Seamanship andBoating Safety

A Simplified Approach for Small Boat Operators

by Jeff Spira

Published by:Spira International, Inc.

Huntington Beach, California

SEAMANSHIP ANDBOATING SAFETY

A Simplified Approach for Small Boat Sailors

by Jeff Spira

Published bySpira International, Inc.

Huntington Beach, California

Copyright ©, 1988, 2001, 2003, 2008 by Jeffrey J. SpiraAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or

transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,without the prior written permission of the publisher.

E-book (fifth) edition

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Seamanship and Boating Safety 5

1. Boats, Boating and Nautical Terminology 7

2. Boat Handling and Rules of the Road 17

3. Anchors and Anchoring 21

4. VHF Usage and Etiquette 23

5. Marine Weather 25

6. The Motion of the Ocean 31

7. Marlinspike Seamanship 35

8. Boating Safety 39

4

SeamanshipWelcome to the world of the seafarers. Going

out to sea and returning home safely is a long tradi-tion that can be traced far back into pre-history.Thor Heyerdahl in his famous voyages of the KonTiki, a balsa raft sailed from Peru to the island ofRaroia in Polynesia, and the Ra expeditions, sailingpapyrus reed boats from Africa to Barbados in theCarribean, proved that ancient man had the tech-nology and wherewithal to make sea journeys ofmany thousands of miles and in-fact very likely didso. Ancient legends from Plato’s story of Atlantis,to Native Americans tell of travelers from far landsvisiting their homelands from across the sea.

The sea is a fascinating place, beautiful andmysterious. Saltwater has lured many an adventurerout to sea whether to make passages to farawayplaces, to fish, to sail, or just bask in the sun andenjoy the delights of a summer day. Being on theocean is a rejuvenating experience, far away fromthe travails of modern life. In the words of Chris-topher Cross from his song “Sailing:”

It’s not far down to paradise,at least it’s not for me.

Cause when the wind is rightyou can sail away

and find tranquility.Oh the canvas can do miracles.

Just you wait and see.

Or if you prefer, a little less poetic but no lesstrue, from bumper stickers often seen in the park-ing lots of sportfishing landings:

Psychologists are for people who don’t fish.

The sea, while sometimes compared to a beau-tiful woman welcoming the visitor, also has teeth. Itis unforgiving to those unprepared or ignoring thedanger signals. The sea has snatched the lives frommany a professional and amateur seafarer alike. The

old time sailors used to never say they were goingto someplace, as in, “We’re sailing to China tomor-row.” Instead they said they were headed towardthat place, “We’re sailing toward China tomorrow,”since no one really knew if they would actuallymake it there.

It is the responsibility of everyone venturingout to sea, even a little ways on a nice summer after-noon, to take responsibility for themselves and any-one else who may be with them. This means know-ing seamanship and navigation. It means knowinghow to steer a course, how to identify dangers, howto read the weather, and how to maneuver his craftin a safe and competent manner.

For the new person, interested in setting outon the ocean for the first time or for a person whoknows the sea but wants to set out with their ownboat, this book and accompanying course are aprimer to get them started off on the right foot. Itwould be foolhardy and egotistical to think this smallwork did anything other than barely scratching thesurface of the vast body of knowledge of seaman-ship and navigation. This book and course is simplya basic introduction to the topic giving the readerjust enough information to begin safely acquiringthe real knowledge he or she will need - that is tosay, sea time.

Literally hundreds of volumes have been writ-ten on the topic, each bringing new and differentinformation to the party. You could literally spendthe rest of your life just reading about seamanshipand navigation and never read the same paragraphtwice. The two books I consider essential to everyseaman’s collection and two that I would never bewithout

Pilotage, Seamanship & Small Boat Handling byChapman ( )

The Annapolis Guide to Seamanship by ( )

Let’s dive right in and get started on this fasci-nating topic.

5

1. Boats, Boating and NauticalTerminology

Every subject has its own set of specializedterminology. Often times, those familiar with nauti-cal terminology are assumed to be trying to soundarrogant or pretentious. This is usually untrue, properusage of nautical terminology is like the proper us-age of any other specialized technology. You’d con-sider your doctor a bit odd and probably not verycompetent if he told you that little hanging downthingie in the back of your throat is swollen or ifyour mechanic told you those round doodads in yourfront end needed replacement. So why do peoplescoff when a person sailing tells them to prepare tocome about on a starboard reach? It’s descriptive. Itconveys an important message and should alert thelistener within earshot of what’s about to happen.

Using nautical terminology isn’t cute or pre-tentious, it’s just an important part of seamanship.“The pointy end of the boat” may be enough foryou now, but what happens when you get on a boatwith two pointy ends, and have to call someone togive you a hand?

Power BoatsProbably the most commonly seen boats out

on the ocean today are power boats. They come inall sorts of shapes and sizes and for many uses.Some of the more common include:

Cabin Cruisers

Cabin cruisers are larger power boats withovernight accommodations often including gal-ley (kitchen) and head (toilet) facilities.

Sport Fishing Boats

Larger power boats with comfortable ac-commodations, usually quite fast, laid out for off-shore and near-shore fishing.

6

Runabouts

Runabouts are small pleasure boats capableof operating in fair weather near ports

Yachts

Yachts are large pleasure power boats withsometimes lavish accommodations for fishing,cruising, and enjoying time at sea. Some of thesecan be extensive passage makers capable of safelycrossing oceans.

In addition to pleasure boats there are a widevariety of commercial craft using the ocean for com-merce, commercial fishing, mineral exploitation,national defense, and a host of other uses. It is im-portant to be able to recognize these craft for rea-sons that will become obvious as you read on.

do substantial damage to your own boat if you steamover his trawl line. It may be a high tensile steelcable an inch or more in diameter capable of rip-ping a small boat into two neat pieces in a matterof seconds. Any commercial fishing boat should begiven a wide berth, at least ½ mile.

Offshore Tugboat (Towboat)

Commercial Fishing Boats

This is a typical commercial fishing boat. Thisone is a shrimp trawler and is in the process of trawl-ing. If you see one of these boats with a baskethoisted up in the rigging or with a flag flying, it meansthe boat is working. Behind this boat are two largetrawl nets that can extend back several hundredyards. Do not cross these boat’s sterns. Besides ru-ining his expensive fishing gear, you will very likely

Harbor Tug Boat pushing a ship

There are basically two types of tugboats andboth can be extremely hazardous to small craft. Thefirst type, harbor tugs are smaller but incrediblypowerful. They’re used to push ships around withinor just outside a harbor. The turbulence and wakethese boats can put out as they do their jobs is easilyenough to force a small boat sideways into piers orthe shoreline. Give a very wide berth to workingtugs - especially don’t cross the stern of these ves-sels while they’re pushing ships sideways. Many ofthese boats can rotate their propellers 360 degreesaround so any side of the tug may quickly turn intoa maelstrom of water at any moment. It’s better justto wait til they’re done doing their work and moveoff rather than risk getting rammed into a steel andconcrete piling by their backwash.

7

This may be one of the most dangerous craftyou’re likely to run into when traveling in the near-shore and offshore ocean. They’re dangerous be-cause while towing barges, the barges are quite farbehind the tugboat, sometimes ½ mile or so andyou often cannot see the towline since it’s sub-merged. It’s there nonetheless and while you mightbe lucky and skim over the line there’s a pretty goodchance that 2 ½” thick steel cable with a breakingstrength of many hundreds of tons will chop yourpropellor off without suffering as much as a nick.Then, there you are while a 100 foot wide loadedbarge perhaps 20,000 tons or so, comes bearingdown on you. Barges don’t have nice pointed bowsthat part the water (and anything floating on it) anddirect it nicely to each side, but rather flat rampedbarge bows that swallow anything on the water un-der the barge. The truth is that barges are often hardto see and it’s often difficult to tell if they’re mov-ing. If you see an Offshore Tugboat, look immedi-ately for a barge and never go between the tug andits tow.

Commercial Ships

Perhaps the most commonly encounteredcommercial vessel, especially around major ports ofSan Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc. Com-mercial ships come in a wide variety of shapes andsizes from small coaster vessels to 500,000 ton (yesthat’s right, half a million ton) supertankers, 1/4mile long and 300 feet wide (you could put the old“Love boat” sideways on the deck and not have ithang over very much at all.) These ships are re-stricted to fairly narrow shipping lanes, so like

the fabled, 800 lb gorilla sleeping anywhere it wants,they get to go where they want. It’s the oldest lawof the sea, the tonnage rule - he with the most ton-nage makes the rules. Just when you think, “Hey,I’m on a starboard tack, he is supposed give way tome.” is right about when you end up getting to gofor a swim and dodge a 30 foot diameter churningprop being spun with a few tens of thousands ofhorsepower. Remember, bringing a supertanker toa stop from full speed takes about 13 miles at fullreverse power.

Military Ships

Military ships have a distinctive profile andwhile some newer ones have more modern shapethan the Viet Nam era version in this photo, they’revery easy to distinguish. After the USS Cole inci-dent in Oman when a suicide speedboat packed withexplosives slammed into the side of the destroyertaking the lives of 17 sailors, they’re just a bit touchyabout small boats approaching them. Besides, De-stroyers with three 100,000 plus horsepower turbinescan kick up a 50 foot high roostertail of water be-hind them when accelerating to speed. Not the kindof wake most small boats can handle with ease.

8

Types of Sailboats:Sailboats are generally described by the num-

ber, position and shape of their sails and rigging.There are dozens and dozens of both modernand archaic sailboat rigs with all sorts of exoticnames, but the most commonly seen vessels areas follows:

SloopSloops are by far the most common boats. The

full name is “masthead sloop” implying the mainsail comes to a point at the very top of the mast.The boat normally carries two sails, the mainsailand a jib. Contrast this to a gaff rigged sloop shownbelow:

Gaff Rigged Sloop

With a gaff rigged sloop, a separate solid sparmember, called a gaff, is used at the top of themain sail. This increases the sail area while keep-ing the overall height of the rig lower. This is anarchaic design, though and only custom boatswill ever be built using this sail arrangement.

CutterNote the similarity of the cutter to the mast-

head sloop. The cutter, though has twin headsails. This allows a more easily handled rig in abigger boat. This is an excellent arrangement forlong range cruisers that must be single handedlysailed.

