You can tie things with almost any old knot or lots of wraps of the rope, but why should you learn and use boating knots? The 6-8 basic knots are easy to tie, there are good ones for particular uses, they are secure (hold tight and don’t come undone), and they’re relatively easy to untie after being put under a strain. Eight basic knots are the bowline, a stopper knot for the end of a line, a clove hitch, a cleat hitch, a sheet bend, a square knot, a round turn and two half-hitches, and the rolling hitch. See the photos on p. 230 of the Mariner’s Guide, and read more about knots on p. 231.There are phone apps that teach knot tying, so you can practice after you’ve checked your email on your smart phone. A good knot tying website (with phone apps and other goodies) is www.animatedknots.com.
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When you have someone work on your boat, either a paid technician or a friend or relative, always check when the job is completed that it was done right and to your expectations. You don’t have to know how to do the task yourself, but you should have at least a basic understanding of what needs to be done. It’s important to discuss in detail what you want before the work begins; write it down or have a technician write it on a work order. Ask questions so you will understand what work will and will not be performed. Don’t assume that something will be done if it isn’t written down. When the job is done, ask the person who did the work to show you and explain what he or she did. Before you operate the boat check that whatever was worked on operates properly and any problems were corrected. Check the level of the engine oil and other engine fluids, if those were changed. Sometimes the person forgets to replace the fluid after draining it or puts in too little or too much. Even professional marine technicians or skilled friends or relatives can forget something. Take the time to check before you take the boat out on the water.
The Navigation Rules apply to all vessels on the high seas “and in all waters connected to the high seas that are navigable by seagoing vessels.” All vessels that are propelled by machinery, such as personal watercraft, small outboard-powered boats, a canoe with an electric trolling motor, etc. must observe the rules for power-driven vessels. Sailing vessels under sail alone must observe the rules for encountering other sailing vessels. If a sailboat under sail overtakes a power-driven vessel, it must stay out of the way of the power-driven vessel. When a sailboat turns on its outboard motor or engine, even with the sails up, it becomes a power-driven vessel. These are just a few of the rules which all boaters who operate on the waters where the rules apply must learn. There’s a lot to study: first learn Rules 12-18, Conduct of Vessels in Sight of One Another, and Rule 34, Sound Signals for Vessels in Sight of One Another. When you’ve mastered these rules, move on to required lights and dayshapes (Rules 23-31), and then study Rule 35 for sound signals in restricted visibility. Keep a plastic reference card with lights, dayshapes, and sound signals near the helm to help you remember. The text of the rules is available at www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=navRulesContent.
Safety lessons. After boating accidents, investigations are conducted and reports are issued. Government authorities, such as the Coast Guard, the department of transportation marine division, and/or the police may be involved. Private groups, such as committees of boating experts, race committees, and organizations involved in sail and powerboat racing and cruising may also conduct investigations. Their reports give details and useful information, providing safety guidance for all boaters. Reading about accidents may give the impression that boating is a particularly dangerous sport, but remember that safe days on the water usually are not reported in the press.  The WingNuts capsize, Chicago-Mackinac Race (July 2011).
The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Island is a 333-mile race sailed on Lake Michigan. WingNuts was a Kiwi 35 sport boat (a racing sailboat), the design of which made her have low stability or resistance to capsize. The vessel was crewed by eight competent sailors. This blog post discusses only the safety lessons learned from the accident, not the suitability of the yacht’s design, which is analyzed in the full report. Around 2300 local time, “during a thunderstorm with winds in the range of 50kn and waves of 4-6ft/1-2m, the boat was blown over and capsized, turning turtle. There was no time to send a distress signal. Five members of the eight-man crew were able to release themselves from the vessel, one was able to swim out of the cabin to the surface, and two were unable to do so and died. The Coroner’s report lists head injuries as the cause of death. The two fatalities very likely occurred within a few minutes of the capsize . . . as these sailors were helpless due to their injuries.” These were the first deaths in a sailing accident in the 103-year history of this race. Aided by the personal lights and whistles of the surviving crewmembers, Sociable, a 40ft competing sailboat with a crew of 12, rescued the six survivors, who were standing on and clinging to the overturned hull. At the same time, communications with the Coast Guard were established by Sociable and other yachts, and the CG became involved in the rescue. Lessons learned: “While the Chicago-Mac racers are required to carry either a life raft or an EPIRB, it was two SPOT Personal Satellite Messengers that first alerted the families and the Coast Guard to the trouble on WingNuts. [Two persons] each carried the small satellite communicator and each activated their SPOT after the capsize. This proved to be an effective means of alerting their parents and the Coast Guard, within a few minutes, via services provided by SPOT and [the] GEOS [satellite system].” In addition to SPOT, other non-traditional forms of communication were used during the storm and rescue, including cell phone calls, text messages, and Facebook. Boaters should be as vigilant about possible about impending severe weather events so they can prepare. The approach of severe local weather at night may be particularly difficult to ascertain, without having several means of receiving weather information, and sometimes localized severe weather may arrive so rapidly that there’s almost no time to take action. The report from Sociable about their rescue efforts has some good information:
Mackinac Capsize and Fatalities, see http://about.ussailing.org/US_SAILING_Meetings/USS_Reports.htm. There are many interesting and instructive details. [The quotations above are from this report.] The WingNuts photo was taken by Mark Morley. My short list is duct tape, spare pieces of rope and light line, WD-40® or similar, a sharp knife, drinking water, a basic first aid kit, a survival blanket, a simple tool kit or a multi-tool, and lifejackets for everyone aboard. I’d take these things even in a canoe or kayak. If there’s cell phone coverage, add a mobile phone, and if there’s VHF coverage I’d add a small waterproof VHF/DSC radio. Of course, also check the Coast Guard’s list of required equipment for the type and size of the boat. Please share your basic list.
