Safety & Seamanship

Sailing is actually getting easier as I get older, in part because I make fewer mistakes, but also because I’ve added some old fart...

We now have permanent research satellites in orbit whose sole function is to monitor and study global lightning activity. Like so many areas of...

I never thought I would be motivated or feel the need to write an article, let alone a video, on how to properly cleat...

Many of us have seen it—nighttime running of unlit dinghies in full stealth mode (minus the sound of a full-throttle outboard) ripping through mooring...

We spend a lot of time talking about PFDs, man overboard procedures, jacklines and tethers. But those are all safety measures intended to help...

I’ve long thought there must be a safer, more comfortable way to go up our mast than a Bosun’s Chair. When I criticized our...

If you grew up sailing small boats, the basic rules about “when yachts meet” are now part of your DNA. Upwind, a boat on...

Loss of steering may well be the most common cause of rescue for boats sailing offshore, but the problem is even more common inshore where there is more debris to hit. An emergency rudder is always possible, but for most of us, extra gear to rig, cost, and strength concerns most often render the option impractical. Wrestling an emergency rudder into position will be physical and possibly dangerous in rough conditions. In the case of a catamaran it is simple to disconnect a rudder that is jammed straight, but what if it is jammed hard over, as in the loss of the Alpha 42 Catamaran Be Good Too in 2014? Tests have been published using drogues for steering with the rudder either removed or locked in position, showing that in moderate weather even sailing to windward is practical as long as sails were adjusted in concert and the drogue position was adjustable. Our questions go further. What if the rudder has jammed an angle? Are all drogues appropriate for this purpose? How do you choose the best size?

Being out in the ocean means you are going to have to deal with whatever the weather sends your way. It also means you...

Offshore safety is in some ways simpler than coastal safety but there are some important differences in the approach you need to take. Close...