Category Archives: safety

Rescue 21: activated in San Diego, coming to LA soon

Posted on by
SAIL CHANNEL ISLANDS HOME
Share
[Facebook] [Google] [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »

Coast Guard multi-mission helicopter



I was wondering when we’d be covered by Rescue 21 technology and wrote to the CG and asked. Here’s what they said:

Sir: Installed Rescue 21 equipment at Sector LA/LB is in a system testing phase. By November of this year, the Coast Guard will likely conditionally accept the system and commence the shutdown of the older National Distress Response System (NDRS). In 2011, upon final acceptance of the Rescue 21 system, all obsolete or redundant NDRS equipment will be powered down.

BETTER RESPONSE: IT’S ALMOST HERE.

So, if you’ve got a VHF radio – you’ll benefit from Rescue 21 – but if you’ve got a VHF with a red DSC (Digital Selective Calling) button, you’ll have much better protection.

If you haven’t already done done so, you need to hook your VHF radio to the GPS and register your boat with the Coast Guard by getting an MMSI number. Those proceduers will enable DSC.

Here’s what the Coast Guard has to say about DSC:

Digital Selective Calling

No new equipment is needed for you to benefit from Rescue 21. The new system will increase the Coast Guard’s ability to respond to distress calls in the coastal zone. However, you can help us improve response time by using a marine-band VHF-radio equipped with digital selective calling (DSC).

If properly registered with a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number and interfaced with GPS, the DSC radio signal transmits vital vessel information, position, and the nature of distress (if entered) at the push of a button. In an emergency, with one push of a button, your DSC radio will send an automated digital distress alert containing your MMSI number and position to other DSC-equipped vessels and rescue facilities. DSC will provide a quicker and more accurate response by the Coast Guard. For more information on Digital Selective Calling check out the video, Can You Hear Me?
Get your MMSI Number

The Boat U.S. and Sea Tow MMSI Programs have been certified by both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Coast Guard. To obtain and register your MMSI number, the Coast Guard recommends logging onto http://www.boatus.com/mmsi/ or http://www.seatow.com/boating_safety/mmsi/mmsiRegister.asp and following the instructions.

CPR – New, Improved and Much Easier!

Posted on by
SAIL CHANNEL ISLANDS HOME
Share
[Facebook] [Google] [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »

Doctors at the University of Arizona have come up with an easier and, overall, more effective CPR protocol. If you’re sailing with me, I hope you know how to do CPR the way UA teaches it.

But, whether you’re sailing or not, it’s worth the 5+ minutes to view the video and learn the procedure.

Continuous Chest Compression CPR (e.g. no mouth to mouth)

Thanks to Terry Waggoner for sending the info.

Sailboat burns, sinks at Anacapa Island

Posted on by
SAIL CHANNEL ISLANDS HOME
Share
[Facebook] [Google] [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »

A Hunter sailboat catches fire, sinks at Frenchy’s 7/8/2010

The Coast Guard and Vessel Assist responded to a report of a burning vessel last week. The preliminary report said that the captain was sailing alone, had anchored in Frenchy’s Cove and had started cooking on his rail-mounted barbecue.

The captain reported that he fell asleep and awoke to find the boat in flames. He abandoned ship in a small skiff and was picked up by a Good Samaritan. He was subsequently transferred to a Coast Guard vessel and returned to the mainland. He suffered no substantial injuries.

The following day, Vessel Assist, Ventura refloated the vessel, policed up the debris and towed it back to Ventura Harbor.

————

Comment

That had to be one scary experience for the captain. We’re hoping he was well insured and glad that he wasn’t hurt, at least not badly. We’re also very thankful that Capt. Rob of R Escape has mounted a fire extinguisher on our boat about 5′ from our barbecue.There are also two in our galley area below.

Cooking is the number one cause of fire on diesel powered boats and a stove without an adjacent fire extinguisher is a big oversight. In the case of a rail-mounted barbecue, it’s probably impossible to safely turn off the propane when the stove is engulfed in flames. But there are three ways to turn off your galley gas – the burner control, the solenoid and turning off the tank in the lazerette. Definitely a topic worthy of a crew briefing.