KetchA ketch is a modern two masted sailboat with

the main sail (larger of the two) forward and theshorter mast, called the mizzen, farther aft. Thisallows getting more canvas in the wind (hence moresailing power) without making the mast higher,therefore keeping the boat more stable.

9

The Parts of a Power Boat.Recognizing the terminology for the parts

of power boat is important for the sailor to ef-fectively communicate. Here are some of theparts of a powerboat explained:

Schooner

A schooner is an archaic rig but one havingplenty of advocates even today. A schooner rigis a two masted sailboat but, the main sail (largerof the two) is farthest aft and the shorter mast (inthis case, called the fore mast, that carries the foresail) is ahead of the main. This photo is of a gaffrigged schooner, as are many of this type. Schoo-ner fans say the rig is balanced, easy to sail andhas a sailing motion and “feel” all its own.

Ship Rig

The old three masted square sailed shipsknown as clippers, windjammers, etc, is wherethe term “ship” came from. Before that ships,like Columbus’ had names like Carvelles, Barks,Brigs, etc.

Powerboats are also classified according totheir type of engines. Outboard engines are selfcontained motor/transmission/propellor unitsthat clamp onto the sterns of boats. Generallythey run between 2 and 200 horsepower.

A typical Outboard Engine mounted on a centerconsole type fishing boat.

There are a number of advantages to outboardengines. They turn the propellor when steering soare very maneuverable. They’re also quite light inweight. Modern outboards are also quite depend-able. In addition, you can update or upgrade a boatyou like simply by mounting a newer engine on it.

Traditionally, power boats had inboard engines,

10

that is to say, larger engines mounted inside the hullwith propellor shafts coming throuh the bottom ofteh boat with an externally mounted propellor andrudder:

Inboard engines have a number of advantages

Typical inboard engine installation

over other types of motor configurations. The mo-tor is usually in the center of the boat so the boat’sbalance is not affected. Larger, heavier, more pow-erful engines may be selected for inboard installa-tion. Very reliable diesel engines may be used. Thedownside is that the engines are more difficult toservice and upgrade, and the boats not as maneu-verable.

A cross between inoard and outboard en-gines has been developed that allows the use ofcommonly available, very reliable automobleengines along with the easy to maneuver drivesystem of an outboard. These are called Inboard-Outboard or simply I/O engine installations:

The Parts of a Sailboat

The Inboard/Outboard motor installation withan automotive engine mounted within the hull in

the stern and an outboard style transmission,propellor and steering

Sailboat components are named the same aspowerboat parts, except that sailboats have con-siderable rigging to carry the sails. There are twotypes of rigging, standing rigging and running rig-ging. Standing rigging does not move, it simply sup-ports the mast. Stays and shrouds are both examplesof standing rigging. Running rigging, on the otherhand moves during the sailing or sail hoisting op-erations. Halyards raise and lower the sails whilesheets control the position of the sails. These areexamples of running rigging.

In addition, sailboat sails have their own setof terminology:

The parts of a sailboat

Since a sailboat is dependent on the wind forlocomotion, different names are given for sailing in

11

different directions relative to the direction of thewind. These describe how the sails should be set andin some cases which sails are to be used. You cansail a sailboat with only one sail, but most sailorshave a variety to choose from and set them differ-ently depending on which direction the wind is blow-ing and how hard. The different points of sailing areas follows:

Boat Hull DesignThere are several different types of boat hulls,

used for different purposes, that all those interestedin seamanship should be familiar with. The tradi-tional hull type used for centuries and still used to-day, is the displacement hull. It’s called this becausethe amount of water the hull displaces equals theweight of the boat. This means that the only forceskeeping the boat from sinking are its buoyancy.

Displacement hulls are used for ships, mostsailboats, tugboats commercial fishing, and otherwork boats, and many slower speed yachts andcruisers. Displacement hulls have a charactersticcanoe shaped water line (even though the boatmay have a transom) and are readily poweredwithin their speed range with moderate power.

With a displacement hull, the primary forces

A displacement hull with its canoe shaped waterline

that that need be overcome by the boat’s engine, isthe hull’s characteristic of making a wave as it passesthrough the water. This is called wave making re-sistance.

Note the waves made by this dosplacement hull as itmoves slowly through the water

Wave making resistance severly limits the hullsspeed. To overcome this a new type of hull is beingdesigned since the advent of powerful engines.Called the planing hull, it allows the hull to be sup-ported by planing across the surface of the waterallowing speeds to increase greatly. Most modernsmaller boats are planing hulls:

Note how the planing hull skims over the water’s surface.

12

Other Nautical TerminologyIn addition to boats themselves, there are a

number of different nautical items used for form-ing harbors, giving visual signals to ships and boatsand for boats to park while loading or unloadingtheir cargo or crews. Having a knowledge of thecorrect terminology for these allows you to be con-cise and clear when you’re speaking to someone onthe radio.

Breakwater

A breakwater, sometimes called a jetty, is arock structure to prevent ocean waves from en-tering a protected area. It keeps the water behindthe breakwater calmer.

Seawall

Similar to a breakwater, except it is usuallyhas land on one side and water on the other, sea-walls are a type of retaining wall - sometimes justa pile of rock and sometimes cast concrete.

Pier

A pier is a fixed height structure for eithertying up to or for loading or unloading peopleor cargo. When tying your boat up to a pier,remember that the pier height stays fixed whilethe tide raises and lowers the water level. If youtie up your boat tight when the tide is high andthe tide goes out, you’ll almost certainly break aline or cleat as the boat lowers with the fallingtide. Other words for the same thing are wharf& quay.

Another type of pier commonly seen arefishing piers. These are intended mainly for rec-reational fishing use, sometimes with resturauntsor shops, or just for strolling.

The fishing pier at Kitty Hawk North Carolina.There must have been a great run of some kind of

fish to attract so many anglers!

13

Dock

A dock is a floating structure that raises andlowers with the tide. This way, it is always thesame height as the boat tied to it making it easyto get on and off the boat. You can also tie theboat snugly to the dock and not have to worryabout tide changes. Pilings sticking up throughthe dock hold it in position and allow tidal cor-rections to be made.

Navigation Buoy(Being maintained by the Coast Guard)

There are a number of different types ofbuoys used for different purposes, such as col-lecting oceanographic or military information,

marking obstructions, etc. Navigation buoys arepositioned in strategic locations along coastlinesto allow passing boats and ships to determinetheir positions. It is important to be able to rec-ognize navigation buoys.

Channel Marker Buoy

Channel Marker Buoys are smaller buoysused to mark the channel or safe route into andout of ports. Stay between the left and right chan-nel marker buoys to stay out of shoal (shallow)water.

Lighthouse

A Lighthouse provides a visual signal atnight so that passing boats and ships can deter-mine their positions. Carefully timed flashes ofthe light visible for many miles provide naviga-tors with a distinctive identification of which lightthey’re seeing.

14

2. The Rules of the Road andBoat Handling

There are two sets of navigation rules; inlandand international. nautical chart will show you thedemarcation lines where the change from interna-tional to inland and vice versa. In general, thesedemarcation lines follow the coastline and crossinlets and bays. On the seaward side of the demar-cation lines international rules apply.

The Nav Rules are written with the under-standing that not all boats can maneuver with thesame ease. Therefore, Rule 18 states that certainvessels have the right-of-way over other vessels byvirtue of their ability to maneuver.

A power driven vessel underway must keepout of the way of the following:

A sailing vessel, under sail only, and vesselspropelled by oars or paddles. (Note: when asailboat has its motor running, it is considereda power driven vessel).

A vessel engaged in fishing, whose fishingequipment restricts its maneuverability. Thisdoes not include a sport fisher or party boatand generally means a commercial fishingvessel.

A vessel with restricted maneuverability suchas dredge or tow boat, a boat engaged in workthat restricts it to a certain area, or a vesseltransferring supplies to another vessel.

A vessel not under command – broken down.

Each of these vessels must keep out of theway of the next vessel in the hierarchy. For example,a sailboat must keep out of the way of vessel en-gaged in fishing, which in turn must keep out ofthe way of a vessel with restricted maneuverabil-ity. And everyone must keep out of the way of avessel not under command.

When two power driven vessels are in sight ofone another and the possibility of collision exists,one vessel is designated by the rules as the stand-onvessel and the other is designated as the give-wayvessel. The stand-on vessel, the boat with the rightof way, should maintain its course and speed. Thegive-way vessel must take early and substantial ac-tion to avoid collision. If it becomes apparent thatthe actions taken (or not taken) by the give-wayvessel are dangerous or insufficient, the stand-onvessel must act to avoid collision.

Meeting SituationsIn the following situations, the give-way ves-

sel must take action to keep well clear. The stand-onvessel should maintain its course and speed. If itbecomes apparent that the actions taken (or nottaken) by the give-way vessel are dangerous or in-sufficient, you should take action to avoid colli-sion.

Meeting Head-On When two power driven vessels are approach-

ing head-on or nearly so, either vessel shall indicateits intent which the other vessel shall answerpromptly. In a meeting situation neither vessel isA power boat must yield to a sailboat

Steer clear of fishing boats while they’re working

15

the stand-on vessel.It is generally accepted that you should alter

course to starboard and pass port-to-port. The ac-companying sound signal is one short blast. If youcannot pass port-to-port due to an obstruction orother vessels, you should sound two short blasts toindicate your intention to pass starboard-to-starboard. Make sure the other vessel understandsyour intent before proceeding. The other vesselshould return your two-short-blast signal.

Inland Rules:I intend to pass you on your starboard side:1 short blast (1 sec.)Agreement:1 short blast (1 sec.)

International Rules:I intend to pass you on your starboard side:2 prolonged / 1 shortAgreement:1 prolonged /1 short / 1 prolonged / 1 short

OvertakingWhen two vessels are moving in the same di-

rection, and the vessel wishes to pass, the vesselpassing is the give-way vessel and should keep outof the way of the vessel being passed. The vesselpassed is the stand-on vessel and must maintain itscourse speed. If the stand-on vessel realizes thatthe course intended by the give-way vessel is notsafe, it should sound the danger or doubt signal.

If you are the overtaking vessel, rememberthat you are the give-way vessel until well past, andsafely clear of, the passed vessel. Do not cut in front,impede or endanger another vessel.

Inland Rules:I intend to pass you on your port side:2 short blasts (1 sec.)Agreement:2 short blasts (1 sec.)

