Safety & Seamanship

Bluewater Sailors Review Tethers Underway

Practical Sailor had a chance to compare how three common snap hooks and three tether types function in actual use on a passage from Boston to Bermuda. Testers evaluated the pros and cons of elastic tethers and non-elastic tethers, double-legged tethers, single-leg tethers, the new Kong snap hooks, carabineer-style safety clips, and the Gibb-style clip. The Wichard elastic single-leg tether (nearly identical to our 2007 tether test favorite from West Marine, the West Marine 6-foot elastic tether with Wichards double-action hook at the deck end) was unanimously preferred over the non-elastic tether. Testers also preferred the Kong snap hooks over the others.

Hobie Mirage i12s Inflatable Kayak

Alright, we know what youre thinking: A pedal boat in Practical Sailor? Thats what we thought, too, when Hobie sent us the Mirage i12s in response to our search for an inflatable kayak that could serve as a secondary tender for a cruising sailboat. The 12-foot PVC hull has overlapping glued and welded seams and a slick, abrasion-resistant bottom. The chambers are inflated to a modest 3 to 5 psi (compared to the 6.5 psi for the Walker Bay Airex reviewed in July 2008), which limits stiffness. For the tropics, PS prefers Hypalon to PVC, but that would add weight and push the price up. The hull carries a two-year warranty, not enough for an $1,800 boat (MSRP), in our opinion. Five years would be our minimum. The stern of the boat has bungee cords and an area for lashing down a dry bag, tackle box, or snorkel gear, but potential for provisioning runs is limited. A compartment in the bow will hold small items. To our chagrin, the space was too small to easily stow the hand pump. What sets this boat apart is the drive system. This is not your Camp Hiawatha paddle boat.

The Search for Reliable Hands-free Onboard Communication Systems

Being able to communicate with a hands-free communication device along the length of the deck allows crew to coordinate activities like anchoring, docking, and going up the mast. Practical Sailor testers experimented with two systems: Motorola SX800R two-way radios and Nautic Devices Yapalong 3000. Both the Motorola and the Yapalong comprise a cell-phone-sized transmitter/radio unit and a separate handset. We tested them during anchoring, masthead repairs, and docking. The products were used with their mated headsets in various weather and sea conditions, including light rain and spray. The Motorola unit also was tested with a compatible Fire Fox Sportsman Throat Mic.

Mailport: 04/09

I read with interest your evaluation of first aid kits, which wrapped up with the final installment in the December 2008 issue. Id like to add a couple of points: Weekend, cruising, and bluewater sailors should invest in a good up-to-date first aid and CPR course. It is as important as a functional bilge pump. The responsible sailor can outfit a substantial and superior first-aid kit for much less money than a commercially available kit. The kit should be appropriate for the expected duration a victim will need treatment prior to evacuation. Most commercial kits contain a lot of fluff and are unnecessarily redundant-a lot of Band-Aids. I stress to distance sailors stocking a few prescription items and aggressive treatment for seasickness, beyond Bonine. I favor a solid medical text such as "A Comprehensive Guide to Marine Medicine," by Dr. Erick Weiss and Dr. Michael Jacobs, or "Medicine for Mountaineering and other Wilderness Activities," by James Wilkerson. The latter is available from Mountaineer Books. Both texts give guidance on stocking kits appropriate for your boat. Remember, the victim may be the captain or medical officer, and a novice may be the one rendering treatment. A medical guide is an invaluable resource.

Signal Mate Review

Compliance is signaling in restricted visibility. This is why we became interested in Signal Mate and its approach to automating sound and light signaling, a big plus for short-handed sailors. The companys console-mount controller and its portable emergency signaling kit offer great capability and quite a bit more. The easy-to-operate push-button console actuates digital switching circuitry that controls light, and sound signals are pre-programmed to indicate anchoring and making way in low visibility, as well as designating emergency and distress situations. Theres also a capacity to manually control the signaling process, and to select sound, light, or both as signaling options. The unit can connect to the boat horn or other audible device or can be wired to a mast-mounted maneuvering light.

