Safety & Seamanship

As an avid climber I pay attention to my aches and pains. To blindly ignore them puts myself and others at risk. The same is true for sailing.

We often get questions about anchoring rights. While it is commonly understood that the first boat arriving in an anchorage has privileges, many see this as a matter of etiquette, but it is also a legal issue. The below citations are from the case Juniata 124 F. 861 US Admiralty Court, E.D. Virginia, 1903. Other rulings we reviewed generally agree.]

When we had a larger boat and made offshore hops, conventional ditch bag thinking made sense. But when I downsized to a 24-foot trimaran, it dawned on me that with just a little adjustment, my day bag could ably serve my near-shore sailing needs. (See What to Pack in a Ditch Kit, PS May 2014, Abandon Ship Bags: Dont Leave the Boat Without Them, PS March 2001, and Bags Fit for Sea Life, PS December 2012, and The Get Home Toolkit, October 2018.)

A closer look inside a ditch bag for the coastal daysailer

A personal rescue strobe is a small signaling light intended to be attached to a PFD so if a boat crew member goes overboard, their position will be visible to those left on board. Since we last looked at personal rescue strobes theres been some new developments in the intensity of the light that can be generated from a small handheld strobe (see PS February 2016). Strobes can be manual or automatic (water activated) and…

Gas detectors are not magic gadgets, quantifying specific chemicals and then alarming when they reach a precise level. Because of the simplicity of the detection algorithm, sensors are subject to interferences from other gases, some harmless and some that are themselves a problem.

When we read about a sailor lost overboard in the storm, we think about PFDs and personal locator beacons, and accept the sea is unforgiving. When we read of novice boaters drowning in a local lake, were sad, but say that will not happen us because we wear PFDs. But when we read of a PFD-equipped sailor falling overboard and dying within minutes its a real eye-opener.

Should you find yourself cast in icy water, there are few things you can do that may help.

Nearly one year ago, the Volvo Ocean Race boat Sun Hung Kai-Scallywag was deep in the Southern Ocean bound from Auckland, New Zealand to Itajai, Brazil when 47-year-old John Fisher was thrown overboard during an accidental jibe. (Fishers tether was unclipped at the time of the accident as he moved between stations.)

Good seamanship is the cornerstone of safety at sea, and its best allies are a seaworthy vessel and an able crew.