Sailing 2013 Begins!

Spring Events Schedule

What‘s on in Spring 2013?

We’ve scheduled ourselves for every lecture we can find in our area, some good courses, special events and even some brave-the-elements sailing! 

If we can find more, we’ll add to the list as we go along.

Here’s our list for Spring 2013:

• Boat Show lectures
• Cruising Association lectures
• 2 Cruising Association seminars
• Red Tabby lectures  
• Red Tabby’s Boat Show Cocktail Party
• RYA first aid course
• RYA sea survival course  
• Red Tabby Sailing Forum!
• passages with Cap’n Davie 
• Red Tabby J80 sailing?
• and, of course, the Red Tabby Cruising Committee dinners!

(OY! There’s research, organising and work to be done for the Cruising Committee too, Furrball! Not just mealtimes!  Speak for yerself, Oh Opposable–Thumbed-One…)

Great Bastet, it’s gonna be great!

 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Victualling And Food Care

Next up at the Cruising Association last weekend, was a lecture on ‘Victualling And Food Care’, with Sandy Duker. O my!

Food is my personal favourite and my own specialty. I do love to organise the First Mate to a well provisioned yacht! Preparedness for every exciting milestone in the day (ie. every meal time) is a top priority.   

As Sandy approached the lectern, I leaned forward on the Can Opener’s shoulder to catch her every pearlescent word. I knew I indeed had a secure grip on my perch to get me through her lecture when the First Mate let out a mighty yelp.

Sandy revealed all her secrets of food care aboard yachts and the Can Opener wrote ’em down:

Assumptions 

• You are catering for 2-3 weeks,
• refridgerator exists,
• but no freezer.

Consider 

• likes of the crew
• medical conditions eg diabetes
• allergies 
• is the boat ‘dry’ or ‘wet’? 
• people eat more at sea – out of boredom, because they are cold, on watch… 

Meal Structure / day

• 3 meals
• 3 snacks
• Happy Hour!   

Planning Provisions

• overcater for drinks
• plan meals sequence to match freshness of the fruits/vegetables
• make a daily planner… and convert it to your shopping list
• plan to grow your own sprouts, herbs 
• leave big roasts till end of journey as they take longer to defrost 
• overestimate how much water you need – do NOT rely on watermakers. These break down regularly.
• overestimate hot beverages needed
• plan for every eventuality – assume that you cannot rely on the fridge, the watermaker etc…

Good Things To Include In Your List

• lemons
• limes 
• dried fruit
• squashes – they keep forever
• beans, chick peas
• patés in tins
• freeze dried meals – found in moutaineering shops, can also be ordered online
• fish – do not rely on fish caught at sea. You may catch ’em, you may not… 
• cereal bars (better than chocolate for snacks which melts in the heat)
• fresh herbs growing 
• tinned olives, nuts
• fruit cake

 
Note: packaging

• flour and grains that are pre-packed (ie not loose in bins – more likely to have insect eggs in them that will later hatch…)
• soups in packets (take up less space)
• tomato sauce in tins (not in tubes as these are often badly crimped and leak) 
• choose packaging that squashes flat (eg UHT boxes) as you will be carrying all that garbage to the next port…
• no carboard!

Fishing 

• need a fish hook/gaff to bring the fish aboard
• make sure the fish is really dead before you bring it aboard – or there will be an awful mess in the cockpit
• PUT A SIGN next to the engine to remind yourself to bring in the fishing lines before you start the engines
• consider any fish you catch to be a bonus, an extra to provisions. Don’t rely on them!

How to Shop

• if in a rally eg ARC, where there are many other people provisioning at the same time – you need to buy earlier
• shop in the markets yourself – don’t arrange for delivery
• choose both ripe and under-ripe produce
• supermarkets near yachting centres will often vacuum pack your meat in portion/meal-sized eg Las Palmas, Canarias 
• be careful – some countries leave the ribs in meat which can puncture the vacuum packing
• look for Cruising Association members discounts at stores eg Jolly Harbour in St Lucia

Water Conservation 

use salt water for:

• washing hair with dishsoap and a freshwater rinse
• washing dishes
• washing vegetables with salt water in the middle of the ocean – water is clean

Food Care

• yoghurt – make your own
• eggs – turn them daily
• remove packaging 
• double wrap pasta and grains in your own plastic, seal and date
• wash all fruit and vegetables, and air dry in cockpit before storing
• store potatoes, onions, carrots in string bags in cupboards – for airflow and its easier to check them through a string bag
• use ‘stay-fresh’ bags
• inspect food every day – because it will suddenly go off in one day and must be used immediately
• store cheese in boxes in fridge, and/or wrap in a vinegar cloth

