Three Emergency-Steering Solutions by Evans Starzinger

Boat Preparation & Damage Control Three Emergency-Steering Solutions by Evans Starzinger

A veteran offshore sailor offers a multilayered defense for avoiding rudder failure—and for coping with it when it does occur.

Based on statistics that my partner, Beth A. Leonard, and I’ve been gathering in the decade we’ve been out cruising, approximately five to 10 boats out of 1,000 suffer a rudder failure while crossing oceans each year. Experienced offshore voyagers consider the success- ful steering of a boat without a rudder to be one of the most demanding feats of seamanship. Faced with the challenge, some crews simply give up and abandon their boats. However, with the proper preparation and attitude, almost any boat can be steered to within sight of a safe harbor. We’ve met several crews who’ve sailed hundreds of miles—and, in one case, more than 1,000 miles—without a Drop the rudder a rudder. few inches and inspect this area for corrosion. Rudders Fail in Four Ways The rudderstock breaks: If the stock fails, the rudder blade will be lost, leaving only the stub of the stock in the boat. A severe impact can break the stock, result- Check the rudder ing more often in damage to unpro- with a moisture meter tected spade rudders than to skeg-hung as moisture inside the rudders. Corrosion of a stainless-steel rudder can cause these stock, though, can result in failure of both welds to corrode and fail. spade and skeg-hung rudders. Improper lamination can result in stock failure on fiberglass/carbon stocks. Previous strain can also cause a failure. The blade detaches from the stock: This can happen in one of two ways. First, when the rudder consists of a stainless-

A rudder with a stainless-steel shaft has a web frame welded to the shaft. joseph comeau joseph

1 Safety at Sea Three Emergency-Steering Solutions

steel stock with flat bar webs welded to it and foam and glass shaped over the webbing, the welds can fail at the webs if salt water enters the rudder. In this case, the positive flotation of the rudder blade usually holds it on the stock, but when the helm is turned, the blade doesn’t respond. Second, an impact can destroy the blade entirely, leaving only the stock. This hap- pened when acquaintances of ours hit a whale off Nova Scotia. The rudder bearing breaks: On skeg- hung rudders, an impact at the bottom of the skeg can break or detach the bottom rudder bearing. This causes the rudder to drop down until the quadrant/tiller arm inside the boat jams against something. With only one bearing, the rudder will tilt and bind side to side. The rudder binds: This is by far the easiest rudder problem with which to deal. The culprit usually turns out to be fishing nets or line.S ometimes, even after the visible line has been cut away, the rud- der will remain difficult to turn. Two basic messages cry out from this litany of potential problems: First, both skeg-hung and spade rudders are vulnerable to failure. Second, many of Lashing a floorboard to the spinnaker shape, and we took the opportunity to the vulnerabilities can be identified—and pole is one of the best known—and make it even stronger. subsequent failures avoided—with careful yet least effective—of all emergency- At a minimum, we’d suggest taking inspection before beginning the passage. steering strategies. preventative steps before setting sail. First, on a rudder with a stainless-steel stock, Avoiding Rudder Failures use a moisture meter or drill a small hole As with so many emergencies aboard granted, giving it almost no attention. in the bottom (plug the hole with epoxy offshore sailboats, the best way to deal The best way to avoid rudder failure afterward) to see if it’s wet inside.A with rudder failure is to avoid it entirely. at sea is to spend some refit dollars on surprisingly high percentage of rudders Sailors preparing to embrace long- a new rudder and bearings, even if it on used boats will have moisture inside. If distance sailing occasionally ask us what means giving up some creature com- the rudder is wet, the stainless-steel stock/ our most important piece of equipment forts. It’s possible to build a virtually webbing will corrode and break at some has been. I think they expect to hear failure-proof rudder for less than the point. To decide how and when to address us say something like refrigeration or a cost of many watermakers. We did this this problem, talk to your boatbuilder and watermaker, neither of which we carry. for Hawk, our aluminum Van de Stadt a good surveyor. Instead, I tell them we consider the steer- Samoa 47. We were delighted that we’d Second, drop the rudder down about ing system our most vital gear. The sails done so after we spent an hour bouncing 6 inches and inspect the stock where it and rig come second, and the anchor the rudder off some rocks in a remote goes through the hull. This can be easily and windlass third. The GPS and good anchorage in Iceland. In the next harbor, done with most spade rudders, but it will charts are fourth. Most of those poised to a diver checked the rudder for us. His be a bit more difficult with a skeg-hung head off spend a good deal of time and report? He said he suspected that we rudder. Any signs of corrosion, cracks, do a more than adequate job preparing might’ve broken some rocks, but the or poor lamination in this high-load area the second, third, and fourth items. But rudder looked fine. We later built a new may signal a problem. The best solution many take the rudder/steering system for rudder with a slightly more sophisticated may well be to have a new rudder built. joseph comeau joseph

safety at Sea 2 Boat Preparation & Damage Control

Finding Solutions the jib, with a heavily reefed mainsail used A reach will be by far the most dif- Making sure that the rudder is strong as a trim tab: Sheet in to steer higher; ficult course to steer. An eased jib will and in good condition greatly reduces sheet out to steer lower. be the best sail plan on most boats. But the odds of a rudder failure, but such On a downwind course, get the sails the course will change dramatically diligence can’t eliminate it. Massive as far forward as possible and as bal- with small increases or decreases in impacts with logs or containers can anced on both sides as best you can. The wind speed. damage even extremely strong rudders, traditional double-headsail approach, Drogues: The loss of a rudder means and many corrosion and lamination with similar-size jibs poled out port and that the boat loses lateral resistance aft. problems can’t be detected until they starboard, offers one workable solution. This usually unbalances the boat. Deploy- reach the breaking point. If you lose steering, your attitude will be the key factor in determining whether you’re successful in sailing the boat to port without a rudder. First, even with the best emergency-rudder solution, expect to make somewhere between a third and a half of the boat’s normal speed, with the bow swinging through 60 degrees on either side of the desired course. Sailors with windvane experience will adapt to this more quickly because they know that with proper adjustment, their average track can be quite straight. Those who’ve only sailed with autopilots will likely have difficulty accepting this oscillation around the desired course. In addition, be persistent. Jury-rigged rudder solutions we’ve heard about usu- ally involve three or four attempts before sailors achieve a strong enough jury rig that provides adequate control to make decent progress. As the wind direction and strength shift, the boat’s balance will change, and both the sail plan and the rudder solution will need to be adapted. Even in relatively consistent winds and seas, the sail plan and jury-rigged rudder will take constant attention to maintain the best course possible. Bear in mind that the slower speed and extra distance sailed may increase the Essentially a sail on a pair of spars, the ing a drogue adds surface area and re- passage time by a factor of four or more. “soft rudder” was developed by U.S. stores balance. In addition, by deploying Depending on the distance from land and West Coast naval architect Paul Kamen. the drogue on a bridle, with one line tied the amount of stores aboard, the crew Visit www.well.com/~pk/PCrudder-04. to each stern quarter, you can steer the may have to consider rationing food and htm for more information on his emergen- boat by adjusting the tension between the fresh water. cy-steering solutions. two bridle lines. (See “Time to Put On the Brakes,” in this booklet.) Most people Loss-of-Steering Tactics we know who’ve successfully sailed with- There are four basic approaches to This approach was widely used and out rudders have deployed a drogue as a emergency-steering solutions. A workable refined back in the days before good part of their solution. arrangement will often combine elements self-steering solutions—windvanes and Jury-rigged rudders: The most com- from several. autopilots—were available. It’s self- mon jury-rigged rudder consists of a Sail balance: Without a rudder, the correcting, because when the boat yaws large board (to create rudderlike surface boat’s normal balance will likely change too much one way, a jib will back and area) and chain (to sink the steering dramatically, and you’ll have to adapt push the bow back down. An alternative surface underwater) attached to the end your sail plan and trim to the new bal- downwind approach, for stronger condi- of a spinnaker pole to create a sweep. ance. On an upwind course, it’s possible, tions, is to sheet a jib or staysail flat on The pole is lashed to the stern or the on board certain designs, to steer without the centerline. This is also a self-correct- backstay so it pivots, and the boat is a rudder by properly balancing the sails. ing sail plan, since the jib will constantly steered using two lines led from the end

Most of the drive will likely come from be pushing the bow back downwind. of the pole through snatch blocks at the comeau joseph

