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Tips, Tricks & Thoughts:

safety

  • Radar Reflector Mounting Hack

    15 CommentsReading Time: 5 minutesMembers

    I’m not a believer in the efficacy of radar reflectors. Credible studies have shown that most do not live up to the claims the manufacturers make for them, and some are just plain useless.

    Instead, I believe it’s our responsibility in poor visibility to manage close-pass situations actively with radar.

    That said, making ourselves more visible to others on radar can’t hurt, and further, carrying a reflector is required in Canada.

    Also, if we did have a collision in low visibility I’m guessing our position would be less defendable if we did not have a radar reflector up at the time.

    But that leaves the problem of how to mount the damned thing.

    On the McCurdy and Rhodes 56 we had a Firdell Blipper mounted on the front of the mast, but there was no way in hell I was going to clutter up our J/109 rig that way.

    And I really did not want to hoist one on a signal halyard since it would chafe the main when reaching or running.

    So what to do?

    My first idea was to suspend it on a cat’s cradle of light line between the back stay and the radar stand, but that got ugly quickly, and, worse still, the reflector would cause a blind spot when the radar scanner was inclined to compensate for heel.

    Finally, I came up with a solution that I think will work well, at least for those like us with radars mounted on a pole aft, my preferred option:


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  • The Loss Of Yacht “Solution”

    49 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesMembers

    The Bermuda Race Organizing Committee, Cruising Club of America, and US Sailing, just published an excellent report on the loss of the 50-foot sloop Solution while on the return voyage from Bermuda after competing in the 2024 Newport Bermuda Race.

    I strongly recommend reading the report (one of three). There are great lessons there for all of us from the deeply experienced panel, all of whom I know and respect.

    That said, I think there is an important lesson that was not specifically highlighted in the report.


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  • Enabling DSC on Crew Overboard Beacons in Canada

    13 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree

    A month ago I had a good old rant about the DSC feature of Crew Overboard Beacons not being approved by the Canadian authorities.

    Well, AAC Contributor Matt Marsh went way better than ranting by writing an eloquent and well-researched letter to François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, & Economic Development.

    And, better yet, all of us Canadian boaters who would rather not have the risk of dying in a COB incident increased by the inaction of a bureaucracy, can sign it, which I have done.

    Over to you.

  • Ocean Signal MOB2 AIS Crew Overboard Beacon Review

    19 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesFree

    Phyllis and I have long been fans, and early adopters of, AIS/DSC crew overboard (COB) beacons and we both wear one at all times when sailing, even inshore and in benign conditions.

    We also completely changed our person overboard recovery strategy to rely on the AIS beacons—definitely all-in on this technology.

    And, further, the several crew overboard drills we have done over the last two summers have totally, utterly, and completely1 confirmed our thinking that carrying an AIS beacon hugely increases the chances of recovery, either by our own boat, or another in the vicinity.

    As to which beacon, after looking at several competitors, we long ago settled on the MOB1 from Ocean Signal as our preferred unit.

    I also wrote about why we prefer the MOB1 over the PLB3 (with qualifications), a combined AIS and satellite beacon but without DSC.

    All that said, the MOB1 was not perfect, particularly the kinda clunky programming, which required an optical link by holding the unit up to a computer or device screen.

    (more…)

  • There Is No Substitute For A 406 Mhz EPIRB

    9 CommentsReading Time: 4 minutesMembers
    Phyllis running a self-test on the EPIRB on our McCurdy and Rhodes 56 prior to a passage to Bermuda. We had the EPIRB in a float-free mount attached to the radar stand immediately above the liferaft.

    I’m increasingly hearing of cruisers going offshore with a satellite device as a substitute for an EPIRB:

    These are all cool devices, but none of them are a substitute for a real EPIRB. Here’s why.


