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What safety equipment should a newbie cruiser make sure he/she has

JPS27

Member III
I have all the coast guard required safety equipment, but am wondering what else I should have as I push beyond daysailing and anchoring out just "over there" :egrin:. I'm going to be doing short coastal cruising trips to start and fully intend to do more extended cruising as I figure out all those things others take for granted.

I also ask because my "gig is up" in that my 20 y/o son -- a knowledgeable dinghy racer, basic rigger, and general marine equimpent enthusiast -- has told wm to take leap because they would rather hire kids who know little to nothing about boats than give him more summer hours. For those who don't know the newish wm ceo is turning the place into a water sports oriented REI type business, which may be the only way to survive. Who am I to say. But, the up shot is the family discount will be no more in about three weeks. so I fully intend to take advantage of the pretty darn good discount that they offer employees in the meantime.

Here are things some things I'm wondering if I should purchase. Jack lines, harness and tethers, lifesling or throw bag (i have a traditional ring), bosun's chair (what type?). I'm not looking to clean out my boat budget (I should put that in quotes), but I would like to know from those who know a lot more than I do, what items are worth considering in the area of keeping oneself safe.

Thanks again.. Jay
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Well, your first items, jacklines, harness, tethers, and all the hardware needed to install them, might be a good start. The whole package tends to be surprisingly expensive, and if you don't have it, you can't use it on that day when you really should. I think installing a tether system on a small boat like an E27 takes a bit more thought than the archetypical diagram with a jack line down each side deck. The boat is just too small for that - any tumble would leave you in the water. The only thing that makes sense (to me) is a short jack line down the center, with strategically-located hard points. The cost of that deck hardware adds up! Some people advocate leaving extra tethers attached to the boat (e.g. at the mast and bow) and attaching them to yourself as you work forward.

Lifesling seems like a good purchase, but again, there are extra bits to buy - like a block and tackle sufficient to hoist the sling containing a wet MOB back on-board. (I left extra line and quick-release shackles on my 4:1 vang for this purpose.)

You might also consider jazzing up your PFDs with strobe lights, whistles, radios...

All good stuff to have a discount on!
 

Vagabond39

Member III
Safety Equip.

JPS27:
What tender do you have? Water, non perashable, sealed food for it, JACK KNIFE. Flash lights, some fish line, hooks, etc. That Yanmar has been out of pproduction since I had a full head of hair. So a complete health check up on it. DC plugs for hull openings.
Bob
In the Chesapeake shore is close. Beyond the bridge tunnel, not so much.
Have Fun.
 

JPS27

Member III
Thanks. You've given me some good things to think about. Toddster, regarding the jacklines and tethering your ideas will help me think outside of my little box. Indeed, I couldn't picture how a jackline would necessarily work. There aren't good attach point with what I have now.

Bob, I don't have a tender and that is something I've been thinking a lot about. There's no room on deck for anything unless perhaps it's deflated. I've read where some use a inflatable kayaks. My plan this summer is to visit some marinas (Severn River and Cape Charles) and maybe anchor out. Like I said, I've anchored out in the "neighborhood" and used to boat to dock and eat at a restaurant. One question I've pondered is if I had an inflatable would it make sense to tow it? That sounds like asking for trouble. I'm also not planning on springing for an outboard at the moment.

thanks for the advice. Jay
 

alcodiesel

Bill McLean
jacklines and tethering and harness. As has been said here: Wear any time I am out farther than I can swim in. I have one jackline on the starboard side and a well mounted eye in the cockpit. Come on over and take a look. The set up works well for me.
 

GrandpaSteve

Sustaining Member
I have all the coast guard required safety equipment, but am wondering what else I should have as I push beyond daysailing and anchoring out just "over there" :egrin:. I'm going to be doing short coastal cruising trips to start and fully intend to do more extended cruising as I figure out all those things others take for granted.

I also ask because my "gig is up" in that my 20 y/o son -- a knowledgeable dinghy racer, basic rigger, and general marine equimpent enthusiast -- has told wm to take leap because they would rather hire kids who know little to nothing about boats than give him more summer hours. For those who don't know the newish wm ceo is turning the place into a water sports oriented REI type business, which may be the only way to survive. Who am I to say. But, the up shot is the family discount will be no more in about three weeks. so I fully intend to take advantage of the pretty darn good discount that they offer employees in the meantime.

Here are things some things I'm wondering if I should purchase. Jack lines, harness and tethers, lifesling or throw bag (i have a traditional ring), bosun's chair (what type?). I'm not looking to clean out my boat budget (I should put that in quotes), but I would like to know from those who know a lot more than I do, what items are worth considering in the area of keeping oneself safe.

Thanks again.. Jay

http://www.boatus.com/towing/
 

Gary Holford

Member II
Not sure how busy it is in your cruising grounds but a radar reflector might be handy. Some of that silicon tape that fuses to itself is handy if they have any. If you have an inboard check the integrity of your fuel tank and black water as well. See if there is a good knife on a lanyard for cutting lines underwater.
 

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
Good input above.

I'm no expert in safety at sea, there are good books one can recommend for a variety of safety and survival at sea scenarios. And I think Christian's blog, videos and book do a great job of laying out the thought processes behind preparing for the unexpected at sea.

But over a spectrum of activities (offshore sailing, back country hiking, skiing, offroading...) I've thought through what I would do if Something Bad happens, so I'll add my random two cents.

In essence, I've distilled my "preparedness" thinking into three things:

1) do what you can to survive the event
2) be able to make a lot of noise
3) be able to survive until that noise gets some assistance to you

So, for example, in my car I
1) always have seatbelts on, airbags activated, heavy items lashed down, etc. to "help" my chances of surviving a collision, a rollover, whatever
2) besides cellphone, have an FRS radio and batteries, a 2meter handheld, flares, etc
3) plus a "bug-out" bin in the trunk that has freeze-dried food, fire-starters, matches, water purifier, space blanket... (**)

I use that same model for thinking thru things on the boat.

So, my recommendation is, think thru the Bad Things that might happen, and then think through... what would you like to have handy, in order to get help on the way and be able to survive until it arrives?

(**) I pretty much "always" have "the essential 10" handy - within easy reach if not on me. From my Boy Scout days, those were
-- pocketknife
-- first aid kit
-- extra clothing
-- rain gear
-- water bottle
-- flashlight
-- food/snacks
-- matches/fire starters
-- sun protection
-- map
-- compass

My opinion is, that's not a bad starter list of things to have handy on a boat, either. I don't necessarily always have food and extra clothes on me, but there are some things that I *do* always have on me, including a good knife, an inflatable PFD with a whistle and a PLB attached to the harness; a handheld VHF within easy reach; and a "bug out" bag that includes a couple of flares, a signal mirror, snacks, a small first aid kit, a bottle of water, etc. A handheld GPS can substitute for map and compass.

Food for thought....

last thing I'd add is... a lot of "surviving" depends on mindset. I remember watching a Dateline episode several years back about this guy who was delivering an RV from Oregon into California by way of Grant's Pass at the beginning of winter. At some point he high-sided it on the side of the road, and sat there waiting for help.... which never came. because no one knew he was missing, and he didn't do anything to help himself. He basically sat in the front seat.... keeping a detailed log until he starved to death. lasted something like 65 days. In an RV that had a perfectly functioning engine, propane stove, etc., etc. I remember being *infuriated* at the end of the story, thinking that this guy didn't need to die, there were dozens (if not hundreds) of things he could have done to help himself. I mean, c'mon... pull the spare tire off the back, pile a bunch of wet branches on top, and make a big smoky fire.... I bet someone would have come to see what it was about. Or... gosh, with all that time, I'm pretty sure I could have found a way to turn one of the wheels into a power take-off and drag the RV back onto the road. Or "something".

The learning I got out of that was.... be sure someone knows where you're going, and where to start looking if you don't show up. That's part of "surviving the event". But beyond that, don't just sit and wait. Do *something* to get attention, and do *everything* you can to survive until help comes.

$.02 (sorry for the rant. I guess that Dateline story *still* pisses me off...)
 
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ignacio

Member III
Blogs Author
This story?

last thing I'd add is... a lot of "surviving" depends on mindset. I remember watching a Dateline episode several years back about this guy who was delivering an RV from Oregon into California by way of Grant's Pass at the beginning of winter.

Interesting story. Looks like this one, from 1995. Satellite and tracking technologies are affordable these days (InReach, Spot, etc...), and are useful on long passages. But I agree, no tool is effective if there's no will to use it. And no tools or force of will may be enough to compensate for gaps in planning.
 

ignacio

Member III
Blogs Author
Emotional Inertia

Further thoughts on mindset:

I spent the morning reading a few more articles on the RV tragedy and Mr. Finley's apparent resignation, and was reminded of a section in Andrew Evans' book on tips for singlehanded sailors. One section in particular (page 18 - Section 2-8) describes an "emotional inertia" which can overcome rational thought and action that might save life and limb. Excerpts below, but the whole chapter is worth a read. At least for me, the safety equipment and boat projects were just one part. As Bruce mentions above, part of mental preparation (mindset) for me was simply learning about, anticipating, and recognizing mental phenomena, particularly when exhausted.

================

"I have developed a different theory that seems to be applicable to singlehanded sailors or others who perform dangerous tasks alone. This theory is based on my own experience and what I have seen from others. “Emotional inertia” occurs in a highly stressful situation in unfamiliar circumstances. The result of the inertia is that the singlehander continues to actively sail on his present course and hope for the best, even though the course will lead to certain doom, rather than take the potentially dangerous action required to resolve the situation.

The best example is a boat heading for rocks in high winds. The only way to avoid the rocks is by gybing, but this action will bring the boat even closer to the rocks before sailing clear. The skipper must make an immediate choice between the certainty of hitting the rocks in three minutes, or gybing and with the potential of hitting the rocks immediately or hopefully sailing clear. But the skipper faces emotional inertia. He is unable to make the choice to gybe, so sails on to his doom on the rocks."
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
One of my better learning experiences occurred after losing our rudder 300 miles from Bermuda. I was 25, and privately aghast. The damn boat wouldn't sail at all. I had smashed my thumb, and it was bleeding. Night was coming on.

My watch mate was a well known naval architect and veteran sailor, Bob Harris. He saw my concern and inertia (apparently when I stopped talking, it was like a distress flare going off. Of course I;m not like that anymore...).

"Looks hopeless, huh? It always does. But something will turn up."

Something in the mind needs a moment or an hour or a day to figure things out. The problem resolves into parts, rather than the intimidating whole. Next morning we figured out how to sail the rudderless boat using drogues and constant sail trim (ugh). By the afternoon we conceived a fix for the outboard rudder and started workign on it. Next day we got the rudder jury rigged, made a million more adjustments, and more or less resumed course.

That inertia thing? I see it in the video of the Martin 24 capsized into the Redondo Pier. They were frozen. Had they had a few hours, rather than 15 minutes, to figure out how to get sailing again, they would probably have been all right. In the video you wonder--why don;t they do something! Yeah, well, we weren;t there.

Nowadays when something goes all wrong and dry mouth appears, I sit down and have a diet Coke do nothing. From somewhere, a future gradually appears. Can;t hurry it, but you can wait for it.

But of course it's good to have the time--and not a lee shore.

Bob Harris passed the time that night, as we drifted helplessly, by telling me about the Murmansk run in liberty ships when he was an 18-year-old merchant seaman. Oil tanker. They watched several blow up around them as torpedoes struck. Harris used a cigarette holder. I watched him in the dark cockpit, the holder bobbing up and down as he talked and remembered.

Our missing rudder evolved into nothing at all. And Harris was right. Relax, you can fix almost anything that doesn't actually kill you.
 

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
The problem resolves into parts, rather than the intimidating whole.

This is a hugely beneficial ingredient in pretty much any sort of problem-solving. Something I used to teach to hires in my software teams.

You can't view the whole problem all at once. But what you can do is break the problem into manageable pieces, and then "solve" the pieces in turn.

Factored in with a "triage" model to sort out the relative importance of the pieces (eg, take care of the things that will kill you, first; worry about the splinters and sprains later...) and an evaluation loop (e.g., "did that last thing we did make things better or worse?") it can be a very effective tool.

From somewhere, a future gradually appears. Can;t hurry it, but you can wait for it.

I love this.
 

Rick R.

Contributing Partner
Very early on in my riding and on through my years racing dirtbikes through the woods I learned to "dress for the wreck" that will happen. Funny thing is that wearing all of the right safety gear didn't make me less thoughtful, it made me more so.

While im not a lifetime offshore sailor like some are here, I do prepare for the bad times. I've had an infallible life raft, PBL's , extra GPS, handheld radio, etc onboard since we bought the boat.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Some Cogent Commentary

By reply #11 this thread was getting seriously into the "clip and save" realm, IMHO.
:egrin:

So, I sent a link to a friend who is a professional rigger, has done a two year blue water cruise in his own boat that he first rebuilt from nearly a bare interior, and before that was in the USCG for a number of years.
He sent back a commentary and when I followed up with a request to post, he said "sure".
Full disclosure: he has built a new standing rig for our boat and quite a few others in our YC, and has given seminars for our members.

