Boating Geek

Factors Affecting Boat Control  We'll next address your controls, and then the key dynamics of the boat in response to your controls. After that, we'll take the boat for a spin around the harbor and docks. First, the controls. Know Your Controls Your boat has a wheel for steering and a throttle for power and direction. Engine Control  If you have a single-engine there usually will be one control. Today, most boats employ a single lever to control both transmission and throttle. By moving the lever forward, forward gear is engaged and power is applied. Initially, power is at idle speed steadily increasing as the lever is moved farther forward. Conversely, moving the lever sternward from the neutral position engages reverse gear at idle speed increasing as the lever is moved rearward. Neutral is usually indicated by a tactile "detent" between forward and reverse gears. With the latest electronic controls, shifting is effortless and may lead to not appreciat...

CHOOSE YOUR CRUISING AREA  The style, size of the boat, and type of ride you prefer are linked to the cruising area you choose. Most boaters select a waterway within reasonable driving distance of their homes, so first, consider your local waters. Do you live near a lake, a river, or an ocean? If that lake down the road is too limiting for the kind of boating you have in mind, are you willing to drive an hour or more to reach a more expansive waterway or the ocean? Boaters from other states store their boats at our marina in Mystic, Connecticut for easy access to Long Island Sound, Cape Cod, Maine, and the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) toward Florida. While you are thinking about the kind of cruising you want to do and where you'd like to do it, stop by the area and check out how people are launching and storing their boats when they are not using them. Most boats used on a small lake need to be trailerable, so they can be towed, launched, and hauled for each use. Large lakes, ...

ADD A SPORT TO YOUR CRUISE  If you want to do more than cruise, add racing or fishing to your cruising plans. Each has a challenging learning curve that will get you and yours out on the water to test your collective skills. GO RACING  When we think of racing, we think speed, so it may seem odd that the plurality of boat racing occurs in the sail-boat category. Because sailing is expertise, competition takes the form of matching tactics with other boats of the same type. Sail-boats utilized specifically for racing—think America's Cup—are mere hulls with few things comforts and a specialized sail plan. Powerboat racing is offered by the American Power Boat Association (APBA). It requires specific kinds of boats and is regulated, much like NASCAR racing is for autos. For more information, log on to www.alpha-racing.com. Any sailboat is eligible for yacht races, also called regattas. Yacht racing involves not only sailing the boat but also choosing a class consisting of ...

TIPS FOR CRUISING WITH KIDS Christine Myers on Delos, a 53-foot Amel ketch, has been cruising with Stephan Regulinski and their son and two daughters for five years, covering four continents and 40,000 miles (Figure 1-2). When they left in 2000, Drew was 13; James, 10; and Avery, 8. They began their adventure in the Mediterranean, cruising Turkey, Europe, the British Isles, Scandinavia, the Canaries, and West Africa, then the Caribbean and Panama, and finally the Galåpagos, Polynesia, and New Zealand. The crew of Delos (left to right): James (15), Stephan, Drew (18), Christine, and Avery (13). (Kelcey Chandler photo) Four issues have been critical in making cruising with her children a success. These include homeschooling, socialization, health and safety, and teamwork Christine put together the following thoughts to help adventurous parents who follow in her wake. Homeschooling  The first question all over the world has been "What about school?" The idea of homesc...

Sail plans for various rigs The Sloop  The most popular plan is the SLOOP, which has one mast forward of amidships and two sails. The forward sail is the HEADSAIL or JIB, and the aft one is the MAIN-SAIL, also called the MAIN. A sail's leading-edge is its LUFF; it's after edge is the LEECH and its bottom edge is the FOOT. The jib is attached to the HEADSTAY with HANKS, strong hooks with spring-loaded closures. An alternative design uses a semiflexible track, or FOIL, on the stay that accepts a BOLTROPE sewn along the sail's luff. Such tracks offer better air-flow over the luff, making the sail more efficient; this also allows ROLLER FURLING to reduce sail area in heavy weather. Some mainsails may be roller-furled into a slot in the mast or boom, making them easier to REEF. Headsails can have many names, depending on their size, weight, and shape. A STORM JIB is a small sail made of heavy cloth to be flown in heavy weather; a WORKINGJIB is flown in a moderate to fre...

