From the Captain of the Port

Obviously, the most top-of-mind danger that all mariners face is drowning. We live, work and play in a marine environment – a hostile marine environment, if one is not careful. And, even you are careful, things happen. This column is about that.

So, the newest EPIRBs now transmit simultaneously on 406MHz and 121.5MHz. The 406 reduces the footprint to one square nautical mile. And the 406MHz is heard by satellites all over the world and, within an hour, the USCG RCC will have commenced coming to your aid.

A number of years ago, as I was doing a (free) vessel exam for the owner of a very substantial yacht, I got to the part where I ask to see the life jackets. He pointed me to a locker, which I opened to find the life jackets, stowed under an anchor, chain and additional rode. This column is about that.

By 1973, the Navy wanted a reliable, global system for all vessels and what we now know as “GPS” was born in a brainstorming session at the Pentagon over the Labor Day weekend. By 1978, the skeleton of GPS was aloft and reached operational status with 24 satellites in 1993. (There are now 31 such satellites aloft.)

Especially in cold weather – it’s all about recalling RRR: rescue, recovery and re-warming.

As the temperatures continue to drop, we need to focus now on skippering in heavy weather – because it is coming. This column is about that.

We’re Being Boarded by the Coast Guard – Now What?

Hurricane season is in gear. Arthur piled up water along the eastern seaboard last month before heading out into the Atlantic. This column is about rip tides, rip currents and undertows, which are what distant storms leave us.

The Coast Guard, as a federal entity, enforces a federal law that prohibits Boating Under the Influence (BUI). This law pertains to every vessel, foreign or domestic, operating in U.S. waters, as well as U.S. vessels on the high seas. Penalties may include fines, jail, impoundment of boats, and in some states the loss of boating and/or driving privileges.

I like a warm early season day as much as the next mariner. But the water itself is just about as deadly as it is in the deep of winter. Remember that water takes heat from your body 25 times faster than air of the same temperature.