BoatProject - Blog #Safety

Splash Time - Safety First

Thu, 09 May 2024 15:45:00 +0000

Up North, boating season is starting. Before you pull away from the dock, check these things...

Getting your boat ready to splash (and get everything done to fit in the boatyard's launch schedule), you'll be excited once the boat is in the water waiting for you to sail her to her slip or mooring ball.

But Wait! Before you pull away, check these things first. You might be excited to get going, but it's best to check the boat while it can still be pulled out quickly if there is something amiss.

So, before pulling away, check these things:

Through-hull fittings. Check that every place there is a hole in the boat, there is no leak. The valves to the through hulls for your head intake, sink out flow, galley sink out (and in if you have a foot pump), air conditioning intake and outflow.

But that's not all - your depth finder and knotometer also should be checked to make sure they weren't knocked loose and/or leaking.

Next, check the engine compartment. The water intake (should be open to run the engine) and the muffler exhaust valve (if you have one) should also be open. Obviously, neither should be leaking. Then check your prop shaft. Your stuffing box should drip a bit, but not a lot.

Check the bilge; flip the float switch and make sure the bilge runs.

Almost there... Make sure your throw ring is mounted and your PFDs are accessible, your vhf radio is working, and other safety equipment checks out. It's no fun getting boarded as you are making your way to your slip for the first time only to get cited for not having your safety equipment out and updated.

You're ready to go! Make sure you have no lines in the water, your engine is ejecting water out the back, and have a safe and fun boating season!

Note that there is a splash template in BoatProject that you can refer to and check off items as necessary. It is more detailed than this blog and includes "pre-splash" items. Try BoatProject with all the bells and whistles for one month; then decide to subscribe or just use the free version moving forward.

If you have any comments, feel free to post below. If you want to try BoatProject™ membership free for a month (no credit card required) so you can take a look at the templates, click this link or visit our website.

Thanks, and happy boating! Rich

Is Your Anchor Ready in Case of an Emergency? Ours Wasn't.

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 05:37:22 +0000

Your anchor can be a lifeline keeping your boat safe when things go wrong.

Labor Day weekend is a time when we do an annual sail because of the long weekend. It seems, though, that on every Labor Day sail something goes awry.

Our latest Labor Day sail had a few issues/challenges that we'll post in a later blog. However, a "wake-up" call came late in the day just outside the mouth of Portsmouth, NH harbor. That reminder is: always be sure that you can drop your anchor at a moments notice.

First, I was on a friend's boat. Her boat is well maintained and she is very safety conscious. Her anchor roller was pretty bent up (she purchased the boat this way) so there was no way to keep an anchor on the roller. There were other issues requiring work that had been more pressing, so the anchor roller was low on the priority list.

Just as we were outside Portsmouth dropping our sails, we went to start the engine. It ran for a bit and then stopped. We started it again, and again, it ran for a bit and then stopped. Then my friend yelled that she couldn't get it into neutral to start it again.

I rushed below to check the transmission linkage. She went to the bow and started to deploy the anchor that was (what we thought) neatly stowed.

We were near Kitt's Rock and getting pushed/blown towards it. I got a wrench on the shifter at the transmission and got it into neutral. I went above, started the engine and as soon as I put it into gear, I could feel the engine grab and stop. We either had a transmission problem or we fouled the prop. (note: we had a scope on board that was waterproof; we later lowered it over and confirmed we fouled the prop.)

I ran forward to help with the anchor. We were trying to untangle the mess of rode that had been neatly put into a bag; it seemed like forever to get enough rode cleaned to drop the anchor while I watched how close the rocks were. We were able to clean about 90 feet of rode to drop the anchor. The anchor hit bottom and, fortunately, grabbed and held. We cleated it off and worked on cleaning the rest of the rode so we could add scope. We added more scope (it was pretty wavy) and once we were held fast (in a pretty busy area on a very busy weekend), we took a breath.

We called TowBoatUS and they got to us and towed us in (a story for another blog; the current at this time was ripping fast. Portsmouth is known for its challenging current and we lost our slack-tide window). By the way, that guy (Brian) was a rock star in getting us towed in while we were towing a dinghy, fighting a nasty current, managing a bridge raise, and parking us between two other boats. He also arranged a diver to free our prop since we didn't have diving gear. We owe you a beer, my friend.

So, the lesson learned here is to make sure that you can drop anchor at a moment's notice. It could be the difference between an "issue" and a catastrophe. I also suggest you try it to make sure your rode pays out OK. Those minutes untangling a mess is a real heart racer!

We did re-pack the anchor rode and flaked it instead of coiling it. This is similar to how you pack the rode for a drogue; flaking is laying the line in and going from side to side versus in a circle when packing it. It should pay out easily when deployed. We'll be testing this just to make sure so that next time (and there's always a next time!) we can drop anchor fast when needed. And, of course, we need to address that anchor roller...

So test that you can drop your anchor quickly. I also suggest that you have a way to secure your anchor when on the roller so it doesn't slip and bang your bow (that happened to me just after getting the bow gelcoat fixed. Ugh!) I put a shackle connected to a rope secured to the boat that could easily be released when necessary. I found that faster than having to untie a line before dropping the anchor.

I hope you found this helpful. Let me know if I missed anything by commenting below.

Happy and Safe Boating! -- Rich

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If something bad happens on the boat, do your passengers know what to do?

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 15:29:00 +0000

Before leaving the dock with passengers, you need to brief them on how to be safe and what to do in an emergency

If something bad happens on the boat, do your passengers know what to do? What if you get hurt, or worse, go overboard?

Prevention is the best tactic for minimizing and reducing risks. Keeping people from getting hurt in the first place is much better than having to deal with injuries or other emergencies. And, you want people to have fun and enjoy the experience.

