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Uutisia maailmalta |
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About Sailing
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Sailing
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Remember Your Whistle?
Old salts remember the adage not to whistle aboard a sailboat for fear of bringing high winds. But if high winds or anything else causes you to end up the water, you'll want your whistle then. The Coast Guard Auxiliary has been conducting a campaign to remind boaters that sound signals, including the humble whistle, are often the most important factor in finding a boating accident victim. As they point out, you may think you can shout until you're heard, but shouting can lead to a hoarse voice and exhaustion within minutes, while you can blow a whistle practically forever - and the shrill sound can carry better over water sounds. I keep mine tied inside the Velcro flap of my inflatable PFD where I never have to think about it and won't forget or lose it. In fact, if I see it at all, that means I'm in the water and my inflatable is inflating, and I suspect at that moment I might just be happy that it's there. Where do you keep yours?Remember Your Whistle? originally appeared on About.com Sailing on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 at 01:06:43. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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A Home for Old Fiberglass Boats?
We've all seen them: the old fiberglass boats in the back of boatyards, shreds of an old winter cover wrapped around the jack stands, mottled wood on deck and piles of leaves in the cockpit suggesting abandonment. Someone's dream once, but now too expensive to restore when you can buy a good used boat for less than the parts needed to restore an older one. What happens to these old boats? Is it a downside of fiberglass that it seems to last forever?
I've always thought there must be some creative uses for fiberglass hulls that won't see the water again. Seal them up and join them together as pontoons for a floating city? Invert them as roofs woven into the structure of a fantastic pagoda? Surely someone has a creative solution for repurposing old fiberglass in beautiful shapes?
On the other hand, there are boats worth saving and there are people with the love and energy to do it. I heard recently about a family in the U.K. rebuilding a classic Contessa 32 from a fiberglass hull up. Their goal is to build as green as possible, such as with a decking of Kebony, a sustainable wood alternative to tropic hardwoods, and a Hybrid Marine engine. Their blog Building Calypso is inspirational for both classic sailors and environmentalists. If only the world had thousands more families like this! A Home for Old Fiberglass Boats? originally appeared on About.com Sailing on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 at 09:01:44. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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Sailing in Fog
I'm just back from a cruise along the Maine coast where we, naturally, ran into a good amount of thick fog among the islands. With one eye on the plotter, one on the radar, another sorting through the ubiquitous lobster pots (even in depths over 200 feet a couple miles offshore), and one for sail trim and steering, we had no particular difficulties. Our VHF-hailer automatic foghorn signaled every 2 minutes as legally required, Still, we had some very close calls with other vessels that came ghosting or roaring out of the fog a hundred feet or less away, often on a collision course. As always, I was surprised how many boats blithely go forth into deep fog without using a radar reflector to help others see them or a foghorn for others to hear them. There have been collisions in fog, of course, and people have been injured - and sometimes die. I wonder if these careless boaters are trusting that the boats they encounter will always be using the correct equipment and common sense to prevent collisions? What happens when two vessels both ignoring the regulations meet? The odds are small, but maybe that's when the collisions happen. There's really no excuse not to have aboard and use a required sound signal in fog. Here's some basic information on different fog devices available.Sailing in Fog originally appeared on About.com Sailing on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 13:02:41. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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Where Are the Hurricanes?
True, it's only mid-August, but we had been warned to expect a particularly active season, and a lot of sailors have been waiting watchfully. Of course we're a long way from the end of the season, and those of us in the Atlantic, Caribbean, or US Gulf or East Coasts should remain cautious. If planning a voyage offshore, be sure to check the National Hurricane Center web site and Atlantic map for any potential activity coming. Indeed, the Hurricane Center still warns: "Significant activity is predicted for the remainder of the season, with an additional 12-17 named storms, of which 7-11 are expected to become hurricanes with 4-6 reaching major hurricane status." Stay watchful! Remember the season now extends until the end of November. And be sure you know how to prepare your boat for a hurricane if necessary. Where Are the Hurricanes? originally appeared on About.com Sailing on Tuesday, August 17th, 2010 at 10:55:09. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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Sailing Tip: Safe and Efficient Anchoring
It's the height of summer cruising in many areas, and many sailors love nothing more than anchoring in a quiet cove after a great day on the water. To ensure your anchor will hold you in place and also come up without grief in the morning, it pays to use good anchoring practices. After choosing the best location, make sure your anchor is set well. And if there's any risk that your anchor may hook a rock or debris and not come back up easily, rig a trip line or use a device like the AnchorRescue. You'll sleep better knowing you've got it all under control!
