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The Sailing Roundup brings you the latest in sailing news, trends, gear, events, and training.
Editorial:
It is time to rethink the ditch bag. If the goal is to survive and get to land, using only the tools in a ditch bag – then the contents lists I’m finding on the web don’t make the grade.
When we purchased our Norseman 447 in 2014, it came with a ditch bag. It was a massive red duffle bag with stitched-in flotation and filled with more than 30 items. The only place we could stow it was under the saloon table. But grabbing that ditch bag and then hopping in the lifeboat, possibly in massive seas and likely under a lot of stress, seems nearly impossible. That large duffle could be too cumbersome to grab. And, without it, we wouldn’t have the essential tools to help us get home. So, we decided to trim down the ditch bag – making it small enough to carry on our back, but filled with the right safety gear for our cruising plans. Besides, is a deck of cards necessary? The last time I played cards in rolling seas was, um, never. But suggest a wild game of Celebrity 20 Questions to pass the time, and I’m in!
In rethinking the ditch bag, we’ve made communication our top priority. To that end, we have packed a VHF and satellite phone with extra batteries instead of fishing line and hooks. In most scenarios the USCG and other emergency response agencies are responding within hours and will keep searching for days, even weeks depending on conditions. (Subscribe to our podcast here because our next episode features a USCG rescue swimmer discussing the importance of good communications and response times.)
Water is also a top priority. Humans start experiencing the effects of dehydration after a few hours without water. With our route this summer being more coastal as we head to Newfoundland we are focused on expecting a few hours up to two days in the raft. So, we’ll pack water, and we’ve added a large label to the outside of the bag to remind everyone to grab their personal water bottle if possible. Some raft manufacturers claim their rafts will last thirty days, but I’ve inflated rafts before. Trust me, they start to deflate after a day. To keep it afloat for 30 days would require some serious Steve Callahan survival skills, and a bit of luck.
While our focus has shifted to making sure it’s easy to grab the bag, it contains plenty of well-thought-out gear. In our slimline ditch bag we have the following:
VHF (+ spare battery w/ cable)
IridiumGo (+ spare battery w/cable)
Pelican Case for cell phones
Spare USB battery
Copies of ID’s
Nalgene water bottles
Power Bars & hard candy
Small first aid kit
Knife & lanyard
Waterproof Duct Tape
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Cash
Glow sticks
Whistle
Hand crank flashlight
30’ of line
4 Flares
2 Smoke signals
Toilet paper
Trash bags
Waterproof blanket
Waterproof notebook & pencils
Feel free to chime in with your ideas for a trimmed down ditch bag. Let us know in the comments.
~ Ben
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From Morse Alpha:
Our Latest Podcast Ep 18: Insight & Experience Sailing The Race To Alaska (R2AK)
It’s a tough and quirky race with just one rule — you cannot have an engine aboard your vessel. It’s nicknamed the America’s Cup For Dirt Bags. Listen to this for some great insight into the race itself but also the seamanship required to just complete this one-of-a-kind race.
Who wants to Sail in a 140nm overnight race with us?
We’ve got a few bunks left on the Monhegan Race Expedition. This will be a fantastic opportunity to do some real coastal sailing in Maine AND have fun with a casual overnight race!
Now for the best of the web...
News:
One Girl, One Dream: Laura Dekker’s book reviewed
Laura Dekker's book, One Girl, One Dream is the inspiring story of how the Dutch skipper sailed solo around the world as a teenager, says Julia JonesCoast Guard requests all mariners to inspect VHF Marine Radios
The Coast Guard has received multiple uncorrelated distress calls on the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) system carried over a VHF marine radio in the Hilton Head and Beaufort, South Carolina area over the past few months.Defender's Annual Spring Sale
Defender"s Annual Spring Sale starts Thursday March 31. Online shopping starts the afternoon before. Typically it's about 10% off their already low prices on almost everything.Ever Forward Refloating Plan Revealed
Salvors will use five tugs to attempt to refloat the Ever Forward in Chesapeake Bay on Tuesday. Details of the refloating operation were released as part of a Marine Safety...Solo Sailor Ryan Finn Rounds Cape Horn
Jzerro is a Russell Brown-designed and built 35-ft proa. Ryan is an accomplished sailor from New Orleans. His journey south was going well except for light headwinds.New Bedford Foss Terminal Opening to Support Offshore Wind
The Port of New Bedford will add another base of operations and terminal logistics facility to support offshore wind projects off Massachusetts and the northeastern coast seaboard.Coast Guard continues response for tug grounding in the Neva Strait
A unified command consisting of the Coast Guard, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and Western Towboat, continues to lead the response efforts for the grounded tug Western Mariner in the Neva Strait, which initially occurred Monday morning.NOAA, partners discover wreck of 207-year-old whaling ship
Black and Native American mariners worked aboard as essential crew
March 23, 2022.
It's officially meteorological spring: What exactly does that mean?
Do you know the difference between meteorological and astronomical seasons? Astronomical seasons are based on the position of the Earth in relation to the sun, whereas meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle.What can we expect for the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season?
Will 2022 bring yet another very active hurricane season or will it be more in-line with the long-term average of 12-13 named storms, 6-7 hurricanes and 2-3 major hurricanes?
Skills & Seamanship:
Experience: A Near-Drowning at Dockside
My first thought, since the marina was empty, was, “What the hell is that?” Looking around the only boat that appeared to be occupied was the powerboat I had noticed earlier.Printing NOAA Custom Charts (NCC)
There are several nuances to creating the NCC, such as scale and depth contour choices and the location of compass roses that we cover in a separate NCC design video and is not the topic at hand, which is the printing. Below is a summary of the products we can create and print.Cold-Weather Sailing
In temperate latitudes, sailing traditionally has a season: summer. When the leaves start to fall and frost starts to form, sailors typically go about storing their boats for the winter.Planning an Offshore Passage
How do you plan for a sailing voyage that promises extended time at sea? Aboard our Stevens 47, Totem, our family’s circumnavigation has included a number of memorable passages, enough to appreciate that each one requires careful research and preparation.
Equipment, Maintenance & Projects:
New gear: Aegina-Pure water purifier
Ultraviolet water purification systems are all the rage at the moment, and the Aegina-Pure water purifier is designed with boats in mind.Lock it down
Tii-Lock-40 is a small T-shaped plastic molding which fits perfectly into the central hole of the Allen 40mm Tii-on Block. It allows for a continuous spliced loop to be locked into place, with no chance of it shaking free.Drop-In LiFePO4 – Be an Educated Consumer
You may be wondering why I am saying lead is dead ? The answer to that is simple; lead acid battery makers dug their own graves by lying through their teeth to the general public.The Resourceful Sailor Weaves a Lee Net
There is no such thing as a lee net, you say? Then I guess you heard it from The Resourceful Sailor first. A lee net is an alternative to the more commonly referred-to lee cloth.When to Replace Alternator Belts on Your Sailboat’s Auxiliary Engine
It’s a sound that will make any gearhead cringe: the high-pitched squeal of a slipping fan belt. Well, more accurately, because marine engines have no fans, it’s an “accessory drive” belt, and that awful noise usually happens at startup (more on that in a moment).A cool tool that worth watching...
Reading my new copy of Professional BoatBuilder I see there's a great review of a small portable CNC robot/machine that's pretty affordable as such things go (a kiss less than $4k).Bestevaer test sail - Yacht Designer on board!
This time on Distant Shores we're excited to be test sailing 2 different aluminum sailboats - both built by KM Yachts. We're thrilled we were able to sail with the yachts' designer legendary Gerard Dykstra.
Opinion & Reflection:
This race needs a group discount
When the 200+ boats start the 2022 Newport Bermuda Race on June 17, seven teams on the 635nm course will have been entered by Oakcliff Sailing, a nonprofit sailing organization based in Oyster Bay, NY.Stop the insanity!
Enough is enough. It’s time we acknowledged that the people who conceived the rules for the next America’s Cup might have lost all rational connection with the sport of sailing.Family Blog: The Ups and Downs of Life Aboard
A cruising family of five, originally from the United Kingdom have been living aboard their Hunter 44DS named Y-Knot since November 2020.From Ever Given to Ever Forward
Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. A year ago, MV Ever Given rammed its bow into Asia, ran its stern onto Africa, and her midships straddled the Suez Canal for six days.