In Today's Issue:
* It's Your Call, Skipper! ~ Are You Ready for These Unexpected "Sailing Storms"?
* Sailing Master Secrets ~ Don Launer's Sailboat Propeller Guide for Skippers
* Video-of-the-Week ~ Do You Know These "Collision Rules"?
* Did You Miss the Latest Member's Sailing Articles?
* Deal-of-the-Week ~ Save Over 38% on Mustang Survival Gear!
* Sailing Skipper's Quotable Quotes
* Recommended Reading for Sailing Season 2012
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"It's Your Call, Skipper!"
Are You Ready for These Unexpected "Sailing Storms"?
to face the unexpected "storms" that you can expect to encounter...
anytime you cast off your docking lines to go sailing?
Whether you day sail on a lazy Sunday afternoon, race 'round the buoys',
or cruise over the horizon to distant lands you've dreamed about...
you can bet on the fact that these storms will appear.
Read on for this 2000 year old piece of advice...
to take your sailing safety to the next level and beyond!
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In 335 B.C., the Greek historian and philosopher Xenophon came upon a Phoenician ship tied up alongside the wharf. He saw a young seaman with gear spread about the deck and he asked him what he was doing.
To which the young sailor replied: "I am looking to see whether anything is out of order. There will be no time to look for what is missing or out of place when a storm comes up at sea."
A storm doesn't need to be one of just blustery sailing weather. It could be an engine that fails as you enter a marina or an anchor that drags in the middle of the night.
It could be that mainsail that needed an inspection a while back. Did you notice that broken stitching near the foot? All of a sudden, it rips across its seam as you're sailing down the channel in a brisk wind.
Or maybe your electronic chart plotter goes on the blink after a power surge when you're threading your way through a shoal infested lagoon.
Do you have your navigational chart pre-plotted with courses, emergency anchorages, and highlighted dangers?
How can we sailors best prepare ourselves to meet these challenges "...when a storm comes up at sea"? Here are three tips to guide you to handle most any situation that crosses your path...
Adopt a "What If?" Sailing Skipper's Mindset
What if the mainsail halyard parts in a strong breeze? Do you have a secondary method to hoist the main already in place--such as a strong topping-lift?
On one delivery trip I crewed on, one of the crew made rounds of the deck and checked the standing and running rigging.
And discovered a sheet lead block under heavy load with the shackle pin backed out almost all the way (see photo of this block).
If this had failed, the result could have been catastrophic. The fitting would go flying and anyone in the way could have sustained serious injury.
We had forgotten to mouse the shackle pin to the shackle body. The slippery stainless pin had backed out under the normal vibration and loading while sailing.
Lesson learned? Check every shackle pin on every block on every fitting and make sure the pins are tight and secured. Shackles under high load should be moused with seizing wire or nylon ties to the body to prevent failure.
Have Two Sailing Backup Plans in Place
Keep more than one backup plan ready to put into play in an instant. If you come into a marina under power, you also need to have your marine anchor ready to get over the side in less than ten seconds (first plan). If that fails, you need to have a second plan worked out. For example...
How many times have you seen sailboats enter a marina with their mainsail covered and the main halyard tied off? Bad plan! Keep your mainsail ready to hoist within seconds every moment that you are underway. It will get you to windward in a pinch--not that furling headsail.
Make 90% of Your Sailing Preparations Ashore
How many times have you gotten underway without spending the time to go through a personal checklist? Make it a habit to check your oil, transmission fluid, stuffing box, intake seacock, coolant level, hoses, and belts--before you cast off or weigh anchor.
Before you cast off those lines, thread your tack and clew reefing lines through the first set of reef grommets in your mainsail. And check every cotter pin on every piece of standing and sailing rigging on deck.
Remember that Phoenician seaman of long ago. Plant what he said in your mind. Preparations are everything. The best sailing skippers, powerboat skippers, and professional mariners in the world use these same secrets to become the best of the best. So can you!
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Use a "what if" mindset to boost your skipper skills above and beyond the ordinary. You will build the confidence and skills to be prepared to handle any unexpected situation "...when a storm comes up at sea".
