Captain John's Sailing Tips
Newsletter #124 ~ October 29, 2011

In Today's Issue:

* It's Your Call, Skipper!
* Sailing Skills Video-of-the-Week
* New Skippertips Site Launch Coming in November!
* Take This Five Second Easy Survey Now!
* Did You Miss the Latest Member's Articles?
* Sailing Skipper's Quotable Quotes

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"It's Your Call, Skipper!"
Use This #1 Technique to Avoid Collisions at Sea!

The English Channel maintains a reputation as one of the busiest shipping lanes on Earth. The Straits of Florida, which run between the Florida Keys and Cuba, are a close second. One of the Coast Guard Captains I served under stated that every conning officer should experience at least a year in the Straits. He said it was as close to baptism under fire as you'd ever experience. He wasn't kidding. Piloting a vessel in the Straits is like riding a bicycle on an expressway. I ended up doing three years there and encountered every situation imaginable. Our 14-knot buoy tender dealt with 20- to 30-knot tankers, cruise ships, tugs and tows, and commercial fishing fleets. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Learn the fast, easy techniques below to keep your crew safe and sound and avoid collisions with other vessels. Follow these steps... Find the Drift Bearing. Determine the potential for a collision with any vessel you sight within your 360 degree field of view. The Navigation Rules require that you determine risk of collision by all available means. This includes sight (your eyes, binoculars) and installed electronics (radar, AIS). Avoid the temptation to use electronics alone unless the visibility shuts down. Make a visual scan of the entire horizon at least once every 10 minutes. In shipping lanes, make more frequent visual scans. Back up each visual scan with a scan of the radar and AIS (if installed). Require the same of your sailing crew on watch. Take a series of bearings--called "drift bearings"--to any sighted vessel. Drift bearings show how another vessel moves relative to your boat. Use a hand bearing compass or binoculars with an integrated bearing compass to shoot drift bearings. Take a bearing on some fixed point of the vessel, like the bow, stern, or at night, a mast light. Shoot three of more drift bearings over a few minutes. Look over the bearings and see if they increase, decrease, or stay the same. Bearings that increase show right bearing drift; those that decrease show left bearing drift. If the bearings stay the same, the vessel has "steady" bearing drift. That indicates a high risk of collision. For example:
You sight a vessel off your port bow. You take a compass bearing on her bow of 010°. A minute or two later you shoot a second bearing to her bow of 013°. A minute or two later, you take a third bearing of 016°. Note how the bearings increase; this vessel has right bearing drift. Find the Drift Rate. Next, determine the rate of drift. If the bearings change at a slow pace (two degrees or less between successive bearings), the vessel has a slow drift rate. If the bearings change at a fast pace (more than two degrees between successive bearings), the vessel has a fast (high) drift rate. Note in the example above, the vessel had a high drift rate--or more than two degrees between successive bearings--so we have a low risk of collision. Does Rapid Drift Rate Ever Indicate Danger? Use extra caution when shooting bearings to huge vessels close by or to tugs with tows (see today's video presentation). The size and proximity of these vessels can show a rapid drift rate. For more accurate determination of drift rate, shoot one end of the vessel--either the bow or stern. Know the "Vessel Situation" Before You Take Action! Realize that--at all times--one of three vessel-to-vessel situations exist: meeting, crossing, or overtaking (see below). This happens each moment you are underway--whether under sail, under auxiliary power, or drifting without any man-made propulsion (i.e. sails or engine). Vessel situations are dynamic, which means one situation can "morph" into another. This can happen in the blink of an eye. Stay alert at all times when you have another vessel in sight within your 360° field of vision. Become familiar with the three vessel situations described below. That way, you are never taken by surprise and will know just what action you need to avoid collision. Meeting Two vessels moving toward each other, end to end--or almost end to end. This includes vessels bow to bow, bow to stern, or stern to stern. For example: Two vessels that face one another almost bow to bow in a narrow channel are meeting. Each vessel stays to one side of the channel. Crossing One vessel moves against the other. Vessels cross from left to right, or from right to left. Most collisions throughout maritime history have happened when one vessel attempted to cross another. Confusion led to collision. Stay extra alert when crossing another boat or if you see another boat or ship that will cross your bow. For safety's sake, always assume that they do not see you! Keep on your toes and be ready for action if necessary to avoid collision. Overtaking A faster vessel coming up from behind a slower vessel. Use caution when sailing in or near large shipping lanes, or in areas like the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean. Big, commercial ships (and small yachts), bound north will often stay near the axis of the Stream where they can pick up an extra 1-3 knots of fair current. Keep an eye out astern anytime you sail anywhere near a shipping lane. These big guys often eat up "liquid real estate" at 20-30 knots and will overtake a small, 6 knot sailboat in no time flat. Be ready for action to avoid collision. "Getting Started" Guide to Avoid Collisions at Sea 1. Find Bearing Drift and Rate. Find bearing drift and rate (see sailing tip box below). Know beyond a shadow of a doubt whether the other vessel will cross ahead or astern of you, or if the threat of a collision exists. Find bearing drift and rate over intervals of a few minutes. Use your hand bearing compass or a pair of binoculars with integrated bearing compass.





