Tradewinds Sailing Blog

Summer is just around the corner and one of my favorite pastimes is coming up fast.  Late sunsets, mild overnight winds, and early sunrises seem to beg for an overnight stay on the bay.  I love to get off work at 5:00, hop on my boat, and sail somewhere for dinner and an overnight at anchor.  Here are a couple of my (and some friends) favorite spots.

Paradise Cove – located on the North East shore of Tiburon, Paradise Cove can accommodate a lot of boats.

Richardson Bay

McNear’s Beach/China Camp

Clipper Cove

China Basin/McCovey Cove

If you need some tips about overnights in our cruising area, give us a call or ask us in the clubhouse when we are near a chart!

Hypothermia on San Francisco Bay is a very real danger.  Sailing in the cold wet conditions of San Francisco Bay can and will result in hypothermia if proper steps are not taken.  Recognizing the symptoms and understanding first aid treatment options may be the difference between an enjoyable sail and tragedy.

Before going too far, understand that I am not a doctor.  The stages, symptoms, and treatments talked about here are commonly accepted as accurate, however, seeking professional expertise is always a good idea.  As part of your sailing education, I encourage everyone to seek first aid training from qualified organizations and individuals.

There are three degrees of hypothermia, mild, moderate, and severe.

With mild hypothermia, the body’s internal temperature has dropped to 95 degrees or below.  The most visible symptoms include shivering, mental confusion, and mild muscle “miss-coordination.”  The person may be having trouble speaking.  At this stage, the body is still able to warm itself, so first aid treatment should be focused on helping the body do just that.  Shelter from the cold, warm dry clothing, warm liquids, and staying active are great examples.  I personally carry four blankets anytime I sail just for that purpose.  Alcohol and caffeinated drinks should never be given.

Moderate hypothermia is indicated when the body’s core temperature has dropped below 90 degrees.  Shivering has progressed to violent shivering and there is a distinct lack of muscle coordination, including speech.  The surface blood vessels contract.  The person becomes pale, with lips, ears, fingers, and toes possibly turning blue.  The body may no longer be able to warm itself, and requires external assistance.  As with mild hypothermia, a warm environment and warm dry clothes (or blankets) are the place to start.  However, with moderate hypothermia, application of external heat such as a heating blanket and warm water bottles placed in the armpits and groin will begin the rewarming process.  If nothing else is available, body to body contact while wrapped in blankets will help.  Now is not the time for gender concerns and modesty.  Liquids generally should not be given to someone suffering moderate hypothermia.  There lack of muscle coordination may have impacted their ability to swallow.

Severe hypothermia is the body’s internal temperature falling below 82 degrees.  Vital organs begin to shut down.  Symptoms include difficulty speaking, sluggish thinking, amnesia, an inability to walk normally, and perform normal hand dexterity functions.  The person may lose consciousness.  It can be very difficult to find a pulse on a severely hypothermic person.  Treatment obviously includes all of the first aid steps appropriate to moderate hypothermia, however, you must get the person immediate emergency medical treatment!

Here’s one last thought.  The water temperature on San Francisco Bay averages about 50 to 60 degrees depending upon the time of year.  In 50 degree water, death can occur in as little as 1 hour.  The beginning stages of hypothermia happen after just a few minutes.  If anybody should fall overboard while sailing, by the time you get them recovered, you can assume at least mild hypothermia.  Begin first aid treatment right away … even if they say it isn’t needed.

Please accept my apologies for this small “pet peeve” on my part.  Stand on means stand on … give way means give way!

Rule 16 states “Every vessel which is directed to keep out of the way of another vessel shall, so far as possible, take early and substantial action to keep well clear.”

I’m not sure what it is about the words early and substantial that seems to confound boaters, however, I am always amazed at how late and how small the course change that is made to avoid is!  Please make your course changes obvious, and early enough that I don’t have to wonder if you see me and are going to make the required course change!

Rule 17 states “(a) (i) Where one of two vessels is to keep out of the way, the other shall keep her course and speed.

(ii) The latter vessel may, however, take action to avoid collision by her maneuver alone, as soon as it becomes apparent to her that the vessel required to keep out of the way is not taking appropriate action in compliance with these Rules.”

In other words stand on your course and speed until it is apparent a collision will result if you don’t … as the give way vessel I am counting on you to do so!  Being “a nice guy” and giving way when you are the stand on vessel is not only confusing to everyone else, it’s a violation of Rule 17.

Sailing is such a peaceful and quiet sport … except when it isn’t.  Unfortunately, when it isn’t quiet nobody can hear anything!  For those situations, have hand signals set up.  At Tradewinds, everyone is taught to use hand signals while anchoring.  Some other common situations that might benefit from hand signals include:

• Approaching a dock or slip
• Sails that are luffing and/or over trimmed
• Raising and lowering sails
• Picking up a mooring

What hand signals you use is entirely up to you and your crew, however, they should be fairly straight forward and understandable.