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  • Near-Useless Radar Reflectors

    36 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteMembers

    It amazes me how many of these tubular radar reflectors I still see on boats years after two credible studies have shown them to be pretty much useless:


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  • Networked Smoke Detectors Improve Liferaft Storage

    5 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesMembers

    While we don’t plan to go far offshore in our J/109, we did buy a liferaft as our emergency exit if we are suddenly faced with a fire or a leak that we are not able to stop.

    We are often not carrying a dinghy, and even when we are it’s stowed deflated below, so both scenarios could have a nasty ending, even when day sailing and/or spending a night or two on the boat—would be a silly way to exit this world after surviving all those years of offshore voyaging, much of it to hazardous places.

    But that left the problem of where to store the raft.

    The obvious place is in the cockpit locker, where it’s out of the way, close to the pitch axis, and relatively easy to access, but, as I have written about in depth, the big problem with that solution is that it’s right next to the engine space and the diesel heater, the two most likely sources of a fire.

    So that left the lazaret, where the liferaft’s weight would have a huge negative effect on pitching moment and further exacerbate the J/109’s tendency to drag her stern a bit when in cruising trim. Literally a bummer!


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  • Q&A—Do I Need a Fail-Safe ABYC-Compliant Galvanic Isolator?

    0 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
    The fail-safe galvanic isolator was invented by Dairyland Electrical Industries

    Question

    Do you know why so-called “fail-safe” ABYC Galvanic Isolators are much more expensive than the Galvanic Isolators that are still allowed here in Europe?

    Member, Henrick


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  • Boatyard Fall Prevention

    16 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers

    Us offshore sailors think and talk a lot about crew overboard prevention, but there’s another risk we subject ourselves to frequently that does not get much air time (ouch, bad pun):

    Falling off the boat when she is out of the water.

    And, believe me, even a 6-foot fall onto a hard surface can do huge damage, as I found out some years ago.

    So it’s well worth learning about, and using climber’s fall protection. And the cool thing is most of us already have much of the required gear in our mast-climbing kit, or at least we should.


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  • Source For Custom Jacklines

    8 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesFree

    We have long advocated for jacklines made of heavy Dacron webbing, but in recent years it has been difficult to source them already made up.

    But now there is a new vendor offering custom jacklines.

    One suggestion, I would not use their Jackline Assembly, consisting of a shackle and cover. The problem with this approach, aside from the added expense, is that it’s impossible to get the jackline fire-taut that way, and a jackline that’s even slightly loose increases drag risk.

    Not Recommended

    Instead, we recommend ordering the jackline about 6″ short and then tensioning it with a Spectra lashing as we have been doing without problems for decades.

    One other point, I have not inspected these jacklines, particularly the quality of the loop stitching and the gauge of the thread—the thread gauge looks light to me in the photos.

    That said, the good news is that they also sell what looks like our preferred webbing, which has been difficult to source lately, for those who wish to make up their own jacklines or tethers with heavy hand stitching.

    Thanks to member Todd for the heads up.

    Comments

    This is simply a heads-up about a gear source. If you have thoughts about that, please leave a comment.

    But if you want to discuss person overboard prevention, or the best way to rig jacklines, please do so on the appropriate chapter of our Online Book on the subject, after you have read said chapter:

  • Wind Generators Can Be Dangerous

    9 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree
    This photo of the founders of Boréal on one of their boats works well to show the point of this tip but, to be fair, it’s the camera angle that makes this installation look so dangerous.

    A few weeks ago I wrote an article on renewables in which I opined that the days of wind generators are, for most cruising usage profiles, over. Too much windage, too much noise, in return for less generated electricity, particularly when it matters, than many people believe.

    The interesting thing is I got surprising little pushback.

    Anyway, here’s another reason to think seriously before installing a wind generator: the things can be seriously dangerous, as this cruiser found out the hard way.

    So if you do decide to install a wind generator:

    • Make sure it’s high enough that no crew member, even standing on the side deck or lazarette, can extend their arm into the spinning blade.
    • And, further, if the thing runs amok in high winds, it’s better to let it destroy itself, rather than risk limbs trying to physically stop it.