International Rules:I intend to pass you on our port side:2 prolonged / 2 shortAgreement:1 prolonged / 1short / 1 prolonged / 1 short

CrossingWhen two power driven vessels are approach-

ing at right angles nearly so, and risk of collisionexists, the vessel on the right is stand-on vessel andmust hold its course and speed. The other vessel,the give-way vessel, shall maneuver to keep clearof the stand-on vessel and shall pass it by its stern.If necessary, slow stop or reverse until the stand-onvessel is clear.

Navigating Narrow ChannelsThe rules tell you to stay to the starboard side

of narrow channels Make sure that you do not im-pede a vessel that is constrained draft, i.e. a large

16

Stand-OnVesselGive Way

Vessel

vessel that must operate within the channel in or-der to make way safely. When crossing a channel,do so at a right angle and in such a way as to avoidcausing the traffic in the channel make course orspeed changes. Do not anchor in a channel unlessyou cannot make way (broken down, etc.).

The Tonnage RuleThere’s an old adage most experiences seaman

follow religiously: The vessel with the most ton-nage always has the right of way. This is a wise ruleto follow, especially when operating around com-mercial shipping ports. Remember, right of way issomething to be yielded, not necessarily taken. Ifyou expect a laden tanker to stop for your kayak,just because you have the right of way, you’re right-but you just might end up dead right. Keep yourwits about you at all times.

Left Side Right Side(returning) (returning)Black Color Red ColorOdd Number Even NumberCan Shape Nun ShapeWhite or Green Light Red Light

17

3. Anchors & Anchoring1. Types of Anchors

Danforth Plow

Bruce2. Typical Holding Power

An anchors holding power is dependent on anumber of factors, among these are the size andshape of the anchor, the type of bottom and theamount of “scope” or angle of the anchor line,called the “Anchor Rode.”

Folllowing is a chart of typical holding powerof Danforth style anchors, the most common typein yachting use today:

Standard Danforth AnchorsAnchor Holding Boat SizeWeight Power (20 KN winds)(lbs) (lbs.) (feet)3.5 160 105 300 179 600 2714 920 3116 1300 3625 1600 4043 2000 4570 3000 55100 3500 65

Boat Size Anchor RodeLength Weight Chain Nylon

ft. lbs. dia.-in. dia.-in.20-25 2,500 3/16 7/1626-30 5,000 1/4 7/1631-35 10,000 5/16 1/236-40 15,000 3/8 9/1641-45 20,000 7/16 5/846-50 30,000 1/2 11/1651-60 50,000 9/16 3/4

Anchor scopeAn important concept to understand is anchor

scope. All anchors are designed to operate at veryshallow angles, that is to say, when the anchor rodepulls almost horizontally to the bottom of the oceanwhere the anchor is sitting. To acheive this snhallowangle, much more anchor rode is payed out thanthe depth of the water in which the boat is beinganchored. The ratio of the amount of line payedout and the depth of the water is referrred to the“scope” of the anchor line. The diagram on the nextpage illustrates this concept.

Having enough scope to keep your boat atanchor is important. Not enough scope will drasti-cally reduce the holding power of the anchor. Fol-lowing is a table that shows just how much thiseffect is:

It is important to size the anchor rode to thesize of your anchor and boat. This helps the boatto remain in-place whan anchored up in bad weather.Remember, though that anchoring is never totallysecure and no matter how well your anchoring equip-ment is sized, the sea can always be more powerfulthan anything you try to hold it back with. Follow-ing are some recommended anchor rode sizes:

Anchor Holding PowerScope % Holding

Length/Depth Power10:1 100%7:1 91%6:1 85%5:1 77%4:1 67%3:1 53%2:1 35%

18

Anchoring Made Easy• Select an area that offers maximum shelter from

wind, current, boat traffic etc.

• Pick a spot with swinging room in all directions.Should the wind change, your boat will swing bowto the wind or current, whichever is stronger.

• Determine depth and bottom conditions and cal-culate the amount of rode you will put out.

• If other boats are anchored in the area you select,ask the boat adjacent to the spot you select whatscope they have out so that you can anchor insuch a manner that you will not bump into theneighboring vessel.

• Anchor with the same method used by nearbyboats. If they are anchored bow and stern, youshould too. If they are anchored with a single an-chor from the bow, do not anchor bow and stern.

• Rig the anchor and rode. Check shackles to makesure they are secured with wire tied to preventthe screw shaft from opening.

• Lay out the amount of rode you will need on deckin such a manner it will follow the anchor intothe water smoothly without tangling.

• Cleat off the anchor line at the point you want itto stop. (Don’t forget or you’ll be diving for youranchor.)

• With the bow to the wind or current in the spotyou have selected, stop the boat and slowly startto motor back. Lower the anchor until it lies on

the bottom then slowly let out the rode as theboat drifts back. Backing down slowly will assurethat the chain will not foul the anchor and pre-vent it from digging into the bottom.

• When all the anchor line has been let out, backdown on the anchor with engine in idle reverseto help set the anchor. (Be careful not to get theanchor line caught in your prop)

• While reversing on a set anchor, keep a hand onthe line, a dragging anchor will telegraph itselfas it bumps along the bottom. An anchor that isset will not shake the line.

• When the anchor is firmly set look around forreference points in relation to the boat. You cansight over your compass to get the bearing of twodifferent fixed points (house, rock, tower, etc. )Over the next hour or so, make sure those pointsare in the same place. If not you’re probably drag-ging anchor.

• Begin anchor watch. Everyone should check oc-casionally to make sure you’re not drifting.

• Retrieve the anchor by pulling or powering for-ward slowly until the anchor rode hangs verticallyat the bow. Cleat the line as the boat moves slowlypast the vertical. This will use the weight of theboat to free the anchor and protect you from be-ing dragged over the bow. Once free, raise theanchor to the waterline. Clean if necessary andlet the rode dry before stowing away.

19

4. VHF Radio Usage andEtiquette

VHF Marine band radio is the primary com-munications device for all marine usage. There areother, longer range radio communications bandsused for ships operating far offshore, but for mostpleasure boaters, VHF is way to go. VHF radios areFM transceivers operating in the 156-162 MHzband. The term transceiver means the radio may beused for both transmitting (or sending radio mes-sages to another radio, and receiving, or convertingincoming messages to audio signals os that you canhear them. The term VHF means Very High Fre-quency - (the old bands were a much lower frequencyso required bigger equipment and antennas) and theterm FM means the radio is FM. Like broadcastband radios, there is AM (amplitude modulated) andFM (frequency modulated) techniques. FM radiosare subject to far less static and noise than the oldAM types.

A pleasure boater is not required to have alicense to operate a VHF radio, as was once required,however, the boater is required to follow FCC regu-lations on the use of the radio. Failure to do so canresult in substantial penalties in the form of finesor even criminal prosecution and jail time. It is im-portant to understand what is expected of the userin terms of dos and don’ts:

The DOs:

1) Whenever the radio is on, monitor Channel 16,unless you are communication on another chan-nel;

2) Before transmitting, listen for 30 seconds to hearif the channel is in use;

3) At the beginning and end of your transmission,identify your vessel by its name or your radio callsign;

4) Use Channel 16 or 9 for calling and when con-tact is made, switch immediately to an unusedworking channel;

5) Set the radio to the low power setting wheneverpossible; you don’t need the high power setting

to talk to someone across your creek;

6) Speak slowly and clearly with the microphoneabout an inch from your mouth; there’s no needto shout, as it distorts your transmission;

7) Keep all communications as brief as possible;

The DON’Ts:1) Don’t call the Coast Guard requesting a radio

check nor call for a radio check on channel 16;

2) Don’t use the VHF radio for transmitting on land;

3) Don’t monopolize any channel with long con-versations or idle chatter;

4) Don’t let children use the radio or think it’s atoy. Don’t allow children to play on the boat withno adult present, even in the driveway;

5) Don’t broadcast a Mayday unless there is imme-diate danger to life or property;

6) Don’t broadcast profanities or insults. It is a crimi-nal offense to transmit obscene, profane or inde-cent language or meanings;

7) Don’t speak on channel 70; it’s reserved for Digi-tal Selective Calling (DSC) only;

The VHF marine band frequencies (channels) arebroken down into categories by usage:

Channels Usage and Notes16 Distress Safety and Hailing

Use this to hail another boat or foremergency use only. Once you con-tact another boat switch to a differ-ent channel.

6 Intership SafetyThis is used only in rescue opera-tions by Coast Guard and to coor-dinate boats & aircraft in search andrescue operations. Do not use un-less specifically asked to do so bythe Coast Guard

22 Coast Guard LiaisonAfter you have hailed the CoastGuard in a non-emergency, they willask you to switch to this channel totalk further.

20

9, 67, 68, Non-Commercial Working69, 71, 72, channels for pleasure craft.78, 79, 80 Messages must be about the

needs of the ship, such asrendevous, fishing reports, re-pair scheduling, etc. Use 67 or72 for ship-to-ship messages.Use 9 for radio checks only.

1, 7, 8, 9, Working channel for com-10, 11, 18, mercial ships only.19, 63 67, Messages must be about busi-79, 80, 88 ness or the needs of the ship

only.24, 25, 26, Marine Operator27, 28, 84, These channels can be used to85, 86, 87, make telephone calls to land88 lines through the marine opera-

tor.1, 5, 12, 14, Port Operations20, 63, 65, Used to direct the movements-66, 73, 74, of ships in or near harbors,77 locks, or waterways. Messages

must be about the safety orship movements.

13, 67 NavigationalAlso known as the bridge tobridge. All messages must beabout navigation, such aspassing or meeting. Also usedfor drawbridges. Power limitedto 1 watt.

17 Maritime ControlThis channel is used by regula-tory agencies, state and localgovernments, etc. Messagesmust be about regulation andcontrol, boating activities, orassistance to ships.

70 Digital Selective CallingThis is a specialized communi-cation technique for distress andsafety calling.

Wx1, Wx2 WeatherWx3 For receiving weather reports

from the National Oceano-graphic and Atmospheric Administration.

VHF Operational ProcedureThe standard procedure for a non-emergency

call, such as calling another vessel, marina, or othersimilar usage is to hail the station on channel 9 or16 in the following manner as follows:

1) Name of station being called, spoken three times.

2) The words “THIS IS”, spoken once.

3) Name of your vessel and call sign (if you have astation license) or boat registration number, spo-ken once.