 
Managing Inventory

• date and label all tins and bags with permanent marker – contents and date
• name each of the lockers eg SFP, saloon forward port (to refer to in inventory lists)
• NOTE: if boat hull is dark then storage lockers will get very warm/hot
• inventory list: product, package type, number, location
• do weekly physical inventory check
• update provisions inventory list every time something is used

Cooking

• pressure cookers are:
• faster
• use less gas
• easier for washing up – only 1 pot
• good in rough weather as are sealed

The Cruising Kitty’s Favourite Books 
on Provisioning and Food Care 

1. Care and Feeding of the Sailing Crew, Lin Pardey
2. Sail Away!, by Paul and Sheryl Shard

 

 

Wow! A ton of good advice from Sandy. We’ve heard much of it before from others, but it’s always good to hear it again and to know that this stuff really works!

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Communications At Sea

Not an option…

Last weekend at the Cruising Association, we also attended a lecture on ‘Staying in Touch on Boats’, by Ed Wildgoose of mailasail.com satellite communications. 

Safety and preparedness for the crisis (that we hope will never happen) is always our priority. 

And there’s always the chance that I’ll need to get in touch with Pussy Galore sometime late at night. Let her know I’m safe, not to worry, etc, etc. You know how she – (Err, Furrball? She has never shown even the tiniest sign she knows you’re alive… Yeah. But best be ready – it could happen, you never know. I’m jus’ saying…)

So. At the lecture. Ed outlined the options and the Can Opener wrote ’em down:

Options

• WIFI, broadband
• 3G, GPRS mobile and dongles
• Satellite phones
• custom radio solutions (eg PACTOR, SSB, sailmail…)

Reach

• WIFI: 20-100m (21-109yards) at a cost of about <0.1p/MB (<0.2¢/MB)
• 3G/GSM: 1-20 miles at a cost of about 4p-5£/MB (6¢-$7.90/MB)
• Satellite phones: global reach at a cost of about 50p-10£/MB (79¢-$15.87/MB)

WIFI

• use a ‘booster’ to extend range eg Wifi bat, WL500 or Alfa (Taiwanese brand)
• ensure the antenna is external (above deck) and can ‘see’ the shore
• join an aggregator eg FON (a Portuguese company, useful in/near EU)

Sat phones

• very useful in distress
• use optimisation software for core needs (eg teleport emails)
• avoid costly downloads
• it has low speeds and is not priced for bulk
• gets all its power from solar power
• updates models less often (for eg. compared with iphone models. The customer base is very limited so it takes more time to get their investment back, so they wait longer to bring out a new model.)
• some example models:
• IRIDIUM 9555, 9575, 9522P – <£1000/phone
• INMARSAT iphone Pro
• Iridium Pilot approx. £3000/phone
• INMARSAT Fleet Broadband FB150, 250, 500 for business uses

Safety

• With a sat phone you can call the manufacturer from the boat as the problem develops and
• send a photo of the problem and
• get advice early.
• With a sat phone problems tend to develop more slowly.
• Two way communication as a problem develops is better than just finally pushing the Mayday distress button when you have exhausted all your own ideas by yourself.
• Since you use (and therefore test) the sat phone from time to time, familiarity is good. You know it’s working (vs a distress signal button that is only tested when a crisis is in progress.)

What kind of communications systems do you have on your boat? Would you choose the same system(s) next time? 

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Batteries on Boats

photo by: Joanna Poe

Last weekend, we attended a lecture at the Cruising Association on ‘Power Systems on Boats’, by Matt Boney. 

We’ve attended a lecture on electrics on boats there before, but it’s always good to hear more on this topic again. Confirms that this is definitely something we need to master. Loads of studying ahead for the Can Opener…

Here are the key highlights from the notes I required the Can Opener take down (Hey Furrball, I’m self-motivated! I do not need you camped on my shoulder, waggling my ears like horse reigns to make me write faster…):

Battery Capacity

• Most cruisers do not have enough
• 150amps/day is a small amount
• You probably need a minimum of 300amp hours at 50% of DoD (depth of discharge)
• and batteries only top up to 80% of their capacity
• so you need to actually have more like 420 amp hours to be able to use 300 amp hours/day… and still would have to charge every day
• AND you don’t want to run your battery to 0… only want to run it down to about 25% of battery capacity
• therefore you need even more capacity!