  • No, Lithium Batteries Don’t Burn Boats

    7 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesFree

    Every so often, someone sends me a link to this article, originally published in Professional Boat Builder and repeated at Sailing Anarchy, that starts with the line:

    Lithium-ion batteries start fires.

    First off, the author does not differentiate between lithium cobalt oxide (the battery type in your phone) and lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO), the chemistry generally used for service batteries on boats, which is much safer and less volatile.

    In fact, recently, ABYC tried to set one of the latter types on fire and had no luck.

    Second, he goes on to say that a large number of boat fires are caused by batteries.

    I don’t think that’s true.

    What I would agree to is that a large percentage of fires on boats are caused by poorly designed and installed electrical systems, and that includes those installed by the “professionals”:

    The electrical system on our new-to-us J/109, as installed by the builder in 2004, was a fire looking for a place to happen, mainly because of inadequate fusing.

    And then in the years after she was built and before we bought the boat and rebuilt the electrical system, “professionals” had made the fire risk far worse with stupid changes and additions.

    This is a distressingly common situation, and don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because your boat has passed survey that the electrical system is safe. Ours did and wasn’t.

    And don’t get me started on the dangers of electrical systems designed and installed by boat owners who watch a few YouTube videos, source lithium cells from some vendor on eBay, and have at it.

    So to me, the correct statement is:

    Lithium batteries don’t burn boats, poor battery and electrical installations burn boats, regardless of battery chemistry.

    Me

    I have written a lot more about this in this Online Book, including how to decide if lithium batteries are right for your boat:

  • Cool Supplemental Anchor Light

    18 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree

    Some years ago Phyllis and I found out the hard way, when another yacht hit us, that sometimes boaters don’t look up and see anchor lights at the top of masts.

    After that accident, we fitted a supplemental all-around white light on top of the radar on our McCurdy and Rhodes 56, as is allowed under COLREGS. Definitely the best solution.

    I was just thinking about doing the same on our new-to-us J/109 when I remembered that our new B&G radar can display a blue light.

    I have to confess that when I first saw that in the installation manual I thought “well, that’s the silliest feature I have ever seen on marine electronics, and that’s saying something”.

    But now I have tried it, I take it back. And having the radar on standby with the light on medium intensity only uses 0.2 A at 12 volts.

    And since it’s blue, a colour that is not used for any lights prescribed by the COLREGS, I’m pretty sure it’s perfectly legal under Rule 30.

  • Good LED Steaming/Deck Light

    8 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree

    We fitted a MarineBeam LED Steaming/Deck Light on the mast on our J/109 a year ago, and so far I’m impressed.

    Small, light, relatively inexpensive, and amazingly bright, with incredibly low current draw.

    Of course we don’t know how reliable it will be over time, but so far so good.

    By the way, I have never used deck lights at sea. Too dazzling and disorienting, and, worst of all, our own bodies throw shadows just where we want to see. Much prefer, and recommend, head lamps.

    The primary reason we have a deck light is to reduce the risk of someone running into us because they did not look up and see our masthead anchor light. Yes, it happens.

  • The Most Dangerous Thing Offshore Cruisers Do

    6 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesFree

    Last week I linked to a well-done report and some associated testing over at Practical Boat Owner that made a convincing argument that sidedeck jacklines are worse, at least when used with a standard 6′ long tether, than not clipping on at all, because of the risk of being killed by dragging.

    And then a few days later I came across a Scuttlebutt article titled, “Nearly half die when falling overboard”, with statistics from the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch supporting the title.

    At first I was going to link to the latest piece in a tip with a scary title like “Why We Clip On” or some such.

    But that felt kinda wrong so close to the first tip—when does informing turn into scaremongering?

    So I decided, instead, to just remind us all that offshore sailing, at least when done with common sense and basic seamanship, is pretty safe.

    Sure, people die by falling overboard. But people also die by their furniture falling on them at home.

