Hi Sailors!
The Sailing Weekly Roundup brings you the latest in sailing news, trends, gear, events, and training. Every week we’ll send a curated list and analysis by Capt. Teresa and Ben Carey. Instead of sifting through a ton of articles and videos each day – let us do the work for you.
Analysis:
A while back, we were chatting with our friend Zach Smith at Para-Anchor. We were discussing offshore sailing safety protocols and the use of his drogues and sea anchors. Now we have a sea anchor and drogue on Rocinante. We practice deploying them each season, so when we actually need to use them, we will be familiar with the procedure.
Zach also mentioned we should be teaching at the US Sailing Safety At Sea Seminars. This was the first time I heard about the seminars, so I decided to take a closer look.
It turns out, the US Sailing Safety at Sea Course is a required course for participants of the Marion Bermuda Race, which Morse Alpha Expeditions will be participating in this summer. I am becoming intimately familiar with US Sailing as I prepare for the race. I’m now a US Sailing member, have registered for sail numbers, and signed myself and my crew up for their Offshore Safety At Sea Course – all Marion Bermuda Race requirements.
As I write this, I am about halfway through the course. So far, I am impressed. While this is all material I have learned during my career aboard tall ships and tugboats, US Sailing does a great job organizing the information. What I find to be most compelling is the focus on sailing vessels in the 30-60’ range. As you can imagine, safety procedures on tall ships and tugboats are different — the vessels and crews are larger, and the safety gear is all commercial grade, etc.
Both Teresa and I have sailed on commercial boats (sail and power) for many years. You could say we “climbed up through the hawse pipe.” In the commercial world there are strict safety procedures. Drills and inspections are part of the regular routine. When we transitioned to helping recreational sailors and cruisers learn the necessary skills to be safe at sea, we naturally brought that same mentality with us.
Although it pleases me to see that many recreational sailors are taking training courses or learning from pros before they set out on their own, I see an equal number setting out with a disregard for safety, saying instead, “I’ll learn it as I go.” Or, they meet Teresa, who sailed solo aboard her No'rsea, Daphne, “If she can do it, so can I,” – unaware of the decades of professional sailing experience and USCG license she held prior to buying her boat (yes, this has happened many times).
There are many things sailors can learn on their own, and not everyone needs a course. But when I’m teaching the COLREGS Rules of the Road and someone says “I don’t need to learn these rules. If I see a boat with a lot of lights, I just stay out of the way,” then I worry. Yes, people have said this to me!
The Marion Bermuda Race doesn’t require professional sailors on each vessel, and there is no license requirement. But I am pleased to see the Marion Bermuda Race has strict safety, equipment, and training requirements.
~ Ben
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From Morse Alpha:
If you missed out on The Bermuda Race this year, that’s Ok, we’re going again next year!
We’re going to participate in the Annapolis to Bermuda Race in ‘22. You can reserve your bunk now and beat the rush!In case you didn’t know, we like Instagram
We’ve been busy with boat projects this month. You can keep up with some of them on our Instagram Feed.
Now for the best of the web...
News:
Electronic Emergency Communications Devices for Boaters
No one wants to use a satellite distress beacon or other electronic emergency communications device, but prudent seamanship dictates having one or more on board in the event of a worst-case scenario. Here are three types to consider.SailGP Bermuda: Catch the onboard action from GoPro's mounted about the F50's
Have a look on board a F50 with shot from a GoPro aboard various teams during Season 2 from SailGP Bermuda.Why was Team NZ so dominating?
