Safety Walk – Newcomers On The Boat

The ‘Safety Walk’ – introducing newcomers to your boat

I like keeping the Can Opener safe. And all our friends and visitors to the boat safe too.

We’ve always moved from the stern to the bow as we walked newcomers through the boat and introduced them to the safety and emergency items aboard in that order. It’s an okay method, but the Can Opener and I realised it still leaves room for some little thing to be forgotten. And that’s not okay.

So last night, I had the First Mate type up a formal and full list of things to show newcomers to the boat. Safety things. Those things you don’t really want to think about – but absolutely must. 

Best to think about them when everything is calm, organised and at the dock. And when everyone is fresh and focused.

In order to be super methodical, we ordered the Safety Walk topics under the following headings: fire, flood, famine, float and first aid.  

Here’s what we are going to show newcomers to the boat and in the following order:

 
Fire

• fire extinguisher locations 
• one by the galley
• one in each cabin and 
• an automatic one in the engine compartment (or if you do not have an automatic, then the extinguisher should be held nearby the engine compartment)
• fire blanket (near galley)
• smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
• bucket/s
• flares
• torch (flashlight) locations

 
Flood

• bilges
• bilge pumps
• auto 
• manual
• seacocks & bungs
• loo operation

  
Famine

• food location
• water location
• victual plan (when the food rations will be doled out)
• how to turn on the stove & propane safety

 
Float

• life jackets & tethers – how to put them on how to use them (hint: all the time. Research shows life jackets only work when they are worn!)
• jack lines
• life raft
• life ring
• danbuoy
• heaving lines
• paddles
• rescue sling
• Crew Overboard procedure

  
First Aid

• first aid kit – what’s in it, where to find it

Safety is our number one priority. All else follows from there. 

And having a list for the Safety Walk gives us something we can easily convert to a Safety Equipment Checklist. Something to refer to, to make sure on a regular basis that everything is up to date and in good order.

Any other suggestions for additions to our Safety Walk routine as we bring newcomers aboard the boat?  What else can we add? What has worked best for you?

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cruising Courses – Quick Cost Survey for 3 Countries

There are literally 100s of sailing schools in England and 1000s in the USA. All prices in this quick survey are roughly eyeballed averages of 5-10 representative schools in each country (except for the top level offshore courses where it was more difficult to find courses offered). 


Prices seem pretty consistent across south England and across Canada. The US schools have a fairly wide price range. The numbers below are a bit painful at first glance – but sailing is never/rarely cheap. It would be quite a feat to take all of these courses in one year, so you can count on spreading the cost over 2 to several years.


And the cost of gaining the skills necessary to keep yourself safe, healthy and alive to continue enjoying life in paradise is infinitely cheap compared to the price of not being prepared when you desperately need to be. Sail training is something that can’t be emphasized – or valued – highly enough. 


This short survey is meant only as a rough indication of prices for learn to cruise courses. It is a place to begin from.

In the UK       

If you live in the UK, it makes sense to follow the Royal Yachting Association Learn to Cruise certification levels. These seem to be run primarily by commercial sailing academies – and there’s a lot of choice.


Smaller less visible companies often charge slightly less for each course. If you can get a group together of 10-15+ people together, say, through a yacht club or at your place of work, you can often find rates offered at a 10-20% discount and get yourself thrown in for free too. Off-season (October to April approx) also seems to bring a 10-20% discount. Can these be combined? Everything’s negotiable.

About how much does it cost roughly on average in the UK to complete the tests in 2011? (in £, VAT included in price)


On the Water

• RYA Yachtmaster Coastal/Offshore Preparation (5 days, live-aboard) £520
• RYA Coastal Skipper  (5 days, live-aboard) £520 
• RYA Day Skipper  (5 days, live-aboard) £520
• RYA Competent Crew  (5 days, live-aboard) £520

Theory 

• RYA Yachtmaster Coastal/Offshore Preparation Theory £350
• RYA Coastal Skipper Theory £350 
• RYA Day Skipper Theory £350

In the USA

It’s easy to find commercial schools that teach the beginner and intermediate levels of American Sailing Association cruising standards, especially in major ports. It was harder – but not impossible – to find Advanced, Offshore courses and Celestial Nav courses. 


But while the ASA curriculum might be standardized, the prices charged and length of courses at various schools are anything but. 


Bigger cities usually meant bigger prices. More days in a course sometimes meant higher prices – but just as often not. I can only assume the discrepancy is caused by the size/age of the yachts and equipment provided. A few schools offered discounts for couples. The prices below are very roughly eyeballed ranges. 


