A well-equipped, centrally located damage control kit together with a damage control plan are important to a safe voyage.
This is particularly true in waterways such as the Pacific Northwest which has a high proportion of deadheads and debris in the water from logging. Although many cruisers abstain from operating at night in an effort to reduce this risk, many of these logs are quite waterlogged, making them difficult to see even in good visibility.
Ah, New Year’s Resolutions. So easily conceived, so quickly neglected! Lose 20 pounds, get regular exercise, reduce intake of saturated fat, and cut out that last glass of wine in the evening: we’re very good at making promises to ourselves, and then allowing them to fall by the wayside as the weeks of the new year speed by.
No one wants to spend money foolishly, and no one wants to be subjected to unnecessary risks. How do you figure out how to spend your safety dollars efficiently to minimize the risks associated with going to sea in sailboats? Risk analysis generally boils down to the likelihood of something bad happening, the cost incurred when it does happen, and the expense of avoiding the problem in the first place.
A fire aboard a vessel is very scary. With an uncontrolled blaze, there is nowhere to go except into the water or a life raft. A boat fire spreads very rapidly. You must attack it immediately and effectively; otherwise you will deplete your extinguishing resources before you put it out.
The 2015 meeting of the International Sailing Federation, now known as World Sailing, was held in Sanya, China. One of the committees that met was the Offshore Special Regulations committee, which is responsible for creating equipment rules for six categories of sailboat racing, based on the proximity to rescue and the duration of the event. The Offshore Special Regulations have grown over the years: in fact, the 1982 version published by the then-United States Yacht Racing Union fit on a single sheet of paper. By 2014, the OSRs, as they are known, had grown to over 200 pages.
Which distress signaling devices to carry is determined by local government and race authorities’ requirements, in what waters the vessel plans to sail, cost and personal choice.