2. Determine the Vessel Situation. If the bearing drifts toward our bow, the other vessel will cross ahead of us. If the bearing drifts toward our stern, she'll pass astern of us. If the bearing has little to no drift and remains constant, risk of collision exists. This applies to each of the three vessel situations described earlier. 3. Choose Your Action Plan. Mariners always have one or more ways available for action: change course, change speed, stop. Take action earlier than you think necessary. That way, if things don't work out as planned, you have time to try something else. 4. Make Your Actions Crystal Clear. If you change course, alter your course 60 to 90 degrees, or more. If you change speed, do so in a dramatic way. Make any action crystal clear to the other vessel to avoid confusion. Most collisions result from the inability of one vessel to understand the intentions of another. 5. Track Until "Free and Clear". Watch the other vessel like a hawk, even after they pass your vessel. Continue to monitor the other vessel until they are "free and clear" of you--which means that point where they no longer present a risk of collision, even if they change course. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that you know the first steps in collision avoidance, see the"Related Articles" below to learn the next steps you need to take. Learn how to change course or speed to increase drift bearing rate, sound the correct whistle signals when you need to maneuver, and read a vessel's lights at night to determine risk of collision. All this and much more!. =========================================================================

Captain John's Sailing Skills Video-of-the-Week

You sight a tug up ahead...

and it looks like he's all alone--no tow in site...

but how can you be sure? Did you know that commercial ocean going tugs... often tow vessels a quarter mile or more astern. and their towlines can be invisible even on a clear day? Watch this video to learn the steps for sailing safety.

How to Avoid Danger when Sailing Near a Tugboat!

** Mobile Device Users**
Click on the link above. Click on the icon beneath the main screen.
Please allow 20 to 30 seconds for the video to upload.

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New Skippertips Site Launch Coming in November!

The site is undergoing a complete face-lift and updating. It will be easier to use and site navigation will be a snap. We expect roll-out before November 30, 2011.

As we test things, you may notice changes in panel widths, colors, banners, or links. This should not interfere with your ability to browse or use the site in any way. Shoot me an email right away if you experience any problems. That way, we can correct the issue as soon as possible. ~ Captain John.

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Did You Miss the Latest Member's Articles?

Heavy Weather Sailing - Five Fast Steps to Better Boat Control!
October 27, 2011 ~ Have you ever been caught in heavy sailing weather without having reefed your sails? Learn to sail when the going gets tough with these five super heavy weather sailing secrets from the pros.
//www.skippertips.com/snip/754.htm

How to Tie a Sailing Knot that's Stronger than a Bowline!
October 25, 2011 ~ Did you realize that anytime you tie a sailing knot into a piece of line, the line loses strength? But there's one little-known sailing knot you can learn to tie that's strong, easy to tie, and causes less loss of strength than most other knots.
//www.skippertips.com/snip/753.htm

Boat Anchoring Tips - This Anchoring Table will Shock You!
October 24, 2011 ~ If you are anything like me, nothing beats boat anchoring when cruising. But...for peace-of-mind, you will need to know your "THP". Learn about this forgotten factor now.
//www.skippertips.com/snip/752.htm

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Sailing Skipper's Quotable Quotes...

Foremost among the seaman's arts is the skill to manage and minimize risk by anticipating danger.

-- John Rousmaniere,
author of 'Fastnet, Force 10'

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"SEAMANSHIP SECRETS"
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

"Written so clearly that navigation and seamanship will be comprehensible to anyone."
-- Dave and Jaja Martin, circumnavigators and authors

"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!

  
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About the Author
Captain John was a search and rescue skipper, ship driver, navigator, and master training specialist in the US Coast Guard for more than 20 years. He later directed the seamanship and chart navigation departments at the acclaimed Chapman School of Seamanship in Florida. He holds master and mate licenses for both power and sail.

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Related Articles

• Sailing Skipper Recognition Guide to the Three "Vessel Situations"
• How to Learn those Crazy Navigation Rules for Low Visibility