Tagged: safety
Medic
Last weekend, a friend approached me in his boat. Everything was normal, except for the fact that he was holding a white paper napkin over his eye. Apparently, he had just released a mooring in a nearby mooring field where the water was especially choppy and as he progressed from the fore-deck to the cockpit, a particularly frenzied series of waves hit the side of the boat and he went flying into the cockpit of the boat. He hit the floor hard with his head causing his sunglasses to jam again his eye socket prior to flying off, while his [...]
Cats & Dogs
Years ago, when it rained really hard, people would say,” It’s raining cats and dogs”. It was a somewhat comical image to ponder, but, as with most time-proven expressions, it also carried an important message relating to the volume of the rainfall. A couple days ago, a passing thunderstorm dumped some heavy rain, probably 2-3”, within a few hours. The effect on the dinghies at the dock was immediately noticeable as many of them filled with water to the seats. The effect on the larger boats was more important, but less immediately recognizable. You see, many boats are designed to [...]
Weather – Plan B
Recently I took two local boat trips, one in Salem Sound and the other in Gloucester harbor, in some pretty unsettled weather conditions. To help assess the weather risks, I tuned into a handful of NOAA weather radio stations. Unfortunately, in each case, I heard a lot of information which was either irrelevant or outdated, and sometimes both. I needed specific forecast information for the Sound at 5:50 pm, but what I heard was mostly information on other locales, recorded earlier in the day. Occasionally, the taped broadcast would cite the Sound, but the last update was 2 hours earlier [...]
Fill’er Up
Boating is a fun sport, offering independence and adventure, however, to maximize the enjoyment of the experience, good judgement is oftentimes called for. Sound decisions must be made in a variety of areas from guest selection to beverages to navigational courses. And, for power boaters, how much fuel to carry at any one time. One historical rule of thumb has been to carry 1/3 of a tank to get there, 1/3 to get back and 1/3 in reserve. This time-tested rule is a good one, but I’d like to suggest that with current conditions, perhaps it might be a good [...]
CDC Boating Basics
Some current CDC-based guideline highlights are 1) no guests on your boat – passengers must be from your household 2) no beaching or raft-ups with other boats – maintain distance at all times 3) disinfect hands and equipment – wash hands after touching public equipment like fuel hoses and railings 4) return directly home after boating – no unnecessary stops.
Safety First
A critical part of the spring commissioning process is checking out the safety equipment: PFDs, signaling kit components, fire extinguishers, marine radios, etc. Static PFDs should be examined for wear and tear and inflatable PFDs should be checked not only for integrity, but also for expired cartridges. Some signaling kit components such as the orange flag and whistle, are evergreen, and can be used year after year. But, other pieces, specifically the flares, have a fairly narrow shelf life and should be checked for expiration dates annually. Fire extinguisher pressure gauges should be reviewed to determine readiness. And, clear access [...]
Yellow Flag
Last weekend, while enjoying the entertainment at Mile Marker One on the Annisquam, I got into a conversation about the perils of passing under the Blynman Bridge. My new-found boater friend had recently had bad luck transiting the passage way due to three contributing factors. One, the tide was turning, which caused a series of tall, flat, waves to build up under the bridge. Two, she allowed too many passengers to congregate in the bow, which precluded the boat’s ability to climb, as opposed to plow, through waves. Three, she misjudged the timing of boats intent on coming up river [...]
Skinny Water
Recently I was talking to a relative about a recent GPS purchase. He was very excited about his new electronic addition and the ability to pilot his boat with added confidence through all sorts of weather. As we conversed, the focus drifted to dangers lying close to the the buoys that marked safe passage. Over the past few weeks, we had both noticed the impact of the off-season in a variety of places, from the entrance to Manchester Harbor to the middle of the Annisquam river to the Essex river inlet from Ipswich Bay. Over the winter, abrupt water depth [...]