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October 5th, 2009Rules of the Road – Overtaking boat
August 6th, 2010The rule governing an overtaking boat is quite simple. The overtaking boat must keep clear.
When you think about it, it’s the obvious thing to do. If you are approaching and catching another vessel from behind, you have it clearly in your sight. The skipper of the boat you are overtaking on the other hand will be keeping a lookout all around, including behind but most of the time will be focused on where the boat is heading.
As you draw closer, you will have to decide whether you will be able to go above it, i.e. to windward, or below it. If you’re sailing hard on the wind, it’s likely that you will need to spring the sheets and ease away below. Doing so will mean that you will gain boat speed. Hopefully this will result in your sailing through the other boat’s wind shadow quickly.
Meanwhile, if you are the skipper of the boat being overtaken, you must maintain your course and allow the overtaking boat to pass.
And what if you’re not sure whether you are an overtaking boat? In Rule 13 of the COLREGS (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea) it states that:
(c) When a vessel is in any doubt as to whether she is overtaking another, she shall assume that this is the case and act accordingly.
This rule governing the overtaking boat is just one of the Rules of the Road that are illustrated in our self-paced learning and self-test program, the Nautical Knowledge.
Boat’s motion – illustrated nautical terms
July 9th, 2010Just a bit of fun! We’ve found a delightful blog illustrating the following six nautical terms that relate to a boat’s motion. They are:
Heaving
Swaying
Surging
Pitching
Yawing
Rolling
It’s called six degrees of freedom and the drunken sailor. We hope you enjoy the sketches and their depiction of the fluidity of movement as much as we did.
Sale! The Boating Bible Manual of Seamanship is on sale!
June 21st, 2010
This month you can buy The Boating Bible Manual of Seamanship and save:
| NB: Prices in Australian Dollars | Was | Now Only |
| The Boating Bible Manual of Seamanship |
$195
|
$135
|
| Boat Handling 1 and 2 |
$45
|
$30
|
| Navigation and Passage Planning |
$45
|
$30
|
| Safety and Emergencies |
$45
|
$30
|
| Skipper and Crew, Knots and The Language of the Sea |
$45
|
$30
|
| Weathercraft |
$45
|
$30
|
Remember, this special offer expires on 30 June 2010.
What was John Bonds best known for?
June 20th, 2010He’s the man who pioneered the Quick Stop method of retrieving a crew member from the water.
As a member of the Safety at Sea committee, John Bonds conducted some 600 tests with midshipmen and using different equipment before concluding that the Quick Stop was the most effective manoeuvre.
It took some years for the Quick Stop to be adopted as the preferred man overboard response but it is now taught in sailing courses around the world, displacing the traditional, broad reach method.
What other significant innovation was he responsible for?
The answer is in this week’s newsletter, where we acknowledged John’s impact on sea safety.
Give your boat a safe home
June 7th, 2010Last Friday, a vigorous storm hit Sydney. A number of boats in Manly Cove were driven from their moorings and later towed to safety by the Water Police.
It was a timely reminder that boat owners should check get their moorings checked, preferably every year. If your mooring is owned by a marina or club, it should be maintained as part of your mooring agreement.
Just because you’re paying for someone to service your mooring doesn’t remove your responsibility to check and care for the line that you attach to your boat. Look for signs of wear on the mooring line. If chafe is developing where the line comes over the bow, use a piece of garden hose pipe over the line to protect it.
After picking up your mooring, make sure you stow the mooring buoy correctly. Don’t allow it to drop over the side or bang against the mast.
After a big blow, you should visit your boat to ensure that it is safely moored, exactly as you left it when you were last aboard.
Sailing with a racing crew and “Wake me if…”
April 1st, 2010My previous post was about single- and double-handed sailing. I have to say that I much prefer to go to sea with a full racing crew, i.e. a group of sailors who know what to do and when to do it, and my preferred role is skipper/navigator. In that role, I don’t stand a watch but am awake or wakened whenever necessary. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not one of those people who never sleep or over-exhaust themselves and can’t make decisions when problems arise.
Sometimes, however, crew members take it upon themselves not to wake me even though conditions have changed in line with my safety briefing instructions of “Wake me if …” Trying to be kind to me, they let me sleep on even though that may jeopardise everyone’s safety. They’re probably not aware of a chatty helmsman who has been sailing off the given course, putting the boat closer to a danger than would be expected or desirable.
Even though the navigator should snap awake when summoned, the more time available to assess the situation and what needs to be done, the better.