So, before I leave the dock, I get everyone together and go through my "safety speech". It is simple, yet important, and sets expectations of what's ahead. Here is how it goes:

"As we get underway, I want to make sure this is a fun, but safe trip, so I am going to go through a few things that you need to know. Hopefully, most of the items won't be needed, but we should be prepared in case of an emergency."

Then I go through the following. (After a few trips out, it gets to be second nature. In fact, I sometimes have my kids give it to ensure THEY are solid on it.)

1) I note how many fire extinguishers there are and WHERE they are located. Note: fire extinguishers' purpose is to buy you time to save yourself and others, not the boat. Important distinction.

2) I point out where the life preservers (PFDs) are located. I also ask everyone if they would feel more comfortable wearing one and that there is no shame in it. I wear one for safety and to cover my bases in case the crew decides NOT to pick me up in the event I go overboard.... :)

3) I address what happens in a Man Overboard situation: if someone goes over, everyone yells "Man Overboard" and points to the person in the water and does NOT stop pointing or taking their eyes off the person. The captain or the next designee will then give orders to specific people to get the boat stopped, to press the MOB button on the chart plotter, and to call in a "pan pan" to the Coast Guard. I stress that you can't joke about this because any nearby vessels who hear a shout of "man overboard" are obligated to help. At this point in the talk, I designate the next person or two in charge in the event I become incapacitated.

4) I explain how to get around the boat safely: three points of contact when moving about the boat. Two hands and a foot; a hand, foot and backside, etc. Also, show them where they should grab hold and where NOT to grab hold for support. If on a sailboat, always move on the high side (the side without the sail).

5) I explain how to safely go below: always go down the gangway (ladder) backwards i.e. facing the ladder and holding on. Going down forward during an unexpected wave can cause great injury to your back and neck.

6) On sailboats, I caution about always keeping low and out of the way of the boom. If they ever hear "Duck" to immediately duck vs. thinking about why someone is yelling "duck". That instant hesitation could be the difference of something not whacking you in the head vs. something severely injuring or killing you.

7) I point out where the first aid kit is located.

8) I talk about illness and feeling seasick: if you feel seasick, let me know so I can get you some relief or return to shore. Note that heat stroke can look a lot like sea sickness, so be on the lookout and make sure people are drinking liquids (non-alcoholic ones for hydration). Here is a link to heat exhaustion and signs of heat stroke.

Last, I ask (jokingly) "Did you sign up for the Booze Cruise or the Adventure Sail? The Booze Cruise means that you just want to relax and have a drink and enjoy the ride. The Adventure Sail means you want to handle the lines and be more involved." This way I can best assess how to make it an enjoyable trip for all.

At some point, we usually need to instruct passengers on how to properly use the head and where the cold drinks are.

If you use BoatProject™, there is a template with these listed called "Safety Briefing" that you can copy and customize to your needs. Once you have it down you can mark it complete or just delete it.

I hope you found this helpful. Let me know if I missed anything by commenting below.

Happy and Safe Boating! -- Rich

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US Coast Guard Inspected My Vessel and I Failed!

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 16:11:01 +0000

My vessel was inspected and I didn't pass. :(

While hanking on the sails on my boat, Providence, an Auxiliary US Coast Guard officer approached me and asked if I wanted my vessel inspected. I thought this would be a good opportunity because I felt I had everything pretty well nailed on safety. Plus, if he did find anything, I wouldn't get fined since this is a "courtesy" inspection.

The officer was great, by the way. He went through and not only checked things but explained what was needed and why some things were close, but not in compliance. Then he either showed me how to fix it or told me how to remedy the problem.

First, I rather pride myself on being safe on the water. Sailing/boating is not without its risks, and mitigating those is necessary to make it fun. So, when I did not pass, and when he found deficiencies, it was a blow to my ego. But, it was also an opportunity to remedy those things.

Besides the usual fire extinguisher check and PFDs, I learned a few things. Actually, more than a few things. Here is what I learned:

While my safety equipment passed, ALL of my flares were expired. Ouch. I confused replacing the ones on Providence with upgrading all my flares on Temptation Won. Fortunately, I can use the Annual Safety Inspection template and copy it for each vessel so I can track them individually. BTW, I passed because I had the electric SOS beacon and two floating orange mats on board. I'm still going to update my flares, though.
While I had the appropriate number of PFDs, the buckles were clipped and the straps wrapped around them. This no longer makes them "readily accessible". Simply un-clicking the buckles and unwrapping the straps and returning them to the lazarette remedied that.
I didn't have the Trash Placard mounted. Fortunately, the officer had an extra that he gave me to stick on the galley wall to make me compliant. He admitted it is very ugly, though....
While I had a noise maker that worked, I did NOT have a bell. In Massachusetts where I keep Providence, boats over 16 feet (unlike Federal law of boats 65 feet and over) must also have a bell. That couldn't easily be remedied on the spot, so he had to fail me. Bummer. The bad news is a new bell is around US$280; the good news is, Sailboat Parts, a "Friend of BoatProject" (check out our friends on our website) had a used one for US$35. It pays to have friends!

I created a public template for a USCG inspection in BoatProject. You can find it by creating a project and choosing "From Template". In the search box, type "USCG Safety Inspection" to pull up that template and copy it to your vessel. It mirrors the checklist the Coast Guard uses, so if you address everything in it, you should be good to go (federally, at least). I also loaded the MA Boating Regulations in the Library if you want a quick reference.

Once my bell arrives, I'll mount it and give the officer a call to come back and verify I remedied that deficiency. Then I'll get a decal to display on my mast. That itself can discourage the Coast Guard from boarding you since they know that you have passed inspection and are, presumably, a safe boater.

Happy Boating and let me know your comments or if there are any enhancements to the template you think I should make!

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