Of Leg Splints and Sani-Bags

During our recent testing of medical kits (June, August, October, and December 2008), four products caught Practical Sailor testers attention. The first is the Sam Splint, developed by Sam Medical Products. A moldable piece of aluminum surrounded by closed cell foam, the Sam splint can be used to quickly immobilize limbs and joints in the case of a fracture or severe sprain. To use, simply shape the splint to surround the injured area and secure it with elastic bandage or tape. Available online through emergency medical suppliers or camping equipment retailers, the Sam splints come in finger-size to femur-size, with a 36 x 4-inch roll (enough to immobilize a lower leg) selling for $13 at Campmor (www.campmor.com).

Heavy Weather Sailing Gear

From sea anchors, drogues, and trysails to forereaching and heaving to, tactics and gear for surviving a storm at sea vary greatly. During a high-latitude circumnavigation, Evans Starzinger and Beth Leonard, aboard their 47-foot Van de Stadt sloop, had several opportunities to test heavy-weather sailing tactics. The couples main storm gear was a Galerider sea drogue, made by sailmakers Hathaway, Reiser and Raymond, is a webbing bowl with a wire hoop. Deploying the drogue involved a bridle of strong nylon lines connected to the Galerider rode via an oversized galvanized swivel. Starzinger and Leonard used the Galerider when running before the wind in gale-force conditions. The drogue helped slow the boat, kept it from surfing down the face of a wave, and provided directional stability, which allowed their autopilot to maintain control. Drogues and other storm-survival gear and tactics are particularly necessary for short-handed crews and boats that tend to surf in heavy weather. Other storm gear for sailboats that Practical Sailor looked at included the Jordan Series drogue and the Seabrake drogue.

Cures for Seasickness

Every onboard first-aid kit should have medication to treat seasick crew. Practical Sailor magazine surveyed sailors about the over-the-counter and prescription drugs they use to treat the nausea, vomiting, and other maladies associated with seasickness and motion sickness. Our review looked at the nine antiemetic medications mentioned in the survey responses, including five typically classified as antihistamines and four prescription drugs. Those sailors surveyed described the effectiveness, dosages, and side effects of seasickness medications. Antihistamines discussed in the survey include Meclizine (sold as Bonine and non-drowsy Dramamine II in the U.S. and SeaLegs in the UK), Dramamine, Marezine, Phenegran, and Stugeron. The prescription seasickness drugs detailed were two scopolamine-based medications: Scopace and Transderm Scopolamine (known as the Patch or the Travel Patch).

EarthNC Software

On a recent boat delivery from Michigan to Florida, I had the opportunity to try out some new computer-based planning software from EarthNC. EarthNC uses Google Earth images to present marine chart data by overlaying the charts on Google Earth satellite images. For $50, EarthNC provided 757 vector-format charts (raster format charts and other packages are also available) for the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and parts of the Caribbean. These charts can be used online or offline. When combined with a USB-connected GPS-and the ooPs (www.goopstechnologies.com) GPS software for Google Earth-EarthNC provides a real-time, moving map experience similar to modern chartplotters. EarthNC also has automatically updating weather maps with data supplied by NOAA.

Skip Allan Says Farewell to His Beloved Wildflower on Transpacific Crossing

Practical Sailors June and July 2008 issues documented veteran West Coast racer Skip Allans preparations for the 2008 Singlehanded TransPac, a race he eventually won. In this tragic epilogue, Skip describes his final days aboard his custom Tom Wylie-designed sloop, Wildflower. After 62 hours gale-force winds, Skip made the decision to leave Wildflower and transfer to a commercial vessel, the MSC Toronoto. Just before boarding the passing container ship, Skip scuttled the boat he called home-one that he built himself 34 years before. Skip describes in this article the weather conditions, what gear and techniques worked well during the storm, what led to his decision to leave Wildflower, and how he boarded a 1,000-foot-long, 125-foot-high container ship in gale conditions.

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