Here’s a tip from the maintenance crew.

Don’t leave the life lines laying on the deck when you leave.  They are a tripping hazard, and if you step on them they damage the gel coat on the deck or bend the pelican hook requiring replacement.  Instead, attach them in their proper location or “hang” them from the lifeline itself.

If you didn’t think about it 10 minutes ago, you waited too long.

Actually, certain things you should think about before you leave the slip.  Tradewinds procedures regarding checking fuel levels and rigging the main halyard before leaving are perfect examples.

Here’s another for you.  Is the anchor ready to deploy if needed.  Too often, I see someone look up at the bow from the cockpit then look at the stern pulpit, and announce to someone down below something like “Primary and secondary anchors, check.”  Instead, look at the anchor and ground tackle.  How is the anchor secured in the bow roller?  How is it deployed?  Test the windlass if it has one.  Does it have a control unit that is stowed somewhere (find it).  Where is the switch to turn the windlass on (usually on the DC panel, but not always)?  Where is the breaker (generally not on the DC panel) and has it been tripped?

I was on a boat recently (not a Tradewinds boat) where the owner had secured the anchor using a shackle through the anchor shackle.  He didn’t want it to accidently deploy.  The problem was that he had not used the anchor in years, and over time the shackle had rusted closed.  It took penetrating oil and two pairs of vise grips to get it undone.  Definitely not available for an emergency.

Have you every actually tried setting up the emergency tiller?  Did you know that many of them require a special “key” to open the emergency tiller port?  If so, where is that key stowed?

I’m a firm believer that if I’m ready for an emergency, it won’t happen.  Plan for those emergencies before you leave the slip!

Have you noticed how the best sailors seem to put in the least effort!

I taught an Advanced Docking class a few weeks ago, and one of the class participants made a comment that showed a lot of insight!  “It’s more about finesse than force!”  That is so true.

When I first learned to do a fairway turn, the shifts came hard, fast, and furious and nearly always involved too much throttle which in turn led to another hard shift and too much throttle to correct.  As my skills have improved, I find myself only shifting a couple of times during the turn using just enough throttle to hold my position in the fairway.  As long as the boat is doing what I want (turning while staying in place) I do nothing.  I jokingly tell people that I’m basically a lazy person and don’t want to work any harder than I have to.

The same is true about every aspect of sailing.  During the first day or two of Basic Keel Boat, tacks are accompanied by knees, elbows, and arms flailing.  By day three, things happen much quicker and smoother.

The best “docker” knows exactly how far it takes to turn the boat and exactly how much speed is required for best rudder control.  Coming down the fairway, she sets the required speed and when she gets to the required turning point makes a simple easy turn.  Then, knowing when to go into reverse (most likely without added throttle) allows the boat to ease to a stop just before the end of the slip.

All of this requires you to know the boat.  How much speed is required to obtain rudder control in varying wind conditions?  How far does it take to turn the boat 90 degrees to port and/or starboard under varying conditions?  What are the effects of propeller rotation (prop walk and wash) in forward and reverse?  Start getting this knowledge during the check out on that boat.  But, that isn’t enough … every time you take a boat out practice a couple of basic maneuvers.  Test for minimum maneuvering speed, bring it to a stop, back it up, fairway turn to the right, fairway turn to the left, what happens in forward if you let go of the wheel (please don’t let go of the wheel while in reverse … bad things happen).  All of this will take only a couple of minutes.

One last thought.  Any time you see one of those sailors that make it look easy … WATCH!  You will learn so much, and before long, it is you others are watching!

You set out one fine morning for a day’s sail.  After arriving at the end of the Potrero Reach, you get your sails up and turn to a course of 214 magnetic (214M) because you know that is the direction of Raccoon Strait.  On that course you know from past trips there are a couple of buoys which you will pass about a quarter mile off to starboard, and one off to port about a half mile.  All is well in the world, and you commence to sailing and socializing.

What you didn’t take into consideration is the 1.4 knot ebb crossing your intended course at nearly right angles.  Even though your bow is pointed at 214M, the course made good is 200M.  You are pointed at clear water and Raccoon Straight, however, the boat is headed directly towards R “8” a very hard and unforgiving buoy!

Here’s a quick easy visual check to determine if you are on a collision course with “something”.  If that “something” … in this case the buoy … appears to be fixed in relationship to the background, you are headed straight for it.  If the background seems to be moving to one side of the buoy, you are going to pass on that same side.

With a bit of advance planning you would know steering a course of 228M (call it 230 because it’s a nice round number) would put you right down the center of Raccoon Strait.  Now all you have to do is hope the wind co-operates and you don’t have to do a couple of dozen tacks to get there.