ARC Fleet Sets Safety Preparations for Transatlantic

ARC Fleet Sets Safety Preparations for Transatlantic

The big red “L” on the GRIB file, shown out in the Atlantic Ocean due west of Ireland, wasn’t doing much for anyone’s mood. No one wants to see 960 millibars in a forecast, never mind that the distant system was more than 2,000 nautical miles away from the room in Las Palmas, Grand Canary, where skippers and crew from 140 boats were gathered for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) weather seminar. The data, presented on a Tuesday by meteorologist Chris Tibbs, offered an outlook for the Sunday departure of the 2024 ARC fleet. Weather remains a constant concern…
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Inspection of running rigging

Inspection of running rigging

Planning an offshore passage entails seemingly endless details, but on a sailing vessel, a vitally important component is the type of running rigging, both rope and wire, we install to keep our vessels under sail and on target for our next anchorage. Standing rigging, which is the wire structure holding up the mast(s) and perhaps a bowsprit and boomkin, are a different matter, requiring a separate set of installation and maintenance protocols, so we’ll set that aside for future discussion.  Our running rigging, the rope and perhaps wire we use to control the sails, faces constant stretch and exposure to…
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Threads: thru-hulls, seacocks and in-line valves

Threads: thru-hulls, seacocks and in-line valves

Mismatching valves or other fittings on thru-hulls is not good practice and when done below the maximum heeled waterline, it increases the odds for failure and water intrusion. It is this risk to boats that provided the impetus for the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) to develop standards for the installation of thru-hulls. They state, “When installed below the maximum heeled waterline, a thru-hull must have a valve mounted so that the system will withstand a 500-pound static force applied for 30 seconds to the inboard end of its connecting fitting.” But where exactly is the “maximum heeled waterline?”…
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Properly equipped inflatable Life Rafts

When we toss the dock lines and head out to sea for an ocean crossing, the last thing we dare think about is the possibility of having to abandon ship. To be sure, this is a rare occurrence. The oceans of the world, despite what some will say, are almost clear of floating debris and outcroppings of rocks and sandbars, particularly in the Tuamotus Archipelago, are clearly marked on our charts. Nonetheless, there is always still a possibility of running into a shipping container or partially submerged vessel lurking only inches below the water’s surface.  A sudden leak in our…
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Preparing boat and crew for the rigors of the ocean

Preparing boat and crew for the rigors of the ocean

The quote, “Luck favors the prepared,” gets thrown around a fair bit when sailors wax poetic about going to sea. And for good reason. The underlying sentiment is when our boats and crew are properly prepared for the rigors of the ocean, we may be more capable of handling potentially dangerous or unexpected situations that arise while underway. Or, at the very least, the chances of having a problem are reduced on a well-found vessel with a competent crew. Before I delve too deeply into a subject about which books have been written, I’ll acknowledge that no article can completely…
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Electrical safety

Electrical safety

Electricity has been with us for less than two centuries, but still long enough to reorganize all life around it. Electricity was a handy tool of Zeus, who hurled destructive lightning bolts, a great force of nature, at least as powerful as fire. However you choose to look at it, one thing is clear: you must be careful around electricity. While boating-specific electrical casualty numbers are scarce, generally some 1,322 fatalities resulted from contact with or exposure to electricity between 2011 and 2022, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Most, 70%, of these workplace fatalities occurred in…
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Comfort and safety

Comfort and safety

Whether your next voyage takes you across an ocean or just across your local harbor, the possibility of crew or guests falling overboard is an ever-present concern. In decades past, we hung thick, orange, uncomfortable foam blocks from our necks for the entire time we were out on deck. Now those days are gone, thanks to updated designs and superior materials. With the wide array of compact, ergonomic, auto-inflatable personal flotation devices (PFDs) on the market, we can be both safe and comfortable while under sail. Before we invest in a set of auto-inflate PFDs for our vessels, we need…
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Tethers of protection

Tethers of protection

For voyagers, one of the most dangerous scenarios we face is winding up in the ocean, separated from our vessel. Clearly voyagers are concerned about this, as every marine store stocks a long list of devices such as personal locator beacons (PLBs), man-overboard modules, AIS signal devices, lights and so on.  But these devices are reactionary. They simply do not solve the initial problem: going overboard in the first place. We cannot eliminate the inherent hazards of sailing, but we can we mitigate them. We do this through training and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). As with any…
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