Whether it’s a jacket, sweater, shirt, or foul weather gear, upper body clothing and lifejackets worn on a boat should be a bright, visible color. Black, gray, brown, blue, green, camouflage, and even white can be hard to see on a person in the water. The crewmembers take precautions not to fall overboard, but if someone does, it helps if he or she is wearing a very visible color, such as orange, red, or yellow. Clothing worn at night on deck should have reflective tape patches on the shoulders, chest, and around the wrists of a jacket, so a spotlight can see people working on deck or if they fall into the water. You can add reflective tape to some fabrics (use SOLAS-approved tape; buy it at a boating store), or use this as a good excuse to buy some brightly-colored, new boating duds that already have reflective safety patches
Safety lessons. After boating accidents, investigations are conducted and reports are issued. Government authorities, such as the Coast Guard, the department of transportation marine division, and/or the police may be involved. Private groups, such as committees of boating experts, race committees, and organizations involved in sail and powerboat racing and cruising may also conduct investigations. Their reports give details and useful information, providing safety guidance for all boaters. Reading about accidents may give the impression that boating is a particularly dangerous sport, but remember that safe days on the water usually are not reported in the press.  Small boat sailing accident, Chesapeake Bay
On June 23, 2011 near the mouth of the Severn River in Annapolis, Maryland a series of otherwise minor events conspired to lead to a small boat capsize that claimed the life of a young sailor. The boat was a Club 420 one-design, a 13’9,” 240 lb. sailing racing dinghy, crewed by two teenage women. The 420 “has been the standard North American class for sailors between the ages of about 12 and 21, [and it’s] used in many intercollegiate sailing and yacht club junior programs.” Experienced 420 sailors use a trapeze and spinnaker. The two young women aboard were members of the Severn Sailing Association (SSA) sponsored Chesapeake Racers Club 420 travel team. In prior years both sailors had been had been trained to right capsized Optimist dinghies, and the crewmember had been trained to right 420s without trapeze equipment. The righting of intentionally capsized one-designs is a routine practice exercise. The boat crews were wearing U.S. Coast Guard-approved Type III vest-type lifejackets. The wind at the time was 5-10kn, with gusts to 12kn and shifting. The 420s were practicing spinnaker and trapeze work this day, under the supervision of instructors operating nearby from motorized boats. On the young women’s sailboat “the spinnaker was about half-way down and the wind shifted, accidentally jibing the boat. The boom swung across the cockpit, pressing the crewmember outboard and forward. [The skipper] heard her crew woman say, ‘I’m stuck on something.’ There was no indication of distress.” The boat went far over on its side, and “continued to roll until the mainsail was in the water. [The skipper] expected that her crew would swim out from behind the mainsail, as she had been trained to do . . . “ but she did not. The young sailor was discovered under the boat, floating in a vertical position, entangled in the trapeze, apparently unconscious. A nearby coach immediately approached the boat, radioed for additional assistance, and worked diligently to free the victim. Concurrently, another instructor phoned 911. Once the trapped sailor was retrieved from the water, other coaches immediately performed CPR and proceeded to the U.S. Naval Academy's seawall, which was the nearest point of land, to meet the emergency response team. Unfortunately, [she] could not be resuscitated.” On July 6, 2011, the Severn Sailing Association held a meeting in Annapolis with the United States Sailing Association to discuss the incident with its officers and staff, to help everyone determine what might be done to prevent another such tragedy. The accident was thoroughly reviewed by a panel of experts and a report issued on October 22, 2011. Some of the findings:
For the complete 24-page PDF, Inquiry into the Sailing Accident at Annapolis, Maryland, June 23, 2011 see http://about.ussailing.org/US_SAILING_Meetings/USS_Reports.htm. There are many instructive details. [The quotations above are from this report.] The photo of the Club 420 is from website of the Buzzards Sailing School, www.buzzardssailing.org. If you have little or no experience on the water, no matter what size boat you have or plan to buy, first take your state or country’s basic boating instruction course, which is usually offered online. In some states or countries you are required to have an operator’s card to operate a boat, which you get by taking a required course. See www.boaterexam.com for information about basic U.S. and Canadian courses. Follow the basic course with on-the-water training on your boat, or on a boat similar to what you have or plan to buy. If your boating area is on the coast or on a large lake, take a basic navigation course. Some of this instruction is free or low-cost. Do an Internet search, read boating magazines, and ask at a local boat club about other courses and opportunities to learn. See learning to operate a boat, p. 235 in the Mariner’s Guide.
All of us tend to go down the work list and choose the things that are the most interesting or easiest, leaving the boring, difficult or nasty stuff until later (or never, in some cases). Prioritize the list, putting safety first. Safety-related items include many things that are not on a safety gear checklist: clean fuel filters, replace old or damaged ropes and rigging, check the navigation lights, check the operation of the bilge pumps, update electronic or paper charts, make sure the cockpit drains are clear, replace rusty anchor chain, check the accuracy of the compass – the list could go on and on, and it does.
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AuthorPriscilla Travis spends more than 110 days each year on the water, takes photos, and writes about nautical topics. Archives
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