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06/04/2021
Prevention | Navigation & Seafaring
You can’t push a rope!
Boating is fun, peaceful and relaxing. Most of the time... It’s a great way to connect with family and friends for everything from short day trips to venturing off farther, even escaping to as far as you can go. It does not matter what type of boating you do, for no matter where you look, there’s always something new to find.
Yes, the sea certainly does teach you a lot of lessons, and many, like our title, have ended up passing over into common parlance. Another would be, ‘Never turn your back on the sea’, or ‘There’s no such thing as a five minute job on a boat.’ Even humour has been brought into help, with BOAT being turned into ‘bring on another thousand’, as a way of helping one deal with the many nuances of boat ownership.
So here then is a collection of thoughts, ideas, comments and videos designed to help you avoid some of the pitfalls that can be either costly or hazardous, or even both.
Manoeuvring
Now talking about sayings, driving and manoeuvring your boat is a little bit like ‘flying a plane is easy; it’s the take offs and the landings (especially) that can get a bit tricky.’ If you think about, they are tied to the quay with ropes to contain them, perhaps a little bit like horse that is determined to rear up, or buck.
Even a dirigible offers a fair comparison. It’s not really very stationary, always moving about in the breeze, and a boat does the same, but also adds the complexities of the water via tide or current. More often than not, these two are working in opposite directions, as well.
If you are new to boating, the first thing to do before taking a cast of thousands out with you is to practice your manoeuvring and especially berthing (or parking). Just like the plane, the landings can get decidedly tricky, so just as a pilot does, you can practice. (video https://youtu.be/mdLmVYY7MM8 )
You can do this alone, or have a qualified person teach you, but the important things to remember are that each boat is different, and each situation is never the same, even if you are coming up to same quay. Now the reason for that is the weather is never the same and the sea is always in a constant state of flux due to tide and current.
So your boat may have one or more engines, be driven by propeller, jet or pod, have shafts and rudders, or legs, and the one thing all of these have in common is that they are very, very different beasts. Additionally, but not exclusively, older boats will have just their main propulsion, whereas newer boats may have bow and stern thrusters, can be operated via a joystick system, hold their position to within a small variance by virtue of the wonders of GPS (geostationary), and some have a remote control allowing you to step off your craft once you are close to the quay, and walk along with it as you guide it in. (video Off boat - Dockmate remote https://youtu.be/yHS2oyF2iFM)
If you are coming alongside, it is also important to note the position of each of the ropes fixing your craft to the quay, and how they operate, for they can assist you with your manoeuvres, avoid expensive crunches to your boat and others, and equally, offer a way to leave the quay just as smartly when it is time to go!
https://www.pantaenius.com/au-en/insights/journal/prevention/news-detail/news/safe-berthing-10/
On board systems
As a microcosm, a boat needs to be self-sufficient for either a whole day or far more if you’re contemplating extended passages. Apart from the very means of transportation, namely sails or engines that we’ll cover off separately, the three main systems are fuel, electrical and plumbing. Each does have a particular and somewhat large set of nuances, and knowing enough to stay out of trouble is important. If you need to delve into things further, then there are particular courses, and naturally a range of experts too.
Fuel is required for propulsion, whether main or auxiliary, along with power generation, which apart from recharging batteries will be used for things like cooking, heating/cooling, water heating, and entertainment. Of course you may also use a separate source, like gas, to attend to many of these needs too.
Condensation in tanks is a reality with boats, so leave them full if you’re going away for some time. Fuels decay over time and in differing ways depending on what they are, so don’t leave two or four stroke fuel for the tender at the bottom of the lazarette for six months, and still expect it to work faultlessly. Similarly, if you are in the tropics, remember to place the correct additives into your tanks, lest the microbes take up residence. Finding your lines have all turned solid is annoying, time consuming and expensive to repair.
Many vessels have tried to get to a single fuel source, as this alleviates the need to carry alternatives, and the potential to mix, which is never good. Whatever your scenario, knowing what you have, where it resides, how to check it, and assess the levels is a fundamental part of boating. There was the case of the two-handed crew who set of on a 5500nm race and they had thought of everything, except that both thought the other was bringing the matches! Naturally, it is not easy to cook without them.
Electrical systems can be the cause of some of the greatest fires. See Gone in 180 seconds and What’s that Smell?
(https://www.pantaenius.com/au-en/insights/journal/prevention/news-detail/news/gone-in-180-seconds/)
https://www.pantaenius.com/au-en/insights/journal/prevention/news-detail/news/whats-that-smell/
to live someone else’s nightmare. Plumbing usually works fine, but when it doesn’t it can ruin everything, literally and metaphorically. Grey and black tanks have specific purposes and knowing what can go where, when and how is utterly crucial. Knowing their levels and when to get to a pumping station is a part of modern boating.
Possibly the oldest lesson, sometimes forgotten however, is to actually have a look around, inspect and check. Remain aware – your relaxation and possibly life depend on it.