4) The word “OVER”.

5) Then you wait for the station being called to an-swer. Their answer should be in the same manneras your call.

6) Once answered you should suggest going to aworking channel to carry on your conversation.

7) The word “OVER”.

8) Wait for reply or confirmation from the stationbeing called, switch to the working channel andrepeat the process.

In the event of an emergency, the procedureis somewhat similar, but as follows:

1) The word “MAYDAY” repeated three times

2) The words “THIS IS”, spoken once.

3) Name of your vessel and call sign (if you have astation license) or boat registration number, spo-ken once.

4) The word “OVER”.

5) Await acknowledgment from the Coast Guardor other vessel and await instructions and requestsfor further information.

Use the word “MAYDAY” ONLY if thereis a genuine emergency - meaning a life threat-ening situation, such as a person fallen over-board that you are having difficulty rescuing,imminent danger to your vessel of sinking,burning up in a fire, running aground, or break-ing apart. If your vessel is disabled, it is notconsidered an emergency unless you are indanger of foundering or running aground.

21

5. Marine Weather

The subject of weather is enormous. You canget a PHD after eight years of exhaustive study ofweather and still only know a tiny fraction of thebig picture. In James Gliek's book Chaos, he asksthe question, "Does a butterfly flapping its wings inThailand affect the weather in New York?" The an-swer is, yes, it does! The book goes on to say thateven if there were a weather station positioned ev-ery 2 meters (six feet) surrounding the entire globe(that would be 1.8 x 1020 weather stations!) all feed-ing into a giant computer resolving the data streams,weather woulld still be unpredictable, since eventsbetween the stations could not be accounted for.

Well, OK, you can't be the all knowing seer ofweather. You can, though. learn the basics of weatherand get a good handle on what is likely to happengiven certain signals. This is not only nice but essen-tial for the person wishing to be competent travel-ing the coastal seas. More disasters at sea have comeabout as a direct result of bad weather than all thenaval encounters, fires, navigational errors or othertypes of maritime dangers combined. Spend a fewminutes combing through the shipwreck databasesand the terms "foundered in a bad weather" or "ranaground in a storm" account for the vast majorityof losses. A knowledge of the basics of weather isone of the most inmportant skills a sailor can pos-sess.

To understand weather, the basic movementsof the earth's atmosphere is essential. To begin,understand that cooler air is more dense, hence,heavier than warm air. Warm air tends to rise whilecooler air tends to sink. This basic principle is whatcreates all weather on planet Earth. As warm airrises, it expands since the air pressure is lower, thehigher you go in the atmosphere. As air expands itcools, so tends to again sink. This sets up a non-stop motion of the air in the atmosphere.

The warmer air at the equator is warmed bythe sun, so rises, and the air near the poles is cooledby the lack of sunlight so sinks. This sets up giganticair circulatiuons in the atmosphere. The warm air atthe equator rises and again sinks at about the tropiclines, the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Cap-ricorn (about 25 degrees north and south latitudes).

A counter rotating circulation occurs between thetropic lines and the Arctic & Antarctic circles (atabout 65 degrees North and South latitudes.) Theseare illustrated below:

A phenonemon called the "Coriolus Effect"causes these major air circulations to rotate, just likethe water as it flows down a drain. This creates themajor wind bands that characterize the basic weathertravels along the surface of the earth. The relativelycalm equatorial area is called "The Doldrums," be-cause ships were often becalmed there, sometimesfor weeks. Sameul Taylor Cooldridge's famous poem,"The Ryme of the Anciant Mariner" described sucha becalming:

And we were the first ever to burstInto that silent sea.

Down dropped the sails, the sails dropped down.T'was sad as sad could be.

All in a hot and coppery day,The bloody sun, at noon,

Rose up and stood above the mastNo bigger than the moon.

Day after day, day after day,We struck no breath nor motion.

As idle as a painted ship,Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, everywhere,And all the boards did shrink.

Water, water, everywhere,And not a drop to drink.

22

Arctic Circle

Tropic of Cancer

Equator

Antarctic Circle

Tropic of Capricorn

One can only imagine the fear and dispair thatsailors, reliant on the wind for their survival, musthave felt being stuck in a place like that.

Just north and south of the doldrums, blowthe trade winds - fair but steady winds blowing fromeast to west, the perfect winds for early traders tothe New World to ride across the Atlantic. Actually,kowlege of these winds was one of Columbus' se-crets. It's how he was so confident in venturingacross the Atlantic - knowing the prevailing easterlybreeze would carry him across the great ocean.

North and South of the Trade winds, is an-other area of calm near the Tropic lines. These werenicknamed the Horse Latitudes, because early trad-ing ships coming to America, once becalmed, oftentossed out cargo to lighten the ship and get movingin the nearly non-existant breezes in this area muchof the year. Often the cargo in these ships werehorses and other livestock - sometimes even slaves.

From, Jim Morrison, lead singer and writer ofthe rock band, "The Doors," a poem called HorseLatitudes appeared in one of their albums:

When the still seasConspire in armor.

And her solemn and aborted currentsBreed tiny monsters,True sailing is dead.

Awkward instant,and the first animal is jettisoned,

Legs, furiously pumping,their stiff green gallop.

And heads bob up,Pause,

Delicate,Pause,

ConsentIn mute nostril agony,

Carefully refined,And sealed over.

Between the Tropic circles and the Arcticcircles lies a wide band of westerly blowing windscalled the Prevailing Westerlies. These winds blan-ket most of North America. North of the prevail-ing Westerly band is the polar bands with again,mostly easterly winds.

The moral to this somewhat long and verseridden diatribe, is that the vast majority of weathertravels from west to east in most of North America.If you want to know what's coming, weatherwiseand you're in the latitudes of America - look to theWest!

Most everyone has heard the old expression,"Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning. Redsky at night, sailor's delight." Unfortunately, this ex-pression came about when the majority of sailingships were travelling in the trade (easterly) winds.Most ships traveled toward the west in those days,particularly if they had a need to enter the PacificOcean. Returning to Europe was often easier tocontinue the long way around (sailing west androunding Africa) than it was to buck the winds andtides and sail back the way they came. So red sky inthe morning (clouds in the east with a clear skyabove) meant bad weather was coming, while redsky in the evening (clouds to the west but clear skyabove) meant the weather had already passed. Youshould reverse this for our latiutudes, though. Cloudsin the East usually means the weather has passedand clouds in the west means it is coming

So now you know which direction the weatherusually travels, so what actually creates the differ-ent weather patterns? Well, first there are severalprinciples that need to be understood before weatherphenonema will make any sense

23

PolarEasterlies

Prevailing WesterliesHorse Latitudes

Trade Winds

Doldrums

Trade Winds

Prevailing Westerlies

Polar Easterlies

One essential principle necessary to understandthe intricacies of weather, is: as air decreases inpressure, such as by rising, it also decreases in tem-perature. This is easily demonstrated by allowingcompressed air to escape from a tire filling hose - itcools off. Conversely when air increases in pres-sure, such as when it sinks, it warms up. Ever feelthe barrel of an air pump as you were filling a bi-cycle tire? Well, that’s this principle at work.

When air is warmed, it rises, creating a lowpressure area:

A low pressure area rotates due to the Corioluseffect just as the winds are bent east and west inour earlier discussion of the major wind movementsaround the earth. Large, several hundred mile widelow pressure areas are created and live for days,sometimes weeks, and move west to east in theUnited States latitudes. These are called “Cyclones.”and usually bring with them incliment weather.

The opposite of a low pressure area, is highpressure areas known as “Anti-Cyclones.”

Anti-clyclones also generally move west to eastand usually bring with them clear skies and fair,though sometimes windy weather.

If it were as simple as that, weather predic-tion would be simply a matter of predicting winds.That would be difficult enough, but another veryimportant aspect of weather revolves around theatmosphere holding water. Warm air is able to dis-solve more water than cool air. When you take warmair and evaporate about half of the amount of wa-ter it’s capable of holding, it’s said to be at a rela-tive humidity of 50%. If you later cool that air down,the air is less capable of carrying the air so the rela-tive humidity increases. If you were to cool the airsuch that the amount of water vapor in the air isequal to the maximum amount it could hold, therelative humidity would be said to be at 100%. Coolit any more and air starts coming out of the air andcondensing on anything solid objects it can find.Morning dew or the way a glass of iced beveragegets wet on the outside as it sits on a table are bothexamples of this principle at work. When air hasnothing to condense on, like grass or the surface ofa glass, it condenses on tiny particles of dust andsalt in the atmosphere, creating fog and clouds.

There are several of different types of cloudsthat anyone interested in weather should be able torecognize. The first are very high, wispy cloudscalled cirrus clouds. These have a lacy appearanceand are often composed of tiny ice crystals veryhigh in the atmosphere, sometimes over 30,000 feetup.

Cirrus CloudsNote the thin, wispy shape. These are at least

25,000 feet up (5 Miles!)

24

Another basic cloud type is the Stratus cloud.Stratus means layer, so stratus clouds are layeredclouds. Fog is a typical stratus cloud, but one lowenough to be touching the ground. They’re oftenfairly shapeless, but organized in specific layers atspecific altitudes.

Typical Stratus Clouds

The common, white puffy type clouds you of-ten see casually drifting across the sky are calledCumulus clouds. Cumulus clouds are seen more overland than water in the Western US, but should bereadily recognized by any sailor:

Fair Weather Cuulus Clouds

Sometimes modifying descriptions are at-tached to cloud names. One such modifier is theterm nimbus, meaning rain. You could have animbo-stratus cloud, for instance, which would bea stratus cloud that is capable of discharging rain.Another potential nimbus cloud is a cumulus cloud.These are called cumulo-nimbus clouds, and if they

get big enough, are sometimes referred to as thun-derheads, generally an omen of some violentweather

A Thunderhead - a large Cumulonimbus cloudexhibiting the classic anvil top shape

You can only have nimbo stratus, or cumulo-nimbus clouds. There are no cirrus clouds capableof producing rain.

Another prefix for clouds is the term alto,meaning high. You can have alto-stratus or alto-clumulus clouds. Cirrus clouds are already very high,so it wouldn’t make sense to use the alto- prefixwith them.

Alto-Cumulus clouds in a pattern often called“Mackerel Sky” by sailors.

As you’ll learn: Mackerel Sky - Rain Nearby!