I’ve always been confident that I could survive cooking with a rail-mounted barbecue, afterall, it’s mounted on the rail outboard of the boat. With the top on it, it’s not likely to flame the bimini. Of course, I try not to fall asleep (or pass out) while I’m cooking as I’m partial to rare beef and unblemished gelcoat.

I’m fairly sure that there are more lessons to be learned from this incident.

———-

Sail Channel Islands

Did you hear that idiot?? My list of VHF procedural peeves

Posted on by
SAIL CHANNEL ISLANDS HOME
Share
[Facebook] [Google] [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »

There are some folks whose conversations on VHF channel 16 are quite entertaining. Most of us know that #16 is for hailing and emergencies only, but that does not seem to be the universal rule, or at least not universally embraced. In fact, in some parts of the world – I’m thinking BVI – you make dinner reservations on #16, order provisions and talk about your hangover. But eating and drinking are the main entertainment in those parts, so it makes sense that these topics are high on the list of radio blather.

We run a little tighter ship – no inference concerning drinking – in these parts.

But not tight enough – here are some of the things that done frequently enough get me to turn my radio down, sometimes down until I hear a click.

1. Somewhere, some newbie heard a MAYDAY call. Mayday, mayday, mayday. And they thought that sounded good, so every time they hail someone, they say the call sign three times: Sailing Yacht Phucifino, Sailing Yacht Phucifion, Sailing Yacht Phucifino and follow it with, this is the Motor Vessel Xnay on the Ifeway, Xnay ….

Even though the Coast Guard has adopted the 3X call, you don’t have to do it. Key the mike, pause, speak directly into the mike, speak slowly, speak clearly and if Xnay is out there, he’ll respond. If he’s not in range, he won’t answer no matter how many times you say his name.

2. Unless you’re sailing or motoring a boat with 18 wheels, please do not precede your call with, “Xnay, do you got your ears on?” Also refrain from using “10-4″, “your 20″ or anything else you learned from Smokey and the Bandit. Thankfully, no one living north of the 28th parallel says Good Buddy any more.

3. Radio checks. We know we’re not supposed to do those on #16, but anyone who has tried to hail a harbormaster or the CG on any other frequency other than #16 has come up empty. So, when some boater feels lonely and wants to make sure he can still reach Houston, when that fellow asks for a radio check, please respond as fast as you can: “Loud and Clear.”

I find the CG admonitions about taking that chatter elsewhere particularly irritating.

4. Well, I’m going to save the rest of mine. They get pretty nit-picky. If you’ve got some idiots to put on the pad, make yourself at home in the comments below.

The official list of channels, who uses them and what for.

=================
Capt. Dan’s Sail Channel Islands

——————————–

Channel Islands boaters can learn lesson from Mexican experience

Posted on by
SAIL CHANNEL ISLANDS HOME
Share
[Facebook] [Google] [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »

Capt. Rob Walton of S/V R Escape sent us a link to the Latitude 38 “Lectronic” edition. I used to read “Latitude” cover-to-cover when I was boat shopping the Bay Area. It’s got the best classified ads in the sailing business in California, and it’s got the best sailing stories of any of the magazines, particularly the glossies, which seem to be in cahoots with the manufacturers who buy advertising.

So, my first suggestion is click on the link above and subscribe.

Roughly 800 nm south of Channel Islands Harbor, the entrance is subject to difficulties we in Oxnard will recognize.

Next, take a look at the video. I’ll be a spoiler: all ends fairly well, but it starts out like a horror movie. Unsuspecting actors sailing on azure waters head into San Blas, one of Baja’s premier anchorages. It is a lovely day, but things conspire to make it more exciting than they bargained for.

As you watch this, take a look at the size and particularly the shape of the waves. Ask yourself what makes these look different from the rollers that come into Channel Islands Harbor? It’s a subtle difference, and if you don’t pick it up in the beginning, you’ll figure it out in the end.

If you’d like to read the crew’s narrative, click Examiner. They learned some interesting lessons. But I think they got at least one wrong.

Add your comments below, your own experiences, your lessons learned.

==============================================