Offshore Sailing: 200 Essential Passagemaking Tips

Bill Seifert was a project engineer at Tartan Marine Company, materials manager at Tillotson Pearson Inc., and a project manager at Alden Yachts. In 1991, he started his own yacht management company. He does prerace seaworthiness inspections for the Marion - Bermuda Race.

Dan Spurr was the editor of Practical Sailor newsletter for twelve years. A former senior editor for Cruising World, he is the author of Heart of Glass: Fiberglass Boats and the Men Who Made Them, Spurr's Boatbook: Upgrading the Cruising Sailboat, and Yacht Style, among other books.

Author's Note on Origins

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Countdown to Offshore Sailing

Chapter 1. A Safe Deck

Crew Safety

Jacklines and Cockpit Pad Eyes

Safety Harnesses

Knives

Cutting Lines Fouled Underwater

Securing the Deck

Knots

Lashing Gear on Deck

Cockpit Speakers and Other Holes

Easy to Flood

Leaking Deck Hatches and Portlights

Toilet Bumpers on Hatches

Duct Tape on Deck Fills

Closure of Deck Blower Vents

Closure of Chain Pipes Built into Windlasses

Bedding Deck Hardware

Anchors on Bow Rollers

All-Chain Anchor Rodes

Cleat Guards

Supports for Cockpit Structures

Yacht Defense Strategy

Clean Your Combination Lock

Replace Fasteners in Companionway Stiles

Replace Hatch Hinge Pins

Dinghy ID

Test-Fire Flares

Miscellanea

Chapter 2. Rig and Sails

Running Rigging

Boom Preventer

Spinnaker Halyard

Right Side Up

Masthead Sheave Arrangement

Mainsheet Blocks

Roller Furling

Running Backstays

Securing a Halyard Tail

Whipping Lines

Reel Out Spools

Standing Rigging

Magnaflux Test Kit

Bolt or Wire Cutters

Turnbuckles

Tape on Turnbuckles

Cotter Pins in Clevis Pins

Sails

Storm Trysail and Storm Jib

Storing Spare Sails

Marking Sails

Measuring Sails

Sail Repair Materials

Mainsail Reefing

Other Tricks

Masthead Burgee

Spreader Flag Halyards

Rigging a Radar Reflector Hoisted to a Spreader

Dissimilar Metals

Miscellanea

Chapter 3. Interior Modifications

Securing the Cabin

Handholds

Locking the Companionway

Remotely Activated Lock

Drawers

Berth Top Access Lids

Cabin Sole Floorboards

Hinges

Holding Down Batteries

Construct Fiddles

Place Fiddles

Avoid the Toilet Seat Toss

Sea Berths

Removable Sea Berth

Root Berth

Lee Cloths

Berth Cushions

Climate Control

Fans

Washboard Vents

Carbon Monoxide Detector

What's What and Where

Labels

Yacht Inventory Database

Chapter 4. Electronic and Electrical Equipment

Electronics

Interfacing Electronics

Electronic and Other Devices That Belong on Every Boat

EPIRBs

Handheld VHF and Handheld GPS

Navtex

Emergency Radio Antennas

Intelligible Boat Name

Emergency Use of Ham Nets (Amateur Radio Networks)

Other Useful Radio Services and Frequencies

Electronic Timer and Clock

Serial Numbers

Uninterruptible Power Source

Batteries

Types

Deep-Cycle versus Starting

Battery Bank Configurations

Charging Profiles

Lights

Flashlights

Spotlight

Running Lights

Anchor Light

Laser Pointer

Ghost in the Machine: Solving Weird Electrical Problems

Watertight Junction Box

Battery Charging

Shore Power Problems

Spontaneous Ignition

Engine Wiring

Playing It Safe

Making the Connection

Lightning

Miscellanea

Chapter 5. Engine, Mechanical, and Plumbing Systems

Engine and Fuel

Engine Education

Mechanical Oil Pressure Gauge

Changing Oil the Easy Way

Oil Analysis

Engine Water Flow Alarm

Removable Strainers

Alarm Annunciator

Electric Fuel Pump

Adding Tees to Tanks

Diesel Engine SAD Syndrome

V-Belts

Engine Space Ventilation

Fueling

Miles per Gallon

Calibrating Tachometers

Runaway Diesel Engine

Fire Extinguishers

Charging Refrigeration

Engine Beds

Prop and Shaft

Propeller Type

Stopping Shaft Rotation

Correct Pitch

Removing the Prop Shaft from the Engine Coupling

Plumbing

Hose

Cleaning Hoses

Fouled Freshwater Tanks

Be Alert to Variations in Muriatic Acid Concentration

Seacocks

Softwood Plugs

Bilge Pump Strainers

Aluminum Bilge Pumps

Emergency Bilge Pump

Conserving Freshwater

Insecticide-Sprayer Shower

Pipe

Copper Alloys

Tools and Maintenance

Large Tools

Maintenance Log

Miscellanea

Chapter 6. At Sea

Safety First

Safety Video

Maintaining Night Vision

Heaving-To

Drogues and Sea Anchors

Centerboards

Freeing Lines Under Load

Spinnaker Takedown

Evacuation by Helicopter

Design and Loading Considerations

Sailing and Center of Effort

Fore-and-Aft Weight Distribution

Overall Effect of Adding Weight to a Vessel

Personal Comfort

Apparel

Sea Bag Checklist for Five-to Seven-Day Passage

Sea Bags

Sleeping

Foul-Weather Gear

Seasickness

Standing Watch Orders

Crew Overboard

Flooding Below Decks

Abandoning Ship

Deck Log Entries

Navigation and Weather

Compasses

Polars on Passages

Altering Course

Making Best Time on Passages

Cosines

Communication with Southbound II VAX 498, Herb Hilgenberg

Recording the Broadcast

Weather on the Web

Chart Copies

Length of Degree of Longitude

Chart Table Cover

Datums

On Closing with Ships

Thermometer

Binoculars

Ground Tackle

Anchors

Anchor Chain

Shackles for Anchors and Chain

Bow Rollers and Chocks

Chapter 7. Galley Tips

The Beginning of My Cooking Career

Provisioning

Planning and Checklists

Provisioning Quantities

Food Storage

Cardboard Boxes

Plastic Containers

Preserving Fresh Vegetables

Cabbage and the Crunch

Outfitting the Galley

Bagging It

The $8,179.95 Bread-Baking Machine

Cooking in Rough Weather

Protective Apparel

Oven Width and Height Limits

Abdicating the Galley

Serving and Cleanup

Plates, Glasses, and Coffee Mugs

Washing Dishes

Garbage

Recipes

Desserts

Breakfasts

Dinners

Salad Dressings

Appendix 1. Boat Selection

Design

Stability Issues

You Can't Always Get What You Want

The Properly Built Yacht

Fiberglass Hull and Deck Construction

Steering

Deck Hardware and Fittings

Electrical Systems

Plumbing

Interior

Rig

Appendix 2. Cruising Paperwork

Essential Papers and Documentation

Proof of Yacht Ownership

Proof of Insurance

Passports

Visas

Customs Clearance

Crew List

Yellow Card

Driver's License

Ship Radio Station License and Operator's Licenses

Logbook

Equipment List

Prescriptions for Medication

Upon Arrival

Money

Telephones

Dealing with Foreign Officals

Kwikpoint Cards

Mediterranean Market Basket

Flags and Country Identification

Boat Cards

Mail

Security

Additional Precautions

Waiver of Liability

Release of Claim Against Vessel

Photographs of the Boat

Appendix 3. Foreign Adaptation

Power and Appliances

Television and VCRs

Cellular Telephones

Water and Plumbing

Propane

Paper Goods

Nuts and Bolts

Maps

Health

Docking Equipment

Appendix 4. Generic Safety and Spare Parts Inventory

Main Propulsion Engine

Rigging and Deck Hardware

Lubricants

Bedding, Pipe Sealants, and Adhesives

Tape

Plumbing

Electrical

Dinghy and Outboard Motor

Interior Hardware

In Vessel's Canned Goods Locker

Safety Gear List

Abandon-Ship Bag

Yacht Outfitting Safety Equipment

Appendix 5. Layup Afloat and Commissioning Checklists

Layup

Deck

Interior

Mechanical

General

Commissioning

Deck

Mechanical and Plumbing

Autopilot

Watermaker

Washer-Dryer

Electrical

Electronics

Interior

Miscellanea

Appendix 6. Maneuvering Under Power

Going Ahead

Making a Tight Turn

Backing

Backing Straight

Backing to Port

Backing to Starboard

Docking from Start to Finish

Spring Lines

Docking

Departing a Dock

Departing with Restricted Space Available Forward

Departing a Dock by Backing Out

Appendix 7. Contact Information for Suppliers and Associations

Appendix 8. Radio and Communications Tables

Ham Nets

BBC World News

WLO Radio Frequencies

U.S. Coast Guard High Seas Frequencies

USCG Coastal and High Seas Forecasts

SSB Frequencies

SSB Frequency Propagation

Voice of America, Caribbean

Appendix 9. Metric Equivalents

Index

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