In the article, we will show you how to start your new life as a sea gypsy as quickly as possible. You will need some money (not as much as you think, but some) and a big dollop of determination. But every day, perfectly ordinary people like you and me are 'ditching the dirt' for a better life at sea and there is no reason why you can't too. The important thing is to get started. If you already know how to sail and have a bit of money put by, you can read the last paragraph of this article and move However, if like us, you are starting out with little experience and less money, then read on... When I (Rick) decided I wanted to ditch the dirt and become a sea gypsy, my circumstances meant I had to carry on working for another three years before I could get going, but every day I moved my plan along a little by acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary for a safe and enjoyable life at sea. Once your have a picture of your future life in your mind and truly believe it...

If you don't like sailing, or living on the sea, that is okay, it would be very crowded out here if everybody wanted to live on the big blue or drift around tropical paradise. There are a million other ways to be happy — pick one and good luck. If you find one that is really working for you, write an article like this, so others who feel the same way can try it too. Increasingly though, we are meeting people who like the idea of sailing, but not the reality. With one foot in each camp and both hands on their checkbook, they set about trying to create 'Sailing Light' — a kind of synthetic, microwaveable, TV dinner version of sailing, by buying and fitting out a boat to be as much like their home on land as possible. Open almost any 'sailing' magazine and you will be overwhelmed with the marketing of products designed to make your boat more like a house - and virtually all of it is a result of modern man's apparently endless need to consume, rather than the de...

INTERNATIONAL VOYAGES  When an American boat crosses the national boundary of the US go other port or an oversea yacht visits an American port, sure customs, immigration, and other regulations must be obeyed. As a result of various provisions and exemptions applying to recreational boats, the procedure has been simplified and will not interfere with the pleasures of a foreign cruise. There are severe penalties, however, for any failure to observe the regulations that do apply. Clearing & Entering  The terms CLEARING and ENTERING are commonly used in connection with a vessel's voyage between ports of two nations. Clearing involves obtaining permission to sail by presenting the ship's papers to a customs official. Entering relates to arrival when the owner or master "enters" his vessel by having his ship's papers accepted by customs authorities. Thus a U.S. vessel might be required to clear from an American port and enter on arrival at a foreign port. If d...

CHARTERING  The act of renting a boat is termed CHARTERING, except for runabouts and waterskiing boats hired on an hourly or daily basis. As a boater, you may decide that you want to charter another person's vessel, or you may want your boat to earn her own keep when you won't be using her. We will consider these two situations separately. Chartering Another Person's Boat  If you have time for no boating activities at all except for a few vacation weeks each year, it may not make good economic sense to own and maintain your boat for such limited use. Or you may have thoroughly explored the areas accessible to you with your own boat, and want to try areas farther away. In either case, chartering is the way to go. Charters of both power and sailing vessels are available in almost all boating areas. Most charters begin and end at the same port, but some can be set up to cruise from "here" to "there" one-way. Crewed or Bareboat Your charter can be...

Boating Accidents Sometimes of course, despite the best of care, boating accidents do occur. They may involve only a single boat or two or more vessels. In all cases, skippers incur obligations at the scene and afterward.  THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A SKIPPER Duties in Case of Accident In case of collision, accident, or other casualty involving a vessel subject to the FBSA/71 (as well as such otherwise exempted vessels as foreign or governmental craft), the operator must, to the extent that he can without serious danger to his vessel or those on board, render necessary and practical assistance to other persons endangered by the incident. The operator must also give his name and address, and the identification of his vessel, to any person injured and to the owner of any property damaged. The duties described here apply whether or not the incident resulted from apparent negligence. They also do not preclude any other duties required by law or regulation. People ask...

FEDERAL LAWS & REGULATIONS All boating and shipping are subject to laws and regulations. The former consists of acts of Congress that provide basic policies and rules upon which more specific and detailed regulations may be based. Regulations have the advantage of flexibility because they can be created, modified, or revoked more easily than laws, whose changes are subject to the full legislative process; see Figure 2-03. People ask Does a documented boat need to be registered? What is a certificate of documentation? What size boat do you have to register? Why should I document my boat? Plan Your Cruise The boat is in perfect shape, and the weather is looking good. Where will you go? What will you do? Why, plan your cruise, of course. Opt for the kind that you and your crew will enjoy without breaking your budget, then learn how to figure out the cruising time to a destination, and how to decide if a particular harbor or marina is right for you. U.S. Coast Guard Re...