In addition some clouds can have characteris-tics of two different types of other clouds, for in-stance cirrocumulus clouds - part cirrus and partcumulus clouds. You may also have cirrostratusclouds - part cirrus, part stratus.

Whan looking at clouds, their dynamics arejust as important as a snapshot. Are the clouds get-

25

ting lower? More dense? breaking up? Changing fromcirrus to cirrostratus? These changes in clouds willgive you valuable clues to the weather coming next.

So we have high and low pressure areas march-ing across the earth’s surface in a nice regular pat-tern motivated by the prevailing winds. Well, notquite. Unfortunately the earth’s surface isn’t a nice,smooth evenly heated surface. Mountains are in theway, large lakes and upwellings of cold seawatercan create creating frigid air masses, warm oceancurrents can feed low pressure areas with moist,damp, air, etc. All of the irregularities of planetEarth, create an unpredictable chaos of air massesmoving, colliding, spinning off, and interacting withthe land and other weather patterns in a dance moreornate than the interaction of commuters at GrandCentral Station during rush hour.

It’s the interface between these air masses thatcreates storms and bad weather. An air mass alonewill never generate enough energy to create severeweather - at most it’ll cause a gentle rain, like whenthe northern Pacific air mass comes ashore in Se-attle. It rises as it hits the mountains, as it rises, thepressure reduces, as the pressure goes down, it cools,as it cools, the relative humidity climbs, water con-

A cold front and it’s associated weather

If you were on the ground as this cold frontmoved through, first you’d see cirrocumulus cloudsfollowed by altocumulus clouds (mackerel sky) thenin a number of hours, lower cumulus clouds get-ting denser and denser, turning to cumulonimbus,perhaps thunderheads, plenty of wind and rain, fi-nally you’d see the temperature drop,. the cloudsstart to thin out and finally the weather turn clearerwith smaller white puffy clouds and some cirrusclouds at the tail end. This would pass through anarea in somewhere between a dozen hours and sev-eral days. Cold fronts are capable of creating somefairly violent weather.

If a warm air mass is on the move pushingaside a cooler body of air, a warm front is created.

The ocean is a great retainer of heat, Notehow it’s almost always cooler at the beach in thesummer months and warmer at the beach in winter.This creates warm fronts in the winter months ofSouthern California. Warm, moist air over the Pa-cific Ocean moves ashore displacing the cooler airover the land.

The warm air rides up and over the cooler airit’s displacing and squeezes out the air below. Here’sa warm front:

denses out of the air to formclouds, and a gentle rain fallethfrom heaven. But if that masscollides with a warm mass ex-panding out of the desert-likeinterior of the state, look out.That’s when sparks start to fly.

The first type of interactionis called a cold front. This occurswhen a mass of cold area moves into an area ofwarmer air. The cold air, since it’s denser, forcesitself under the warm air, displacing it as it goes.Here’s what it looks like in cross section:

A warm frontExperiencing a passing warm front, first cir-

rus clouds appear followed by cirrostratus, lower-ing to form altostratus, then nimbostratus and the

associated rain, eventually tapering off tostartocumulus clouds and fair weather fol-lowing. Generally, warm fronts aren’t as vio-lent as cold fronts and usually, a good soak-ing of rain without high winds are mostcommon. All fronts, though should be eyedat with suspicion by the small boat sailorsince here’s where nearly all inclementweather comes from.

26

Weather WarningsThe Coast Guard posts warnings when dan-

gerous weather is expected. These warnings arebroadcast on the weather channels, often publishedin the newspapers, and transmitted to the boatingcommunity via a system of flags in the daytime andlights at night. The warnings are:

Samll Craft AdvisoryA small craft advisory is issued when the wind

speed is expected to exceed 38 mph (33 knots) and/or water conditions are expected to be hazardousfor small craft. The day signal is a single triangularred flag and the night signal is a red light over awhite light.

Gale WarningA Gale Warning is issued when the wind speed

is expected to grow to from 39 to 54 mph (34 to 47knots.) Two triangular red flags are flown in thedaytime and a white light over a red light are dis-played after dark.

Storm WarningWhen the storm warning flag is flying, wind

speeds are expected to be in excess of 55 mph(48 knots. This is indicated by a red square flagwith a black square center. At night, two redlights, one over the other, are displayed.

Hurricane WarningA Hurricane Warning is issued when the rea-

son a storm warning is posted is because of a tropi-cal cyclone (hurricane.) This is almost unheard foin Southern California, since tropical storms almostnever reach our coast. Note that it does not neces-sarily mean more or less wind than a Storm Warn-ing, just that in those winds are being created byhurricanes (often called typhoons in the Pacific.)The day sumbol is two square Storm Warning flagsand at night, all three lights are illuminated a whitewith one red light over and one under the white.

27

6. The Motion of the Ocean

The gravity of the moon and the sun, the un-even heating of the earth’s oceans, the shape ofthe ocean bottom, and the effects of winds blow-ing across the surface of the ocean all contribute toa very complex interaction of the oceans water andset up distinctive types of water motion.

CurrentsThe oceans waters are constantly in motion.

The waters. like the the atmosphere don’t receiveeven amounts of heat fron the sun. The water atthe equator is warmed more efficiently by the gen-erally directly overhead sun than the waters at thepoles, only heated part of the year and even then,by the angled rays of the sun very close to the hori-zon.

Warm water, like warm air, is less dense sorises and cooler water is more dense so sinks. Whenwater rises or sinks, water moves in to replace themissing water and a three dimensional flow begins.

Beacuse water is constrained by the shape ofthe ocean basins, it sets up a regular pattern of mo-tion called ocean currents. Naturally, these rivers

The major ocean currents

of water flowing throughout the world shift slightlydepending on season and local water and weatherconditions, but a generally predictable pattern hasemerged over time. The chart of the world on thebottom of this page shows the major ocean cur-rents. In smaller local areas, like the big bay thatmakes up the Southern California ocean, with itsassociated string of islands, sub-currents and eddys(smaller circular water motion patterns) are created.These vary considerably depending on localizedwind and weather patterns. For instance, on the leeside of Catalina, the normal current is from the WestEnd, along the coast toward the southeast. It’s notunusual, though for this pattern to shift sometimesfor a few hours, sometimes for weeks.

Most ocean currents move from less than oneknot (1 naitical mile per hour) to a bit over twoknots in severe cases. Even at this slow speed,though, millions of cubic feet of water are movedaround every second.

Ocean currents affect the weather in manyparts of the world. Contrast the severe weather ofthe Eastern US, fed by the warm Gulf Stream, withthe generally mild weather of California fed by thecooler North Pacific current.

28

TidesThe moon and the sun have strong gravity

fields affecting the water in the oceans. The moon,particularly, since it’s so much closer, pulls on thewater causing it to pile upon one side of the earthaccompanied by a matching pile on the other side.These are called tides. To a lesser degree the suncauses similar effects. This is a twice daily raisingand lowering of the ocean’s waters.

When the sun and moon are lined up, as in thecase of a new moon, the two forces combine toform higher than normal tides. These are called“Spring Tides.” If you imagine yourself hovering amillion miles above the earth’s north pole, lookingdown on a new moon day, the earth and moon wouldlook something like this:

This is the Spring tide condition. Likewise,when the moon is on the opposite side of the earth,during a full moon, the tides are also higher thannormal, or Spring Tides:

However, when the moon is in it’s first or thirdquarter phase, the gravity pull of the moon and thesun are at right angles to each other so partially can-cel each other out. As mentioned above the moon’spull is stronger so dominates. This results in tideslower than normal, called neap tides.

Knowledge of tides is important to theboater. Tidal surges rush ito and out of bays andharbors, sometimes at an incredible rate. This isespecially true of wide shallow bays with narrwentrances. Huntington Harbor and Morro Bayare two such examples where the tidal flow canexceed 5 knots. Handling your boat and dock-ing with such currents can be tricky and some-times rather severe compensations need to bemade. It is sometimes necessary to crab the boatinto the tidal current when they cross the boatspath in order to keep the boat traveling in astraight line.

Another important reason you shouldknow about tides is for reasons of clearance.Many channels are plenty deep enough for cross-ing during high tide but get too shallow duringlow. Bridge clearances are also something to con-sider. Many bridges have a visible scale showingthe clearance below. Lowering antennas, some-times lowering masts and removing fishing polesfrom high mounted holders is sometimes neces-sary during high tide when passing under bridges.You should be familiar with your boat’s bridgeclearance, especially when venturing into unfa-miliar ports.

A familiarity with the tidal ebbs and flows isimportant for estimating passages, especiallydown rivers, narrow channels and wide bays. Theold time sailors used to always say, they’d sailwith the tide, that is to say, they started their jour-neys with an outgoing tide to help push theirships out to sea to provide maneuvering roomwhen setting their sails.

A knowlege of the tides is also handy forfishing.. Many species of fish use tidal flows forfeeding. For instance, in Southern California, surffishermen always say the best time to fish forsurf fish is from two hours before to one hour

29

EarthMoon

ToSun

ToSunMoon

Earth

ToSun

Earth

Moon

WavesThe most apparent motion of the ocean is the

passage of waves across the ocean’s surface. Wavesare created when winds pass over the surface ofthe water and try to stretch the surface of the wa-ter. This causes ripples, and when the wind contin-ues to interact with ripples, cause chop or “seas.”

It’s important to note that it’s not the waterthat’s moving when a wave passes by, it’s simplyenergy along the surface. If you were to watch acork floating on the water’s surface as a wave passed,

A cork floating on thewater as a wave

approaches

The cork climbs upthe approaching face

The cork reaches thetop of the wave

The cork goesdown the back of

the wave

The cork returns to its starting position

As the winds continue blowing on the wavesthey build the wives higher and higher. Wind blow-ing continuously acrosss many miles creates largeswells. The amount of distance available for thewind to act on the waves is called its fetch.

A long fetch, like across the northern Pacific,creates long, waves called swells. Long period swellsand shorter wind chop combine to create the gen-erally irregular wave patters known on the ocean as“seas.”

Waves created in different places mix, match,cancel each other out, and interfere creating some-times unrecognizable patterns of swells and seas.What is always true is that the harder the windblows and the longer the fetch the wind has to actupon the waves, the bigger the seas.