Members can access the eBooks Sailing Skipper's Pre-Sail Guide Book and Skipper's Boat Check Sheets
for an inspection guide and ready-to-use boat equipment check sheets with check-off boxes. Ready-to-print and use aboard any boat. Use them each time before you get underway to keep those "unexpected storms" to a minimum!
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Video-of-the-Week ~ Do You Know These "Collision Rules"?
Did you know that when sailboat uses her engine...
that you become a "power driven" vessel, and must follow...
those Rules that were created for power driven vessels?
Here are three situations you will often encounter when underway.
Make sure your know what to do as a sailing skipper for safety's sake.
Click on the button to the left to watch this sailing skills video now.
Note - This video is formatted to play on any computer or mobile device.
Please allow a few seconds for the video to load onto your personal device.
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Did You Miss the Latest Member's Sailing Articles?
Sailing Safety - Pass this Work Boat the Right Way to Avoid Deadly Danger!
September 6, 2012 ~ If you are anything like most sailors, most of your sailing takes place in sheltered waters. And that means you will deal with all kinds of working vessels like dredges or construction barges. They may be laying pipeline, building an underwater structure, or doing commercial salvage diving. So how do you know which side to pass them on? Better read on to avoid damage to your hull, keel, rudder, or propeller and shaft now!
//www.skippertips.com/members/1399.cfm
Seven Sailing Tips from a Famous Master Seaman on Navigation and Piloting
September 4, 2012 ~ Charles Chapman was a journalist and writer with a passion for all things boating. He shared his profound knowledge, beginning in 1929 with the first edition of Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling. When "Chap" spoke, it was a good thing to stop and listen.....
//www.skippertips.com/members/1396.cfm
Sea Survival Tips - Protect These Six Body Zones!
August 30, 2012 ~ Does your sailing partner or crew know how to protect the six vital "body heat loss zones" if they fall overboard? Even in warm water, this sailing skill could save your life. Make sure that all hands aboard are familiar with this super vital sailing safety survival skill--wherever in the world you choose to go sailing!
//www.skippertips.com/members/1329.cfm
Sailing Navigation Safety - What is "Safe Speed"?
August 28, 2012 ~ Learn to sail like a pro the more you understand the Navigation Rules. Dr. David Burch, famed author and sailor says that the "Navigation Rules are the most important book of navigation". And speed can make a whale of a difference in navigation safety. So, what do the Rules recommend to us about our sailing speed? Read on for one example that made a life or death difference with this single factor!
//www.skippertips.com/members/1339.cfm
Have You Updated Your Float Plan? Make Sure it Includes These!
August 23, 2012 ~ Learn to sail like a pro when you leave a clear, concise float plan with a friend, relative, or neighbor. That way, in case you fail to show up when you say you will, they can contact the authorities with solid information. Rescue teams need this to lay out search routes, plans, teams, and coordinate with different agencies. Make sure you include these seven vital points in any float plan.
//www.skippertips.com/members/1317.cfm
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Deal-of-the-Week ~ Save Up to 38% on Mustang Survival Gear!
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Sailing Skipper's Quotable Quotes...
A good sailor is always studying and learning and asking questions.
-- Hal Roth,
from 'How to Sail Around the World'
from International Marine / McGraw-Hill
"You will be in the hands of an experienced and trusted guide."
-- Daniel Spurr, former senior editor of Cruising World magazine
"It's a great book. The prose is simple and clear."
-- John Vigor, acclaimed author of 12 books on sailing, including
'The Practical Mariner's Book of Knowledge'
"It should be read by anyone contemplating coastal cruising or
blue water voyages."
-- Ted Brewer, famed yacht designer and veteran cruising sailor
Captain John Shares 25+ Years of Experience to Show You How to...
- Complete 90% of your navigation--before you cast off the lines.
- Determine the best "window of opportunity" to transit any inlet.
- Enter an unfamiliar harbor after dark in complete confidence.
- Extend the trouble free service of any size inboard diesel engine.
- Balance any sailing vessel in heavy weather in three easy steps.
- Use "terrain effect" to forecast weather anywhere in the world.
- Control boat emergencies with a simple method called M-A-T-E.
All this and much more. 326 pages tailored to short-handed sailors and crews.
Easy to read and loaded with crystal clear illustrations. Get your copy today!Click On One of These Links to Order Now!
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