Which battery to use?

• You can mix battery sizes to increase capacity (lifeline tested this) as long as batteries are
• the same age and
• the same make

• With batteries you ‘get what you pay for’… quality costs..

 Types of batteries

• Sealed leisure or marine batteries 
• are ‘maintenance-free’, 
• but can’t be topped up so they won’t last long. 
• They are also affected by temperature.
• Gels 
• are useful, 
• slow discharge
• old technology
• expensive
• hard to find

• AGMs
• are the best (?)
• becoming more popular
• make sure you get the right AGM for the right purpose! (There are many potential uses for these…)

Monitoring your batteries
You should 

• charge your batteries to 100% every month to anti-sulfate them – otherwise they will become permanently sulfated
• should estimate when you hit 50% DoD by measuring battery voltage
• must have a panel mounted digital volt meter
• must have a small digital multi-meter
• all batteries must have multi-stage regulators
• test your batteries 2x/year
• use your alarms!
• monitor regularly!

Ways to generate electricity?

• shore power charger
• solar – recommended 600Watts+ or you won’t be able to replace daily usage
• wind or towing generators – expensive, but easy and convenient
• AC or DC diesel generator – DC is the quieter of the two
• Honda petrol generator – don’t get this one. There are no petrol stations at sea. And you are not really saving a lot on size.

What type of batteries are you using? What kind of generator(s) are you using? Are you getting the voltage you need out of them?

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Corrosion & Metal Fatigue On Boats

Hold the oysters! 

We’ve just been to a blue water seminar this past weekend at the Cruising Association – and it was awesome. 7 lectures on how to cruise that were of riveting and relevant interest. Couldn’t get more near and dear to our heart than that.

Vyv Cox, a mechanical engineer who has written quite a few articles for Yachting World, etc*, led off with a talk on ‘mid-ocean things that could spoil your day’. 

Well, yes. And most of them involved metal fatigue and corrosion. The kind of thing that causes masts to come down and boats to sink. Sure made for some edge of the seat listening. 

But good news – although you cannot eliminate all risk and there are no guarantees, you can take steps to minimise the chances of quite a few scary situations. 

Most of them involve sealants, choosing the right materials and check, check, checking your equipment. Good stuff.

Here’s what we learned…

Corrosion

Galvanic corrosion

• 2 metals in salt water generate electricity… and causes one of the metals to corrode preferentially
• common example: stainless steel and aluminum
• antidote: 
• isolate different metals
• avoid using different metals close together if possible
• exclude water – use sealants to protect eg. Duralac paste, tefgel
  

Crevice corrosion

• if water covers the top of a crevice – then air is excluded and corrosion can occur
• thread roots are crevices – eg lower swaged ends of shrouds are suspectible
• so keep water out – fill it with sealant, lanolin, Waxoyl
• Waxoyl is available in an aerosol – warm up the shrouds with a hot air gun, then spray the Waxoyl on
  

General corrosion

• is materials related
• is unlikely with 300 series stainless steels
• carbon steel is suspectible but generally not used except in engines, engine components, mountings, chain etc
• NOTE: Jeanneau only uses 400 series which is not very anti-corrosive
  

Seacocks & Fittings

How to avoid corrosion… choose your materials well

• EU regulations only require fittings to be good for 5 years (Huh? Yep, the wrong seacocks can sink your boat…)
• brass suffers from dezincification – the loss of zinc from brass
• the fitting will show the pinkish colour of copper on it
• it may only affect the surface but severly reduces strength
• thread roots are particularly susceptible
• if the fittings are chrome-plated – then they are brass

Where to find these short-life brass skin fittings?

• Tonval, Guidi products – all brass
• Manganese bronze… is brass (and some other metals mixed in) – often found in propellers
• Naval brass = brass

Who uses brass skin fittings?

• Beneteau
• Dufour
• Hallberg-Rassy
• Malo
• Maxi
• Najad
• X Yachts
• …

Yeah. Surprised us too.

So what materials should your seacocks and skin fittings be made of?

If you discover you do have brass fittings, then it’s time to replace them with the good stuff… And yes, it costs a lot.