American Magic skipper Terry Hutchinson has produced his theory on Team New Zealand’s convincing America’s Cup victory and revealed his team are ready to return to action at a week’s notice as the future of the event hangs in the balance.San Francisco Sailors Conduct Ocean Rescue in New Zealand
Last month, a couple were sailing off the coast of Northland, New Zealand, when they responded to a mayday call and successfully rescued a man who had fallen from his jet ski. The couple, originally from San Francisco, were Alyssa and Lewis Allen, two sailors who have often appeared in Latitude 38.Attracting and retaining female sailors
Rosie Chapman had previously coached in both Britain and Canada before becoming Program Director and Laser Performance Coach at the Gulf Coast Youth Sailing Association in Houston, one of the top regional sailing programs in the USA.Large Pods of North Atlantic Right Whales Sighted in Cape Cod Bay
WWLP-22News reports that at least 160 North Atlantic right whales were spotted in Cape Cod Bay and along South Shore at the end of last week. Given that the highly endangered species are estimated to number fewer than 400 animals, the right whale sightings in the area are extremely impressive.April 2021 was fairly dry and a bit warm for much of the U.S.
April 2021 was much drier and slightly warmer than normal, on average, across the contiguous U.S., according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. The month saw the lowest number of tornadoes in nearly three decades.
Safety:
US SAILING SAFETY AT SEA COURSES
Education, both in-person and online, to prepare you for offshore sailing. Moderated and taught by experienced, lifelong sailors who include some of the top names in sailing and safety. Designed for sailors of all types and levels — cruisers and racers, novices and experts.
Spring Outfitting:
Anode Installation – Best Practices
I recently came from a customer’s boat after doing a winterizing and while there I noticed the anode (zinc in this case) on the $3500.00 prop was not connected to anything, other than by friction. Sadly I see this far too often.
Educational:
Bluewater Cockpit Conversations
Sailors helping sailors is a time-honored maritime tradition, and now the organizers of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers are adding a virtual twist to things with a four-night series it’s dubbed Bluewater Cockpit Conversations. The free, open-to-all series runs from May 25 through 28.Which is the best Weather Model?
Chris Bedford, who launched Marine Weather University alongside 2-time America’s Cup winner Peter Isler, guides us through the assortment of weather models for our needs.Using Signaling Devices Properly
A modern call for help is often accomplished via a GPS-equipped VHF radio, or an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or other beacon. The best way to pinpoint your exact position, however, remains the US Coast Guard-required combination of visual distress signals. Here’s how to use them properly.How to Rescue an Overboard Boater
Hopefully, a man-overboard (MOB) situation is something you’ll never have to deal with on the water, but if you have anything from a stunned tuber on the lake to an overboard angler on a canyon trip, it’s important to know what—and what not—to do.Spinnaker = faster than genoa
In this report by Tim Zimmermann, he shares how the Chesapeake confounds (again), but losing is winning (really), during the Annapolis NOOD Doublehanded race.Flags, Do These Spell Anything? Pub 102 and Full Dress Ship
Regardless of Full Dress guidance, Pub 102 is a great resource for your professional library and covers single, double, and triple flag hoists, as well as a variety of other good things to know such as visual and sound signaling.Paracord key fob- monkey's fist with a twist
Video that shows how to tie a monkey’s fist and incorporate it into a pretty key fob/chain. Nice gift idea for someone! Cool channel.
Lifestyle:
Long-Term Love
A stroll on the docks is always more than that. It’s therapy, it’s research and often there’s that nudge of inspiration. And every now and then the hippocampus twitches with pangs of envy, especially when staring at a vessel that makes the jaw go slack, like the cutter Vito Dumas that lives on A-Dock at Boat Haven in Port Townsend, Washington.
Gear:
Luff slides and fittings: how to pick the best
There are a variety of ways to attach your mainsail luff to the mast. Which option you go for will depend on the size of your boat as well as a number of other factors. Rupert Holmes reports.Sailing Tools and Accessories to Have Onboard
Tools are personal. For sailors, they are at our side, hour after hour, day after day, as we go about re-forming a tiny piece of the world into the shape of our dreams. They are in our hands in our most desperate moments, when emergency strikes and hearts skip a beat.Best sailing waterproofs: 7 lightweight options for summer sailing
Even sailing in the summer, we often need to reach for our waterproofs to ride out a nasty forecast or sudden downpour. We look at the latest waterproofs on the market.