3 Safety at Sea quarters to cockpit winches. it yourself, the cassette rudder can be a boat back to port safely and relatively The loads on this sort of rudder are relatively economical solution. efficiently.T o deal with the possibility of quite high, and both the means of attach- However, we’ve found that very few rudder failure, crews should install a very ing the board to the pole and the pole to cruising boats carry any sort of pre-made strong main rudder. They should carry a the backstay/stern must be extremely well emergency rudder, due to the extra cassette rudder or mount a windvane with executed. The most successful approach expense and the stowage challenge. Many an auxiliary rudder for use in the event for attaching the board to the pole is to do carry windvanes—such as the Hydro- the main rudder fails, and in case the drill holes down the center of the board in vane or WindPilot Pacific Plus—so pick- cassette or auxiliary-rudder solution can’t two rows that are spaced slightly narrower ing a windvane design that steers its own be fit, or in case the backup also fails, the than the diameter of the pole. Thread ei- ther large hose clamps or strong lashings through each pair of holes, then run the pole down through them. Hose clamps work much better, so it’s worth keeping large ones on board. If you use lashings, each will need to be twisted tightly with a Spanish windlass. You’ll need chain (or diving weights) tied to the pole end to sink it and keep the board from bouncing along the surface. Everyone we know who’s tried to use a jury-rigged rudder has found that it’s dif- ficult to build one strong enough and that the finished device provides much less steering control than expected. Emergency rudders: By far the best solution is to build and store on board an emergency rudder that’s ready to deploy when the need arises. Experience suggests that an emergency rudder must be, at the very least, half the depth of the original rudder to provide steering control. The stock needs to extend above the transom for the tiller attachment. The cassette rudder is widely consid- ered the best design and is a common solution on round-the-world raceboats. This design has four components: two gudgeons permanently (and strongly) fixed to the transom; the cassette, with Done properly, a cassette rudder is crew should be prepared to implement two bolts or pintles on its forward edge the most efficient emergency-steering upwind and downwind sail plans to fa- that slide into the gudgeons; the rud- solution, but it’s bulky to stow. cilitate steering. They should also carry a der blade, which slides down into the drogue and be prepared to piece together cassette; and a tiller designed to attach a pole sweep. securely to either the cassette or the dedicated auxiliary rudder rather than Even with this level of preparation, rudder blade. the boat’s main rudder is an alternative. steering without a main rudder will be a This design has several advantages over If they’re large enough, these rudders can challenge. But these steps should keep you the alternatives. First, it’s relatively easy act as full-fledged emergency rudders and from having to abandon the vessel. With to install at sea, as the cassette can first be require little or no effort to set up. patience and persistence, you, like other fixed on the gudgeons before the rudder In 14 runnings of the Pacific Cup crews before you, should be able to get is slid into place. One-piece rudders are from San Francisco to Hawaii, there has the boat within sight of a port and within much more difficult to install because the been to date a 2-percent to 3-percent range of help. waves throw the rudder blade around, rudder-failure rate. In response, the race making it all but impossible to line up the requires every boat to install and test an Evans Starzinger and Beth A. Leonard fasteners. Second, the assemblage breaks emergency-rudder system. frequently cruise the high latitudes, down into several components, making where self-reliance is paramount. Beth is it easier to build and stow. Third, cassette Putting It All Together the author of The Voyager’s Handbook: rudders can be made strong enough to As is the case with most emergencies, The Essential Guide to Bluewater Cruising withstand rudder loads more easily than including rudder failure, a multilayered (McGraw Hill/International Marine). joseph comeau joseph one-piece designs. Finally, if you make defense is most likely to get a crew and

safety at Sea 4 Boat Preparation & Damage Control How to Prep Your Boat for Passagemaking by Andrew Burton

When Cruising World’s resident delivery captain gets ready to offshore, he starts making lists.

Whatever the reason that you’re heading offshore—a race, a cruise, a delivery—the first thing to do is make sure that the boat’s ready to go. It makes no difference whether the boat is your own, a friend’s, or—like so many I deliver—one you’ve never seen before. It’s necessary to inspect all the essential gear and ensure that it’s in shape to get you where you’re going. In fact, it’s probably better to treat your own boat as if you’ve never seen it before. Otherwise, you’ll be tempted to live with jury-rigged systems. Fix them now and you won’t have a nasty failure at 3 in the morning in 10-foot seas. In 30-some years as a delivery skipper, I’ve learned to prioritize. Some sys- tems are essential to make the passage safely and successfully. Others are merely aboard for the sake of comfort. In the first category,I place the rig and sails, the steering system, and the integrity of the hull and deck. All the rest is luxury: It’s a sailboat, so it can get anywhere you want to go without an engine. It just takes a little longer, sometimes. When I start inspecting a boat, how to two halyards. Go to the masthead first When you’re going up the mast, never much emphasis I place on getting every- and check that the lights work and that trust shackles on halyards. Always tie thing aboard working perfectly depends any electronics connections are tight and the halyard to the bosun’s chair. on how long I expect to be at sea and in don’t look corroded. On the way down, what sort of conditions. Is this a trade- remove any tape and inspect all cotter winds run of a few days or a long ocean pins and nuts and bolts; potential chafe any blocks are in good shape and firmly crossing during which I must deal with points should be wrapped with tape or attached. Below, check for excessive cor- a variety of weather? Either way, the covered with a blob of silicone. Search rosion at the butt of the mast, and exam- first thingsI look at are the halyards—if swages, shrouds, terminals, and chain- ine the wires that come out of the bottom they’re too rotten to hold the sails up, plates for cracks. The last thingI do is give for signs of chafe. there’s not much point in performing a each upper shroud a good shake to see if Next come the sails. Depending on the thorough inspection of the rig. it and the spreaders will hold up to a sail piece of ocean you’re crossing, make sure Attach messengers to the ends and flogging against the rig at sea. you have a storm jib or staysail aboard— inspect the whole length, looking for frays At the partners, ensure that the mast and a trysail’s nice if it’s going to be a long or just general age rot. If you have any is securely blocked, and inspect the mast passage. Inspect them all to make sure

doubts at all about them, go aloft attached boot for watertight integrity. Make sure they haven’t rotted from being stored in andrew burton

5 Safety at Sea How to Prep Your Boat for Passagemaking

Twin wheels on this boat (left) mean two sets of steering cables. These cables are a little loose. Don’t overtighten them! It’ll cause wear on the rudder bearings.

Sails (above) should be checked for wear, especially at the corners.

outboard when you’re reaching so the sheet doesn’t chafe on the lifelines. Look at the mainsheet and make sure the bilge. Run the storm sails up so you Pumps should have the handles that all the shackles on the blocks are can figure out sheet leads before it starts attached with a lanyard—and tight and, if possible, seized with wire or a to blow. On one boat I delivered, the track the pumps should work! plastic wire tie; any sharp ends should be was so misaligned that when I needed the taped or filed smooth. Winches should all trysail, I couldn’t hoist it. turn freely; if they don’t, remove the drum The main and jib should be unfurled, While still on deck, inspect the stan- and give it a few quick shots of WD-40 to dropped to the deck, and inspected for chions, lifelines, and lashings. I instruct get it turning until you have a calm day on wear, especially at the corners, the batten my crew to move about the deck as if which to take it apart for a proper clean- pockets, and the spots where they may the lifelines weren’t there and to never ing and lube. interact with the rig while sailing. Replace rely on them in case they break; still, it’s Many boats use hydraulics to control any worn slides, and check the reef points comforting to know they’re in good shape vang and backstay tension. After mak- for chafe. On a delivery, I always take if they’re needed. ing sure the reservoir is topped up and along a sail-repair kit that includes a few Sheet leads should all work well; the hose connections are dry, test these square feet of Dacron sticky-back to re- sheaves should turn, and cars should controls; pump them up and release the pair any holes or chafe spots that develop move along tracks. Are there extra blocks? pressure a few times, then check the con-

andrew burton while under way. Snatchblocks are useful for moving a lead nections again for leaks.