    So what’s the most dangerous thing most cruisers do? My guess is getting into an automobile…that is, unless they are wingsuit BASE jumpers, too.

    Oh yes, here’s a link to the Scuttlebutt article, worth reading…at least as long as we keep things in perspective.

    And if you are wondering about the photo, that’s Phyllis with our good friends and experienced offshore voyagers Wilson and Thelma, taken in Quebec during our drive of the Trans-Labrador Highway in 2019.

  • When Did Your Inflatable Lifejacket Last Feel The Love?

    0 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree

    I have to confess that unpacking, test inflating (24 hours), and repacking lifejackets is one of my least favourite chores—getting them back together all nice and smooth with no lumps is just one of the many tasks I’m not naturally gifted at.

    But even so I just did all five of ours—two Spinlock Deckvest 6D and one 5D for the J/109; and two Deckvest LITE we wear when rowing our turbocharged Whitehall.

    We go through this process once a year, at the beginning of the sailing season. Here’s a good instructional video for the 6D.

    One piece of good news, one of the many improvements Spinlock have made to the new Deckvest 6D is that it’s easier to repack neatly than the older 5D—I will be writing more about the 6D in a future full article.

    Further Reading

  • Install an Engine Space Fireport

    7 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree

    One of the most common places for a fire to start on a boat is in the engine space, and if that happens the last thing we want to do is open an access panel to fight it, and thereby get a face full of fire, not to speak of accelerating the fire by giving it oxygen.

    The answer is a fireport like the one I just installed on our J/109.

    Amazing to me that Tillotson Pearson did not install one when they built the boat comparatively recently in 2004, particularly considering that the first fireport I ever saw was on a brand new Beneteau back in the 1980s!

    More on fire prevention and fighting.

  • Mental Liquidity

    8 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesFree

    I have quoted Morgan Housel, one of the smartest people in investing as well as one of the best writers, before.

    His thoughts about investing often make sense for life, and offshore voyaging.

    Here’s Morgan again:

    A question I love to ask people is, “What have you changed your mind about in the last decade?” I use “decade” because it pushes you into thinking about big things, not who you think will win the Super Bowl.

    I am always so suspicious of people who say, “nothing.” They act like it’s a sign of intelligence – that their beliefs are so accurate that they couldn’t possibly need to change. But I think it’s the surest sign of ignorance and stubbornness.

    Morgan Housal, read the whole article

    I struggle with staying open and flexible every day, but at least I can answer Morgan’s question in the positive:

    That’s all that comes to mind right now, at least around sailing. Maybe I need to work harder at this!

    What about you? Tell us what you have changed your mind about in the last 10 years, in a comment.

  • Drawings For Improved Force 10 Stove Bracket

    6 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree

    I just added a drawing of this much-improved stove bracket to the original article so others can use it to get one made to improve the safety of Force 10 stoves.

    Should have done this years ago. Thanks to member Nina for the nudge.

  • Installing a Propane Detector

    18 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesFree

    i just finished installing a propane gas detector with two sensors, one near the stove and the other just aft of the engine where gas would pool prior to kaboom, on our new-to-us J/109.

    I settled on the above-pictured unit from BEP Marine. So far it seems like a well-thought-out piece of safety gear.

    One of the things I like most about it is that it has no off-on switch, unlike many other detectors, including both of the ones I have owned in the past. Just way too easy to forget to turn it back on.

    This is a sensor that should be on at all times when anyone is aboard, so, despite there being a breaker for a gas detector on the panel, I wired it through a fuse and directly to the main positive buss so it comes on the instant the boat is powered up with the battery master switch.

    I guess one could argue that it should be on even when the master switch is off, but that would be a significant parasitic drain on the batteries and you gotta stop somewhere.

    Also, as soon as the sniffer is off, the gas is off in the locker, too, since this model includes the solenoid control switch.

