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Dick - 9/24/2019

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David Tyler - 9/23/2019

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Dick - 9/23/2019

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Simon Currin - 9/23/2019

Dick
What you say makes perfect sense but it does sound like a drift towards a workplace type regulated environment where procedures and protocols abound. I enjoyed your tip regarding where these documents get most read and may implement that at work!

Having made those slightly flippant points I do agree that having such documents in place and the procedure rehearsed would be very comforting when something does go wrong. Your idea of sharing those rehearsals with others at the start of the season or at the beginning of an ocean crossing is excellent. Maybe share that idea with Olivier who is organising and Ocean Safety Seminar In November ahead of the Atlantic Crossing season?

Simon

Ali

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Dick - 9/22/2019

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Daria Blackwell - 9/3/2019

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Dick - 9/3/2019

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Simon Currin - 9/3/2019

OK I am convinced. We will be fitting a Bilge Alarm.
Simon

Hi Simon, While you are at it, go for two: a dedicated high water alarm leveled just above where the bilge pump is activated and wire in an alarm that sounds every time the bilge pump runs. Dick

Oh, Dick, great idea about the alarm indicating the bilge pump is running. I hadn't thought of that. If you hear it often enough, you'll know there's a problem. Thanks!

The below is part of a series of safety thoughts:
Practice and Drills
The older I get, the more I find myself saying: “If it is not written down, it doesn’t exist.”
Well, the same goes for seamanship and safety: without practice, the best strategy, the most well thought out plan, will not exist when you need it most if it is not practiced. Practice drills are one of the most easily put-off items on anyone’s to-do list, and one of the most important.
Most who read this will think first of COB drills and most, I suspect, will cringe as they reflect on how long since their last practice drill. But I would suggest that other drills: fire, flooding and medical procedures are every bit as important. What is the response to an engine alarm? Or to the alarm from your propane sniffer? These should be thought through ahead of time and periodically reviewed with all crew.
Firstly, it might be argued that every vessel should have a written plan/procedure for each emergency (ours is posted in the head where it is most likely to be occasionally reviewed). Then, drills can be scheduled, much like the maintenance one does to keep one’s boat in tip-top shape. When you have a drill, do a post-mortem, especially if you have new crew, to get feedback on what works, what does not and for new ideas.
One stimulus to practice might be to organize through a local club or association a weekend day early in the season where boats do practice drills together and share thoughts and procedures: a “safety” day so to speak.
This will be posted in the Forum and I welcome comments/suggestions/thoughts.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

Hi Simon,
Some people can pull off a seat-of-one’s-pants existence reacting spontaneously and successfully to the slings and arrows one encounters in offshore passage making: but I am not one of them. Nor, do I believe, are the vast majority of cruisers. Most of us need to be well prepared to respond to an unfolding and unexpected event with speed and efficiency. We are usually far less competent in anxious situations than anticipated.
It is no accident (pun intended) that airline pilots are wedded to a comprehensive checklist before they leave the ground. Nor is it surprising that hospitals and medical practices (you may be able to confirm this) are turning to checklists of various sorts to promote safety and to make less likely error: “accidental” deaths and inadvertent problems are documented to decrease markedly.
And it is not a coincidence that these activities have a responsible person (pilot, doctor, nurse) responsible for passengers/patients who essentially put their faith in the “system” such as it is.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

This brings to mind Capt "Sully" Sullenberger, of "Miracle on the Hudson" fame. Having just taken off, he suffers a massive bird strike that takes out both engines. He has seconds to decide what to do. His copilot starts working through the relevant checklist, but Sully realises that he needs power now, and that item comes some way down the checklist. He switches on the Auxiliary Power, and that enables him to make a successful landing in the Hudson that saves the lives of all on board. There had never been a bird strike that had completely disabled an aircraft in this way, so it hadn't been written into the pilot training or the checklists. Sully had to rely on his vast experience and quick thinking, because that was all he had to rely on.

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder (1800 -1891): "No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy".

Mike Tyson: "Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth".

To put it another way: "It's not happening like it says in the checklist - now what do I do?"

Hi David,
My guess is that Cap’t Sully knew the checklist so well that he could quickly scroll down in his mind to the appropriate action to take. And, I would further suggest, that he knew the checklist that well because of his great experience and also because he had under his belt a great deal of practice and drills.
I do not know who said it, But I believe it to be true: “The essence of spontaneity is good preparation.” So, yes, every situation has unique elements, but the better prepared you are, the more likely you will deal with the surprising elements effectively.
So, I read your communication to argue, contrary to what I suggest, that preparation is silly and to be mildly ridiculed: “It's not happening like it says in the checklist - now what do I do?" to take one of your quotes. Or is it to point out that emergencies are more complex than I have portrayed and that one should never blindly follow a checklist, but rather be prepared to amend one’s planned and prepared reactions to fit the unexpected elements in a situation. I certainly agree with the latter sentence.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy