Rossby waves naturally occur in rotating fluids. Within the Earth’s ocean and atmosphere, these planetary waves play a significant role in shaping weather.

Fast Facts: What is a Rossby Wave
Maritime Executive

Evidently, these newsletters from NOAA are to be a very welcome regular publication. See The Watch – January 2020.

NOAA: The Watch – January 29, 2020

So many uses of good old vinegar and more ways to help save the environment. See Green.

27 Tips & Recipes for Cleaning with Vinegar by Joan Clark
tipsbulletin.com

2019 was the second-warmest year on record, contributing to devastating coral bleaching, ocean heat waves and deadly, ferocious hurricanes. Learn about the ocean and atmospheric science driving headlines featuring climate extremes and weird weather.

Climate Alive!: 2019 2nd Warmest On Record – Go behind the headlines.

Great newsletter from NOAA Planet Stewards.

NOAA Planet Stewards, The Watch – January 2020!

The recent reversal of a rule that limited where sand from federally restricted coastal zones may be placed may help towns with beach renourishment but could also put sensitive resources at risk.

Rule Change May Threaten Coastal Areas
Coastal Review Online

A very interesting and informative article on Dry Tortugas National Park by Pete Brahan.

What to See and Do in Dry Tortugas National Park
Pete Brahan
Just Go Travel Studios, LLC
www.justgotravelstudios.com

South Carolina may not be the longest stretch of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), but it certainly holds one of the prettiest sections. Our thanks to Southern Exposure for this delightful article by Brandon Ferris.

Southern Charm – Explore South Carolina
Southern Boating

The Office of Navigation Systems announced today that it approved the use of a series of Automatic Identification System Private Aids to Navigation (AIS PATON) to mark restricted navigation areas around commercial space launches.

Automatic Identification System Private Aids to Navigation to mark SpaceX launch restricted zones
Coast Guard Maritime Commons

If there’s a buoy on your chartplotter, and from the helm it’s nowhere to be seen (even with your best 10x50s), is it really there? And, if so, can this really be an aid to YOUR navigation?

Click here for Virtual Navigation Is Here, Like It Or Not
BoatUs

Our thanks to Roger Long for this discussion on the use of channel 13 and channel 16.

This also applies to passing and meeting discussions. Every vessel on waterways such as the ICW should be monitoring 13 as well as 16 for situational awareness about the bridges and what commercial traffic is doing. Few do so however so you will usually need to hail a vessel you are overtaking on 16 if you want to alert them. If your call is just, “Rover, this is Sea Queen passing you to port.” and all you need back it “Roger” or “Go Ahead”, then that is OK. However, if you want to ask which side, do they want a slow pass, etc., you should ask them to switch to another channel first. If someone overtaking you asks questions requiring more than a one word response, you should ask them to switch to another channel.

Following frequent USCG admonishments a couple days ago, most ICW travelers were switching to 17 or 68 for passing discussions after an initial 16 hail. This is fine but it makes more sense to use the channel identified for the purpose. Contrary to urban legend, 13 is not a channel for commercial craft. It just sounds like it because professionals use it as intended. 13 is the Bridge (helm) to Bridge (helm) channel for exchange of navigational information between vessels in a common situation such as passing or meeting. If you listen to it in busy areas such as the Saint John River, you’ll learn that the professionals NEVER call each other on 16 first. A direct hail on 13 is appropriate and saves 16 clutter. The reason commercial vessels hail recreational vessel on 16 first is because they know most yacht drivers are ignorant and don’t waste time trying to get them the proper way first. In the Saint John River, if you listen, you’ll discover that the pilots almost always hail yachts on 13 first because they want to follow correct procedure. You can then hear the eye roll (another idiot) as they hail on 16 and ask for a switch to 13. I’ve often heard them tell yachts to please stay on 13 all the time they are in the river.

