For years, Nick Thornton and I sailed together. We went through the junior sailing program at Royal Victoria Yacht Club in British Columbia, we raced against and cruised with each other in dinghies and keelboats, and as adults we sailed many miles offshore together. During the spring of 2007, he called me about his son. “Sam’s finishing high school and plans to take a year off,” said Nick. “What do you think about taking him on a delivery with you this fall?”
There’s often a prolonged period of motoring to cross the largely windless Pacific High and to make headway in some adverse winds. Motoring, at least with my vintage Pathfinder engine, introduces vibration into the boat. Many, many cycles.
Before we head out on the water once again this is a good time to check on all things inflatable... and NOT inflatable.
The CCA Offshore Communications Committee has prepared an in-depth overview of offshore communications methods and co
If your boat is equipped with a Jefa rudder system, the design may be the type with a locking ring located above the top bearing to prevent the rudder from sliding out of the vessel. During 2022 and 2023, we discovered four boats equipped with a Jefa rudder system, where the step for pre-drilling the set screw locations had not been performed.
The excitement of a new boat, even after you’ve toiled over it to prepare for its maiden voyage, should not be an excuse to neglect your safety preparation, nor forget your operational checklists...
I idly looked aloft at the tricolor light, and it appeared to be showing its red light aft, which didn’t register as a problem, at least initially, until I looked aloft again and now saw the green light showing aft. It became obvious that the light fixture was unscrewing from the mast due to the movement of the boat as we sailed upwind plus the tapered threads used to attach the mounting post to the aluminum mast. I mulled over the possible explanations for a while, but what was exceedingly clear was the role of the tricolor light to my continued safety as I sailed amongst commercial traffic
A few minutes later, however, the familiar sound stopped, and the swing of the rudder and tiller came to a halt with perhaps 10 degrees of port rudder locked in. Before I could get to the tiller and lift the tiller pilot off its pin, the boat flew through an uncontrolled gybe ...
... We were being blown onto the dock and had to make a hard turn to starboard into the wind to get out of the boatyard. This was not really a problem, but just when I went to use the bow thruster that we had tested days earlier, it failed. A little single screw backing and filling got us safely out of the slip and underway to our mooring.
But what about the resolutions we make with regard to the safe operation of our own sailboats and cruisers? How many times have you heard a fellow voyager say “Ya know, the next time we’re out, we ought to do a man overboard drill” or “I need to post instructions for how to broadcast a Mayday in the nav station.” With full knowledge that seamanship resolutions may have the same chance of succeeding as those we make about our behavior on land, I nonetheless suggest that we resolve to do the following: