Thoughts on safety at sea:
The Communications Team is starting a new monthly feature based on robust discussions on the OCC Forum, mostly centred on Safety at Sea. We’ll include short snippets to provoke thought in the eBulletin and then continue the discussion on the Forum. Dick Stevenson, our diligent and thoughtful Forum Moderator, starts us off this month with a piece on tillers. Please contribute your experience and thinking for the benefit of all.
-    Daria Blackwell, Vice Commodore, Web editor & PR Officer


Vice Commodore, OCC 

Hi, I was looking at the post by Daria on emergency tiller etc. I agree with her re the monitor and emergency rudder attachment. We fortunately have not used ours either.
But in regard to the emergency tiller, we always keep it ready at hand in the aft locker, and ensure the hole in the locker shelving is not blocked with clutter so the shaft can be quickly attached to the rudder head. I do admit every time we open the locker it is there winking at us., but for the last couple of seasons I had forgotten to free off the deck opening so I could deploy the rudder. When I thought of doing that a few weeks ago, it it was seized solid, and took quite a long effort to free the threaded cover, which has now been lubricated and is ready for use if needed. Just one of the many things that can be neglected!

Brian.
S/V Darramy

+x

 

bwallace - 9/24/2019

Hi, I was looking at the post by Daria on emergency tiller etc. I agree with her re the monitor and emergency rudder attachment. We fortunately have not used ours either.
But in regard to the emergency tiller, we always keep it ready at hand in the aft locker, and ensure the hole in the locker shelving is not blocked with clutter so the shaft can be quickly attached to the rudder head. I do admit every time we open the locker it is there winking at us., but for the last couple of seasons I had forgotten to free off the deck opening so I could deploy the rudder. When I thought of doing that a few weeks ago, it it was seized solid, and took quite a long effort to free the threaded cover, which has now been lubricated and is ready for use if needed. Just one of the many things that can be neglected!

Brian.
S/V Darramy

Hi Brian,
Good reminder. The devil is certainly in the details. Dick