Operating a power-driven vessel is generally pretty easy. Push the throttle forward, and you get propeller discharge current which either flows across the rudder or is directed flow in the case of outboards and I/Os. The faster you go, the more control you typically have due to the increased flow over the hull and through […]
If you were to look at the narratives of past CG Auxiliary mishaps across the nation, you’d see a lot of them involve crew falling into the water. Not a good thing, especially in cold weather or at night. At a minimum you’ll have a wet and exhausted crewmember and some paperwork to complete. The […]
Yes, it’s that topic again. We discuss them a lot in the Ops world, every year. And yet every year we have folks get underway and use them inconsistently or not at all. Why is that? Now I’m not suggesting everyone turns into A.J. Squared Away. Who is that? Here are a couple of online […]
I sometimes ask prospective coxswains and crewmembers what they think is the most important safety device on the boat. In each case, the individual will invariably begin to rattle off all of the PPE they wear (PFD, PLB, strobe light, etc). Or they will itemize all of the boat’s equipment such as the ring life […]
Those of us in the USCG Auxiliary are familiar with the requirement to report our ops status and position to whomever is maintaining our radio guard, normally at 30-minute intervals. Of course the reason for this is to keep track of you for your safety, and to take action to find you in case something […]
There are situations where it is useful to quickly and precisely derive a reverse course. The scariest scenario is a man overboard when shorthanded. On a small boat there might only be two persons on board. While underway, the crewmember might go over the side without the helmsperson even realizing it. Imagine the dread when […]
Imagine you are on the water and on the radio you hear a boater who needs assistance at a given location. Where is that waypoint and how do you get there? Of course you are familiar with your chartplotter and can enter that waypoint and get underway. But with just a few seconds of mental […]