safety at Sea 6 Boat Preparation & Damage Control

tighten engine belts as necessary. Start the engine and watch for anything unusual, such as excessive vibration or loose fas- tenings. With the engine in gear while the boat is under way, check the stuffing box for leaks or excess warmth. Hold the side of a screwdriver on the shaft as it turns; if there’s vibration, you could have an align- ment problem or a bent shaft. Your spares inventory will depend on your budget and the length of time you expect to be away. At the very least, you should carry a couple of spare impellers, a full set of At the wheel, check for play; if it’s belts, and some pieces of hose. excessive, tighten the steering cables. Ocean-racing boats are required to have See how many turns it takes to go lock a softwood plug attached to each through- to lock, then find and mark the center of hull; this should be mandatory on cruis- the wheel. Make sure that you actually ing boats as well. Check that the shutoffs get thrust from the propeller in forward are accessible and turn easily. Make sure and reverse gears. You’ll feel really silly all the bilge pumps work and that the if, when it’s time to leave, you cast off the manual ones have handles attached with dock lines, wave good-bye to friends and a lanyard. Try to get any gook out of the family, put the engine in gear, and noth- bilge that could plug up the pumps. ing happens. Check that cooling water is Run through all electrical equipment. coming out of the exhaust, and take the Check that each switch on the electri- boat out and briefly run the engine up cal panel does what it’s supposed to do. to full throttle in gear; your top cruising Open up the panel and look behind it speed should be about 75 percent to 80 for any signs of problems, such as burn percent of maximum rpm. marks caused by shorts or corrosion Determine that the running lights Cover varnished tables (top) to prevent around connections. work, and remember to have several scratches en route. The crack in the Power up the nav gear to make sure it’s spares aboard to replace the inevitable stanchion (above) was covered beneath telling the truth. Check the GPS position, burned-out bulbs. Much as we deplore tape, underscoring that crew should clip and make sure the radar heading marker stowing gear on deck, rarely is there room into jacklines, not lifelines. points in the same direction as the boat. for dinghies and diesel jugs below, nor Locate manuals for all the boat’s equip- would we want the smells associated with they need to be happy are four things: ment and familiarize yourself with what’s the latter—allowing the crew inside is bad clean fuel, clean air, clean lubricating oil, in them. enough. So make sure any lashings are and cooling water. That’s whatI check High on your list should be making tight and strong enough. when I look at a boat for the first time. sure that all the safety gear is in place, Before going below, have a look around Start by thoroughly cleaning out the fuel including jacklines made of strong nylon the deck and note the general condition pre-filter—it’s the one that’s not on the webbing running the length of the boat of the boat. Is everything in its place? engine—and replacing the cartridge. on both sides and from the companion- Are all the lines led so they won’t chafe? Make sure you have plenty of spares. way to the wheel or tiller. Finally, if you Remember, “A tidy boat is a happy boat.” Before one trip, a helpful owner added a want to make the passage in a reasonable The same can be said of the interior. The biocide to the fuel just as we were topping amount of time, make sure the bottom of old saw about a place for everything and up before heading offshore. This loosened the boat is clean; there’s a reason racers everything in its place is never proved so the algae in the tanks, and as we bounced always do this. true as when the boat heels in the breeze along offshore, the tank was shaken up; If this is your first time heading for the first time. Loud crashes from be- we ended up going through two seasons’ offshore on your own boat, bear in mind low are a signal that perhaps your stowage worth of fuel filters in a week. Being that lists can be intimidating and endless. plan isn’t working out. offshore is going to jostle the fuel tanks Prioritize your projects, take care of the Before you check the mechanical equip- anyway, so plan on detritus getting sucked must-dos, pick a good weather window, ment, get the tools out and inspect them. into the fuel lines. then go. If you wait until every item is Do you have a full set of wrenches, both Take a look at the engine’s overall checked off, you’ll spend the rest of your standard and metric? Do your adjustable condition. If it’s really dirty, clean it with life at the dock. tools adjust, or are they too rusty? Are Fantastic or Simple Green, which will there screwdrivers of various sizes and make it easier to find any oil, water, and Andrew Burton sailed nearly 300,000 types, a hacksaw with new blades, a ham- fuel leaks. To that end, also clean under miles as a delivery captain before becom- mer, spray lubricants? the engine, and line the engine bed with ing a family man and an associate editor Diesel engines are simple. Almost all fresh oil-absorbing pads. Check and at Cruising World. andrew burton

7 Safety at Sea Inspecting the Boat: A Prepassage Checklist

by Captain John Bonds, U.S.N. (Ret.), and Captain Hal Sutphen, U.S.N. (Ret.)

A thorough review of must have latches or fit tightly enough to tap­ping with a hammer (a dull “clunk” stay in place in the event of capsizing. im­plies looseness or deterioration); also the boat and its systems Throughout the boat check storage of look for evidence of seepage around the should be “standard flammables such as teak oil, solvents, and bolt shaft and for signs of movement due operating procedure” spray paints, which should be stowed in to groundings. (Check at both ends: A topside lockers. Address wet swabs, loose downward thrust at one end is usually before leaving the dock. rags, and haphazardly stowed gear. matched by a push upward at the other.) Check wiring runs and electrical ground­ Plumbing and Wiring ing system for lightning protection. Check Start a thorough and orderly On many boats, the head is the next the main bilge for cleanliness; small ob­ in­spection at the forepeak, looking at the com­partment aft.I s the toilet clean and jects clog bilge pumps. Check remaining chainplate and stemhead fit­tings. Are work­ing? Are operating instructions3 clear through-hull fittings and examine wiring, there any signs of leakage, corrosion or and posted where easily read? Do any connections,­ and the integrity of speed- movement? Is the grounding strap fas- fittings leak?I s the toilet firmly anchored and depth-sensor through-hulls. tened securely? Wiring must be secured and is the seat secure on the bowl? Are Working aft toward the galley, check and not vulnera­ble to tangling or damage. the hoses kinked? Check hose and clamp freshwater lines to the head and the Are the electrical connections solid? Is con­dition. Is the anti-siphon loop secure galley for security and condition. Check the rode secured to the hull and free of and in place? Do freshwater valves leak? all clamps and end fittings, which are fre­ corrosion or fraying? Check the general Does the ventilation port seal? Check quently ignored until one pops loose and condition of the hull and deck, especially wash basin faucets and drains, and valves pumps all the fresh water into the bilges. the hull-deck joint, which should be tight, or seacocks on overboard discharges. In the saloon, check the shroud chain not leaking, with mechanical fastening Does the head door operate easily and plates and their attachment to the hull. in addition to a glued or bonded joint. can the latch close properly? If there is a Are there any signs of water seepage? Check the condition of through-deck shower, are the valves leak-free, and the Movement? Are they tight? Is the chain foredeck fittings: Each should have a sump drain and pump operable? Is stow- plate electrically bonded to the keel and good-size backing plate. age for personal toilet gear adequate and lightning protection system? Are there Aft of the forepeak, look at the hull/­ will toilet paper stay dry? signs of movement or separation of trans­ deck joint wherever visible; at cabinetry Next is the saloon. Work from the verse bulkheads from the hull? Without for signs of loosening from the hull; and head bilges to the saloon bilges checking removing interior cabinetry, look under at electrical fittings for frayed or exposed through-hulls and inspecting the mast and behind cushions, bins and draw- wires. Do the lights work? In the bilges, step. Are the step and the foot of the mast ers. Check wiring runs, hoses or piping, look for signs of movement between corrosion-free? Check for evidence of hull penetrations and, where visible, the the hull, bulkheads and frames, where step fatigue or collapse (cracked lami­nate, hull/deck­ joint. Check for heavy gear overlapping glass laminations break down bent metal beam, cracked weld). Is the that could go adrift in heavy weather or when the hull is strained. If the wiring is mast firmly mounted with a bolt through a capsize.­ Check all cabin lights, includ- not carried aft in a conduit, it should be the mast and step (or other mechanical ing red lights for night use. Do cushions banded and secured every 12-18 inches. means)? Is the mast notched for spray have protective covers? Do bunks have Check thru-hull fittings for soundness. and conden­sation drainage? Is the mast sturdy lee cloths or lee boards? Check Below the waterline, bronze seacocks are grounded, preferably to keel bolts? Are overhead for the condition and tight- preferred. Above the waterline, reinforced wires secured and bundled, with connec- ness of the headliner. Is there any sign nylon (marelon) is ac­ceptable. Seacocks tions above bilge water and labeled for of leakage from topside hard­ware? Are should operate through full range easily troubleshoot­ing? Tanks are often in the opening ports watertight? Are grab rails and without leaking; they should be la­ bilges; look for firm mounting to the hull and handholds securely fas­tened? Is the beled with open and closed positions, and (no signs of movement, cracks or leak- saloon table solidly mount­ed? Can dorade have a proper sized wood plug stowed age); good, well connected (with double vents be closed from be­low? (If not, verify nearby. Metal should be free of corrosion, clamps on fuel lines); and large access that closure plates are on board for every with hoses and clamps (double clamps for plates for cleaning. Working farther aft, dorade.) Do all doors and latches work? fittings below the waterline) in good con- check all keel bolts hidden under tanks At the navigation station, make sure all dition. Are the bilges clean? Deck plates by looking for signs of corrosion and gear is firmly attached. Check the oper­

safety at Sea 8 Boat Preparation & Damage Control

ability of every unit. Is the wiring behind the panel for quality of installation: “Wire preferable to alcohol. LPG tanks should the gear orderly, banded and anchored nuts” and “twist and tape” are never ac- be firmly mounted outside or in a dedi- to the structure? The navigation inven- ceptable. Check for use of consistent color cated compartment outfitted that drains tory should include International Code coding or tags for wire identifica­tion. Be overboard­ (not into the cockpit). Are of Signals (H.O. 102), Selected Worldwide sure the back of the main battery selection tanks mounted securely and on hardwood Marine Broadcasts, and the Nautical Al- switch is protected from contact with blocks clear of the fiberglass and dry on manac as well as celes­tial tables, universal metal objects. the bottom? Each must have a cut-off plotting sheets and maneuvering boards. valve at the tank, then a pressure gauge, Don’t forget tide and current ta­bles, Light The Galley and Interior then the pressure-reducing valve, then a Lists, Coastal Pilots, local Notices to Mari- Turning to the galley, check the sole­noid valve remotely operated from the ners, and such reference texts as Dutton’s refrigerator or icebox. Is it free of cracks, gal­ley stove, and finally approved marine or Reed’s. Is the local Notices to Mariners broken racks, or supports? Is it3 clean and piping (firmly mounted and well sup- on hand? Is there a secondary compass odor-free? Test for an open drain with a ported) to the stove. with a deviation table at the navigation glass of water. If the box drains directly to The stove should be gimballed and station? Check binocu­lars, hand-bearing the bilge, it’s a guaran­teed source of foul have a short length of flexible hose for compass, dividers, parallel­ rules and nau- bilges! Check the tem­peratures main- at­tachment to the gas supply. Are proper tical slide rule. Verify sextant alignment tained by a mechanical re­frigeration unit. instruc­tion and warning plates, specified and the accuracy of the time­piece used for What kind of fuel does the stove use? by ABYC, visible at the tanks and each celestial navigation. Check the logbook CNG is safest because the gas is lighter appliance? Verify that proper operating for accuracy and adequacy as a legal than air, but tanks employ very high procedures are employed (to light: open record of the vessel’s operations. pressures. Refills are sometimes hard to tank valve, check pressure, open electrical The electrical panel is frequently near get and the regulator is difficult to ­pair.re solenoid valve, light match, then open the navigation station. Check all meters, LPG can be dangerous: Heavier than air, stove valve. To secure: close electrical switches, fuses and circuit breakers, look­ it will collect in the bilge and lurk there, valve and wait for flame to go out, then ing especially for jury rigs and jumpers awaiting a spark. With stringent op­erating close stove valve and tank valve). Most that lack proper fire protection.A ll leads practices, an operable bilge blower with alcohol stoves are undesirable as they tend should be routed “downstream” of the intakes deep in the bilges and proper to flare and spill. They have a very low main battery switch. Examine the rear of installation, LPG is an acceptable fuel and heat output, so cooking is slow, adding to