• DZR is the good stuff – it includes arsenic which slows corrosion (cZ132Cu62Zn35.2Sn0.7Pb2As0.1)
• NOTE: no DZR is chrome-plated 
• The symbol ‘CR’ (corrosion resistant) means it is DZR – but only if you see this symbol on valves!!
• Mysteriously Guidi’s brand symbol on skin fittings looks a lot like ‘CR’… but Guidi = brass. Be careful!
• ASAP brand made with DZR
• Blakes seacocks also made with DZR (at least for the last 25 years)
• Bronze – very good… and expensive

What else should you do to protect your boat from corrosion?

For mountings on hull use:

• Sikaflex 291
• 3M 5400
• Pu40
• Boatlife Lifecaulk

For threads use:

• Liquid PTFE
• Sikaflex 291
• PTFE tape

re: Bonding

• If you have bronze or DZR you don’t need to seal because your fittings will not corrode.
• (If you do bond, then you will create a galvanic situation.)
• Bonding is done in North America, not in the EU/UK.

re: Anodes

• Be careful where you place your anodes – they work only on ‘line of sight’. If you place them on the other side of an obstacle (say, a hull…) then they won’t work and can even make matters worse.

Fatigue

• Fractures occur due to cyclic stress.
• eg shrouds and stays, fittings, masts, shafts
• eg if you let off the back stay every time you are at the dock, then you incresae fatigue in mast which could lead to failure (hmmm, the boat we train on does this…)
• Therefore eliminate stress raisers and allow freedom of movement. 
• (So, does this mean never put the backstay on? Or leave it on all the time?…)
• Failure of bolts are always due to not being tightened enough, which allows play, leading to fatigue and failure.
• Make sure that swaged fittings are in line (no ‘banana’ swags or cracks) and that toggles are on all ends.
• Inspect all of the mast and mast fittings for cracks
• Low profile T-ball fittings are best.

Have you ever been caught on the wrong side of corrosion? What did you find the last time you inspected your mast?

We will certainly be going over Un Tigre Beau‘s mast with a giant magnifying glass this winter I can tell you…

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

* coxengineering.sharepoint.com

Cruising in Oceania

Waterfalls at Vanuatu

The last Spring lecture at Limehouse last night… Sigh. 

Henry and Kiki Capleton presented some highlights from their travels through Oceania: notes on the Palmerston Atoll, the Hobart ‘Round Tasmania’ Rally and some islands around Vanuatu.

A inspiring presentation with spectacular photography. We left knowing even more powerfully why sailing to distant locations is so unique. 

It’s not just about loving sailing and being on the water. It’s that there are some places you just can’t get to without your own boat.

And that makes the experiences once you are there that much more incredible. Few people get to see such untouched beauty. Their experiences and photos really drove that home.

How they got sailing

• had only done 1300nm on passages
• had passed RYA Coastal and Day Skipper courses
• bought a Contest 44, their first boat
• did a few shakedowns cruises from New England to Bermuda with experienced friends on their boat
• and off they went…

How they got to the Pacific

• via the Panama Canal
• used one of the cheaper agents, cost $900 ($600 to the agent and $300 to the authorities)
• had to wait 9 days to get a place to get through
• each boat needs 4 ‘line handlers’
• usual custom is to practice by helping someone else go through
• then you return to your boat when your ‘place’ comes up and take on two newbies who in turn are practicing to take their own boat through later…

Palmerston Atoll 

• only true atoll in the Cook’s group
• population: about 90 – all descended from an English ship’s carpenter who settled there in Victorian times with his 3 Polynesian wives
• they collect rainwater, and fish and grow copra both of which they trade
• when you arrive:
• you send ahead a VHF message
• then you are met by one of the family in a boat who will show you your mooring spot
• they invite you for dinner and maybe some entertainment (singing, dancing) the next night

• in return, visitors exchange whatever skills they have (carpentry, engineering, medical etc) or give supplies

Tasmania

• they joined the Hobart Rally
• spectacular highlights:
• MacQuarie Harbour
• Strahan
• Port Davey
• Bathurst Harbour
• D’Entrecasteaux Channel
• Wineglass Bay!

Islands around Vanuatu

• waterfall bays
• exchanged t-shirts for fresh fruit and vegetables
• t-shirts are also appreciated as thank you gifts
• met many chiefs
• were invited to attend church
• attended much dancing which involved a ‘thumping’ style in grass skirts with rattles tied around the ankles
• saw water music where women stood waist high in water and slapped it to make different tones and so create the music – wow!

