Safety And Communications

Safety

Out on the water, we all come to share the experience of water and wind, and to share in the comraderie of our unique small boats. We all hope for clear skies and 10 knots of wind, but sometimes Mother Nature has other things in mind. While the South Puget Sound is relatively protected, we will be sailing on some fairly big water with active tides and a history of getting pretty rough in the right conditions. As such, it is important that every participant, or sailor in general, take some basic precautions and think about how they will deal with situations that may arise. While we will all be there to help each other, it is important that everyone feel comfortable handling their own boat in a variety of conditions. These group gatherings are, however,
a great opportunity for less experienced boaters to learn and expand their sailing and cruising horizons without having to worry about all the details. Make sure you bring enough gas for your outboard should you be required to sail the entire way. I have done this circumnavigation 3-4 times, and it is about 25 NM round trip. The rule of thumb for gas is 1/3 going out, 1/3 coming in, and 1/3 reserve. Additionaly, I would suggest the following:

Buddy Up

Find a buddy boat if you are nervous about any part of the trip, and agree to stay with each other. Stay in visual and radio contact and help each other if needed.

Know Your Abilities

If you don't feel comfortable sailing at some particular time, then don't do it because others are: Drop your sails and motor for a bit.. Reef early. You are here to have a good time and not race or follow others just for the sake of doing it

Be Legal

It is the captains responsibility to have their craft in compliance with all applicable laws. You will be sailing on a well used commercial waterway, and the Coast Guard could legally board your craft and conduct a spot inspection.

Gear

You may want to have some or all of the following on your boat (this list is not comprehensive!):

  • VHF Radio
  • Reef Points
  • FRS Radio
  • Appropriate Charts
  • Navigation Lights
  • Anchor
  • PFD's
  • Radar Reflector
  • Compass
  • Motor
  • Harness
  • Dingy
  • USCG approved signaling device

 

Communications

VHF Radio

While not absolutly neccesarry, it is a good idea to have at least one method of communicating with the rest of the group, and as a default I would recommend VHF. If you are not familiar with the protocol for hailing people on VHF, then you should review your Chapmans or other appropriate guide on how to and which channells should be utilized. In general, we usually pick a "working channel" in advance, such that people either scan it or change to it when we communicate. I generally hail on both 16 and the working channel when working with the group. For this meeting I suggest a working channel of 71.

FRS Radios

FRS Radios are a great way to have quick comunications between the group members. They are not regulated as much as VHF, so they are more like having walkie-talkies, and if we pick our channels right then we don't have other people sharing our frequencies and thus there is little chance of a radio collision. I suggest that we wait until departure on Saturday to determine our working frequencies for the weekend. It will depend somewhat on radio capabilities, as some of the FRS radios do not have the security sub-channels on them.

Cell Phones

Cell phones generally work great in the South Puget Sound, and those that have them should definitly bring them along. I will be carrying mine and will send out mine and others who have commited to helping around the ramp

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