The Bluewater Checklist Before you get under way, assign the following duties to your any stitching. Run tether hooks fore and aft to ensure free travel. crew. These checks will prevent problems later and will familiar- l Inspect and inventory safety harnesses. Check for sprung clips, ize your crew with the boat’s systems. These actions are based on torn webbing, and inoperative lights. practices proven aboard U.S. Naval Academy offshore sailboats. l Inspect and inventory PFDs. Check whistles, lights and reflect- All Hands ing tape, ensure boat’s name is on each PFD. l Have a supply of seasickness remedy found to be personally l Inspect life raft for security of stowage and attachment of most effective. painter/oper­ating lanyard to boat with weak link. l Adjust safety harness and PFD for comfortable fit. l Inventory sail repair kit: l Inventory personal safety gear. Four- by six-foot heavy canvas for chafing gear. Skipper At least six assorted sail needles; two roping palms, right hand. l Ensure all emergency assignments are up-to-date with crew Three small rolls sail twine. assigned to functions by name. Sail repair material including at least one yard of eight- to nine- First Mate Or Bosun ­ounce sailcloth, adhesive-backed Dacron (sheet and tape), and l Inspect all standing rigging from masthead to deck, ensuring rip-stop nylon tape for spinnakers. cotters intact, taped as necessary, no cracks in swages or signs of Two yards reinforcing nylon or Dacron tape. broken wire strands. Spare hanks and slides to fit each sail. l Inspect all running rigging. End for end as necessary, whip Complete set spare battens; yarn for telltales. loose ends, install chafing gear or change leads to prevent chafe. One yard spare cloth to match heaviest sail; one yard spare cloth Examine areas under strain in heavy weather (e.g., reefing lines for each weight of sails. where they pass through cringles). Engineer l Bend on all storm sails, install sheets, and determine sheeting l Clean bilges, removing all debris and clearing limber holes. locations (mark with permanent felt-tip pen). Mark storm sail l Clean bilge pump strainers. corners (i.e., tack, head, clew). l Test bilge pumps by pumping clean water with each pump. l Mark all reef tack and clew cringles on mainsail and mizzen l Ensure batteries and other heavy equipment are secured with numbers corresponding to reef number. against rollover. l Inventory sail ties. Carry triple the normal number. l Ensure all batteries are fully charged (use hydrometer for wet- l Lay out safety lines on deck and in cockpit. If wire, check swag- cell type). Replace defective batteries. es for cracks or unlaying. If braided webbing, check condition and l Inspect steering for correct cable tension, proper clamps, free-

9 Safety at Sea the danger un­der way. Regardless of fuel the ladder firmly mounted so it will stay cable itself. Examine the rudderpost for used, stoves must have specific operating in place in a seaway? Does the cabin sole galls and burrs, and check the condition instructions, clearly written and posted provide safe footing? Can crewmembers of the packing gland. Check turnbuckle at the stove. Check each stove and oven moving into the cockpit clip onto safety lubrication. Are stops in place and strong burner in op­eration for full function. lines before leav­ing the cabin’s protection? enough? Have a crewmember swing the The stove tray must be clean and the The aft cabin and head deserve the helm from stop to stop while observing heating elements as free as possible from same scrutiny as forward spaces: Bilges, the post, quadrant, cable and sheaves for corrosion. Check all hose fittings for bunks, stowage, ladder, ports, hatches, wobble, play, or binding. Check swages wear, abrasion and splitting, es­pecially chain plates, and other fittings are similar and examine­ cable clamps (minimum of at the end fittings. The stove should be to those forward. In the bilge, check the two) for proper installation. Fit the emer- gimballed but have a lock for fixed posi- stern tube. A traditional stuffing box gency tiller and observe its operation. Are tioning. Some means to hold pots in place should drip slightly, but not more than there com­pass, rudder-angle indicators, is required, as is a strap to give the cook three to six drips per minute. Dripless or other methods to enable helmsmen security and support. seals must have good clamps and flexible to steer properly? For hydraulic systems, Check galley storage racks for secu- bellows. Look for transmission oil in the check hydraulic lines for leaks while at rity. Foot pumps for both salt and fresh bilges, a sign of leaking rear seals. rest and in use. Is there a pressure gauge water are desirable. Protection from on the reservoir and a pump to pressur- galley flare-ups and fires is essential. Systems and Engine ize the system? Are the dust-cover boots Is a nearby fire extinguisher accessible While aft, check the steering system. in place to protect the rams? Can the without reaching across the stove? Does The me­chanical system cables should be hydraulic linkage be disconnect­ed quickly the galley have a cutting board and ad- in good condition, adjustment3 nuts tight, to permit steering by hand? In the engine equate storage for sharp tools? Is it free and sheave supports firmly mounted, with room, follow systems for continuity and of vermin or rodents? guards and proper stowage to prevent work sequentially for thor­oughness. Before leaving the saloon, do a quick fouling cable and sheaves. Cables should Raw-water cooling: Does the through- once-over. Do the hatches, scuttles or the be tight enough to remove any slack that ­hull cycle freely without leaks? Are all mast collar leak? Are the instruments might allow them to jump out of the the system’s hoses in good condition and protect­ed? Check for signs of stress or sheave in heavy weather, but not so tight double clamped? Is the strainer accessible distortion under deck-stepped masts. Is that they stress hull supports and the and mounted securely, and is the basket dom from binding cable and sheave conditions. Remove or secure ers for large windows are on board, properly stored and ready for loose gear in quadrant area. Check and fill hydraulic steering mounting. reservoir and air charge. l Cycle all through-hull valves and lubricate as necessary. Check l Test emergency tiller and stow in readily accessible place. for DC plugs of correct size adjacent to each fitting. Ensure that all l Inventory engine spares. Minimum: Alternator drive belt, hoses below the waterline connected to through-hulls are double engine oil filter, two sets of engine fuel filters, two quarts of lubri- clamped. cating oil, spare cooling water impeller and gasket. l Check topside tightness by applying high-pressure hose to Navigator hatches, deck edge, windows, and mast boot. l Test the receipt of VHF and SSB weather information by copying l Locate all dorade-vent covers. at least one broadcast. Ensure that a complete list of weather frequen- l Inventory damage control kit and toolbox. cies is aboard. Medical Assistant l Test weatherfax if installed. Carry sufficient paper for 1.5 times l Using an approved checklist (CCA, US Sailing, etc.) inventory anticipated need. your medical supplies. Obtain necessary prescription drugs. l Verify ability to receive time signals on at least two frequencies. Damage-Control Kit (U.S.N.A. style) l Check barometer accuracy against standard barometer. l Assorted hose clamps; 3-M 5200 or equivalent sealant/glue (car­ l Inventory emergency gear: Flares, EPIRB, survival mirrors, tridges and gun); extra wood plugs; rubber sheeting; 4x4 collision radar reflec­tor, space blanket, and abandon-ship bag. mat of heavy fabric with wide hem or bolt rope, corner grommets l Ensure sufficient spare batteries for 1.5 times anticipated needs and 10’- 15’ lanyards; hacksaw with three spare blades (carbide for for flashlight and portable electronics (GPS). rod rigging) taped to frame; two drifts matching size of clevis pins l Be prepared to navigate with GPS and other electronics—but also in rig; hammer with lan­yard or handle; duct tape and electrical in full manual mode, including sextant and calculator or tables. tape; water-activated fiberglass repair fabric; bolt and wire cutters; Cook two 12- to 16-inch plywood squares for hole patches; self-tapping l Prepare menus for entire sea period and for 30 hours of storm screws (1.5 to 2 inches) and large screwdriver (nails for wood boat); conditions. Procure, inventory, and store provisions to support shoring materials and wood wedges, marline or small braid­ed those menus. nylon line for seizings and lashings. Modern epoxies can harden l Secure all stores for possible rollover. even underwater and should be considered. Similarly, a battery- l Rig all lee cloths and check for adequacy of attachment. powered circular cutting tool with diamond blades will cut stand- l Inventory and inspect immersion suits. ing rigging quicker than anything, if battery power is sufficient. Damage-Control Officer J.B. and H.S. l Fit all washboards and other hatch closure devices. Ensure cov-

