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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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+x+xDick, I couldn’t find you list posted on the Forum, Simon +x+x+xLovely article Dick and so true. I remember on a double handed passage to the Azores my crew, not Sally, fell asleep on watch. Luckily I discovered this early and let him sleep on in the cockpit until his mobile phone pinged welcoming him to Graciosa. I was the Best Man at his wedding and made sure everyone knew about his unconventional way of monitoring an imminent landfall. Simon Hi all, In the above, I was referring to fatigue that builds up during a passage. I am reminded, there is another another Dangerous Companion: pre-departure fatigue. This is fatigue which results from the work and anxiety that usually accompanies the preparation for a passage. This is especially a challenge for one’s first passage. On Alchemy, we try to be prepared a day or two ahead of the weather window we are looking at. When well meaning friends are wanting a piece of you and throwing bon voyage parties, it might be wise to go to a quiet anchorage for a night or so to get sorted and settled after the festivities and before departure. The beginning of any passage is stressful. Everything is far more difficult at the onset of a passage if fatigued and most are far more likely to get seasick when stressed and tired. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy Hi all, Below is my contribution to this month’s “Thought on Safety at Sea” for the e-Bulletin. Maintenance I have written about how preparation for catastrophic events (flooding, for example) benefits those responding: IOW, the essence of effective action is good preparation. Similarly, good boat preparation makes likely far less drama. And drama on the high seas is never to be courted. Roald Amundson put it this way, “Adventure is just bad planning.” And the essence of boat preparation is good maintenance. Good maintenance is the vaccine for a multitude of boat illnesses and is far from beginning-of-season/end-of-season chores: it benefits from a little attention every day. On Alchemy we make a seasonal “book” of the maintenance that needs to be done daily (check bilge for example), weekly (raw water strainer), monthly (test EPIRB battery), quarterly (zincs), semi-annually (lube steering), annually (strip, clean and lube winches). There are also lists for bi-annual, every 5 years, winter, haul-out, mast etc. This “book” is our maintenance bible and chore tickler: the older I get the more I find that if something is not written down, it does not exist. We check off chores as they are done and make notes on conditions, repair/replacement, etc. I will include my full lists in the Forum. It seems likely that many entries pertain to all sailing vessels, but each boat will want to customize the lists to their boat. I have generated these lists over 2 decades of cruising, but am clear that I add a few items every year, so I would appreciate additions/comments/thoughts/etc. I would also appreciate reports on how others approach this important task. Hi Simon and all, Simon, you are quick and I got distracted for a couple of hours. Below are my Daily, Weekly and Monthly maintenance check lists to give an idea of how this system works. I will add the further lists (Quarterly, Semi-annually etc.) in the future. Clearly some items are specific to my boat for example “Work HT Y valve”. This holding tank Y valve tends to stick if not worked once a week or so and if it gets stuck, generates an un-appealing job. Please, come back with questions and suggestions of items that I have overlooked. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy w/m = watermaker HT = holding tank prn = as needed Espar = Eberspracher furnace DAILY o Check fluids (eng. & genset),& Racor filter bowl_________________________ o Check bilges; ___eng room, ___main ________________________________ WEEKLY date________ o Check: ___raw water strainer, ____w/m strainer prn, ___w/m filters prn______ o Mold patrol________________________________________________________ o Vinegar toilet______________________________________________________ o Computer—back up_________________________________________________ o Watermaker________________________________________________________ o Work HT Y valve___________________________________________________ o Dehumidifier vent, clean & vacuum ___________________________________ o _________________________________________________________________ MONTHLY Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec o Zincs: ______genset, ______Maxprop, ______hull, ____Spurs, _____shaft o Engine & genset inspection: connections, hoses, clamps, drips, etc.____________ o Propane integrity test (do when putting newly filled tank on)_________________ o Check EPIRB battery & test___________________________________________ o Superlube toilet prn,________________________________________________ o Clean shower strainer prn_____________________________________________ o Run Espar prn or monthly_____________________________________________ o Test CO monitor____________________________________________________ o Charge handheld vhf________________________________________________ o Reefer: ___clean vents and fans, ___defrost/scrape reefer/freezer plates ________ o Check/oil wood trim hatches prn_______________________________________ o Computer (prn): ___A1disk clean-up, ___Microsoft error check (p.185), ___defrag- (p.187), ___system restore (p.198) ____________________________ o Vacuum out vents: ___ battery charger, ___computer, ___reefer,___dehumidifier,___ o Charge battery packs for drills________________________________________ o Check eng cubby for water____________________________________________ o __________________________________________________________________ +x+x+xLovely article Dick and so true. I remember on a double handed passage to the Azores my crew, not Sally, fell