If you are anything like most sailors, most of your sailing takes place inside of the breakwaters. And that means you will deal with all kinds of working vessels like dredges or construction barges. Will it be enough to just "go around" these super dangerous vessels? That might work for a while, but soon enough you could find yourself hard aground or with a twisted rudder or propeller. Learn these simple sailing tips to keep your sailing crew and sailboat safe on the busy waters of the world!
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? Read on to avoid damage to your hull, keel, rudder, or propeller and shaft now!
How to Find the Clear Path by Day
Dayshapes--which are geometric shapes hoisted on a spare halyard--are used to indicate the status or type of work of another vessel. You will want to know what certain dayshapes mean to avoid grounding, damage to your boat, or injury to your sailing crew or partner. Navigation Rule 27 requires any vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver--which means she will be unable to get out of another vessels way because of her work--to show a black ball over a black diamond over a black ball by day. This must be hoisted high in the rigging so that it can be seen from any location. In addition, those vessels doing underwater construction must show dayshapes to indicate the dangerous side and dayshapes to indicate the "clear to pass" side. Remember this memory key "balls are bad; diamonds are delightful." Vessels engaged in underwater construction show two black balls on the danger side (Bad) and two black diamonds on the clear side (delightful). How to Find the Clear Path by Night Use extra caution when sailing or powering at night. Learn to recognize the lights that indicate a vessel restricted in its ability to maneuver. They are one red all-around-light, over one white all-around-light, over one red all-around-light; all shown in a vertical line. Red over white over red. If you sail or cruise you may see this display. Remember that this signal by itself always indicates that this vessel will be unable to maneuver without extreme difficulty. If you are under sail or power, stay clear to avoid damage or risk of collision. Stop or heave to if necessary once you sight a vessel that shows red-white-red. I cannot emphasize this single point enough. Understand the rest of the story before you proceed. Look for additional lights that tell you more about them. Realize that some tug boats show this configuration, as do vessels servicing aids to navigation, launching or recovering aircraft, or diving. And so do those engaged in underwater dredging or pipe laying. Those engaged in underwater dredging or operations--in addition to the lights described for a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver--must show: Two red all around lights in a vertical line to indicate the danger side. Final Thoughts... One of our instructors at the Chapman School came across a construction barge in the St. Lucie river near the inlet late one afternoon. The barge appeared to have hoisted the proper dayshapes: ball-diamond-ball along with the additional two balls and two diamonds. But--something just didn't look right! So, my friend brought the boat to a stop, broke out the binocular and scanned left and right. Funny thing was, the barge was dredging on the side with the diamonds hoisted. My friend called the barge skipper on the radio to ask what was going on. And sure enough, the barge skipper had forgotten to shift dayshapes when they turned the barge around. Just another example of the old "trust but verify" mantra. When in doubt stop or heave to. Communicate with the other vessel. If necessary, find another route or at nighttime, wait until daylight if in doubt. It could save you a hole in the hull, a cracked keel or rudder, or damaged propeller or shaft. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Learn to sail like a pro when you recognize the most important navigation lights used by special vessels to indicate danger or safety. Gain the confidence you need to sail day or night on the waters of the world--and keep your sailing crew safe and sound--wherever in the world you choose to cruise! Don Launer Reveals the Mystery Behind
"Celestial Tides" Many factors go into creating tides, but the primary ones are the gravitational effects of the Moon and the Sun.. Even though the sun's mass is 26 million times that of the moon, the moon is 400 times closer, so it is the major force in creating tides. Because of its closeness, its gravitational pull is over two times that of the sun, so that our tides usually "follow the moon," but are modified somewhat by the gravitation of the sun.
These are called semidiurnal tides. One of these semidiurnal high tides each day is when the moon is overhead and the other is when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth. There are a few places on earth, such as parts of the Gulf of Mexico, where there is only one tide-change each day, due to local coastal and bathymetric configurations. These are diurnal tides. Mixed tides ("diurnal inequality") are an amalgam of the two, where one daily tide is stronger than the other.
