Presented by Vetus-Maxwell.Got a tip? Send it to sailmail@sailmagazine.comThe Watch-keeper’s Nightmare The commercial watchkeeper’s most awkward decisions come with a vessel converging from abaft the starboard beam showing a red light. If he’s more than 2 points, or around 22 ...read more
Boaters University has just announced its latest online course, Safety & Rescue at Sea, taught by Mario Vittone, whose name you might recognize from the pages of our sister publication, Soundings Magazine and his Lifelines blog.Mario Vittone is a retired U.S. Coast Guard rescue ...read more
Be it for safety, navigation or competition, all sailors have a need for information about their boat’s performance and its environment. Many recent advances have been made by marine electronics manufacturers, which have increased the accuracy, quantity and accessibility of data ...read more
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is the cooking fuel of choice for most cruisers, but it can kill you if you don’t respect it. Here’s how to keep your propane system healthy and your boat safeIt’s often the things we cannot see that pose the greatest danger on our boats. A recent ...read more
Contrary to popular belief, the risk of falling overboard is not at its greatest when you are battling high seas and ferocious winds. That’s when you’re keyed up, clipped in, acutely aware of the dangers and prepared for the worst. I have seen two people fall overboard from ...read more
Your dog will likely enjoy being out on the open ocean as much as you will, but just like with human passengers, safety measures must be taken!1. Create an Emergency Plan Make sure you consider an emergency plan of what you’ll do in the event that your dog falls overboard.Choose ...read more
Although there are few experiences as peaceful as gliding weightless through the water in full scuba gear, the grace and beauty of the sport belie the fact that diving has inherent risks.Fortunately, these are well understood and with proper training, there is little danger, so ...read more
On DeckGive each winch a quick spin. If they’re not turning freely, now is the time to strip and clean them.Windlass issues are almost always down to poor connections. Inspect these closely, especially at the foot switches, and if necessary take the connections apart, clean them, ...read more
Things I Learned This Past Week:1: If your crew can’t make it, go anyway.I had scheduled to move my boat from Annapolis to DC where I’ll live aboard for the winter. My mentor was going to accompany me, but then life happened. After putting it off a few days, I decided to give it ...read more
Looking back over the years we’ve been running our Pittman Innovation Awards, it’s incredible to see the variety of different products that have been featured. There’s been everything from sails to navigation aids to clever little gadgets that can’t help but make you wonder, “Why ...read more
Building the first VHF radio combined with a Class B AIS transceiver was a challenge but Standard Horizon went even further by adding unique remote station capabilities. The GX6500 can support two RAM4 wired mics or one wired and up to four RAM4W wireless mics. All stations can ...read more
The next generation EPIRB is almost here, and it adds a local rescue dimension to the renowned yet still improving global capabilities of the 406 MHz COSPAS-SARSAT system. Upon regular 406 transmitter activation, the McMurdo SmartFind G8 AIS EPIRB will also begin sending out an ...read more
The PanPan personal beacon is a waterproof 1.2-by-3.1in Bluetooth 4.0 device that can create an active MOB network aboard your boat by leveraging the capabilities of the smartphones and tablets you already have onboard. Basically, in the event you or your beacon get far enough ...read more
Many production boats come equipped with undersized cleats and poorly designed line chocks. The 10in aluminum cleats that came standard on my Pearson 40 have served satisfactorily for more than 30 years. But as I have outfitted the boat for extended offshore passagemaking, I have ...read more
There's a right way to communicate via VHF radio—and many wrong ways. The reason for VHF protocol is to avoid ambiguity and ensure that messages are kept on point—your safety, and that of your crew, may depend on clear communication. So we've worked up this useful VHF protocol ...read more
Without question, fog is the biggest reason sailors cite for avoiding the Maine coast in summer, despite the fact that it is otherwise an excellent cruising ground. Although sailing in Maine can indeed be quite opaque, this need not be too disconcerting. Instead of being ...read more
Download VHF GuideIf you’re one of those sailors who reckons everything should be done by the book, then you’re doomed to go through your boating life constantly enraged by two things—the incorrect use of navigation lights and inane prattle on VHF Channel 16. [advertisement]Just ...read more
In sailing magazines, articles about rudders are almost never really about rudders. They are about being rudderless. Such stories make for exciting reading, but I don’t want to know how to steer without a rudder—I want to know how to make sure I won’t ever need to. After hull ...read more
For all the supposed terrors of sailing off soundings, any veteran sailor will tell you it’s just as easy to get in big trouble close to shore. The simple fact of being afloat puts you and your crew in a potentially lethal situation, whether you’re in 10ft of water or above the ...read more
Few things strike an uneasy feeling into a sailor’s heart like the sight of darkening storm clouds looming on the horizon, the rumble of thunder and the flash of lightning. Whether you’re watching a storm roll in from the cockpit, revving the engine to head for cover or waiting ...read more
In this video, West System Epoxies’ Ben Gougeon takes a look at some of the basic properties of marine-grade epoxy, as well as what it’s capable of and the different kinds of materials it can be used with: whether it’s in the context of a minor repair or an entire boatbuilding project.
Martin Van Breems; SoundSailingCenter.com, Dutchmar.com Although the odds of losing someone overboard are minimal, it’s vital to practice and master an MOB drill so you can get back to and retrieve your crewmate quickly and efficiently. It’s an important skill and one that your ...read more
"MAN OVERBOARD!" Those are the two words no one on any boat ever wants to hear. It is no surprise then that MOB recovery is a subject high on the list of any sail training activity. Kids in Optis and 420’s learn about it. Sailing schools teach it, offshore races have seminars on ...read more
Reading the water is an important skill you should practice often to ensure there’s always water under your keelSailing through the tea-colored water of the ICW, it’s hard to imagine ever being able to read water depth visually. If you’ve never actually experienced being able to ...read more