Hi Sailors!
The Sailing Weekly Roundup brings you the latest in sailing news, resources, gear, events, training, etc. Every Friday we’ll send a curated list and analysis by Capt. Teresa & Ben Carey. Instead of sifting through a ton of articles and videos each day – let us do the work for you.
Analysis:
I'll be frank – gear talk frustrates me. That's not what sailing is all about. But today, as I gear up for the Marion to Bermuda Race, I have gear on my mind. The list of required equipment is long!
We often have aspiring sailors come to us and ask what type of chartplotter or what brand of foul weather gear do I need? But the underlying question is not about the gear. It's about staying safe.
For example, we have a highly recommended first aid kit aboard Rocinante. The kit is massive – complete with sutures, blood pressure cuff, and a splint. But a big, beautiful, expensive, re-assuring first aid kit would be absolutely useless if we hadn't taken adequate medical training. Is there a doctor in the house?!
Preparing for the Marion to Bermuda Race has been an enlightening, although time-consuming process. The safety requirements and inspection checklist is eight pages long. At first it seemed overwhelming. Do I really need all this gear?
This reminds me of when I began sailing; I didn't wear a PFD except in extreme conditions. But the more I learned about sailing, the more qualified and skilled I became, the more I realized I should wear my PFD all the time when underway.
As I have been going over and over and over the list, I've come to realize that all the items on the checklist are sensible and worthy of discussion whether you are racing offshore or not. They might not be right for every boat, every person, or every voyage – but the process of considering each item has been a valuable process.
Here are some of the more interesting ones:
Dewatering pumps:
A boat shall have a second manual bilge pump of at least 10 GPM capacity, operable from below deck, meeting the same criteria as above. The pump may be mounted on a board.
Two manual pumps! Yes, one on deck, one below decks. That way you can continue pumping even if being on deck is untenable due to weather. Affixing the below deck pump on a board gives the advantage of portability, but it could also become difficult to control in a seaway. You would have to stand on the board for stability and also control the hose and direction of discharge. Both sound very difficult in heavy weather.
Mast & Rigging:
Mast and Rigging: It is strongly recommended that a boat have the heel of a keel-stepped mast securely fastened to the mast step or adjoining structure.
This one I find very interesting! Our mast just sets on the keel-step. So we will have to fasten it somehow. But why? Imagine your rig has been compromised and your mast is swinging/swaying. It's also swinging down below, and that can be dangerous and destructive.
Emergency Steering:
A boat's crew shall be aware of multiple steering methods with the rudder disabled and shall have chosen and practiced one method of steering the boat with the rudder disabled and be prepared to demonstrate said method of steering both upwind and downwind.
Now we're talking! This one is cool. For us, it's easy. We have a Monitor Windvane with the Emergency Rudder attachment. We'll be practicing before the race, making sure we all know how to rig and use the E-Rudder... in the dark. We also have an emergency tiller should our steering cables become compromised. But this only works if the rudder is still intact. Both of these emergency techniques we practice regularly. It isn't enough to just have the gear aboard or know how to use it at the dock – because when it comes down to using it, you can bet the weather won't be forgiving.
Now that we’re race compliant, I’m look forward to participating in the Annapolis to Bermuda Race next year!
~ Ben
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Now for the best of the web...
From The Morse Alpha Archives:
Rigging Simplicity & The Con of Leading Lines Aft
I’ve had the good fortune to sail aboard a wide variety of boats from 7′ dinghies to 180′ square riggers. Aboard traditionally rigged schooners with simple block and tackle, powered by a few humans, we moved a lot of heavy things: anchors, canons, fishing dories, wooden gaffs, topmasts, booms, etc. on a regular basis.
News:
Cruising & Chartering Returns to the Bahamas
The Abacos is partially rebuilt and ready for charter guests. At the same time that everyone in the world has been struggling to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, the Abacos in the Bahamas has simultaneously been working to rebuild from the damage Hurricane Dorian inflicted in September 2019.Drones and Hurricanes
NOAA is making major technological leaps to better measure and predict hurricanes, as well as rip currents.Here’s the Minute-by-Minute Breakdown of the Ever Given’s Crash
For 6 long days, the massive container ship stayed stuck in the Suez Canal, capturing the world's attention. Now, ship tracking data and maritime pilots reveal exactly how it got there.Louisiana ship capsize: Search for survivors from 'lift' vessel
Rescuers are searching for the missing crew members of a large commercial vessel after it capsized off the US state of Louisiana.Inmarsat and OneOcean partner to deliver pioneering digital solutions for navigation and compliance
Inmarsat, the world-leading mobile satellite communications provider, and OneOcean, the global leader in compliance and navigation services for the maritime industry, are delighted to announce a partnership that focuses on the next phase of the digitalisation of navigation and compliance in the maritime industry.March 2021 and year to date were among Earth’s top-10 warmest
Continuing the balmy trend to 2021, the month of March ended as the world’s eighth-warmest March in 142 years of record-keeping. Moreover, the year to date tied for ninth-warmest YTD on record for the planet.Why the volcano erupting in the Caribbean has such a deadly reputation
La Soufrière on the island of St. Vincent, which last erupted in 1979, has a long and tragic history of powerful but mercurial blasts.
Tutorials:
Timing and Time Structure in Model Forecast Gribs
Analysis and forecast timing is crucial for good weather work. This is not just a challenge with model forecasts in grib format (the subject at hand), we also face this when using regular graphic weather maps and text forecasts.How to set up your rig: tension your shrouds on masthead or fractional
How to set up three common types of rig: the traditional masthead with a single set of in-line spreaders, single-spreader swept fractional rigs, and fractional rigs with two sets of swept spreaders.
Apps:
Best boating apps: 9 essential downloads for iPhone and Android
In little more than a decade the ways in which we do many things afloat have been absolutely transformed by boating apps, both on smartphones and tablets.
Videos - Rigging:
Rig Tuning Presentation with Michael McNamara at RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show 2016
A very precise and clear explanation of the different tools we´ve got to modify sail shape.North Sails Tech Talk - Upwind Speed Booster with Charlie Cumbley & Cyclops Marine
With the help of smarttune load sensors from Cyclops Marine, North Sails One Design Expert, and J/70 World Champion Charlie Cumbley explains how the dynamic balance of upwind performance hinges on forestay load.DIY Rigging Checks
Jerry Henwood, aka Jerry the rigger of Gosport, who has worked in the rigging industry for more than 25 years and is the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) official rigger, demonstrates DIY rigging checks, with a dummy mast courtesy of Selden Mast Limited.
Gear:
Drop Nose Pins - What are they and why use them?
A drop nose pin is a pin that can be used for securing or attaching components. They can be used in a number of places around a boat such as on a bow roller, chain plates, vang arms, mast foots, the list goes on, but why would you use a drop nose pin instead on a clevis pin or bolt?Sarca Excel Anchor Testing. Anchor Video #71
Sv Panope: Demonstration of 47 lb. Sarca Excel Anchor being set, re-set, and retrieved under varying conditions.
Resources:
Check Expiration Dates on Auto-inflate PFDs
Planning for an upcoming season of sailing or a summer cruise involves a review of all the ship’s safety equipment, and many essential safety items have components that expire or need to be replaced at regular intervals regardless of whether they were used.
Inspiration:
A Key Approach to Passagemaking
Much is written about physical sailing skills, but attitude is a big part of safe and satisfying offshore sailing as well.