safety at Sea 10 Boat Preparation & Damage Control

rea­sonably clean? Follow the hose to the of corrosion or overheating? Check the Inspect the transmission coupling and raw-wa­ter circulating pump. Any signs of engine mounts for tightness of nuts (use shaft­ing inside the hull. Is the coupling pump leakage? Are the belts tight enough double or lock nuts to prevent loosening secured with a keyway in the shaft (good) to pre­vent turning the pump by hand? from vibration), for live rubber in vibra- or is the collar simply held to the shaft Trace the hose to the heat exchanger. tion damper, and for cracks in spider with set screws (unacceptable)? Installing Check engine water and transmission oil arms. Check the transmission cover for hose clamps or a circular zinc on the shaft heat exchang­ers for corrosion and leaks. corrosion. Is there a cap on the vent? for­ward of the stuffing box will prevent Pull and in­spect the pencil zincs required Are flange attachments safety wired or the loss of a broken/uncoupled shaft.I f to prevent elec­trolysis that will cause double-nutted to prevent loosening? Are there is a bearing between the transmis- exchange failure. Follow the hose to the there signs of leaks from the transmis- sion and stern tube, does it have grease exhaust manifold. sion? When was the oil last changed? Is fittings, recently lubricated?A ny signs of Exhaust system: Trace from manifold there extra oil and transmission fluid on misalignment? to muffler, checking for leaks and cracks. board? Spare oil and fuel filters? Before leaving, check the entire engine Are hot, dry exhaust lines lagged ade­ room for hazards such as exposed light quately? Check the muffler for corrosion, Electrical System bulbs, frayed wires, unsecured items, leaks and presence of drain at lowest Are cables secure at the battery and flammables, and overhead leaks. Check point. Follow the line aft, checking for protected from corrosion?­ Are the cables the hull-deck joint if visible. leaks. Does the line include an anti-­ color-coded (red +/black3 -) and in good siphon loop three to four feet above the condition? Are batter­ies in a box that Deck Layout waterline, or a stop valve downstream of will contain acid if a case breaks? Will Start in the cockpit. Check wash­boards the muffler to avoid having water back­ they stay in place through a 180-degree and hatches for heavy-weather readiness: flow into the manifold? knockdown? Are terminals shielded Can they be secured3 from ei­ther side? Freshwater cooling: Are the hoses in from accidental shorting? Are the Start the engine and watch oil pres­sure good condition, not collapsed or mushy ground connections at the engine tight and ammeter (many systems don’t charge (single clamps are OK)? Check the water and corrosion-free? Trace cables to the properly but their owners don’t realize it pump for leaks and wobble. Inspect for starter. Are the connections tight, clean, until they go to sea). If batteries appear leaks around the thermostat housing. and greased? Are cable runs banded and fully charged, partially discharge the Check the level of the expansion tank secured to prevent damage? Is the alterna­ service bank by turning everything on and verify content as 50 percent anti- tor aligned? Sight along plane of belt; and secure the engine after checking for freeze solution. check the belt, and look for dust, which smooth operation both ahead and astern Fuel system: Trace lines from the tanks signifies belt wear. Is the belt tight enough without play in the linkages. Check the through any manifolds to the primary to keep the alternator from turning by charging rate when starting the en­gine for filter/separator, checking for leaks, firm hand? Check the alternator wiring. Trace underway trials. attachment and support of lines. Do the field, ground, and output leads for On deck: Check all stanchions, pul­ valves operate freely? Is the primary filter tight connec­tions. One effective battery- pits, and stern rails for looseness. Check element clean? When was it last changed? charging sys­tem uses three batteries: one lifelines for minimum slack, but watch for Examine a fuel sample for signs of water hard-wired to the starter through an off- fittings that are too tight. Examine lifeline or sediment.­ All non-machine-made on switch; and two larger capacity units end fittings for signs of rust; peel back the connections must be double clamped. for general service wired via “off-l/both-2” covering at swages and inspect for broken Follow the line from the primary filter to switch. During en­gine operations, charg- strands. Check all standing rigging at the lift pump, then to the main pump by way ing should be via diode isolator, with the deck level. Remove tape and make sure of secondary fil­ters, then to the injectors. sensing circuit from the service batteries turnbuckle cotter pins are brass or stain­ Check for leaks at every joint. Test the lift switch in “both” positions. less. Are the turnbuckles straight with pump for easy manual operation. Look at While in the engine room, check bilge toggles to prevent lateral stresses? Are the the bleed points for signs of overtighten- and overhead blower operations. Diesels threads undamaged, clean, and lubricat- ing or very frequent use (implying air have exhaust blower intakes placed high ed? In each shroud and stay, at least one leak). When was the secondary fuel filter to remove fumes, but the LPG system clevis pin should have its cotter pin spread last changed? Check fuel return lines for re­quires the lowest possible intake. Check only 20 degrees to facilitate emergency leaks. Are the injector pump controls all the other equipment in the engine removal. Check for clevis pins too far out fastened firmly? Do the throttle and fuel room, including the backs of switch of the hole, putting strain on cotter pins. shut-off linkages smoothly operate, and panels (which need cov­ers), and exposed Check for cracks in turnbuckles and cable are they solidly fastened? fuses. Check the fire ex­tinguisher. end fit­tings, preferably with dye penetrant Other engine features: Check air filter Examine engine room bilges for oil; if and a magnifying glass. Check the swage for recent cleaning. Are the instrument present, remove in an environmental­ly where the wire joins the metal; any crack sen­sor wires firmly attached, free from sound manner. Check the operation of all is seri­ous. Sealing the collar at the lower corro­sion and bundled and attached pumps, both electrical and manual (two end of the wire with caulking may prevent for protec­tion? Check the oil level and re­quired). Each pump should discharge mois­ture from working down into the condition of oil. Are there signs of oil overboard,­ not into a common hose or swage. Any signs of wire unlaying indicate leaks around the tim­ing gear cover, cockpit drain. Check cockpit drains for bro­ken strands inside the swage. Remove valve cover, or fuel pump? Any signs good hoses and tight connections. cosmetic­ covers on the shrouds; although

11 Safety at Sea they reduce chafe on lines and sails, they rust stains, unlaying, unfair leads. Check in good repair. Examine all seam stitch- keep corrosion salt in contact with wire. in­strument and antenna connections ing. Look for telltales at jib luff and on The mast: Examine the collar and and mountings. Test tricolor and anchor main/mizzen at battens. wedges and look for signs of stress or lights. On split rigs, check the triatic stay Set storm sails at the dock and verify cracking on the mast or partners. Check for secure attachment and good tension. proper sheeting angles. Rig heavy-weather all winches. Do they move freely and Check the blocks and rigging for spin- jack lines. Are they firmly anchored fore cause muted clicks, indicating lubrica- naker gear. All shackles aloft should have and aft?D o they run the full length of the tion, or loud metal clicks? Is there a winch safety wires to prevent accidental open- boat to allow the crew to clip on while handle holder? Examine all halyards ing. Coming back down, check the sail in the cockpit and maneuver freely all for condition of wire and fittings.M eat track or bolt rope groove for alignment the way to the headstay or stern pulpit hooks? Twists or kinks? If the wire is in and soundness. Repeat­ the entire process without unclipping? poor condition, consider replacing­ it for a mizzen mast. For underway trials, start the engine with low-stretch synthetic-fiber line of On deck: Check all crew overboard and observe the charging rate and oil appropriate strength. Check spin­naker gear; a quick release system is desirable. pressure. While under power, check the gear to ensure the pole attachment slides Test navigation, compass, and instru- en­gine room for previously undetected smoothly, adjustments lock easily and ment lights. Check decks and hatches for leaks, vibrations, and noises. Check the securely, and the pole itself operates prop- cracks, stress fractures, or delamination. shaft and stern tube for vibration, wobble, erly. Do gooseneck fittings have clevis Sight closure plates for all ventilators. and leakage. pin and cotters? Are the mast and boom Check the fastening and condition of Set all working sails (main, mizzen, tracks straight? Is there a trysail track with deck-­mounted blocks and fittings.E nsure 100-percent­ jib); observe trim technique a switching track? Check boom reefing fair­lead tracks are straight and soundly and sheet angles. Change sails, reef, and gear: Are outhaul fairleads soundly at- fas­tened. Is the companionway cover unreef;­ tack and jibe with each combina- tached and positioned aft of appropriate secure­ly attached to its slides? Does it tion. Set the spinnaker, jibe, and douse. clew cringles? Is the halyard marked at slide freely? Is the steering pedestal firmly Conduct unannounced crew-overboard reef positions? Is there a winch for haul- mounted? Is there a strong point for drill and observe with “crew-overboard” ing reefs tight? Make the same checks on the helmsman to fasten a safety tether? procedure. (See “Crew Overboard: Four the mizzen, if applicable Check the condition of the dodger and its Recovery Methods” in this booklet). Up the rig: On the way up, check all win­dows and zippers. Check the shore- Ro­tate watches. Make VHF and HF SSB standing rigging and halyards for broken power ca­ble and receptacle. Is the anchor ra­diotelephone checks. Check logs for strands and unlaying; you can wipe with a secured against loss in high seas? Are fair- com­pleteness and adequacy. paper towel or a tissue to create “flags” on leads and chocks smooth and free from Has anything you’ve seen or heard cast broken strands. At the spreaders, check sharp edges? Is chafing gear available? doubts upon the boat’s readiness for her the lower shroud attachment. Are clevis intended voyage? Is the crew competent pins fully in­serted, with heads outboard, Inventories and Sails and ready for sustained sailing, pos- and nonfer­rous cotter pins? Are the In­ventory safety gear in accordance sibly in adverse conditions? If you have though-bolt holding tangs pinned? Check with ORC classification. Ensure that uncertain­ties on either score, address the the in-board end of spreaders for wear flares are ade­quate in number and have problem and find a solution. Going to and elongation of pin/bolt holes; check not expired. Check for an 8-inch3 bell sea in a sail­boat presents plenty of chal- wood spreaders, if applicable for rot (none (required by COLREGS for boats 39 to 66 lenges; minimize­ any risks before you is acceptable).­ feet long), day shapes for anchoring and leave the dock. Swing out to the spreader tips and try motorsailing,­ and make sure that there’s to move them up and down to check any a heaving line in the cockpit. A foghorn Captain John Bonds, U.S. Navy (Ret.), is the seiz­ing at the shrouds. Ensure adequate must have manual/oral operating ability former executive director of US Sailing. As soft cov­ering of spreader tips to prevent as a backup for canned air. Check the the director of Navy Sailing at Annapolis sail chafe. Verify that the angle formed radar reflector. Verify the servicing of the in 1981, Bonds developed and wrote the 17 between the upper part of the shroud and life raft within the past 12 months. publications that comprise the substance the top of the spreader equals the angle Inventory the medical kit (and of the Navy’s sail-train­ing program. As between the lower part of the shroud and review its adequacy), the damage- commodore of the Naval Acad­emy Sailing the bottom of the spreader. Continuing control kit, and the sail-repair kits. Squadron from 1984 to 1987, he saw that upward, check the steaming light and any (See “The Bluewater Checklist” in this program adapted to a civilian public in mast fittings such as a radar antenna and booklet). Inventory all engine spares, what has become the Cruising World/ platform. Repeat­ checks at upper spread- including filters, gas­kets, water-pump US Sailing Safety-at-Sea Seminars. Bonds ers. At the masthead, check mechanical impeller, starter, alterna­tor, plus teaches history at The Citadel, in Charles- wind indica­tor for free movement. Exam- manufacturer’s recommendations. ton, South Carolina, and lives with his wife ine halyard sheaves for freedom and snug Sails: Check the condition of eyes and aboard their J/40, Alliance, in Newport, fit (any space between sheaves and cheeks cringles at the tack, clew, and reef points; Rhode Island, during the summer months. can al­low halyards to jump out and jam). inspect the head­board, bolt rope, or sail The late Captain Hal Sutphen, U.S. Navy Check all clevis pins and cotters. Look for slide condition, and how it attaches to sail. (Ret.), was a professional mariner, teacher, cracks in the welded masthead box. In- Ensure that battens are securely fastened writer, and a former direc­tor of Navy Sailing. spect standing rigging swages for cracks, in the main and mizzen and pockets are

