As I am towed down the coast we are checking in with our tug every 30 minutes on 18A. My nav station 25W VHF (with masthead antenna) screen looks like this. Notice the 1W on the left hand side. When I press the Hi/Lo button that changes to 25W. So why am I on low…
Over the weekend the boat that two of my good friends were on had a MOB off of Pigeon Point. They were racing with the spinnaker up. The MOB was successfully recovered but something overlooked is what can happen after you pick up your MOB – secondary drowning. The person who went overboard needs to…
It is important that we don’t turn our yachts into submarines! So should the unthinkable happen and a thru hull fails we need a method of plugging the hole in the hull. The Offshore Special Regulations which are just as relevant to cruisers as racers state… 4.03 Soft Wood Plugs Soft wood plugs, tapered and of…
So the offshore special regulations for categories 0-3 state 3.27.4 Reserve navigation lights shall be carried having the same minimum specifications as the navigation lights above, with a separable power source, and wiring or supply system essentially separate from that used for the normal navigation lights. I am setting up a boat for a category…
I just started working on a boat that has a crew that seems to have a tape fetish. I personally view all tape with extreme caution – I want to know what it is hiding! After a collision the pushpit, pulpit and a few stanchions needed to be removed. So it was also time to carefully assess…
Most safety regulations state lifelines must be installed however, a new rule allows them to be Dyneema or spectra. If converting from 316 stainless uncoated to Dyneema/spectra lines it is very important to ensure the holes in the lifelines are free from burrs which will cut through the spectra very quickly. Today I was replacing the…
If you learn to dive you will most likely learn the buddy system for checking each others equipment before getting in the water. What stopping us using the same safety ethos in sailing? This last weekend before the start of the Vallejo Race I went around the crew and was their ‘buddy’. Out of 10 people what…