Waves have their own set of terminology asshown in the following diagram:

As a wave builds it must get longer, that isto say the wavelength mush increase. This oc-curs by alternating from being blown to beingdispersed, to being blown, etc. If the wind blowsconstantly the wave height will exceed its maxi-mum (1/7 of the wave length) and the wave willbreak, dissipating some of its energy. This is whyyou often see waves breaking in places wherethere’s considerable wind all the time, like theNorth Sea and Cape Horn.

Waves also break when they “feel” the bot-tom, so if you see breaking waves - you should im-mediately thin; “shallow water” and stay clear. Manyshallow reefs and rocks can be spotted this way.

Wave terminology

30

after high tide. Not just surf fish are affected bytides, all fish seem to turn on and turn off feedingdepending on a variety of factors, including thetides.

you’d see the cork move in a circle, ending upright where it started. The wave moves, not thewater.

Francis Beauford, an English Admiral devel-oped a scale for determining sea conditions fromwind speed. This scale is used to this day in de-scribing marine weather:

Beauford Wind Speed Wind Typical Typical ConditionsNumber in Knots Description Sea Conditions On Land

0 Less than 1 Calm Sea surface smooth and mirror-like

Calm, smoke rises vertically

1 1-3 Light Air Scaly ripples, no foam crests

Smoke drift indicates wind direction, still wind vanes

2 4-6 Light Breeze Small wavelets, crests glassy, no breaking

Wind felt on face, leaves rustle, vanes begin to move

3 7-10 Gentle Breeze Large wavelets, crests begin to break, scattered

whitecaps

Leaves and small twigs constantly moving, light flags

extended4 11-16 Moderate Breeze Small waves 1-4 ft.

becoming longer, numerous whitecaps

Dust, leaves, and loose paper lifted, small tree

branches move5 17-21 Fresh Breeze Moderate waves 4-8 ft taking

longer form, many whitecaps, some spray

Small trees in leaf begin to sway

6 22-27 Strong Breeze Larger waves 8-13 ft, whitecaps common, more

spray

Larger tree branches moving, whistling in wires

7 28-33 Near Gale Sea heaps up, waves 13-20 ft, white foam streaks off

breakers

Whole trees moving, resistance felt walking

against wind8 34-40 Gale Moderately high (13-20 ft)

waves of greater length, edges of crests begin to break into spindrift, foam

blown in streaks

Whole trees in motion, resistance felt walking

against wind

9 41-47 Strong Gale High waves (20 ft), sea begins to roll, dense streaks of foam, spray may reduce

visibility

Slight structural damage occurs, slate blows off roofs

10 48-55 Storm Very high waves (20-30 ft) with overhanging crests, sea

white with densely blown foam, heavy rolling, lowered

visibility

Seldom experienced on land, trees broken or uprooted, "considerable structural

damage"

11 56-63 Violent Storm Exceptionally high (30-45 ft) waves, foam patches cover sea, visibility more reduced

12 64+ Hurricane Air filled with foam, waves over 45 ft, sea completely white with driving spray, visibility greatly reduced

31

7. Marlinspike Seamanship

Knowing about rope and knots is a very im-portant aspect of seamanship. No matter what typeof boat you may be on, there will always be ropesand the need to understand how to handle and tiethem. Ropes - properly called lines, are used in allsorts of ways aboard boats., They’re used to tie theboat to the dock, to anchor the boat to the bottom,to control the sails if a sail boat, to lash safety gearto the boat, and for fishing, a common pursuit ofboaters.

The competent seaman should be able to eas-ily and rapidly tie a number of different knots, eachfor a different situation. Starting with the knots tiedin-hand, the figure eight knot is an important onefor boaters and sailors. It’s a stopper knot, that is tosay a knot used to keep a line in-place once it’sbeen threaded through a hole. It is commonly usedon sail sheet lines:

Next comes the bowline. This is a very im-portant know to know because it createds anunslippable loop in the end of a line. Use this knotin many situations, but it’s most important use isfor tying a loop for a person in the water to climbinto to be rescued: Begin by making a small loopand feeding the free end through:

The free end is then looped behind the con-tinuous part of the rope:

Bringing the free end back through the smallloop, the knot is tightened to complete the bow-line:

Another important knot to know is the reefknot - called the square knot by many. This knotmust be tied correctly or it turns into a knot calledthe granny, a knot that tends to jam and once underload is virtually impossible to untie.

Never use a reef knot as a bend (to tie tworopes together.) Probably more people have beenkilled or injured from people trying to use reef knotas a bend than by any other knot failures. It is onlyused for lashing down objects to the deck, or on asailboat for reefing the sail to the boom when short-ening sail in bad weather.

32

The reef or square knot

The correct knot to use as a bend (for tyingtwo lines together) is the sheet bend. This may beused to tie two lines of the same or of differentdiameters. It is untieable and will retain a substan-tial percentage of the rope’s breaking strength.

The Sheet Bend is tied as follows. Take oneof the lines (if different diameters, the thicker one)and bend into a “U” shape:

Next feed the smaller line up through the Uand around the back of the knot.

Finish the knot by tucking the tag end underitself as it emerged from the U:

Knots to Tie Off Your BoatPerhaps the most important knots to learn are

those used to tie off your boat to a dock or pier.Generally, cleats are available at most docks to tieoff to. Tying to a cleat is the most secure method ifdone properly. The cleat hitch is tied as follows:

First run the line under the cleat horn farthestaway from the other end of the line:

Next, run the line under the nearside horn:

33

Next loop both horns in a figure eight fashion:

Finish by tying a half hitch around the horn sothat the knot is secure:

This is how the knot should look when com-pleted:

If you find yourself tying to a pier where thereare no cleats - or if the cleats are so high up thatyou can’t reach them easily, often rings are providedto tie to. The most efffective knot for tying a boatup to a ring is the tautline hitch. It will hold tight,yet is fairly easily adjustable.

Tie the tautline hitch by passing the linethrough the ring and tying a half hitch:

Continue around in the same direction to makea second loop:

Add a third loop in the same direction but be-low the two existing loops:

Pull it tight and it should look like this:

34

Finally, if you have neither a cleat nor a ringto tie off to, use a clove hitch to tie your line to apiling: Begin by giving the line a wrap around thepiling:

Next, continue around the piling for a secondloop under the first:

Finally, tuck the tag end under the second loopas shown:

Pulled tight, your clove hitch should look likethis:

Fishing KnotsMonofiliment fishing line calls for specialized

knotting techniques. Here are some of the most use-ful fishing knots:

The Improved Cinch Knot is ideal for tying tosinkers, swivels, and lures:

The Palomar Knot is the strongest method totie a hook on the end of a line:

The Dropper Loop allows you to pot a loop ina line not at the end, to tie on a sinker or extrahook:

35

8. Boating SafetySafety while afloat should be of paramount

importance to all people who venture out to sea.Most accidents can be avoided, or at least turnedfrom a life or death experience into a humorousanecdote given an awareness and attention to thedetails of being safe.

Boating AccidentsTo understand how to be safe, examining the

most common types of boating accidents is the sur-est way to learn prevention. Knowing the mechan-ics of what happens allows you the ability to recog-nize warning signals and apply corrective measuresBEFORE the accident happens as well as provid-ing vital information on what to do in the event theaccident actually occurs.

Falling OverboardPerhaps the single most common life threat-

ening accident aboard boats at sea is falling over-board. When a person falls overboard they’re indanger of not only drowning but quickly weaken-ing and passing out due to hypothermia, resultingin drowning. This can happen amazingly quickly. Irecall being on an overnight party boat trip out ofSan Diego one summer for Albacore. It was fairlyrough out and one fisherman, his balance alteredby a six pack or so of beer, toppled overboard. Whilehe was able to swim to the drifting boat and grabon, in a matter of less than a minute he was unableto pull himself up. He became dazed and disori-ented and a crewman had to go into the water tohelp haul him out. The effects of hypothermia areamazingly quick to show themselves - a couple ofminutes in most of the Southern California water isall it takes to weaken a person so much they’re un-able to help themselves be recovered, and four min-utes ir so and a person is unable to even tread waterto slip under and drown.

It’s not unusual for a person to fall overboardunnoticed. The news stories of fishermen disap-pearing overnight from the decks of party fishingboats are an all too common. This not only occurswith newcomers, but to seasoned pros as well. Awriter for Western Outdoor News, the premier salt-water fishing publication in Southern California,disappeared sometime during the night on an

overnight trip to the outer banks a few years ago.His absence wasn’t discovered until the nextmorning. A reversal of course without knowingwhere or when he went overboard proved fu-tile.

In the event someone falls overboard, the firstthing anyone who sees the calamity should do is tocall out loudly “MAN OVERBOARD!” so thateveryone aboard is aware of what’s happening. Ifthe person is visible and still near the boat, throw apersonal flotation device to the person, even if youcan’t quite throw it far enough. Likely the personcan swim to the flotation device. All boats are re-quired to carry at least one throwable device, whilemany will carry several.

Next mark your position. Hitting the MOBbutton on a GPS receiver or throwing overboard abuoy or boat fender will make it far easier to returnto the spot than simply turning around and hopingto reverse your course. As anyone who’s tried tolocate an undersea object with a bottom meter canattest, reversing your position and returning to anexact spot is surprisingly difficult without a visualreference. Once you spot your overboard crewman,approach very slowly and cautiously, and throw aPFD with a recovery line attached. Be prepared tosend someone in the water if the person becomesweakened by hypothermia.

As with any accident, prevention of overboardaccidents is far better than simply knowing what todo when such an accident happens. Keep lifelinesand guard rails in place and in good condition. Keephorseplay, alcohol consumption and dangerous ac-tivities to a minimum. In severe weather use life-lines to tie crewmen to the boat, and of course,wear PFDs when the going gets rough, of you can’tswim or for all children. New auto-inflatable PFDstake the “too uncomfortable and restrictive” excuseaway, resembling suspenders but automatically in-flating when submerged in water.

Types of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)

Personal Flotation Devices, (PFDs) are clas-sified into different types. These different types havedifferent uses and a knowledge of the differeenttypes and their uses is essential to the safe baoter.

36

Type I

Type I PFDs are offshore type life jackets.These are the best type of flotation device. Theywill turn an unconscious person over and keep hisor her head clear of the water in all weather condi-tions. Type I PFDs are highly recommended for anyboats venturing offshore, for any boats expectingto encounter heavy weather and any for conditionswhen rescue efforts may take a long time.

