Posts from — July 2009

When at sea or on a large body of water, steering is done by compass. But steering by compass is an art unto itself. Most newcomers to compass steering end up all over the place.

Say you are trying to maintain a course of 200 degrees. You want to keep the lubber line (which is 1-degree in width) right on 200 degrees on the compass rose. But, suppose you get off course and steering 195 degrees. The helmsman must swing the boat’s head with right rudder to bring the lubber line back to 200 degrees.

Think of the lubber line as the bow of the boat. The compass card actually stands still, while the lubber line swings around it. And magnetic compasses do not react quickly as do digital and gyro compasses. There is a delay and even a reverse movement of direction of the compass. In our case above, you turn right to get the lubber line back to 200, but initially the compass will appear as if going to the left, rather than the right. And once you get to 200, the compass may keep on going to the right before coming back and finally settling down to its actual heading.

For the novice helmsman this can really drive you nuts. Often you will see a novice helmsman making a zig-zag course, yawing from side to side, trying to catch the compass. A straight course is the goal. To do this you make only slight movements and straighten the helm. Small changes in headings do not cause the radical reaction by the compass.

Even experienced skippers find ways to make it easier. Once on a heading, find an object to steer toward and use the compass as a reference. If no land is in sight, you can use a cloud temporarily, or at night a star.

Alcohol has been a part of boating lore since the first ship was christened with a bottle of champagne, but a new study says the two are a particularly deadly mixture.

Researchers say your chances of dying in a boating accident rise exponentially for every drink you have, and you don’t have to come close to going overboard with the liquor. The odds of an average-sized man getting killed on the water go up 30 percent after drinking just half a beer, the study says. And a person with a blood-alcohol content of 0.25, which is about three times the legal limit for drunkenness in most states, is more than 50 times likelier to die than a non-drinking boater or passenger.

John H. Shanahan Jr., president of the Boating Safety Institute of America, in Maywood, N.J., said, “Although there are state standards that permit operators to drink while they are boating and set intoxicated levels at 0.08 to 0.10 [BAC], our recommendation is that consuming alcohol has no place in boating.”

The study appears in the Dec. 19, 2001, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The researchers, led by Dr. Gordon Smith of Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, looked for the influence of alcohol in deadly boating accident records from Maryland and North Carolina between 1990 and 1998. For comparison, they collected interviews from nearly 4,000 boaters in each state between 1997 and 1999 and were able to garner breath alcohol samples from most of them. Only accidents involving boaters over age 18 were included in the study.

Smith’s group analyzed 221 fatalities during the nine-year period, or roughly 25 a year. Eight in ten were drownings, as opposed to other trauma, and men accounted for about 93 percent of the fatalities.

Most fatalities involved motorboats that were either fishing or cruising, though people also died on sailboats and doing everything from water-skiing to towing another vessel. The researchers considered not only where and in what kind of waters the boaters were when they died, but how many people were in the crafts and at what time of day or night the fatalities occurred.

Of the boaters killed, 55 percent had a positive BAC, the researchers say. Although the relative risk of dying on a boat soared by a factor of 52 with a BAC of 0.25 compared to sobriety, the risk of death rose sharply even at levels considered legally safe.

At a BAC of 0.05, for example, the risk of dying was nearly four times higher than for sober boaters, the researchers say. An average-sized man, weighing roughly 160 pounds, could have a blood-alcohol level of 0.05 after less than three beers, whereas reaching a mark of 0.25 takes at least 14 12-ounce cans.

The odds of death were nearly identical for drinking boaters whether they were behind the rudder or in a passenger seat, effectively scuttling the notion of “designated driver” programs for the waterways, Smith’s group says.

Drinking on a boat can get a person in trouble on two levels. Drunks who land in the water are more prone to hypothermia and have a harder time keeping their heads above water. So not only does alcohol impair judgment, coordination and balance, raising the risk of a wreck and making drunken boaters more likely to wind up in the water, it boosts their chances of injury or death once there, the researchers say.

Shanahan said several factors help explain why boating and alcohol mix like oil and water. Boats move in three dimensions, pitching, rolling and yawing, which scramble the body’s equilibrium. It’s also physically draining, especially if punctuated by periods of swimming or paddling.

And, by definition, recreational boating is done during off times when people are “pretty laid back” and have less “situational awareness,” compared with, say, driving in traffic, to keep them alert to hazards. “That’s, after all, why people like to go boating,” he said.

Add to that the heat and exposure to sun and glare, which can exacerbate feelings of intoxication. “Now you take the same [BAC] that might be permissible in an automobile and ask the simple question: “Does it work when you’re boating?” The answer, he said, is no.

“There’s clearly a causal factor between boating accidents and drowning and alcohol,” agreed William P. Condon, president of the American Boating Association. “Unfortunately, a lot of people look at recreational boating as a time to get a six-pack and go out and drink.”

Condon said he doesn’t believe “anyone in the industry would promote boating and drinking or would condone it.” However, he said, “A lot of organizations are somewhat silent” on the problem.

He said another concern is that many fatal accidents occur when boaters have tied up and are relaxing with liquor. “They have a few drinks and fall off a dock “

For that reason, Condon said many in the boating industry recommend not moderation but total abstinence from alcohol around the water.

What to do

Roughly 14 million Americans enjoy boating on a regular basis, Condon says. In 1998, 800 Americans died while boating, say Smith and his colleagues. And they say 30 percent to 40 percent of boaters report drinking while on the water.

To find out more about safe boating, try the National Safe Boating Council or theAmerican Boating Association. The National Transportation Safety Board also deals with marine matters. The University of Oklahoma Police Department has a site that lets you calculate BAC, which varies by weight and gender and how long you’ve been drinking.

This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.

All kinds of emergencies happen regularly onAmerica’s waterways. With millions of recreational and commercial boaters in varying degrees of health, boating skill and equipment shape on our waters, this is to be expected.

When emergencies do happen, having a functioning marine radio onboard can make the crucial difference.

Today’s marine radios are compact, reliable, relatively inexpensive, and with the new Digital Selective Calling marine radios, built to get emergency help to the distressed boater with pinpoint location accuracy. In an emergency the DSC radio will send an automated digital distress alert consisting of your identification and position (if the radio is connected to a GPS or Loran unit) to other DSC equipped vessels and rescue facilities.

Rescue 21 is the Coast Guard system that will provide the mayday response capability described above. For more details on the Rescue 21 System and its availability in your area visit http://www.uscg.mil/rescue21.

In any case, make sure your boat has a working marine radio, and that you test it regularly to make sure it works well. That way, when you need to call for help, maybe as a Good Samaritan yourself, you will be able to make connect with those who can help.

Whether you are an amateur angler or a professional deep sea fisherman, the type and quality of the fishing hook you use can mean the difference between fishing success and failure. With so many different sorts of hooks on the market, making the decision what sort of hook to use can be overwhelming. These tips will help you make an informed choice before casting your line.

1. Evaluate the physical characteristics of the fish. Bigger fish call for a larger, harder hook. 
2. Choose the right size hook for the bait you will be using. The hook should be large enough to hold the bait and hook the fish. Shorter shank hooks, for example, are not as easily detectable by the fish as longer shank hooks when using live bait. 
3. Determine the size of your fishing line. A heavy gauge line can easily force a heavy hook to penetrate the jaw. A small wire hook will be bent straight without even piercing the fish if used with heavy line. 
4. Decide whether any fish caught will be released. Barbless hooks and circle hooks are often the choice to aid the release of fish. Kahle hooks, however, are more deadly and are not appropriate for catch-release fishing. 

If a hook has been swallowed deeply by a fish, do not try to remove the hook. Cut the line as close to the hook as possible and release the fish. The hook is believed to gradually wear away in the water.

Whether you are an amateur angler or a professional deep sea fisherman, the type and quality of the fishing line you use can mean the difference between fishing success and failure. With so many different sorts of line on the market, choosing which line to use for which conditions can be daunting. These tips will help any angler make an informed decision.

1. Decide where you will fish. Areas with heavy vegetation call for a tough, thin line, like braid or fusion. Fluorocarbon lines are a great choice for clear water, as they refract light and become invisible beneath the surface. Monofilament lines work well in rough, rocky areas as do braid and fusion lines. 
2. Determine the amount of stretch you need. The more a line stretches, the more forgiveness you will get when reeling in a big fish. Less stretch means more sensitivity. Monofilament line offers a 15 to 30 percent stretch. Fluorocarbon provides less stretch, and braid has none. 
3. Choose a reel. Spin cast reels are best suited to a thin, limp line. A stiffer line works better on bait casting reels. 
4. Consider visibility. Opt for a clear line when fishing in clear waters like streams or lakes. Choose a dark green line for waters with heavy vegetation. Dark or muddy waters call for a brown line. Fluorescent lines, designed for increased visibility by the fisherman, are available yet appear to be just as visible to the fish. 

Fishing line ages quickly so buy from stores that sell a high volume and turn over products quickly.

Here are seven tips to stay safe while boating during this busy summer holiday:

• Always wear a life jacket: While in many areas of the country it’s hot and steamy, don’t be tempted to forgo wearing a life jacket. Accidents happen quickly, and often there isn’t time to put on a life jacket once an accident has happened. Statistics consistently show that 80 percent of those who perished in boating accidents were not wearing life jackets.
• Make sure your boat is properly equipped and that required equipment is functioning properly: The 4th of July is sometimes the first and only time people venture out on the water after dark. Make sure your navigation lights work so you can be seen. Better yet, request a free Vessel Safety Check (http://www.vesselsafetycheck.org/) to make sure your boat has all the legally required and recommended equipment onboard.
• Be prepared for emergencies: Accidents happen quickly, often with little or no warning. Take the time to familiarize your crew with basic emergency procedures, and show them how to contact authorities for help via marine radio or cell phone. If you boat in an area that requires flares, make sure they are up to date, but never use flares as a form of fireworks. Doing so constitutes a false distress call, which is a class D felony, punishable by up to six years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines, plus the cost associated with the false distress.
• Boating and alcohol do not mix: Boaters are also reminded of the dangers of drinking and boating. Along with decreasing the operator’s ability to make good judgments, the consumption of alcohol also negatively affects the ability of passengers to respond in the case of an emergency on the water. The effects of the sun, wind, waves and a boat’s motion in the water can add to an operator’s impairment. Intoxicated boaters can face both federal and state charges with penalties of up to one year in prison and up to $100,000 in fines.
• File a Float Plan with a friend: A float plan for a boater is similar to a flight plan for a pilot. It lists who is going, where you’re going, what the boat looks like, and when you expect to be back. Don’t file this with the Coast Guard; rather, share it with a friend who will be staying ashore, and instruct them what to do in the event that they don’t hear from you within a reasonable time of when you expect to return home. Visit http://floatplancentral.org/ for a complete plan along with instructions.
• Keep a sharp lookout for other boats, the weather, or anything that is unusual: The Coast Guard asks the public to be more aware of their surroundings, including carefully watching the weather, celebrating responsibly and understanding the hazards of boating under the influence of alcohol and misusing emergency flares as fireworks. Report any emergencies to local authorities by calling 911 or VHF-FM channel 16. Any suspicious activity that might involve terrorism should be reported to America’s Waterway Watch at 877-24-WATCH.
• Practice the 3 Cs – caution, courtesy, and common sense: Use caution, especially in close quarter maneuvering situations with other boats. In such situations, slow speeds are better. Be courteous to your fellow boaters, and use common sense. Don’t cut people off at the launch ramp, and never light fireworks from your boat!

By following these seven simple tips, you could save your life or the life of your passengers.