I would use the word ‘moving’ to describe this presentation. We certainly left totally psyched to notch it up and throw ourselves back into the cruising studies, prep and downsizing with renewed vigor. 

Today I attack the biggest pile (huge) of the Can Opener’s papers to organise and file. Haiiiiiiiii-yaah!

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Destination Dreamin’ 
Next: Menorca – Destination Dreamin’
Previously: Mallorca – Destination Dreamin’


Cruising Lectures
Next: Ocean Passage Making
Previously: Piracy – The Chandlers’ Somalia Excursion

Sail Away Presentation

Links below at bottom of post

Iarose early this morn, around 11am or so, still groggy from last night’s arduous journey to the Cruising Association. 

I staggered over to the Can Opener and installed myself upon his shoulder, the better to supervise his write-up of the presentation we attended by Nicola Rodriguez.

With all those thumbs he has, I must say he still types quite slowly…

Nicola Rodriguez, author of Sail Away, has cruised for eight years in Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, and written articles for Yachting Monthly, Yachting World, Practical Boat Owner, Blue Water Sailing and Sail magazines. She and her husband love cruising so much, they had the Gift Registry for their wedding at a marine chandlery.

She gave some fun and useful tips on cruising in her presentation last night, that were illustrated with beautiful photographs from her book…

Setting a timeline to get away

• An immoveable date to depart will make sure you actually cast off the dock (rather than fixing just one more thing) and get cruising.
• Joining a rally to cross an ocean is helpful for this.

On packing away your life on shore

• Inventory everything and keep a record of what is stashed in which relative’s house.
• Pack the things last that you expect to need first when you return.

On persuading a reluctant spouse to sail away

• Show them many great and exotic pictures of the Caribbean.
• Point out that most areas of the world are already charted (to increase the ‘safety feeling’).

Kids on boats

• It’s hard work to have kids on boats, but the rewards are equally large.
• Kids are actively motivated to do all their homework on boats – because after that they can go play with the sea turtles and iguanas.

Guests on boats

• Advantages: unlike children you can get rid of them.
• Make sure guests know the boat routines and crew-overboard drills – and guests that know how to fish are a plus!

Where to winter

• You can stay on mooring balls in New York – right in the city – for $30/night!
• Maine and the Intracoastal Waterway will also get you out of the hurricane belt.

Overview

In Sail Away, Nicola discusses chapter by chapter:

• how to make your sailing dream a reality
• finances – budgeting to sail away
• selecting, preparing, equipping your boat
• sailing with children
• how to leave your old life behind
• life aboard
• planning your route – with info on routes/destinations around Europe, Caribbean, and Pacific
• blue water sailing
• cruising the Caribbean
• hurricane season
• cruising the Pacific and beyond
• sailing back – how to return to life back home

Conclusion

Nicola seems to pack a lot of vivid images and information into a small book. We already have quite a few entries in the sea library that cover the same topics in more technical detail, however, so we won’t invest just yet.

Sail Away looks useful as an introduction to the cruising lifestyle for those who are considering the idea and want to get a taste of what that might be like. It is written from a UK perspective, so may be especially useful for those in the UK and Europe.

And the Sail Away photography included is spectacular.

Any other books you would recommend for cruising? I am always looking for the next round of additions for our sea library…

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cruising Lectures
Next: La Dolce Vita
Previously: Jimmy Cornell Speaks

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Tubing It To… Sail Away!

 
Can Opener: Put on yer feathery hat and cape, we’re going’ to the Cruising Association. Nicola Rodriguez, author of Sail Away, is talking about exploring the Caribbean, Bahamas, US Eastern Seaboard and the Med. So, Captain C– 

Captain Cat: Sensei!  

Can Opener: Yer Highnessy Cap’n, Sensei, whatever– What’s up anyway with the karate obsession? 

Captain Cat: What’s up with slogging it down on the tube to this Cruising Association every Wednesday? 

Can Opener: It’s not every week and the cruising lectures are great! Informative and interesting every time. We always learn something we didn’t know – or even think about – before. 

Hey buddy, the commute shouldn’t bother a welter weight like you, seeing as you climb up and ride on my shoulder the whole way there… 

Captain Cat: It makes it easier to steer you by your ears. 

Can Opener: So I’m never going to learn where this karate insanity came from? 

Captain Cat:  Think of all the time you save not polishing my sceptre, dusting my orb, ironing my cape…  My ‘rising sun’ headband will still need pressing however. 

Can Opener:  Ah.

(transcribed by the Can Opener)