Type II

Type II PFDs are intended for near-shore andinland waterways. They operate best in calmer wa-ter. A type II PFD will turn most, but not all uncon-scious wearers face up in most water conditions.

Type III

Type III PFDs are flotation aids. While theydo provide sufficient buoyancy to keep wearersafloat, they cannot be relied upon to keep an un-conscious person face-up in the water. They’re themost comfortable of all the flotation devices, somebeing built right into articles of clothing. They’reideal for inshore hunters and fishermen who wouldnormally be wearing a utilitarian piece of clothinganyway, and for adult boaters with limited swim-ming skills in warmer, calm water.

Type IV

Type IV PFDs are throwable devices intendedto be used for rescue of persons overboard. Theyonly may be used as primary PFDs in very smallunpowered craft. They rely on the user to maintaina grip on them when in the water so are useless foran unconscious person.

Type V

Type V PFDs are completely or partially in-flatable. The PFDs used on airplanes is an exampleof a type V PFD. These are suitable only for shortterm immersion where a compact size is vital. Manyinflatable PFDs require regular service and mainte-nance to ensure proper operation. Compressed Car-bon Dioxide or air bottles used in these devices mushbe checked and changed regularly. A new type

37

of self inflating type V PFD has been approvedby the Coast Guard in the past several years. It isa self inflating device that senses immersion inthe water and immediately inflates. These are verycompact devices resembling a pair of suspenders- very comfortable and non restrictive for thewearer.

Coast Guard Requirements for PFDsVessels less than 16 feet in length, and all ca-

noes and kayaks, regardless of length, must carryone Type I, II, III or V Coast Guard approved per-sonal flotation device for each person on board.They must be readily accessible and of a suitablesize for the intended wearer.

Vessels 16 feet and over, except canoes andkayaks, must have one Type I, II, III, or V CoastGuard-approved wearable device for each personaboard, plus at least one Type IV throwable device.The throwable device must be kept where it is im-mediately available. Wearable devices must be of asuitable size for the intended wearer.

Running AgroundRunning aground, or having the boat wander

into water too shallow for adequate clearance, isanother dangerous event in boating that should becarefully avoided. Probably more lives have beenlost by ships striking the shore or sunken reefs andother objects, than any other reason. A wide vari-ety of possible dangers await a boat runningaground. If the boat strikes an undersea object atany speed, the impact can and often does, throwoccupants overboard into shallow water or ontorocks or other hazards. If you’re lucky the boat willstrand in shallow water so as to not allow it to sink,but more likely, damage to the hull could cause waterto rush in and cause the boat to sink. The boat couldbreak up into pieces. This is not as unusual as itsounds, particularly for larger vessels.

There are a wide range of reasons for runningaground. Errors in navigation, causing the boat tobe in waters where it shouldn’t be is probably the#1 reason. This was the reason seven US Navydestroyers ran aground at Point Arguello just westof Santa Barbara one stormy day in 1923. Someone hundred and thirty eight sailors lost their livesthat afternoon in one of the Navy’s worst peace-

time disasters. Those seven ships are still thererusting away in pieces as a reminder of the hor-rible consequences of making such errors.

Errors in navigation can come from reducedvisibility, unfamiliarity with the area, unfamiliaritywith potential shoal water warning signs and orsimple inattention to what is happening around you.Some of the warning signs of shoal water include:

1) Changes in water color or appearance2) Water splashing or foaming in an unusualmanner3) Surging sounds4) Waves building suddenly or breaking

In the event of running aground, the first thingto do is assess the damage to your boat. If you’vegrounded in sand, silt or mud, there’s a good chanceeverything is fine, but if you’ve run into rocks or asubmerged obstruction, there’s a good chance theboat has suffered structural or physical damage thatcould result in the boat breaking apart or taking onwater and sinking. If you discover the water pour-ing in on the boat that your pumps cannot keep upwith, call the Coast Guard immediately with a“MAYDAY” call and follow instructions.

If you discover you’ve got a hole, and are indanger of foundering, that is, filling up with water,handle that condition first (see the section belowon foundering) before concerning yourself withother issues.

If you’ve wandered into shallow water, suchas a beach, you need to get out an anchor as fast aspossible. Anchor in deeper water. If you have a din-ghy, row out as far as you’re able and set the an-chor. Wave action will tend to drive you further upthe beach so hopefully the anchor will allow you topull on something as the water level rises with pass-ing waves and surges to inch yourself back intodeeper water. Remember the tides, as well. If an-chored, a rising tide will allow you to float free, butif the tide is falling, you may have to wait it outuntil the tide turns.

To prevent grounding, know the areas you planto cruise. Pour over the charts to familiarize your-self with the minute details of every area you’replanning to visit prior to traveling there and be

38

sure to take the chart on the boat with you sothat you can refer to it when needed. Alwaysnavigate, even on clear days when it seems like ahassle, so that you know exactly where you arein relation to known obstructions. Finally, payclose attention to reading the water, Look forsurges, breaking water, changes in water color,anything unusual. Once you spot something, bevery cautions until you’re certain of what youare seeing.

Fire and ExplosionFew things are scarier at sea than fire and

explosion. Many ships and small boats have suc-cumbed to this disastrous event. While fires maynot be the most common safety danger, they arecertainly one of the most serious and dangerous.A ship or boat, no matter how large is a tiny spacecarrying plenty of combustible materials. Notonly is the hull combustible in many cases, butso is the interior materials, the upholstery, thecabinetry, the sails, but most of all, the fuel.Though some types of fuels, diesel in particular,are somewhat less flammable than others, likegasoline, never delude yourself into thinking thatall fuels are highly flammable materials withplenty of energy to completely engulf the boat,even if it’s made of a non-flammable material.

To understand how to deal with fires andexplosions afloat, it is first necessary to under-stand the nature of fires, the different types offires, and how they start and burn. The first ba-sic concept, is what fires need to burn. Fires re-quire fuel, oxygen, and an ignition source. Tosustain, they do not require the ignition source,but do require a continual supply of fuel andoxygen. The oxygen may be in the form ofchemical oxidizers, as in the case of gunpowder,but usually in the form of gaseous oxygen in theair.

If you remove the fuel from a fire, as in thecase of turning off the valve of s gas stove, thefire will go out. Similarly, if you remove the oxy-gen supply, for instance throwing a blanket overa burning piece of wood, the fire will also go out.To extinguish a fire you must remove (or moreproperly, deny access to) either the fuel or theoxygen.

Types of FiresThere are four distinctly different types of

fires and the boater should be familiar with, atleast the first three, since the fourth is not usu-ally encountered on boats. They are:

Type A - Ordinary Solid Combustibles

Type A fires are burning wood, paper, tex-tiles, and plastics. Logs burning in your homefireplace is a type A fire. On a boat this wouldinclude the hull, superstructure or sails burning.This fire is quickly extinguished by dousing thefire with water. Water renders the fuel non-flam-mable taking this crucial element out of the fireequation.

Type B - Flammable Liquids

When liquids burn, the most effective ex-tinguishing method for a class A fire, dousing thefire with water, is not only ineffective, but it alsomakes the fire worse by spreading the liquids outover a wider area. This occurs because flammableliquids, like gasoline, oil and solvents are nearlyalways lighter than water and do not mix withwater well. They simply float on the surface ofthe water and continue to burn as the waterspreads out, carrying the burning liquid with it.Type B fires are best extinguished with a fire ex-tinguisher designed to smother the fire, that is, toblanket the fire with a solid or gas that cuts offthe oxygen supply to the fire.

39

Type C - Electrical Fires

Type C fires occur when electrical shortscreate sparks that ignite the solid or liquid com-bustible materials in the vicinity of the spark.These are particularly dangerous since if water isused, more sparks will be created worsening thefire. Again, removing the oxygen by blanketingthe fire with smothering agent, either solid in apowdered form or a gaseous form, is how thesefires are extinguished. The smothering agent mustbe an electrical insulator to prevent associated ornearby electrical equipment from shorting out.

Type D- Metal Fires

Some metals, such as magnesium, are highlyflammable. Others, you may not think of as flam-mable but they can burn quite easily if in a cer-tain form. Aluminum powder, or even steel woolis combustible. One of the problems with metalfires is that they burn so hot. If you’ve ever seenmagnesium burn, the intense white light shouldconvince you just how hot they do burn. Spe-cial extinguishers and extinguishing methods areused for type D fires. Fortunately, this type offire is very rare on boats.

Fire ExtinguishersThe Coast Guard requires every boat with

enclosed spaces to carry an approved fire extin-guisher. This should be a type ABC extinguisherto ensure it is usable for any fire that may breakout. To use a fire extinguisher:

To Use a fire Extinguisher

40

ExplosionTrapped gasoline, propane, or other flammable

fumes in enclosed spaces can create a the very haz-ardous condition of becoming explosive. One sparkand the gas can explode like a bomb. All inboard,or inboard/outboard boats with engines and/or gastanks in enclosed spaces must be equipped withboth a blower, to ventilate the space and drivefumes out of the area, and also equipped with aback flame spark arrester so that the engine cannotbackfire into the engine compartment and cause anexplosion. Nonetheless, an enclosed engine hasmany sources of electrical sparks, so keeping theenclosed spaces free of trapped fumes is essential.

On boats equipped with a bilge blower to ven-tilate the engine compartment, run the blower atleast four minutes before starting the engine. Alsokeep the blower operating whenever the boat isoperating below cruise speed, especially when idlingas you negotiate into and out of marinas with no-wake speed rules.

Being fire and explosion safe is a matter ofpreventive maintenance. Frequent inspections offuel systems is probably the most pro-active firesafety thing you can do on a boat. Immediate cor-rection if any drips, leaks or even dampness of anyof the fuel system components will eliminate thevast majority of fires aboard vessels. In addition tothe engine fuel system, frequent inspections of thestove fuel system is also essential.

FounderingFoundering probably the most feared possible

accident while boating. Foundering means simply,sinking, or more correctly filling with water. De-pending on the construction of the boat, the rateof water entry, and other factors, the boat may ormay not completely sink, in fact, many boats areadvertised as unsinkable, however it is very pos-sible the boat may become totally unusable.

Foundering is caused for several reasons, butprobably the most common is a mechanical failure.Through-hull fittings, shaft logs, rudder posts, andother through-hull devices can fail and allowwater to enter the boat, sometimes faster thanthe bilge pump can take it out. Engine coolingwater systems, whether raw water cooled, or

fresh water cooled (closed systems) all rely onbringing seawater into the hull of the boat andreturning it to the sea through openings in thehull. If any of this plumbing cracks, breaks orfails, you have a problem on your hands.

