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 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.
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.
The full version of this Weekly roundup contains 17 more useful and worthy links. Subscribe for the full version.