Your engine(s), whether main or auxiliary, and even the outboard for the tender, all need TLC. The marine environment is harsh. If you’re not using the boat, at least run the engines each week, or get someone else to do it. Things like to run and flow, it prevents deposits and things seizing, and thins includes all the underwater apparatus. Think of it as preventive maintenance. A good spray of lubricant, and a proper cover can go a long way to protecting your tender’s outboard as it sits on the pushpit rail.
Anchoring
This can create the best or worst experience of your trip depending on how it is done. On the plus side, it can provide a great opportunity to relax with family and friends and enjoy the surroundings with some good food and wine. To avoid disaster you need to consider a few things, and see this article for greater detail (https://www.pantaenius.com/au-en/insights/journal/prevention/news-detail/news/safe-anchoring-1/) .
Make sure you find a safe spot, consider water depth, effects of any change in the wind direction and/or tide may have, and other boats in the area. Also check the surrounding anchoring area for any hidden rocks or shallow spots, which will put an end to your fun very quickly if you hit one.
Consider the type of anchor you are using given the surface of the seafloor, relative to sand, seaweed, or rock. Also, have an anchor watch system so you can quickly identify if you are dragging you anchor, as you don’t suddenly find yourself bumping into other boats, or that nice little shoal you were all admiring earlier in the evening. Your eyes can be your best assets here, but your mind can also play with you a bit, too. AIS and radar, even inApp items on your phone can give you electronic eyes as well, and if you are planning on having a nap, they can add another level of safety, in addition to you coming on deck and checking every hour or so.
Charts
Paper charts are still the pinnacle of navigational aids. Nothing works quite as well in terms of giving a more total and complete picture, but alas they are expensive and cumbersome. You only have to look at the way modern craft’s nav desk are aligned more to the laptop and chartplotter to see that.
It is very important to have the correct, updated charts for where you are travelling on board and stored in a dry place. What is even more important is that you understand how to read them. You never know when all that whiz-bang navigation equipment you were so proud of may fail and you find yourself relying on them to help you find your way to safety. Read Paper-Ruler-Dividers and Back To The Basics to fully comprehend that.
https://www.pantaenius.com/au-en/insights/journal/prevention/news-detail/news/paper-ruler-dividers/
https://www.pantaenius.com/au-en/insights/journal/prevention/news-detail/news/back-to-basics-1/
Taking responsibility for your craft
After fires in shipyards, and extensive damage across the globe at the hands of named storms, the leisure marine sector was always going to see changes to the way insurance was handled. Taking responsibility for your craft (https://www.sail-world.com/news/217751) both when you are on board, and even more importantly when you are not is singularly the best way to ensure there is cover available in the first place, and that you personally will be offered it.
The damage form Cyclone Debbie was extensive, as you can see in these articles (https://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Debbie-says-there-are-7Ps-and-1C-with-Insurance/-152840https://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Debbie-says-the-8thP-with-Insurance-is-Patience/-153124https://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Debbie-says-the-8thP-with-Insurance-is-Patience-(PtII)/-153240https://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Debbie-says-the-8thP-with-Insurance-is-Patience-(PtIII)/-153393), but it did not have to be entirely that way. There is always something you can do, and it is important to take that on, before there is no more cover to be had, and everyone will have to be self-insured.
You may not want to read them, but what we are really saying to you is that you definitely need to absorb all the information they contain.
Rig
The only time you want to see the rig come down is when it is underneath a giant crane. For the rest of its life you want it standing up tall, in column, supported by the standing rigging, and able to withstand the loads applied to it by the running rigging, and the very sails it is up there to carry in the first place.
Professional riggers can do an annual inspection in situ. It can come out for a thorough overhaul, the rod rigging can be sent off for X-raying, and new wires can be installed for lights, radio, radar and sat domes. One thing you can’t do after it has gone ‘timber’ is replace the one knuckle, joint or flange that failed and caused the whole problem in the first place. Prevention is way better than the cure, and it is also one of those things that never seems to happen when you’re in an idyllic anchorage.
Funny how it always seems to be at night, powered up, and with a decent seaway to boot…
Trailers
Talk about a hard life. Dragged around by your nostrils at up to 100kph, with a great lump on your back, only to be dumped into a river or the sea, then hauled back out and left to bake in the sun. Bearings and suspension, all the electrics, and the NyloThane rollers and rubbing strafes just love that. Not. To say nothing of one little crack is all it takes to expose the galvanising, and for the rust demon to set in. Same goes for stone chips, too.
On top of that, if you don’t get locked up you can get knicked, and treated even worse by the offending party. Hmmm. Not many redeeming features there, so service your trailer, tyres and all, secure it to anything and everything possible, and if you can, don’t let the elements try and destroy it before its time.
Many more articles can be found here https://www.pantaenius.com/au-en/insights/journal/prevention/
Where to from here?
We can’t answer every question in just one article, and you might have additional questions relating to cover, claims and help. If so, then please get in touch
Pantaenius Sail & Motor Yacht Insurance
+61 2 9936 1670
www.panatenius.com.au