All through-hull fittings on boats should beequipped with a shutoff valve attached rigidly tothe through-hull fitting. This allows the water to beturned off in the event any of the plumbing insidethe hull has been broken or damaged. Make certainthat all through hull fitting valves are readily acces-sible through removable doors, hatches or accesscovers. Keep these accesses in-mind when addingnew accessories or equipment. Suddenly realizingthat you cannot reach the shutoff valve since youmounted a new bait tank should not be an experi-ence you want to have as water gushes into yourbilges when 20 miles offshore.

Striking a submerged or floating object mayalso damage the hull sufficiently to allow water toenter. Breaching the hull of a boat is a serious con-dition, and one that requires immediate attentionto prevent the boat from sinking.

Heavy weather and rough seas can also foundera boat. Surprisingly, most smaller boats are capableof handling very severe seas. An analysis was doneby a famous marine engineer a number of years backwho concluded that the safest size of boat in stormyseas was a 25 footer! This, of course implies thatthe boat was in good condition, that the decks didn’tleak, and that the self bailing features remain oper-able.

In the event of a foundering, if you notice theboat is riding lower, not responding properly, or justhas that sluggish feeling, you may suspect waterentering the boat. First, start all pumps to try to getthe water out. This includes a bucket to bait or anyhand pumps you have aboard. Next, determine whatis wrong and see if you can fix it. If a hose or otherplumbing is broken or cracked, find the source, andturn off the water. If there is a small hole leaking,plug it with anything you can find - a fishing weightor lure, a mop handle, even rags, will all suffice tohelp stem the flow of water.

If you can’t make headway against the in-coming water, you’re going to get wet, so makesure everyone aboard is WEARING their PFDs,

41

and get on the radio to the Coast Guard for aMAYDAY call.

As with most things that can go wrong onboats, prevention is a far more prudent optionthan trying to save yourself and your boat afterthe fact. Make sure all thru-hull shutoff valvesare accessible and that these valves function prop-erly. Maintain all rudder and shaft logs to ensureminimal leakage. Make sure all of your pumpsare maintained and functional at all times. Makesure also, that self bailing decks maintain theirself bailing features. Some decks use small wateroutlets that are easily clogged. Keep these clear.

Again, prevention is the key. If the seas arerough, or the weather report predicts a blow, doyourself a favor, leave the boat tied to the docksand stay home. Build a big fire in your fireplace,rent a movie and crack open a bottle of brandy.It’ll be much more fun that bouncing around outthere getting wet. If you do find yourself in a poorweather situation, try to run downhill, that iswith the wind behind you - even if you have togo into port other than your home port, or stayon the hook in a protected anchorage of an off-shore island to wait out the weather. Better thatthan turning yourself into another statistic. If youare headed downwind and the seas are breakingover your stern, you may have to turn into theweather and back your power down to just steer-ageway. The bow of your boat is capable of han-dling much more punishment than your transom.

Safety PracticesOf major importance in operating safely is

to maintain your gear. This means inspecting thesafety related equipment regularly, and make anextra inspection just before any major cruises areplanned. Some things to check include:

Lines - Make sure all dock lines are in good shape,flexible and not frayed.

Anchor Rode - Check for abrasions, good con-nections, and that all shackles are secure andwired to be sure they don’t come undone. Besure to check your spare anchor as well (YouDO carry a spare anchor and rode don’t you?)

PFDs - Check all PFDs for condition. Make sure

they are easily accessible (unlocked lockers?)Make sure they don’t have any rips, tears, orare waterlogged or moldy. Ensure there areenough and of the proper size for everyoneaboard. Also check that you have a throwablePFD handy in case someone goes overboard.

Signaling Equipment - Check your flares to beof the proper type and not out of date. Makssure also, that you have both day and nightsignaling equipment.

Fire Extinguishers - Check your fire extinguish-ers. Make sure the gauges show the pressuresare in the proper (green) range. Tip the extin-guisher upside down, and listen or feel the pow-der loosely cascading to the opposite end.

Pumps - Check your pumps. Make sure they allfunction and are maintained properly. Checkthe input screens to make sure they’re clear ofdebris.

Fuel System - Check all fuel connections andlines to be sure they are dry and leak free.

Thru Hull Fittings - Cycle all valves to makesure they shut off freely and can be reached inan emergency.

Electrical system - Make sure you have sparefuses, that all lights and horn operates, and thatthe battery terminal connections are clean anddry.

Operating your Boat SafelyAnother vital aspect of boating safety is op-

erating the vessel in a safe manner. Some impor-tant things to always remember to safely operatea boat include:

Know the Rules of the Road.

Don’t operate you vessel in reckless manner, orwhen impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Be cognizant of both the current weather andthe forecasted upcoming weather. If the weathergets bad, stay or head home.

Familiarize yourself with the proper, safe proce-dures for refueling your vessel.

42

Get trained on navigation and continually honeyour skills.

Some Suggested Safety Electronic Equip-ment

When venturing out to sea on a small boat,modern electronic equipment is almost a neces-sity for safety. While you should never rely solelyon your electronics, having the proper equip-ment makes your experience a much safer one.Some highly suggested equipment includes:

VHF Radio - One is important - two not toomany. With a VHF you can contact the CoastGuard, in the event of an emergency, VesselAssist, if you break down, another boat, or tomake telephone calls to land lines. These dayswith cell phones, this once popular use foryour VHF isn’t used nearly as much, but re-member, a VHF has far more range than mostcell phones.

GPS - A Global Positioning System (GPS) is con-sidered indispensable these days as a primaryelectronic navigational tool. The older RadioDirection Finder (RDF) stations have beennearly all shut down, and the Long Range Ra-dio Navigation (LORAN) system is scheduledto become obsolete in 2005, leaving GPS as theonly electronic navigation system remaining.The good news is that GPS is extremely accu-rate and reliable.

Radar - Not a must, but having a radar system tocut through the fog and locate other boats,buoys, shorelines, and other possible obstruc-tions is sure nice most times of the year. Oftenfog banks can move in quickly and leave youwithout visibility - making radar a safety issue.

Vessel Assistance ServicesYou may also elect to join a towing service,

such as “Vessel Assist” or “Sea Tow.” Both ofthese services work like the automobile club, youpay a fixed fee to join and use the service only ofyou need it. If you break down or have a non-emergency problem, all you need to do is call upyour service either on a cell phone or on VHF

channel 16, and they’ll be out to assist you. Theseservices are NOT free mobile gas docks. Thereis no excuse for running out of fuel.

California Required EquipmentSailboats and Manually Propelled Vessels

Personal Flotation Devices:Vessels less than 16 feet in length, and all

canoes and kayaks, regardless of length, mustcarry one Type I, II, III or V Coast Guard ap-proved personal flotation device for each personon board. They must be readily accessible andof a suitable size for the intended wearer.

Vessels 16 feet and over, except canoes andkayaks, must have one Type I, II, III, or V CoastGuard-approved wearable device for each per-son aboard, plus at least one Type IV throwabledevice. The throwable device must be kept whereit is immediately available. Wearable devices mustbe of a suitable size for the intended wearer.

Navigation Lights:All vessels are required to display navigation

lights between sunset and sunrise and duringtimes of restricted visibility. In inland and inter-national waters, sailing vessels under sail aloneshall exhibit navigation lights.

A vessel under oars may display those lightsprescribed for sailing vessels or have ready at handan electric torch or lighted lantern showing awhite light which shall be exhibited in sufficienttime to prevent collision.

Sound Signaling Devices:A vessel of less than 39 feet 4 inches (12

meters) is not required to carry a whistle or bell,but must be able to provide some other meansof making an efficient sound signal.

Visual Distress Signals:Boats less than 16 feet, manually propelled

craft of any size, sailboats under 26 feet, of com-pletely open construction and not equipped withpropulsion machinery, and boats competing inan organized marine parade, regatta, race, or simi-lar event are only required between sunset andsunrise to carry aboard devices that are suitablefor night use.

43

Motorboats

Personal Flotation Devices:One Type I, II, III, or V Coast

Guard-approved wearable personal flotation de-vice must be carried for each person aboard.They must be readily accessible and of a suitablesize for the intended wearer. In addition, the ves-sel must carry an approved Type IV throwabledevice which should be immediately available.

Fire Extinguisher:One Type B-I Coast Guard-approved fire

extinguisher must be carried when no fixed fireextinguishing system is installed in machineryspaces. Extinguishers are not required for out-board motorboats less than 26 feet in length andof open construction. No portable extinguish-ers are required if an approved fixed fire extin-guishing system is installed in machinery spaces.

Backfire Flame Arrester:A Coast Guard-approved backfire flame ar-

rester is required for inboard gasoline motorswhich are not exposed to the atmosphere abovethe level of the gunwale.

Muffling System:An effective muffling system is required for

the exhaust of each internal combustion engine.Unmodified outboards usually meet legal require-ments.

Sound Signaling Devices:A vessel of less than 39 feet 4 inches (12

meters) must be able to provide a means of mak-ing an efficient sound signal but is not requiredto carry a whistle or bell.

Visual Distress Signals (Coastal WatersOnly):

All boats 16 feet or more in length mustcarry devices aboard at all times. Boaters mustcarry: EITHER a) devices that are suitable forday use and devices suitable for night use, OR b)devices that can be used for both day and nightuse.

Navigation Lights:Navigation lights must be kept in service-

able condition and be displayed between sunsetand sunrise and at times of restricted visibility.

44

About the Author

Jeff Spira has been a boater, sailor, commerical fishermanand sea explorerfor all of his life. He works as a navalarchitect and marine engineer in Southern California andwrites on a wide variety of marine topics.

Ever Consider Building a Boat?

It's easier and less expensive than you probably imagine. If you're modestly adept at using simple wood-working tools, can devote a few days a month, and can come up with just a few dollars a week, you couldbe experiencing the fun and satisfaction of building and using your own boat.

Spira International publishes easy-to-build plans to build a wide ramge of boat styles, both power and sail,in sizes from 7 ft. (2M) to 32 feet (10M) All are well within the capabilities of first-time boat builders usingreadily available, inexpensive construction grade materials. See the entire range of boat plans at:

http://www.SpiraInternational.com