We have a sign just below our name board that says, “Hail CH 13 to Pass”. It saves a lot of 16 airtime and button pushing. I monitor 16 (as legally required) via dual watch and switch to that for the few boats that ignore the sign. I have had many commercial professionals complement me on the sign and tell me they wish every yacht had one. An aside: Commercial vessels hate being hailed on 16 for passing and meeting calls because they are all using 13 as their primary channel and are required, unlike recreational craft, to have it on a second radio which may be located farther out of reach and which they seldom use. Calling them on 13 tells them that you know your radio procedure. I now use 13 as my primary channel on the waterways because my sign will bring most passing calls in on it. If I need to talk to someone in a hurry, it will probably be a tug and barge coming unexpectedly around a bend. They don’t come around unexpectedly as much any more because I have been listening to 13 and hearing them all along.

A big reason for using 13 is also that it defaults to low power so that you are not sharing your navigational discussions with boats 20-30 miles in each direction. 16 defaults to high power. Even if you know to hit the H/L button, every time most radios return to 16 from another channel to to scan or operator switch, 16 will be switched to 25 watts. Almost nobody, including myself, can remember to press H/L EVERY time before making a 16 transmission to a nearby boat or marina. Getting the waterway cruising community used to using 13 properly would eliminate a lot of 16 clutter. This would be of major benefit to vessels taking the outside route. They have to listen to the “This is the trawler behind the white sailboat. We hope you are having a very nice day and would like to know which side you would like us to pass on and whether you would like a slow pass.” drivel all the way down. I have had many tell me that the fear during the fall snowbird parade that they are afraid the could not get a distress heard in event of fire or sudden flooding. Just listening to it all day long is also annoying.

After you have figured out your passing arrangements on 13, if you want to tell the other vessel how nice it is, talk about where they are going, etc., then it is time to switch to another working channel. If your initial call to a nearby vessel is not about passing, meeting, or other exchange of navigation information, then the initial hail should be on 16 followed by switching to a working channel.

I’ve been massively flamed on the Internet for these thoughts but have yet to have one commercial professional disagree with me.

Tony Pozun is New York State Registered Professional Nurse, American Heart Association registered CPR first aid instructor and a retired Nassau County Police Officer/Detective Sergeant with 35 years of service. Tony is also an avid long distance sailor and a regular contributor to Cruisers Net. Thank you Tony!

Sailing Injuries
By Anthony Pozun, BS, RN.

Anthony Pozun is a New York State registered professional nurse and former Detective Sgt., EMT, first aid basic and
advanced courses’ instructor at the Nassau County police Academy. He is an American Heart assoc. BLS instructor. He is a current member and certified instructor for the United States power squadrons for sail and basic boating courses of instruction. He has been an avid boater and sailor for 50 years. He has sailed intensively on Long Island sound with his wife Barbara for the past 30 years. He has traveled and sailed the East Coast including the Intracoastal Waterway from Northport to Florida and the Bahamas and back again. He currently sails a Catalina C 400 Mystical Paradise, sailboat set up for long-term cruising. He has written many sails and first aid, articles, which have been published in many local and national boating periodicals.

Sailing as a pastime, hobby or a full-time leisure activity, can be both fulfilling and enjoyable. A sailboat has many working parts necessary to convert wind into propulsion to use the sailboat. These many working parts need to be respected, and preplanning is essential in their usage. The many working parts and movement of these parts and the sailboat itself, can cause accidents, falls, collisions, which may lead to injury sometimes severe. But with a little bit of planning and forethought, before its usages, the sailboat and its many working parts, can be enjoyed without injury.

This article will discuss the possible incidents and accidents, leading to injuries, and will give some suggestions for preplanning, prevention, commonsense rules, on dealing with the many working parts of a sailboat to prevent injuries.

Additionally, at the end a basic primer on basic first aid including some of these of injuries will be discussed. These incidents include falling overboard, falling down hatches, falling, tripping on working lines and devices around the deck or cockpit. Hand and finger injuries as well as swinging boom injuries will be discussed. Running aground or hitting fixed objects will also be covered. Cooking aboard injuries, maintenance injuries, and seasickness although not a true injury, will be discussed. One overriding principle to be used to prevent accidents occurring, is to preplan in one owns mind what needs to be accomplished, how to do it, what can go wrong, how injury can be prevented.