safety at Sea 12 Boat Preparation & Damage Control Is All Secure Below? by Tim Carr

Your best defense in a blew from the north-northeast for 24 place in the event we would get knocked knockdown or roll may hours and now, after a brief lull, came down or, may the gods forbid it, capsized. howling in from the northwest, bring- All our locker doors were fit with brass well be properly stowed ing with them a vicious cross sea. This friction turn buttons that tended to work gear belowdecks. was our worst time ever. With the cabin loose. I replaced these with small, flat, thermometer reading 26 degrees F, we barrel bolts. Their protruding knobs were were cold to our cores, and weary from not as ideal as countersunk flush-fitting hour-on, hour-off watches on which we latches sold in chandlers, but Curlew was Things were happening fast. hand-steered in minimal visibility. in Ar­gentina by this time, so we had to Pauline, my wife, was down below, anxious Lying ahull in these seas was probably make do. Common cupboard fasten- and frightened, but I could see her through asking for trouble, but Curlew couldn’t ings with fin­ger holes and hidden “elbow the sliding hatch of our classic 28-footer, heave to against such winds. Turning catches” can be inadvertently “triggered” Curlew; the hatch was cracked open just an downwind would mean running into by tumbling locker contents. After our inch. “Are you all right?” I asked. all kinds of dangers: reefs, islands, and burst of achieve­ment, fixing all six doors “Yes, ­I think so,” she said to me. “What grounded icebergs on the banks. So we with little effort, the next job proved a exactly happened?” lay ahull, and our little cutter had been trifle more difficult. “Knockdown,” I said. “The mast went knocked down far beyond her beam ends. Curlew’s four drawers are all the lift- underwater, the dinghy has shifted, Later we found the fiberglass dinghy’s to­-pull-out variety. They work very well but otherwise she looks okay. Can’t see gunwales smashed in several places and when the boat is the right way up, but that any ice ahead so I’ll set the wind vane the thwarts popped out, yet the only casu- was no guaran­tee in the Southern Ocean, and come down to change my gear. I’m alty below was the small transistor radio so we searched for a better method to soaked through.” that had been overlooked in the sudden keep them closed. We finally chose to The day before, Curlew had left Palmer onslaught of bad weather. fit each drawer with its own piece of Sta­tion, the U.S. base in Antarctica, with Our last big job while preparing to go threaded rod with a wing nut handle, what we’d hoped was a settling weather down to the Falkland Islands and points which we can turn into the side of the pat­tern. Wrong. The barometer had south was to add secure catches and drawer through a threaded brass plate plummet­ed. Screaming, smoking winds methods for containing everything in fixed to an adjacent bulkhead. We access

Ship’s or barrel bolt Extra Security for Elbow catch Heavy Items Below by Steve Callahan

In offshore pitchpoles and rolls, heavy fastening each to the lifting rings and engine beds. loose equipment aboard has destroyed vessels from the inside Properly baffled tanks will prevent liquid contents from surg- out. Engines have broken mounts, fly­ing inside ballast has ing. Heavy straps or braces across the tops and/or along the edg- smashed apart cabins, batteries have battered out ports, snakes es should keep tanks in place. Wedges alone will not keep internal of chain have whipped through furniture, and stoves have can- ballast in place; ballast should be structurally covered with framed nonballed through interiors. panels or heavy glass and bolted and/or bonded in place. Inspect both your engine bolts and mounts routinely to Lash any anchors that you carry inside the boat to thru-bolted make sure none have fractured. Beware of some flexible pad eyes or eye straps. Chain is more difficult to secure, but a mounts that might give way when the boat turns turtle and pile of it can be kept in place with a blanket of laced line or sewn- the weight of the engine yanks in what is normally an upward together web­bing attached to eye straps. Provide chain lockers direction. Engine bolts must be topped with heavy washers with latched covers. and nuts. Even so, backup retainers are a good idea. Cruising Stoves should not be simply dropped in place. Gimbals or the World contributor Ralph Naranjo ran stainless cables across main body of the stove must be securely bolted. Barrel bolts will

the top of the engine both fore and aft aboard his Ericson 41, prevent a roll from swinging a stove beyond the gimbals’ capac- comeau joseph

13 Safety at Sea these locks through the sink and wet-gear accepts a buttonhole slit in the leather three opening lids that are hinged and lockers next to the drawers. We only use tongue. A rabbet the width and thick- kept closed with Tufnol friction turn these when the chips are seriously down. ness of the leather has to be cut out of the buttons similar to, but smaller than, the In the galley, we slide a brass rod locker top for the lid to close snugly. sole boards. The turn buttons are held through two holes in the stainless steel Our binoculars are held similarly. A with long, stain­less self-tapping panhead stove compartment and gimbals just longer strap of leather leads from the screws set in the heavy framework. Settee above the two-burner Primus, which bulkhead between the eyepieces and onto backs are fash­ioned from plywood boards pre­vents it from swinging and holds down a screw on the front of the binocular box. that slip into a couple of sockets along the pot rings and burner caps. The stove is The legendary Bernard Moitessier once their lower edges. Yet more Tufnol turn also unable to jump out of its gimbals. gave us his spare pair of binoculars with buttons, fastened on­to the ply with small Our 28-footer has deep bilges that we an unhealthy dent in one side from one bolts, slip into slots on the shelf boards use to stow heavy items: water jugs, the of Joshua’s surfing mishaps in the Roaring above the settees. All four edges of the anchor chain, shorter lengths of chain, Forties. It would be a pity to launch them cushion backs are held by heavy-duty and so on. All the cabin sole boards must into space again! A strap of inner-tube hook and loop fasteners. lift for access, so we found ourselves rubber stretches across the hand-bearing We permanently lash down all heavy scratch­ing our heads again. Discounting compass to hold it firmly in its bracket. gear: Anchors, water and kerosene jugs all bulky, custom-made countersunk locks Books, pilots, files, briefcase, laptop, have their places. A bag of lashing lines, with los­able keys and spring-dependent and camera case are all held down by mostly one-quarter-inch diameter, is ring catches, I decided to make fairly “cargo straps” consisting of one-inch near­ly emptied before a passage. flat one-­quarter-inch-thick Tufnol turn syn­thetic webbing and one-inch plastic In our dramatic incident down south, buttons that I screwed through the fixed clip-­in, adjustable buckles, which are now our poor little radio suffered the worse for fore-and-aft central sole board and into commonly found on backpacks and are wear. The lid to its casing came shooting the sole bear­ers. Two-inch panhead self- available from sailmakers and camping off because we for­got to pop a loop of tapping screws with small stainless steel stores. They are easy to install and to inner-tube rubber in­to place. The radio washers either side of the turn buttons ad­just. With these straps, we restrain our followed the lid and hit the deck head on fasten the buttons to the sole. oil­skins from doing “Highland flings” on the far side of the boat. Its digital memory Curlew has several boxes and lockers their pegs, snug sail bags to the side of the remains shaken, as does ours when we with top-opening lids where we keep hull, and keep galley containers down in consider that dreadful couple of days leav- vegetables, dry-cell batteries and even their deep trough. We even fix the kero- ing the Antarctic Peninsula. the handheld GPS. Simplicity really got sene lamp with its own strap. Combined hold of me when I fashioned each of these with a circu­lar wood fiddle for the base, Longtime long-distance sailors Tim and closures from a tongue of leather and the protected lamp’s fragile mantle has Pauline Carr have crossed the Atlantic two screws. One screw holds the end of survived intact through at least a couple four times, the Tasman Sea six times, and the leather on the underside of the lid. A of knockdowns. have rounded the great southern capes of panhead screw on the front of the lock­er Each settee bunk top is composed of Horn, Good Hope, and Leeuwin.

