Difference between revisions of "Offshore Sailing Course"

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This is the outline for the offshore sailing course, January 2013.
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[[offshore2014]]
 
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[[offshore2013]]
=Session 1: Introduction=
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10jan2013 - mwall
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  - outline of the course
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  - experiences of each person in the course
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  - types of boats - hulls, keels, sail plan, instruments
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  - difference between racing, cruising, offshore racing, day sailing
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  - season plan for x-dimension - races, crew requirements, crew selection
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- boat
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  - day sail boats vs racing boats vs offshore
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  - hulls and keels
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  - sail plans
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  - skills needed for each type of racing
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  - preparation needed for each type of racing
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=Session 2: Yacht Preparation=
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15jan2013 - mwall
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- boat - enumerate variants, highlight x-dim, what fails, what spares to keep
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  - steering mechanisms
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  - engine
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  - electrical systems
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  - navigation systems
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  - freshwater
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  - septic
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  - standing rigging
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  - running rigging
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- what tools are critical
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=Session 3: Life Aboard=
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17jan2013 - gigi, keith
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- cooking
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  - meal planning - examples of good, bad; sample meal plan for bvi
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  - provisioning
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  - how much per person?
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  - how to cook with propane
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  - living with limited refrigeration
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- watch systems
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- sleeping
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- seasickness
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- communications
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  - into/out of port/harboar
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  - with coast guard
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  - with other vessels
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  - during races
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  - within the boat communication (e.g. skipper to foredeck when mooring)
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=Session 4: Weather=
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22jan2013 - steve
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Useful Sources of Weather Information
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NOAA National Maps:  http://www.nws.noaa.gov/outlook_tab.php
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NOAA Marine Forecast by Zone (Coastal):  http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/zone/east/boxmz.htm
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Boston Harbor Marine Forecast:  http://forecast.weather.gov/shmrn.php?mz=anz230&syn=anz200
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Passage Weather:  http://www.passageweather.com
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North Atlantic Weather Fax Charts:  http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/marsh.shtml
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Gulf Stream and Offshore Weather:  http://www.bermudarace.com/DefaultPermissions/LogisticsResources/tabid/202/Default.aspx
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Slides from Weather Lecture:  [[http://sailing.mit.edu/wikiupload/a/aa/Weather_Lecture.pdf]]
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=Session 5: Seamanship and Safety=
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24jan2013 - keith, scott
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The presentation [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zdB7kvuhuL067BRHaTyY2AvO2E_Voy8IOi3n4QO5Dwg/pub?start=true&loop=false&delayms=10000#slide=id.g9fdb4ad2_122  slideset].
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[http://www.riparia.org/cruising_medical_kit.html A starting point] for an onboard medical kit; for those going on an extended voyage the book [http://www.amazon.com/Where-There-Is-No-Doctor/dp/0942364155/ Where There Is No Doctor] is a frequent recommendation.
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For a list of suggested spare parts to carry onboard for an offshore trip email scott at dynes dot org.
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=Session 6: Racing=
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29jan2013 - fran, mlindblad
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=Session 7: Navigation=
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31jan2013 - steve
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=things to include in the course=
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safety
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- how to deploy life raft
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- types of life rafts
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- how to heave to
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- how/when to use sea anchor
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- flares and when to use them
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- epirb
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life aboard
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- how to deal with seasickness - different methods, what works, what does not
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- cooking
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  - sample meals (e.g. menu for a week in the bvi)
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  - equipment - refrigeration
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  - what food works, what does not
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- provisioning
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ports
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- coming in to a new harbor/marina
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- departure
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- gunkholing
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how to prepare for a trip
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- day sail
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- week-long cruise
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- harbor race
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- near-shore race
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- off-shore race
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racing
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- rules
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- tactics
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- overview of various races we know we will do: halifax, figawi, wed evenings
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weather
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- general principles - wind before, wind after
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- high pressure vs low pressure
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- tracking the barometer
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- clouds
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- waves and wind - how much wind for x wave height, when whitecaps
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- weather tracking services
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- near-shore vs offshore
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- contingencies
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navigation
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clothing and gear
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- gloves
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- spot locator, beacons
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- personal floatation devices
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- knives, other tools
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- foul weather gear
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first aid
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- cpr
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- broken bones
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- breathing
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- blood loss
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- body temperature
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boat locator site (eis info)
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for each thing, enumerate general types, highlight x-dim specifics
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Seamanship/Safety, including the following subsections:
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basic boat handling
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- know your crew
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- communication
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- rules of the road and unwritten addendums
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- lights and sound signals
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- federally required and recommended safety equipment, PFDs, etc.
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- distress signals
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- radio procedure
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- purpose of EPIRB / PLB / AIS transmitter
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- use of radar, radar reflector
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- tides
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- procedure in fog
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- anchoring, med moor, appropriate ground tackle for holding grounds
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- running aground, kedging
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- docking in various wind conditions; use of docklines
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- dangers of a lee shore
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- safe galley procedure (probably goes with life on board)
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- procedure when flooding / holed
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- procedure when propeller fouled
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- procedure when engine fails in various situations
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- procedure when stay or rig compromised or lost
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- procedure when cable steering lost / emergency tiller
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- life rafts, how attached to vessel and deployed, hydrostatic release
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- rendering assistance to vessels in distress
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- clearing customs, flag etiquette, courtesy flags, Q flag, etc.
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- shore power cables
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- rafting at anchor
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- towing a dinghy
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- firefighting, likely sources of fire, use of bilge blower
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- calculating range under power
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- when to refuel; how much to leave in tank
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- where/how to empty holding tank
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- DC batteries, charging
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- location/purpose of thru-hulls, seacocks, bungs
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( break out into water environment for tides/currents/weather?)
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Sailboat handling (w/ emph on keelboats)
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- know your crew , dealing with novice crew
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- communication (e.g. what do I know, who needs to know it, do they know it)
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- running/standing rigging
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- types of lines
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- how to coil long lines
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- heaving a line
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- various knots and their uses
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- correct winch operation, clearing an override
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- wind, sails, heal, correct powering of boat, polars
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- boat balance
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- use of jibe preventer
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- how to depower the boat (traveler/vang/sheet/backstay/etc.)
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- slab and furler reefing
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- heaving to
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- heavy weather and survival sailing, use of sea anchor, warps, etc.
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- sailing a compass course
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  for passages -
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- sailing a compass course redux
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- standing watch
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- maintaining a DR
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- log entries
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- rest time (ear plugs and eye shades)
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crew and boat safety
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- planning (the float plan) (maybe this should be its own section)
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- situational awareness
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- communication (not just among crew but with other boats)
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- be proactive
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- risks to crew (going overboard, loosing a handhold, slipping, getting whacked by sails/boom/whisker pole, cotter pins, etc.)
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- what to wear (shoes, foulies, hat, sunscreen, sailing gloves, etc.)
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- use of harness / tether / jack line
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- MOB/COB actions and mindset (never lose sight of COB, attach COB to boat)
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- COB of conscious/unconscious crew, spiral search procedure
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- stages and treatment of hypothermia / heat exhaustion / heatstroke
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- seasickness
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- checking boat systems
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- identify and fix things before the become problems - worn lines, worn threads on sails, loose lifelines/stanchions
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- secure items on deck and below
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- handy knife for cutting fouled lines
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- boat taking on water
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- preparing for a sea-tow
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- preparing to be rescued by a helicopter
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- personal responsibility
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Revision as of 18:31, 23 January 2014

offshore2014 offshore2013