Being swept overboard is one of the most fatal injuries that can occur on a sailboat. But most overboard
incidents can be avoided with the application of certain precepts. These include using a little common sense, some
preplanning, caution and a thorough examination and assessment of one’s environment and surroundings. Put together this is all called prevention. The main thought of any person should be “stay on the boat”,” stay on the boat”,” stay on the boat”. Asking oneself to do I need to work on deck, what pitfalls are present, i.e. low or no lifelines, low freeboard, open transom, etc., that could lead to going overboard. All crew members working on the sailboat should at least wear a PFD, personal flotation device. A member alone on deck, at the helm, or a lone sailor, should always wear a PFD, with a safety harness and tether attached to the boat, because no one will see him or her being swept overboard. Mentally crewmembers or guests should obey the adage when moving about; “one hand for me, one hand for the boat”. They should move about low to the deck, slowly and purposely always keeping one hand attached to the boat. Because we cannot always prevent persons going overboard, certain safety equipment should be available on the sailboat. This may include main overboard poles, life rings, throw rings, floatable, cushions, A hoist, PFD’s with GPS locators, all items to assist retrieval of persons thrown overboard. Secondly, Captains and their crew should practice man overboard drills to see how it’s done, to deal with any issues that arise, so in a real incident they know what to do.

Another serious incident is falling through open hatches and walkways. This can result in injuries ranging from
contusions to serious fractures. Again, a little prevention through preplanning will help. The adage “one hand for me one hand the boat “must be observed. When moving about a moving or stationary boat one must move cautiously, slowly, and with purpose. Rushing about only causes injuries. Crew members or guests before sailing should study the locations of hatches, companion ways, and other openings which could cause a fall. Think before you move, move slowly, should be your mental condition. Owners of boats may mark those areas of danger with protective foam, and or highlight with bright colors or decals to warn others. A third incident that may occur is tripping and falling on deck fittings, lines and many devices used during sailing. These injuries include bruises, contusions and fractures to toes, feet, lower limbs and upper limbs from tripping and falling. Preplanning and Prevention is the key to prevent these injuries. First, study your environment, know what can trap or trip you i.e. lines, cleats, blocks, winches, and many other devices which may bite. Always move slowly purposely keeping one hand for you one hand for the boat. Always wear sturdy boat shoes or sneakers. Never move about the boat with sandals, Flip-flops, other loose footwear or barefoot. Think before you move, ask yourself is this necessary, and what can happen to me.

A fourth type of incident which can lead to serious consequences is swinging boom accidents. The boom on a
sailboat is constantly moving, is heavy and has a tremendous amount of force behind it. Injuries are many and include concussions to the head, injuries to the body and even being swept overboard. Crewmembers and passengers should always assess the possibility of being struck by the boom. Some prevention includes, not moving about, not standing up completely, and watching for accidental jibes or tacks which may cause accidental movement of the boom. Crew and guests should always listen to commands of the captain, during tacks and jibes, and only move about if it is necessary as part of their job. Before moving, think of what the task is, stay low, move slowly and purposely, again keeping the adage “one hand for me one for the boat.”

Another incident which can cause serious injury is hitting another object, boat, fixed dock etc. or sandbar, which
causes immediate stoppage of the boat. In these situations, persons may be thrown about. Injuries occurring from this include contusions, abrasions, fractures, concussions and many worse. Preplanning and prevention is the key to
preventing these types of injuries. Always know where your boat is, what are my depths, where are the hazards I may
encounter. Common sense and preplanning must always be used to control the direction and motion of the boat.
Captains and crew must constantly be observant for these hazards and prepare to avoid them. Use of charts, maps,
radar or sonar if available, previous knowledge or information should be diligently applied. If there is ever a question or unknown information which causes a dangerous condition, captain or crew should immediately slow or stop the boat, reassesses the situation and if necessary, contact, via radio persons that know the area and may help. The Coast Guard, Tow Boat US, Sea Tow, Harbormasters, or even local commercial fisherman are persons with a wealth of information about local areas unfamiliar to the boater. The avoiding of any object should be the focus of a crewmember or the captain.

Cooking on a boat is not like cooking at home on a steady platform. Because of movement of boat, hot water,
steam, flames, may move, surfaces may move, items may shift resulting in burns, cuts from knives, or appliances,
injuries to body from movement. Preplanning and prevention may help know your environment; are there possible
splashes of hot fluids, loose items, sharp edges, that will hurt me. Cruising crew should always think of what they are going to do, secure loose items, obtain necessary tools before they start. Always know the limits and capacities of cooking systems, danger or flame, spillage possibilities and other things that may injure. They should always know the location of emergency gas shutoff switches, fire extinguishers, and procedures of what to do in case of fire. Again, they should move slowly purposely and obey the adage one hand for me one hand for the boat. If cooking underway, person in galley should use available handholds and or be tied into secure locations to prevent falls.

Seasickness although not a true injury, is an illness that can cause much dismay pain and discomfort as to
ruin the crewmembers or guest day and/or trip. Often called motion sickness, mal de mar, “I want to die syndrome”,
and many other terms, it can be a wrenching illness. It is caused by one’s brain and central nervous system receiving conflicting signals from the inner ear and the eyes. It can occur out on the ocean or on a calm day in a bay with devastating results. The symptoms may include dizziness; nausea; vomiting; painful stomach; balance problems; feeling of movement when there is none. Prevention before the onset of seasickness is perhaps the only cure. Medically there are medications and devices which may be taken including, Bonine Meclizine, Benadryl and others. Accu bands which create pressure on key pressure points on the wrist, have been known to prevent seasickness also. Avoiding heavy greasy meals before or during sailing, avoiding caffeine drinks, and avoiding those foods which is known in the past to cause sickness will help. While on board sit in the middle of the boat, keep your eyes open on the water and boat, keep busy if possible, hydrate with water, ginger ale, cola syrup, eat ginger cookies, saltines etc. Do not go below. Sometimes sleep can cure the illness. Often the only cure may be to get oneself on dry land. In any event prevention before the onset seems to be the most diligent cure.

Because a sailboat as many working systems, maintenance is necessary. Performing maintenance can cause a myriad of injuries if not thought out ahead of time. First know your limitations; is this a job I can do for myself or left to professionals. Know your equipment engine parts and other moving parts i.e. blocks, lines, winches, electrical,
booms. Moving or standing rigging can catch or hit body parts, causing simple to massive injuries. If there be a choice of working on Dynamic versus Stagnant machinery systems, working on stagnant, non-moving or non-charged systems is always preferred: Hands or other body parts may get caught in a moving engine; The charged Electrical system may cause serious burns; Rigging under load (which has tremendous release force capabilities) will cause serious injuries. Preplanning safety includes making sure these systems are all shut down and not under load. Plan move slowly and purposely. Have all tools available/ think before acting. Use extreme caution if it is necessary to work on Dynamic, moving or  systems, i.e. engine adjustments, electrical adjustments, rigging and sailing repairs. When working on boat on dry land be sure ladders are safe and secured to the boat. Be particularly slow and cautious on ladders, move slowly and cautiously as falls from heights to the ground may be catastrophic.

Whether it be day sailing in the bay or cruising on the coast, sailing is an adventure. But it is a working adventure with an environment of many moving parts and systems. These working dynamic systems must be worked with and respected. The sailor must constantly assess and reassess his surroundings and actions to those surroundings, for to ignore them may lead to serious injury and more. Boat and crew preparation as well as planning is essential.
Sailing can be rewarding and absent of accidents and incidents. Where sailors prepare their boat regards to
safety, have a plan, know and using known safe techniques, use non-sense approaches, analyze tasks and move slowly, they will insure a safe and happy voyage. This true for the big ocean sailor, as well as for the small day sailor.

Our thanks to Cruisers Net friend, Tom Hale, for his thoughts on surviving a hurricane on the southeast Waterway.

If you are in the Chesapeake Bay during hurricane season here are some places to hide from a storm. The later you can stay on the Chesapeake, the lower the chance you will be caught in a named storm in the low lying coastal areas of NC, SC and GA.

Osprey Marina in Myrtle beach is a good place, but it fills up very quickly. If you are planning to stay aboard there are many oxbow anchorages in the Waccamaw which may protect you. Brunswick GA has a good reputation, but fills up fast. If you are in GA and can get into the St. Johns River of FL you may find some protection, particularly in the oxbows above Palatka.

Tom Hale
Tadhana
Helmsman 38