora!⠀ ⠀ 📸: Daniel Forster / PPL ⠀ ⠀ @royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI #LittleHarbor #TedHood

Thora, Vince Todd's Little Harbor 36 will be back racing next June in the Double-Handed Division. Welcome back, Thora!⠀
⠀
📸: Daniel Forster / PPL ⠀
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@royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI #LittleHarbor #TedHood
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Dec 11

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Instagram post 2196613553162423709_3271899327 Welcome to the 2020 lineup, Jim Swartz, and the IRC 72, Vesper crew for the Thrash to the Onion Patch joining the Gibbs Lighthouse Division.⠀ ⠀ Photo by Carlo @StudioBorlenghi at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2019⠀ ⠀ @royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI #Maxi

Welcome to the 2020 lineup, Jim Swartz, and the IRC 72, Vesper crew for the Thrash to the Onion Patch joining the Gibbs Lighthouse Division.⠀
⠀
Photo by Carlo @StudioBorlenghi at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2019⠀
⠀
@royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI #Maxi
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Dec 10

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Instagram post 2195830895356435077_3271899327 Taking on the 635 -mile adventure is also Orion. Paul Milo's J-122. See who else is joining him: https://buff.ly/2MjNPwk⠀ ⠀ 📸: Daniel Forster / PPL ⠀ ⠀ @royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI

Taking on the 635 -mile adventure is also Orion. Paul Milo's J-122. See who else is joining him: https://buff.ly/2MjNPwk⠀
⠀
📸: Daniel Forster / PPL ⠀
⠀
@royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI
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Instagram post 2195472030002219509_3271899327 Last edition, former CCA Commodore Jim Binch, had a challenging race with his new Dehler 38 C so this year he and the crew are back ready to take on the with even more acquired knowledge & experience (and maybe some new locks).⠀ ⠀ 📸: Dan Nerney/ PPL ⠀ ⠀ @royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI

Last edition, former CCA Commodore Jim Binch, had a challenging race with his new Dehler 38 C so this year he and the crew are back ready to take on the with even more acquired knowledge & experience (and maybe some new locks).⠀
⠀
📸: Dan Nerney/ PPL ⠀
⠀
@royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI
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Dec 9

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Instagram post 2195080950982839138_3271899327 A very special welcome to 🇷🇺Russian Offshore Sailing Club, SeaVentusClub. The guys will compete the second time in NBR 2020, this time on board an @oakcliffsail Farr 40. ⠀ ⠀ The team says it is a big honor to compete in NBR for the second time!⠀ ⠀ @royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI

A very special welcome to 🇷🇺Russian Offshore Sailing Club, SeaVentusClub. The guys will compete the second time in NBR 2020, this time on board an @oakcliffsail Farr 40. ⠀
⠀
The team says it is a big honor to compete in NBR for the second time!⠀
⠀
@royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI
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Dec 9

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Instagram post 2194779511237691684_3271899327 Say hello to Masquerade sailing a Baltic 47 owned by Andrew Burton. Check out the full entry list: https://buff.ly/2MjNPwk⠀ ⠀ 📸: Daniel Forster / PPL ⠀ ⠀ @royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI

Say hello to Masquerade sailing a Baltic 47 owned by Andrew Burton. Check out the full entry list: https://buff.ly/2MjNPwk⠀
⠀
📸: Daniel Forster / PPL ⠀
⠀
@royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI
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Dec 8

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Instagram post 2194397960971506590_3271899327 Magic, Kenneth Laudon's Santa Cruz 52 will be racing next June in the St. David's Lighthouse Division.⠀ ⠀ 📸: @PhotoBoatCom⠀ ⠀ @royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI

Magic, Kenneth Laudon's Santa Cruz 52 will be racing next June in the St. David's Lighthouse Division.⠀
⠀
📸: @PhotoBoatCom⠀
⠀
@royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI
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Dec 7

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Instagram post 2193898157213262665_3271899327 Pleased to welcome Dream Crusher to the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division with owners Shannon and Devin McGranhan and the crew onboard the Kernan 47.⠀ ⠀ @royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI @keiransearle

Pleased to welcome Dream Crusher to the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division with owners Shannon and Devin McGranhan and the crew onboard the Kernan 47.⠀
⠀
@royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI @keiransearle
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Instagram post 2193681340688025855_3271899327 Joining the growing fleet of Swans for the Newport Bermuda Race 2020, is Tramontana Todd Barbera's Swan 56. ⠀ ⠀ 📸: @PhotoBoatCom⠀ ⠀ @NautorsSwan @hcherlihy @toddbarbera⠀ ⠀ @royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI "

Joining the growing fleet of Swans for the Newport Bermuda Race 2020, is Tramontana Todd Barbera's Swan 56. ⠀
⠀
📸: @PhotoBoatCom⠀
⠀
@NautorsSwan @hcherlihy @toddbarbera⠀
⠀
@royalbermudayc #cruisingclubofamerica #BermudaRace #Offshoresailing #NewportBermuda #Regatta #OffshoreRace #Sailors #Sailor #NewportRI "
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