Safety

The United States Coast Guard requires that all boats operating in coastal waters or on the high seas carry a selection of visual distress signals. Almost invariably, such signals include the pyrotechnic type, either handheld or fired from a flare pistol, but surely there are ...read more

Presented by Vetus-Maxwell. Got a tip? Send it to sailmail@sailmagazine.com Give the Troops a Chance on the Tacking  Aboard a cruiser, it’s far better to “steer” through the wind rather than simply heave the helm hard over. Bang it down like a dinghy sailor, and the poor souls ...read more

I often get asked about safety and security on charter, and most of the time I shrug and say it’s a matter of common sense, just like at home. Some places may be more prone to issues than others, but it’s usually a matter of luck—good or bad. For example, you may be warned to ...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 safe It’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. ...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 Deck Give 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 ...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 ...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 ...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 ...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 Guide If 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. ...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

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