asleep on watch. Luckily I discovered this early and let him sleep on in the cockpit until his mobile phone pinged welcoming him to Graciosa. I was the Best Man at his wedding and made sure everyone knew about his unconventional way of monitoring an imminent landfall. Simon Hi all, In the above, I was referring to fatigue that builds up during a passage. I am reminded, there is another another Dangerous Companion: pre-departure fatigue. This is fatigue which results from the work and anxiety that usually accompanies the preparation for a passage. This is especially a challenge for one’s first passage. On Alchemy, we try to be prepared a day or two ahead of the weather window we are looking at. When well meaning friends are wanting a piece of you and throwing bon voyage parties, it might be wise to go to a quiet anchorage for a night or so to get sorted and settled after the festivities and before departure. The beginning of any passage is stressful. Everything is far more difficult at the onset of a passage if fatigued and most are far more likely to get seasick when stressed and tired. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy Hi all, Below is my contribution to this month’s “Thought on Safety at Sea” for the e-Bulletin. Maintenance I have written about how preparation for catastrophic events (flooding, for example) benefits those responding: IOW, the essence of effective action is good preparation. Similarly, good boat preparation makes likely far less drama. And drama on the high seas is never to be courted. Roald Amundson put it this way, “Adventure is just bad planning.” And the essence of boat preparation is good maintenance. Good maintenance is the vaccine for a multitude of boat illnesses and is far from beginning-of-season/end-of-season chores: it benefits from a little attention every day. On Alchemy we make a seasonal “book” of the maintenance that needs to be done daily (check bilge for example), weekly (raw water strainer), monthly (test EPIRB battery), quarterly (zincs), semi-annually (lube steering), annually (strip, clean and lube winches). There are also lists for bi-annual, every 5 years, winter, haul-out, mast etc. This “book” is our maintenance bible and chore tickler: the older I get the more I find that if something is not written down, it does not exist. We check off chores as they are done and make notes on conditions, repair/replacement, etc. I will include my full lists in the Forum. It seems likely that many entries pertain to all sailing vessels, but each boat will want to customize the lists to their boat. I have generated these lists over 2 decades of cruising, but am clear that I add a few items every year, so I would appreciate additions/comments/thoughts/etc. I would also appreciate reports on how others approach this important task. Medical Training Preparing for safety at sea can be more an emotionally challenging issue (actually doing it) than a “best practices” issue (figuring out the way to do it). Nothing may document this better than a recent survey on medical emergency preparedness of about-to-go-offshore sailboats reported by OCC member Dr. Maria Forbes. Her statistics (see the OCC Forum) present a dim picture of both training and medical kit by these about-to-be-on-their-own vessels. Going to sea, especially for skippers, is a complex mixture of recreation and responsibility. It is not a stretch to say there is a responsibility for the lives of others. One does not go to sea expecting disasters--quite the contrary, and allowing the reality of say, the myriad of possible medical challenges a skipper might face on an ocean passage, is intimidating. Countering a natural reluctance to anticipate and prepare for challenging but unlikely events might be a volitional willingness to imagine the regret that might occur if preparedness was neglected and the worst happened and could have been avoided. This may not apply if your sailing is along developed countries’ coastlines, but for those who wander widely and cross oceans, medical training (possibly re-training) is the kind of preparation that one hopes to never use. It is also the kind of skill that, if neglected, might allow a handle-able injury or illness to become an emergency or worse. So, like other safety issues, it might be worth pushing yourself in this area. I am starting an on-line refresher course in wilderness medical preparedness which I will report on in the Forum. Safe sailing, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
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+x+x+xDick, I couldn’t find you list posted on the Forum, Simon +x+x+xLovely article Dick and so true. I remember on a double handed passage to the Azores my crew, not Sally, fell asleep on watch. Luckily I discovered this early and let him sleep on in the cockpit until his mobile phone pinged welcoming him to Graciosa. I was the Best Man at his wedding and made sure everyone knew about his unconventional way of monitoring an imminent landfall. Simon Hi all, In the above, I was referring to fatigue that builds up during a passage. I am reminded, there is another another Dangerous Companion: pre-departure fatigue. This is fatigue which results from the work and anxiety that usually accompanies the preparation for a passage. This is especially a challenge for one’s first passage. On Alchemy, we try to be prepared a day or two ahead of the weather window we are looking at. When well meaning friends are wanting a piece of you and throwing bon voyage parties, it might be wise to go to a quiet anchorage for a night or so to get sorted and settled after the festivities and before departure. The beginning of any passage is stressful. Everything is far more difficult at the onset of a passage if fatigued and most are far more likely to get seasick when stressed and tired. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy Hi all, Below is my contribution to this month’s “Thought on Safety at Sea” for the e-Bulletin. Maintenance I have written about how preparation for catastrophic events (flooding, for example) benefits those responding: IOW, the essence of effective action is good preparation. Similarly, good boat preparation makes likely far less drama. And drama on the high seas is never to be courted. Roald Amundson put it this way, “Adventure is just bad planning.” And the essence of boat preparation is good maintenance. Good maintenance is the vaccine for a multitude of boat illnesses and is far from beginning-of-season/end-of-season chores: it benefits from a little attention every day. On Alchemy we make a seasonal “book” of the maintenance that needs to be done daily (check bilge for example), weekly (raw water strainer), monthly (test EPIRB battery), quarterly (zincs), semi-annually (lube steering), annually (strip, clean and lube winches). There are also lists for bi-annual, every 5 years, winter, haul-out, mast etc. This “book” is our maintenance bible and chore tickler: the older I get the more I find that if something is not written down, it does not exist. We check off chores as they are done and make notes on conditions, repair/replacement, etc. I will include my full lists in the Forum. It seems likely that many entries pertain to all sailing vessels, but each boat will want to customize the lists to their boat. I have generated these lists over 2 decades of cruising, but am clear that I add a few items every year, so I would appreciate additions/comments/thoughts/etc. I would also appreciate reports on how others approach this important task. Hi Simon and all, Simon, you are quick and I got distracted for a couple of hours. Below are my Daily, Weekly and Monthly maintenance check lists to give an idea of how this system works. I will add the further lists (Quarterly, Semi-annually etc.) in the future. Clearly some items are specific to my boat for example “Work HT Y valve”. This holding tank Y valve tends to stick if not worked once a week or so and if it gets stuck, generates an un-appealing job. Please, come back with questions and suggestions of items that I have overlooked. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy w/m = watermaker HT = holding tank prn = as needed Espar = Eberspracher furnace DAILY o Check fluids (eng. & genset),& Racor filter bowl_________________________ o Check bilges; ___eng room, ___main ________________________________ WEEKLY date________ o Check: ___raw water strainer, ____w/m strainer prn, ___w/m filters prn______ o Mold patrol________________________________________________________ o Vinegar toilet______________________________________________________ o Computer—back up_________________________________________________ o Watermaker________________________________________________________ o Work HT Y valve___________________________________________________ o Dehumidifier vent, clean & vacuum ___________________________________ o _________________________________________________________________ MONTHLY Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec o Zincs: ______genset, ______Maxprop, ______hull, ____Spurs, _____shaft o Engine & genset inspection: connections, hoses, clamps, drips, etc.____________ o Propane integrity test (do when putting newly filled tank on)_________________ o Check EPIRB battery & test___________________________________________ o Superlube toilet prn,________________________________________________ o Clean shower strainer prn_____________________________________________ o Run Espar prn or monthly_____________________________________________ o Test CO monitor____________________________________________________ o Charge handheld vhf________________________________________________ o Reefer: ___clean vents and fans, ___defrost/scrape reefer/freezer plates ________ o Check/oil wood trim hatches prn_______________________________________ o Computer (prn): ___A1disk clean-up, ___Microsoft error check (p.185), ___defrag- (p.187), ___system restore (p.198) ____________________________ o Vacuum out vents: ___ battery charger, ___computer, ___reefer,___dehumidifier,___ o Charge battery packs for drills________________________________________ o Check eng cubby for water____________________________________________ o __________________________________________________________________ +x+x+xLovely article Dick and so true. I remember on a double handed passage to the Azores my crew, not Sally, fell asleep on watch. Luckily I discovered this early and let him sleep on in the cockpit until his mobile phone pinged welcoming him to Graciosa. I was the Best Man at his wedding and made sure everyone knew about his unconventional way of monitoring an imminent landfall. Simon Hi all, In the above, I was referring to fatigue that builds up during a passage. I am reminded, there is another another Dangerous Companion: pre-departure fatigue. This is fatigue which results from the work and anxiety that usually accompanies the preparation for a passage. This is especially a challenge for one’s first passage. On Alchemy, we try to be prepared a day or two ahead of the weather window we are looking at. When well meaning friends are wanting a piece of you and throwing bon voyage parties, it might be wise to go to a quiet anchorage for a night or so to get sorted and settled after the festivities and before departure. The beginning of any passage is stressful. Everything is far more difficult at the onset of a passage if fatigued and most are far more likely to get seasick when stressed and tired. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy Hi all, Below is my contribution to this month’s “Thought on Safety at Sea” for the e-Bulletin. Maintenance I have written about how preparation for catastrophic events (flooding, for example) benefits those responding: IOW, the essence of effective action is good preparation. Similarly, good boat preparation makes likely far less drama. And drama on the high seas is never to be courted. Roald Amundson put it this way, “Adventure is just bad planning.” And the essence of boat preparation is good maintenance. Good maintenance is the vaccine for a multitude of boat illnesses and is far from beginning-of-season/end-of-season chores: it benefits from a little attention every day. On Alchemy we make a seasonal “book” of the maintenance that needs to be done daily (check bilge for example), weekly (raw water strainer), monthly (test EPIRB battery), quarterly (zincs), semi-annually (lube steering), annually (strip, clean and lube winches). There are also lists for bi-annual, every 5 years, winter, haul-out, mast etc. This “book” is our maintenance bible and chore tickler: the older I get the more I find that if something is not written down, it does not exist. We check off chores as they are done and make notes on conditions, repair/replacement, etc. I will include my full lists in the Forum. It seems likely that many entries pertain to all sailing vessels, but each boat will want to customize the lists to their boat. I have generated these lists over 2 decades of cruising, but am clear that I add a few items every year, so I would appreciate additions/comments/thoughts/etc. I would also appreciate reports on how others approach this important task. Medical Training Preparing for safety at sea can be more an emotionally challenging issue (actually doing it) than a “best practices” issue (figuring out the way to do it). Nothing may document this better than a recent survey on medical emergency preparedness of about-to-go-offshore sailboats reported by OCC member Dr. Maria Forbes. Her statistics (see the OCC Forum) present a dim picture of both training and medical kit by these about-to-be-on-their-own vessels. Going to sea, especially for skippers, is a complex mixture of recreation and responsibility. It is not a stretch to say there is a responsibility for the lives of others. One does not go to sea expecting disasters--quite the contrary, and allowing the reality of say, the myriad of possible medical challenges a skipper might face on an ocean passage, is intimidating. Countering a natural reluctance to anticipate and prepare for challenging but unlikely events might be a volitional willingness to imagine the regret that might occur if preparedness was neglected and the worst happened and could have been avoided. This may not apply if your sailing is along developed countries’ coastlines, but for those who wander widely and cross oceans, medical training (possibly re-training) is the kind of preparation that one hopes to never use. It is also the kind of skill that, if neglected, might allow a handle-able injury or illness to become an emergency or worse. So, like other safety issues, it might be worth pushing yourself in this area. I am starting an on-line refresher course in wilderness medical preparedness which I will report on in the Forum. Safe sailing, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy Hi all, I said a while back that I was taking a refresher course in medical training: below is my report. Comments on the course; 1. Medical training has come up upon occasion. There is very little for the offshore recreational sailor and is more easily found among wilderness support programs. In these covid period with time on our hands, my wife and decided to do an on-line course labeled “Wilderness First Aid” (solowfa.com). It is a self-paced training that takes about 16 hours, I think matching the 2-day in house training of the same name and you have a month to complete the course. It is presented under the umbrella organization of SOLO Schools, one of three well known and well thought of wilderness training organizations in the US. It comes with a handbook. 2. All will benefit, but those sailors who do a lot of hiking will particularly benefit from the emphasis on trail injuries. 3. This is an on-line course that was cobbled together for this covid time, and should be viewed as an impressive effort. There is definitely a loss from missing class participation where hands-on skills are practiced, but some, or most, of that can be covered by diligent students on their own. 4. We got a lot out of the course and felt we had renewed some, perhaps much, of the skill-and-thinking set acquired in previous training that is the basis for wilderness intervention. 5. We certainly noticed that this was a “low budget” locally produced production, but did not feel that this interfered with the training nor did it impact adversely our ability to learn the content. That said some of the whiteboard hand writing and organization could have been improved; additionally, not all is covered in the accompanying text. A lower fee for couples training together would be appreciated. 6. It is not a wilderness course by my definition: being completely on one’s own. Most interventions are predicated on the thought that there could be an ambulance called to the trailhead. That said, it did cover the essentials of making a determination of the nature and severity of a medical emergency. An offshore sailor would do well to continue training using this course as a beginning. 7. This not a course that teaches initial and follow-up treatment of moderately serious injuries/illness that do not meet the level to bring rescue hundreds of miles to seas: perhaps the loss of a finger tip in a winch might be an example. Painful, gruesome, worrisome, but within the treatment capacities of a crew with an adequate medical kit and reasonable prescription pain medications and meds for infection. 8. In summary, I would very much recommend this course for those who have had no prior training or for those whose training has consisted of CPR and a few hours of first aid. This course is far more substantial and might be best described as and “Adventurer’s First Aid” course rather than a “Wilderness First Aid” which should do nothing to diminish its usefulness. Come back with questions, My best to all, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
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