    Further Reading

  • New Iridium Go! exec

    17 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesFree

    Predict Wind have a preliminary announcement video for a new faster version of the Iridium GO!.

    Not a lot of details yet, but it’s supposedly a lot faster, although not fast enough to use for actual internet surfing.

    The big drawback will be if the unlimited data package available with the original GO! is not offered with this new unit or is a lot more expensive.

    I’m guessing it might not be the great deal that the unlimited plan on the original unit is since the new GO! uses the Certus modem like Iridium Pro.

    If no unlimited plan is offered, or a much more expensive one, I’m thinking that for many users who are just looking to download email and weather information at sea the original GO! may still be the best option since I have never had any problems getting all the weather data and email I need over the older unit.

    Definitely the key thing to look into and clearly understand before purchasing one of these new units is the availability and cost of an unlimited plan.

    One upgrade I did like is that the new unit has a speaker and microphone and so can be used for telephone calls without connecting a smartphone. This is a big safety benefit since there have been incidents with the old GO! where users were not able to get voice communications working quickly in an emergency.

    Here’s the intro video, not that it’s much use:

    And here’s a Q&A that might be more useful.

  • Disturbing Failure Modality In Some Fall Arrest Devices

    0 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree

    While researching fall arrest devices I came across the video below from a seemingly credible source that explains how several popular devices can fail to arrest if the attaching carabiner gets oriented in ways that I can easily see happening when climbing masts.

    Worth 15 minutes of your time, particularly if you use climbing backup devices.

  • Important Update To Recent Mast Climbing Article

    0 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree

    I have just updated my latest mast climbing article in light of some very important and counterintuitive new information that climber, sailor, and AAC friend-in-the-comments Drew found.

    Don’t miss this (scroll down to second alert box).

  • Don’t Play With Your Phone When On Watch

    0 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree
    Coast Guard crew from Station Curtis Bay enforce a safety zone around the Ever Forward during container removal operations April 10, 2022. Approximately 500 containers are expected to be removed. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberly Reaves/released)

    I think we would all agree that smart phones are seductive and, as a gadget freak, I’m as susceptible to their siren call as anyone.

    Here’s a really good reminder to me, and everyone else, from none other than the US Coast Guard, of why we should not give in to smart-phone temptation:

    For approximately half of the two-hour transit, the Pilot on board the container ship placed and received numerous calls, texted messages, and drafted emails on their personal cell phone right up until the incident…

    …The Pilot was drafting an email on their personal cell phone in the minutes leading up to the planned turn south, when the vessel sailed through its waypoint and grounded.

    If a professional pilot can get sucked into his phone like this, are we immune?

    Better to have simple rules. Being on watch is just that. No:

    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Reading
    • Texting
    • Games
    • Emailing
    • Or general phone-wan….

    I’m not even a fan of listening to music when on watch, because hearing something amiss has saved me huge grief on several occasions.

  • Is It Time To Consider a Robot For Watchkeeping?

    1 CommentReading Time: < 1 minuteFree

    OK, that was a clickbait title, if ever there was one.

    Anyway, I have been vaguely interested in the AI lookout and collision avoidance technology that has been used in the singlehanded racing game for some years, called OSCAR.

    Now I see that the company has rebranded as SEA.AI and their entry level product is down to a still eye-watering €9,999.

    But, then again, if this entry level unit really works, I can see that kind of investment (no more than a good integrated plotter and radar system) being worth it for singlehanders, or even double-handed crews.

    And if we were still heading for the high latitudes regularly, Phyllis and I would be all over this technology, assuming it works for detecting small growlers.

    Worth thinking about, although I’m guessing that waiting a bit longer before spending on this technology probably makes sense for most of us.

    The other thing that could be a problem is how much power this thing uses. I note that it needs 24 volts—to avoid voltage drops on the mast cable since this model has all its brains at the top of the mast, I’m guessing—which is a bit of a smoking gun on what a hog it is.

    Do any of you members have any first-hand experience with these things?