So, about how much does it cost roughly on average in the USA to complete the tests in 2011? (in USD$)


On the Water 

• Offshore Passagemaking (ASA 108) (8-10 days) $3300-4000
• Advanced Coastal Cruising (ASA 106) (2-5 days) $600-995
• Bareboat Chartering (ASA 104) (3-4 days) $695-1395
• Basic Coastal Cruising (ASA 103) (2-4 days) $495-850
• Basic Keelboat (ASA 101) (2-4 days) $400-$695

Theory

• Celestial Navigation (ASA 107)  $400-600
• Coastal Navigation (ASA 105)  $250-400

In Canada

Venues that teach Canadian Yachting Association Learn to Cruise levels are harder to find at all levels. There only seem to be few – if any – commercial schools and they are only found in the larger cities. Some boat clubs will offer theory courses if there is enough member interest. 

I could only find the highest level CYA Offshore Standard course offered in Vancouver, although an RYA Yachtmaster Coastal/Offshore Preparation course can be found near Halifax.

About how much does it cost roughly on average in Canada to complete the tests in 2011? (in CAD$, HST not included in price)


On the Water 

• CYA Offshore Standard  (7 days, live-aboard)   $1500 
• CYA Advanced Cruising (5 days, live-aboard)   $1050 
• CYA Intermediate Cruising (5 days, live-aboard)   $950
• CYA Basic Cruising Standard (28 hours)   $525

Theory 

• CYA Celestial Navigation  $350
• CYA Coastal Navigation  $340
• CYA Advanced Cruising Theory (18 Hours)   $200
• CYA Intermediate Cruising Theory (12 Hours)   $180
• CYA Basic Cruising Theory (12 Hours)   $150

How many tests do I need?

• Theory knowledge has to be demonstrated (usually by taking and passing the relevant theory course/s) before the on-the-water test/s can be taken.
• The pace of the theory courses usually allow you enough time to learn the material over the duration of the course before the exam on the last day. 

• For the (advanced level) on the water practicals, however, you need to get the necessary boat-handling skills before you even start the course. If you haven’t already got this, you’ll need to factor in the cost of getting enough on the water experience.  
• Practical courses tend to run for about 5-7 days straight, all day, every day.
• You can jump in at any level of theory or practical if you think you’ve got the knowledge and skills to pass. (If you don’t, you will have to redo the course to progress).

How much does on the water pre-test training cost?

• Volunteering as crew for cruising in the UK, USA and Canada, you’ll usually be asked to cover your own cost of food and alcohol. Pitching in for the captain’s alcohol is pretty standard too.
• In the USA and Canada, if you are looking for racing training, it’s pretty much the same as above. In the UK, however, plan on paying on average £100+/day for ‘race fees’.
• How much does it cost to locate a crew to volunteer for? Free if you use crew bank sites online, for example on Facebook. Or you can join a sailing club with a crew bank. Then you’ll need to factor in the cost of club membership fees.
• Or you can pay for training weeks at a sailing academy which is charged at about the same rate as the test weeks as listed above.

The grand total?

So. If you took all the practical and theory courses from beginner level right up to the top yachtmaster/offshore level, what would it cost?

• In the UK: £3130 (VAT sales tax already included in price)
• In the USA: USD$6140 (no sales tax on services, prices at bottom of price range used)
• In Canada: CAD$6032 (after 15% east coast HST sales tax added)

Ever taken a cruising certification course? Where did you study?

Comments on the experience? Would you take another course from this provider?

Guest post by

—The Can Opener

(supervised and approved by Captain Cat) 

How to Cruise
Next: Why Get a Yachtmaster Certification?
Previously: The Plan to Get Trained for Blue Water

 

Why Get an RYA Yachtmaster Certification?

Naturally I, Captain Cat, have already got all the training I need to lounge behind our dodger, managing the Can Opener as he sails our yacht from England to infinity and beyond. But I am a cat. 

The Can Opener on the other hand, still needs to achieve his RYA Yachtmaster level and a few related certificates before I’ll let him loose on the high seas.

Why do I insist on so much training? Well, let’s see… Would anyone get in a car and drive it around the world saying, “We’ll just learn how to drive as we go…”? How about taking off in an airplane and figuring on “just picking up the details on flying on the way, how hard can it be…”? I thought not.

Boats may have steering wheels, but they are not cars. Buying a car does not automatically confer the knowledge of how drive it. Inconvenient but true – in the middle of the Atlantic there are no warm B&Bs to pull into to wait out storms with 60 knot winds and 20 foot high waves. 

You might make it through. You might not. You might endanger others who try to rescue you from a situation you could have been – but are not – prepared for.

Sailing is beautiful. It also comes with risks that rarely happen. Fortunately, there is much you can do to mitigate some very low frequency but extreme possible results.

  
Learn, train, provision, plan against the risks with as much knowledge and equipment as you can acquire. Then go sailing knowing that you have done everything you can in advance. The most painful and unfixable errors begin with “If only…”

 

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

How to Cruise
Next: Sailing Strength Training
Previously: Cruising Courses – Cost Survey for 3 Countries