"Interesting how our culture always wants to solve things by buying more stuff. No one recommended he get more training, take a first aid course or do an educational charter, like with John Neal. One of the many lessons I learned in the USCG, back in the days when they still did SAR, was that most "accidents" could have been prevented by just better route/weather planning. No one mentioned having his electrical system or propane system upgraded or looked at by a pro either, normally high areas of concern when cruising. Or having his rigging inspected/serviced. I realize his main point is "what do I need to buy before I lose my discount?" but the root was "I'm going to be going farther out than before"

Nobody mentioned exposure suits either, strange if he's in cold or temperate water. My biggest fear while on a boat is fire followed by hitting a large submerged object. Both of those will put you in the water rather quickly. the first thing you need in that circumstance is flotation/exposure protection; the second is a means of active communication such as a GPS type EPIRB and/or a good waterproof handheld VHF radio. Those would be very high on my list.

The jackline comments were most interesting, nobody mentioned "high lines", which attach to the upper shrouds at mid-ship, chest high. By attaching the ends to a stanchion base at bow and stern and through a ring served to the upper shroud, there is nothing to trip over. You do have to unclip when passing forward of the shrouds, but you have a lot to hold onto, or you can have a second, shorter tether attached to transfer to. If you lose you rig or stanchions you have a lot of other problems to solve first.

Lastly, on other lesson I've learned over the years is, it's usually not the first thing that gets you, it's the domino effect of failures, one thing leads to another. The more stuff you have, the more things you have to break and maintain. So many things I could go on about with this subject, but I won't bore you any further."
 
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EGregerson

Member III
cable cutters

To cut away the rigging in case u get dismasted. I know a guy that got dismasted in a blow out near the chesapeake bay bridge tunnel; the waves were bashing the mast into his hull; he cut it away and it dropped to the bottom. Probably saved his boat.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
rig-be-gone

I recently saw some video - IIRC it was during a safety seminar - taken during a real dismasting incident. They tried the bolt cutters - which broke. They tried a hack-saw - and wore a tiny groove in the shroud after half an hour of effort. Finally, someone just pounded out the pins that hold the shroud-terminals to the chainplates, which seemed like the low-energy method to me from the get-go. A hammer and a straight-punch of the right diameter could make that a lot easier. Although I suppose it would be a bit dicey if the leeward rail was under water.

Then there was an account of another dismasting posted on noonsite not long ago. Again, punching out the pins was what worked.


Anyhow, I did mount a set of bolt-cutters and a machete under the cockpit locker door - cause I saw it on someone else boat and it looked cool :rolleyes: Probably better to have more than one trick up your sleeve, anyway.
 

mkollerjr

Member III
Blogs Author
I met the skipper of a J/109 that got dis-masted 150 miles away from Kaneohe during last year's Pacific Cup. It was all rod rigging. They used a pair of Home Depot bolt cutters to cut the rig. He said they worked really well. They had to use a hack saw to separate the forestay foil before they could cut the rod underneath. They had the whole rig off in about 10 minutes. They were able to motor the rest of the way.

Bolt cutters only work on rod. A rigger who was at a recent seminar passed around some hydraulic cutters, which he said worked on rod or wire. A little expensive though. They looked like this:

http://www.huskietools.com/products/s-20-handheld-hydraulic-cutter/
 
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Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Tomorrow I will bring home from boat my rusty (and maybe not trusty) bolt cutters. I have a piece of E38 backstay wire and will try to cut it.

Never tried that. Ignorance is bliss. hmmmm.
 

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
I'm sure everyone already knows this, but... there's a difference between "bolt cutters" and "cable cutters"

Bolt cutters might cut rod (depending on composition and brittleness, and how much leverage you can apply). But they'll do nothing but mangle 1/19 stainless rigging wire

bolt.JPG

Cable cutters are designed to center and shear a cable. Much more effective on rigging wire. Close to useless on rod

cable.jpg
 

Teranodon

Member III
To cut away the rigging in case u get dismasted. ...

I second this recommendation. I've been in two dismastings (Islander28, Beneteau First 42) and, both times, the rig was a big hazard before it was cut away. I carry some big, but not expensive, bolt cutters from Harbor Freight. Losing the rig is not so rare. It happened last weekend when a squall hit our small fleet of club racers.

[P.S. Just read other posts about how bolt cutters are useless. Will try the experiment]

I also have survival suits for my wife and myself. We got them when we sailed across the Atlantic, and now I'm glad we did. I would put them on even if we had to evacuate into the dinghy. Which brings up my last point: when you tow a dinghy when cruising, you are also towing your lifeboat and towboat including a possible intermediate step for getting on board if you fall in.
 
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