The moon rotates around the earth so that it passes over the same longitude about once every 24 hours, 50 minutes and 28 seconds. This means that at any given location, celestial tides, that is, those created by the moon and sun, occur fifty minutes and 28 seconds later every day. If you see high tide at 9 A.M. Monday morning, you can expect a high tide to occur about 9:50 A.M. Tuesday morning, and about 10:40 A.M. Wednesday morning, and so forth. Due to several variables (the shape of continents and estuaries; the depths of the sea beds; the frictional drag between the water and the earth; the Coriolis effect; changes in the moon's orbital plane; etc.), the difference in time from when the moon passes a certain point's longitude and when that point experiences high tide is called the lunitidal interval, or high-water interval. The low-water interval is the time difference from the moon's meridian crossing till the next low tide.
When the sun and the moon are in line with the earth, which happens at the time of a new moon or a full moon, the gravitational pull is greater than average, and so-called spring tides occur. In this case, spring does not refer to the time of year but rather the welling-up of the water, as from a spring. When the sun and the moon are at right angles to the earth, with the moon in its first or third quarter, the gravitational pulls of the moon and sun tend to cancel out slightly, and we have less than average, or neap tides. Tides can have a great influence on a cruising sailor's plans. A good example is the tide in the East River, off New York Harbor, where heading against an opposing tidal-flow is nearly impossible, and a passage with the flow in your favor can double your speed. Skipper Opportunities ~ Schooner "Eastwind" Needs Skippers!
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Deal Specs: Save up to 32%*. * Savings and discounts described above are in effect at the time of this newsletter issue. Did You Miss the Latest Member's Sailing Articles?
Sailing Skipper's Quotable Quotes...
Two green all around lights in a vertical line to indicate the clear side.
Donald Launer has held a US Coast Guard captain's license for over 35 years and has written more than 300 magazine articles and 6 books on boating, including "Navigation Through the Ages", and "The Galley: How Things Work Plus Upgrading Ideas". For 15 years Captain Launer was Field Editor for the yearly Waterway Guide, and he is currently the Contributing Editor for Good Old Boat Magazine. He has won two Emmy Awards for his work as Technical Director of TV coverage at the Olympics.
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New FREE Members eBook - "Navigation Rules Made Easy!"
April 18, 2013 ~ Howling wind, driving rain squall, or fog thicker than a bowl
of New England chowder! No matter where you sail, you will want to know the top sailing tips and techniques to keep your sailing crew safe and sound in sailing challenges like these. And, you'll need to be able to "de-code" sounds, signals, lights and shapes, and take the best action to avoid catastrophe day or night on the busy waters of the world. Click the link to download Captain John's newest, member's eBook for safer sailing anywhere in the world!...
//www.skippertips.com/snip/1106.htm Sailing Navigation - How to Sail Down a GPS "Lat-Long Line"
April 16, 2013 ~ Rocky shoals to the right. Coral heads to the left. And your destination lies six miles on the other side of this "ship killing" pass. How can you take your small cruising sailboat through with calm confidence and navigational know-how? Use your GPS as a backup navigation method along with careful coastal chart plotting. Read this excerpt from the eBook "Coastal Navigation Quick-Tips" to discover one of the niftiest navigation techniques in all of sailing...
//www.skippertips.com/members/1705.cfm Money Saving Sailing Tips - The #1 Secret to Mainsail Reefing!
April 11, 2013 ~ Pop-Pop-Pop!!! We heard them before we saw them. Broken sail slugs popping like firecrackers. And then we saw what no sailor wants to see--the sail seam ripped from luff to leech. The mainsail, now shredded and torn, clung to our mast and boom by slivers of sail cloth, as we flew down the narrow channel in gusty "near-gale force" winds. Use this fast, easy sailing solution to protect your expensive mainsail from a similar fate...
//www.skippertips.com/members/1702.cfmMake These Seven Sailboat Diesel Checks After Startup!
April 9, 2013 ~ You turn the key, push the diesel engine starter button and your engine starts just like you expect it to. But did you realize that you still have seven quick checks to make that could spell the difference between a trouble free day on the water or a long, slow tow back to the marina dock? Follow these seven secret tips from marine diesel guru Peter Compton...
//www.skippertips.com/members/1699.cfmSailing Navigation's #1 Guide to Sailing Safety!
April 4, 2013 ~ Follow this sailing skipper's guide to the letter and you will know how to protect your sailing crew, partner, and sailboat wherever you sail. Matter of fact, famed author and sailor Dr. David Burch has said "The book of 'Navigation Rules' is in many ways the most important book in navigation." Enjoy this exclusive excerpt from the soon-to-be-released brand new eBook "Navigation Rules Made Easy!" ...
//www.skippertips.com/members/1688.cfm