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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
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Group: Administrators
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+xAnother Safety at Sea thought: Schematics They would have been a great winter project, but it is not too late: use this virus plagued down time to make schematics. Do some research and start at home from the comfort of your easy chair and then go to the boat. Of all the tools that are important in diagnosis, and to then dealing quickly and effectively to an on-board problem, comprehensive schematics are likely the most neglected. This is important when in your home waters, but at sea, when all are tired and the boat is bouncing about, swift and easy diagnosis and repairs becomes a safety issue. Even if you choose professionals to do the work, you will save him/her hours (and yourself money) by good schematics. Our boats have become quite complicated and even the best of us are wise not to rely on memory. Schematics can include the electrical system (AC and DC), plumbing (fresh, salt, sanitation, fuel), instrument wiring, and coax runs among others. You will learn a great deal, and be far better prepared with good schematics drawn up and carefully stored on board. But note, include the details: wire gauge sizes, hose diameters, all junctions, etc. etc. Schematics can allow for “virtual” repair; instead of diving blindly into dark corners, take your schematic, settle into your settee and take the symptoms of your problem and apply them to your schematic. At minimal, this is a great stimulus to problem-solving and, more likely, save hours of chasing down dead ends. Please add your thoughts in the Forum, Stay safe, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy Hi Dick, We'd love to go to the boat and work on her or update our schematics. But they closed the marinas before we could launch and put a restriction on travel. We can't go more than 2 km from home unless we have to buy food or medicine. This coronavirus pandemic probably means we won't launch at all this year. What will that do to her systems? No use for two years? Daria
Vice Commodore, OCC
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+x+xAnother Safety at Sea thought: Schematics They would have been a great winter project, but it is not too late: use this virus plagued down time to make schematics. Do some research and start at home from the comfort of your easy chair and then go to the boat. Of all the tools that are important in diagnosis, and to then dealing quickly and effectively to an on-board problem, comprehensive schematics are likely the most neglected. This is important when in your home waters, but at sea, when all are tired and the boat is bouncing about, swift and easy diagnosis and repairs becomes a safety issue. Even if you choose professionals to do the work, you will save him/her hours (and yourself money) by good schematics. Our boats have become quite complicated and even the best of us are wise not to rely on memory. Schematics can include the electrical system (AC and DC), plumbing (fresh, salt, sanitation, fuel), instrument wiring, and coax runs among others. You will learn a great deal, and be far better prepared with good schematics drawn up and carefully stored on board. But note, include the details: wire gauge sizes, hose diameters, all junctions, etc. etc. Schematics can allow for “virtual” repair; instead of diving blindly into dark corners, take your schematic, settle into your settee and take the symptoms of your problem and apply them to your schematic. At minimal, this is a great stimulus to problem-solving and, more likely, save hours of chasing down dead ends. Please add your thoughts in the Forum, Stay safe, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy Hi Dick, We'd love to go to the boat and work on her or update our schematics. But they closed the marinas before we could launch and put a restriction on travel. We can't go more than 2 km from home unless we have to buy food or medicine. This coronavirus pandemic probably means we won't launch at all this year. What will that do to her systems? No use for two years? Daria Dick - 3/24/2020 Hi Dick, We'd love to go to the boat and work on her or update our schematics. But they closed the marinas before we could launch and put a restriction on travel. We can't go more than 2 km from home unless we have to buy food or medicine. This coronavirus pandemic probably means we won't launch at all this year. What will that do to her systems? No use for two years? Daria Hi Daria, Yes, I wrote that prior to many locations becoming as restricted as has become recommended. A beginning on schematics can certainly be started at home in one’s easy chair and a lot of the preliminary diagrams outlined to be fleshed out later. And it would be interesting to see how one’s memory compares with the reality of the boat. Your question about extended and unattended boat storage is a good one. I suspect most systems, if well winterized for one winter, will not be compromised by additional time with the caveat that battery banks should be charged occasionally for most battery types if not all. I will give some thought to this. At first blush, I would pay attention to the outside of the boat. Leaves in the scuppers comes first to mind. I have known of cockpits that fill with water and the water spills into the boat. Lines may have gotten loose, jack stands may need a firming up, etc. At the very least, I would hope that every boatyard had someone to look after the boats who you could talk with and have check things out. It is hard to say how realistic this is, but I am still hoping for some kind of season, but I know that is at least a month in the future as the border US to Canada has recently been extended for 30 days. We shall all see. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
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