Turn Flush ring Hold-down clamp button catch

Sailors can keep their interiors secure by installing commercially them to and the closures themselves meet the heaviest antici- available catches, but the common elbow catch (opposite page, pated loads, which may be several times contents weight. Thru- left) can be inadvertently sprung loose by interi­or contents. Ship’s bolt restraints to structural members and use washers where bolts or similar barrel bolts; turn buttons, if sturdily constructed; flush ring catches; and hold-down clamps are among many devices applicable. Small screws and decorative mold­ings will easily that may positively latch storage compartments. pull away. Plastic closures may not stand up to heavy loads and springs may lose their spring in time. Nylon line stretches too ity and wrenching it loose. You can also throw a couple of secu- much for heavy applications, but seat-belt webbing or Dacron rity straps around your stove in storm conditions. braid can sometimes serve to good effect. Whatever system you The battery must not simply rest on a shelf. Preferably, bolt a use, make sure falling gear cannot open the restraint. Inspect all structur­al battery box in place. Secure the top with stainless-steel before heading offshore and keep all routinely latched. strapping or heavy webbing bolted to nearby framing. Lockers

in which battery boxes live should be secured in addition. Long-distance sailor Steve Callahan is the best-selling author of Whether you are putting closures on locker doors or fastening Adrift, his account of spending 76-days in a liferaft after sinking in the North Atlantic. joseph comeau joseph down a battery box, make sure your fasteners, what you attach

safety at Sea 14 Boat Preparation & Damage Control Flame Off!

by Margaret Williams

Plan ahead and take or flammable solvents. Liquid proper precautions to molecules are tightly packed ensure your boat is free to­gether, but at the surface they can escape and mix with air to from flames. form vapor. Liquid odors are the result of molecules that evaporate, and Fire is the ulti­mate disaster then mix with air. The amount on any boat. Only if you are prepared of vapor that escapes increases as for it do you have a chance to contain liquid temperature rises. Some and ex­tinguish it. Most of us ignore the vapors will burn if they contact a real dan­ger of fire afloat. We comply heat source. When a liquid burns, with mini­mums set by Coast Guard it is the vapor molecules that fuel regulations, but that is not enough. In the fire.S ome vapors are heavier the long run, it is better and easier to than air; they will col­lect in low understand the fire hazards on a boat areas to form a trail of vapors and eliminate the possibility of disaster reaching far from the liquid itself. through good habits. If this trail contacts a heat source (hot sur- By being proactive and addressing your face, open flame, static electricity, sparks) craft’s risk areas, you can avoid the last What Makes a Fire? the resulting fire can flash back to the thing anyone wants to see on the water: Four components are required to start liquid source of the vapors. Fire occurs a boat engulfed in flames. and sustain a fire: fuel, or the material even though the liquid and the ignition that burns; heat, or the element that source are far apart. the source immediately, repair the leak, raises the fuel temperature to its ignition The lowest temperature at which a and clean and ventilate the bilge. Sniff the point; oxygen, the gas consumed in the liq­uid releases enough vapor to sustain bilge before energizing an electric bilge burning process; and a chemical chain burning is called its flash point, a charac­ blower, as sparks from the motor can ig­ reaction that converts fuel to ashes and teristic that determines the relative fire nite the vapors. smoke. Without these four compo­nents, hazards of liquids. Those classified as Vapors can find their way below dur­ing fire can’t exist. “flammable” have flash points below 100 refueling, so close all hatches and ports Fires are classified in four categories. degrees Fahrenheit. They release enough before filling the tanks.T ransfer gasoline Class A fires are those involving such vapors to form burnable mixtures at nor­ or other flammable liquids from one solid fu­el as wood, paper, textiles, or mal air temperatures. Examples include container to another either on deck or off bed­ding. Class B fires have liquid fuel, gasoline, acetone, benzene, lacquer thin­ the boat. Extra fuel should be stored on such as gasoline, paint, or fat. Class C ner, and turpentine. Liquids classified deck in approved plastic containers. This fires are electrical in origin and occur in as “combustible” have flash points above ap­plies to an outboard motor as well as its wiring, appliances, and switches. Class 100 degrees Fahrenheit. They include fuel supply. D fires in­volve pyrotechnics or metals, diesel oil, kerosene, mineral oil and Of course, these days most sailboats use such as magnesium. hydraulic fluid. diesel fuel, which is a much safer liquid. Class A fires: A Class A fire starts when Many fires on boats are caused by Even so, it is best to store extra diesel top- a heat source contacts a solid that will gasoline. If a car has a fuel leak, the side in heavy plastic containers approved burn. Perhaps a smoldering cigarette falls gasoline vapors disperse quickly and for flammables. onto a settee, matches tumble out of a rarely cause a problem. On a boat with Cooking fuel, too, must be handled locker onto the stove, or curtains ignite in a gas engine, where the tanks and fuel with care. Alcohol stoves are found on a flare-up while preheating a kerosene or lines are also enclosed in the hull, many boats, and can leak into the burner alcohol burner. These situations involve leaking gasoline is trapped in the bilge priming pans. Because it is colorless, it ordinary materials, and simply keeping a where it vaporizes and mixes with air to is hard to see how much fuel is there. heat source away from any potential fuel form an explosive mixture. When the stove is lit, excess alcohol will prevent a fire. Inboard gasoline engines demand flames up to cause burns or a fire, or Class B fires: Class B, liquid fires meticulous maintenance. Fuel lines and both. Keep a ket­tle full of water handy are more insidious. Nearly every boat connections must be checked frequently to cover the burner and contain the carries fuel for stoves and engines, and to detect loose connections or leakage. flame until it burns itself out. A specially

lockers often contain cleaners, paints, If there is any gasoline odor, track down designed fire-ex­tinguishing blanket near courtesy of boatu.s.

15 Safety at Sea the galley can help address a stove fire. boats include cabin heaters and refrigera­ It is far simpler to prevent a fire than Kerosene is a combustible liquid that tors. As opposed to cooking stoves, these to fight one, but you must know how to can be carried safely aboard a boat. Like are considered “unattended” appliances. fight any fire that occurs. Fire protec- alcohol, it should be transferred into They have a pilot flame or glow plug to tion systems should follow National Fire heavy plastic containers for storage. assure continuous operation. Aboard Protection Association Guidelines. Fire Barbecues are very popular on boats. boats, they must have a sealed combus­ extinguishers, required equipment on all Some are fueled with charcoal, others tion chamber to completely separate the boats, are classified A, B, and C to corre- with propane or butane. Charcoal can combustion system from the atmosphere spond to the types of fires for which they ig­nite by spontaneous combustion if it aboard. Buy LPG appliances from marine are effective. The appropriate letters are gets damp and has little ventilation. Store suppliers. RV equipment is not safe for clearly marked on every extinguisher. it ashore and, when you put some aboard use aboard a boat. Class A fires can be extinguished with for a cruise, keep it completely dry. If it Used solvents, cleaning liquids and rags water. Its cooling effect eliminates the gets damp, get rid of it. soaked with flammable or com­bustible heat component and to some degree, it Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), either liquids are often mistreated because they smothers the fire by reducing the oxygen propane or butane, is a highly efficient are no longer needed. Keep such materials available. If water is used, a lot is needed. fuel used by many boat galleys and bar­ topside in tightly closed containers until At sea, that means hauling buckets of sea­ becues. Like gasoline vapors, it is both they can be disposed of properly. water, a slow process that gives the fire a explosive and heavier than air, so any The popularity of electrical equip­ment chance to spread. leakage accumulates in the bilge. A safe and electronics increases the dan­ger of Multipurpose extinguishers are useful system requires proper equipment and Class C, or electrical fires.M ake certain for most fires.Y ou should have at least installation. TheA merican Boat and all electrical connections are tight, wires one on board. Such an extinguisher can Yacht Council (www.abycinc.org) has are large enough to carry the current bring a small Class A fire under control established guide­lines for the installation and all equipment is protected by circuit quickly; use water to finish the job, partic- of LPG systems on boats. break­ers or fuses. ularly in a bunk or area that can smolder No one can afford to be casual when Shield batteries from accidental and reignite. Multipur­pose extinguishers using LPG stoves. Good LPG stoves incor- short­ing of the terminals and monitor avoid the need to stop and think about porate a thermosensor­ to secure the gas alternator output to prevent overcharging. the type of fire before­ you deal with it. supply if a burn­er flame is extinguished ac- Over­charging causes boiling in the batter- On a Class B fire, never use water; it cidentally, such as by a puff of wind. Never ies and generates explosive hydrogen gas. will spread the flames or cause them to leave a light­ed galley stove unwatched. flare up. These types of extinguishers Other LPG appliances found aboard Extinguishing Fires work on Class B fires: carbon dioxide, dry

FIRE TYPES AND THEIR APPROPRIATE EXTINGUISHERS

TYPE OF FIRE SYSTEM ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Wood, mattress, paper Water (bucket, Cools the fire Heavy. Can cause change in hose, hand pump) vessel stability. Don’t use near engine air intakes or on electronics, electrics or in galley.

Electrical, electronics, Carbon Dioxide Compact. Easy to use. Does not cool fire.

engine room fires; oil CO2 Transportable throughout Possibility of reflash, and grease (be careful the boat. Engines and displaces oxygen; firefighters

not to spread the fire by electronic gear easy to collapse if CO2 is inhaled. blowing hot oil or grease clean. Not good for topside fires.

around with CO2)

Engine, oil and grease. Dry chemical Compact. Easy to use. Bottle should be vertical Electrical, alcohol Easily transportable. for effective discharge. After-fire cleanup of chemical powder is time-consuming and difficult.

Grease fires on Can of baking soda Cheap, effective, Difficult to apply to fire galley stoves easy to clean up. without sustaining hand burns.

Engine room, electrical, Automatic FM-200 Replaces Halon but has FE-241 for unoccupied spaces electronic, oil and grease FE-241 acceptable environmental only due to toxicity. FM-200 impact. slightly less effective but safe for occupied spaces.

safety at Sea 16 Boat Preparation & Damage Control

chemical, FM-200 (for occupied spaces,) yet effective against most fires. The dry read the extin­guisher’s instructions, and and FE-241 (for unoccupied spaces). chem­ical extinguishes by interrupting there is no time to experiment. All por- Carbon dioxide is a clean, dry, non­ the chemical reaction needed to sustain table extin­guishers discharge in a matter poisonous gas. Heavier than air, it the fire. The chief disadvantage of dry of seconds. If not used properly, the agent extin­guishes by displacing oxygen. The chemi­cal is that it makes a horrendous will be spent before the fire is out. gas can penetrate cracks and crevices and mess, destroys electrical and electronic Any fire extinguisher is only a Band ­ reach fires behind obstructions.I t will equip­ment and contaminates food. Aid. If you can’t stop a fire in two min­utes, not damage equipment or contaminate Before 1993, the most effective you’ve probably lost the battle. Once a food, and it evaporates without cleanup. extinguish­er for Class B and C fires fire takes hold, it is too late for an extin­ Like all portable extinguishers, direct the was Halon, a colorless, odorless gas guisher. Contain the fire by closing hatch­ dis­charge at the base of the flames and ap­ that is non-conductive and non-corro- es, vents, doors and ports. Shut off all fuel proach the fire while sweeping the nozzle sive. Unfortunately, as a chlorofluoro- lines. Send a Mayday call and maneuver in a side to side motion. carbon it has an adverse envi­ronmental the boat to place the fire downwind to Carbon dioxide has drawbacks. The impact and its production has been slow its spreading and blow the smoke extinguisher must be discharged no more phased out. Manufacturers such as away. Stop or alter speed to decrease the than six feet from the fire, where the heat Fireboy-Xintex and Kidde now use wind effect that can fan the flames. If is intense. Drafts will blow it away from agents called FE-241 and FM-200 in you can do this quickly, you may have a the critical area, and in a confined space, their automatic extinguisher systems. chance to attack the fire with extinguish­ it can rob the operator of oxygen and No common extinguishing agents stop ers or control it until help arrives. cause asphyxiation. These extinguishers Class D fires. The only option available to With care and vigilance, fire is pre­ should be weighed annually and profes- a boater is to dump the burning material ventable. Yet, as for any potential emer- sionally test­ed if there is rust or corrosion (such as a flare) overboard. gency aboard, every boat should have a of the con­tainer. The gas is under great Most sailors have never used a fire plan of action to cope with fire if it strikes. pressure and if the container is damaged, ex­tinguisher. Before heading offshore, it’s it can dis­charge violently. not a bad idea to become acquainted with California resident Margaret Williams is The most common extinguisher on the pro­cedure by actually discharging an experienced Pacific cruising sailor. boats is dry chemical. It is inexpensive one. Once a fire has started, it is too late to

The West Advisor: Fire Extinguishers The following article on fire extinguishers is from the series of West Advisors prepared by West Ma- rine. The West Advisors cover a wide range of topics on all aspects of boat ownership and operation, including anchoring and docking, clothing, deck hardware, electrical and electronics, engine systems, navigation, and much more. The West Advisors are based on experience gleaned by the company’s boating experts and have been a trusted source of technical information for sailors since West pub- lished its first Master Catalog in 1987. For a complete list of Advisors, see the West Marine catalog or visit the company website (www.westmarine.com) and click on Product Advice.

Fire-Extinguisher Ratings and Requirements From the West Marine Advisor

The U.S. Coast Guard requires from one to three ex- 10-B:C extinguisher. The U.S. Coast Guard has chosen ers are heavy, difficult to store, and are not for use on tinguishers on pleasure boats, depending on whether the to quantify extinguisher abilities in a way that differs from flammable liquid or electrical fires.

craft has an enclosed engine compartment and whether UL’s scheme; the Coast Guard uses the terms B-I and Carbon Dioxide: C02 works well on Class B and there’s a permanently mounted fixed-extinguisher system B-II. The difference is that the Coast Guard looks only at Class C fires. It leaves no residue and is easy to use, but in the engine room. For more information, see the chart the weight of the extinguishing agent, while UL looks at the it’s useful only in confined interior spaces, and it doesn’t “Federal Equipment Requirements for Recreational Boats” fire-fighting ability. Until recently, the Coast Guard required cool fire. in West Marine’s annual catalog. Federal requirements, in that portable extinguishers be mounted in brackets with a FE·241 and FM·200: These relatively nontoxic Halon general, are minimal. Buy enough extinguishers to satisfy strap to prevent them from falling when the boat pounds replacements are effective on all fire classes, but they’re the requirements, then address the needs of your particu- or heels. These brackets are no longer mandatory, but expensive. lar boat. Extinguishers are only effective if you can get to we at West Marine strongly recommend that brackets be Halotron 1: This substance, recently approved by the them. We recommend at least one in the cockpit, one in used for security. We don’t recommend flimsier plastic or Environmental Protection Agency, is safe for computers, each stateroom, and one in the galley area that’s reachable hang-type brackets; we suggest beefier metal brackets for electronics, and even clean rooms. Halotron 1 leaves no even if the stove is on fire. Three small dry-chemical extin- added security. residue after use. guishers meet the legal requirements of boats measuring Types of Fires Dry Chemical: This offers low toxicity, it’s inexpensive, up to 20 meters/65 feet. Although individual requirements Class A fires involve ordinary combustible materials. and it’s effective on Class B and Class C fires. Dry may differ, one small dry-chemical (B:C) or tri-class (A:B:C) This includes wood, paper, cloth, rubber, and some chemical isn’t effective on Class A fires, and it’s difficult extinguisher per cabin is a logical minimum, plus another plastics—almost anything that leaves an ash. to clean up. that’s accessible from the cockpit. Class B fires involve flammable liquids. This includes Tri-Class Dry Chemical: This also offers low toxicity Ratings reflect an extinguisher’s ability to combat gasoline, oil, kerosene, diesel fuel, alcohol, tar, paint, and and is inexpensive and effective on Class B and Class C particular types of fires. Underwriters Laboratories uses lacquers—stuff that blows up. fires. It’s moderately effective on Class A fires.T ri-class dry letters to denote the type of fires that an extinguisher is Class C fires are live electrical fires. The heat source chemical is difficult to clean up, corrosive, and isn’t a good capable of fighting, and it uses numbers to refer to an is a live electrical circuit that’s arcing or hot due to choice to use on fires at the helm or the nav station. extinguisher’s fire-fighting “capacity” relative to other overloading. Turning off the electricity usually results in a Aqueous Foam: This relatively new technology is extinguishers. For example, a 1-A:10-B:C extinguisher Class A fire. extremely easy to use effectively on Class A, B, and C is effective on Class A, B, and C fires, and a 40-B:C Types of Extinguishing Agents fires. Avoid excessive skin or eye contact. extinguisher has four times the extinguishing capacity of a Water: Water works well on Class A fires. Extinguish-

17 Safety at Sea safety at Sea 18