Sailing Tip: Safe and Efficient Anchoring originally appeared on About.com Sailing on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 08:32:11. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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Sailing Tragedy on Lake Michigan
The details are still sketchy, but a sailing misadventure on Lake Michigan this morning has taken one and possibly two lives. In the middle of the night two men and two women went for a sail on a borrowed 26-foot sailboat in a calm wind. After all four entered the water for a swim, the boat drifted off and they were unable to reach it. The Chicago Police Marine Unit reports that both women were found hours later by a passing boater, one apparently not wearing a PFD, and the body of one man has been found, the other still missing.
Following another fatal incident in Chicago last summer, we keep hearing about accidents involving sailors not wearing a PFD, including three fatalities in California, and elsewhere. All of us going out on boats need to remember the water can become dangerous when least expected, and practice the principles of sailing safety. Sailing Tragedy on Lake Michigan originally appeared on About.com Sailing on Friday, August 6th, 2010 at 14:19:33. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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The Costs of Sailing - Us and Them
As a cruising sailor who races occasionally with my local yacht club, I'm often amazed at how much money many racers spend on their boats. And maybe just a bit envious: some of those fast mylar sails probably cost more than my annual college tuition, but, man, are they fast! And all those fancy electronics! I confess, however, I'd rather take a couple extra unpaid weeks off work for cruising than spend that much on things that, frankly, my boat doesn't really need to get me safely from here to there.
So I was somewhat amused to read recently of a new high-tech pulsating laser device that can tell you the speed and direction of the wind up to 1000 meters away from your boat. Next time a club racer is bragging about his or her new equipment, casually mention you're thinking of getting the Racer's Edge Laser Wind Sensor - just like the one BMW Oracle used in the last America's Cup. Someone might actually be impressed. Of course, if they know it costs almost $150,000, they might have some other reaction. The Costs of Sailing - Us and Them originally appeared on About.com Sailing on Monday, August 2nd, 2010 at 14:27:48. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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Laura Dekker, 14, Gets OK for Solo Sail Circumnavigation
OK, I admit it, I was secretly hoping the Dutch court would decide, as it did when Dekker was 13, not to allow her to set off on a solo sailing circumnavigation in the latest effort to become the youngest circumnavigator. To tell the truth, after all the hubbub following the rescue of Abby Sunderland a mere 6 weeks ago, and the recent debate in France about making individuals taking excessive risks pay for their rescue if needed, I'm a little surprised by the court's decision.
Of course, there's that possible security of having another boat following along with her, filming every moment for a reality TV show. Maybe that makes things safer. (Just don't ask what that does for sailing and solitary communion with the sea....)
I'm keeping out of the sure-to-be-renewed debate about how young is too young and all that. I'm not necessarily against the right of any person to go off sailing. I just wish sailing weren't about to be subjected to the debate at all, and all the media hype and side stories about which circumnavigator is dating which other circumnavigator and what they're wearing at social occasions. Call me a curmudgeon - I fully confess that much of what I love about sailing has nothing to do with world records, satellite video blogs, and reality TV. I confess to loving the sea, the motion of a boat through the water, and both the thrill of adventure and the calm of a quiet anchorage. I guess I must be getting old. Laura Dekker, 14, Gets OK for Solo Sail Circumnavigation originally appeared on About.com Sailing on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 17:43:36. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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Sailor Not Saved by Tether
According to a recent story in Sail World, a British sailor wearing a lifejacket, harness, and tether is lucky to have lived through a harrowing ordeal when she was washed overboard 50 miles out to sea. Apparently snagged against the boat's hull underwater, Prudence Nash had to free herself of her equipment to reach the surface - and then successfully tread water for two hours until she was rescued.
Fortunately, she was alright. As for the lesson for rest of us, unfortunately it was not reported exactly why she had to remove her lifejacket to escape that dangerous situation. Did her tether not have a quick release shackle as is generally recommended for just such a situation, allowing you to free yourself from the tether without removing your harness or PFD? (This is also one of the reasons many experienced sailors keep a one-handed knife handy.) In any case, the episode should remind us all of the importance of our safety equipment - and being prepared for any eventuality. Sailor Not Saved by Tether originally appeared on About.com Sailing on Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 at 15:38:54. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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Best iPhone Tide and Current App
Although I've written before rather making fun of iPhone apps that might distract sailors from the sailing experience (such as holding up your iPhone to measure wind speed by the roar in the microphone), I've found that one of my favorite apps is tide and current tables. While you should still keep a paper tide table on your boat for backup when sailing in areas where water depth matters, a tide app is a great, easy way to plan ahead and stay informed when underway. Even better, some tide apps include currents for river harbors and tidal flow areas. Read this review to discover the best of the almost dozen tide apps now available.Best iPhone Tide and Current App originally appeared on About.com Sailing on Monday, July 19th, 2010 at 14:26:29. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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Uutisia maailmalta 