Bottom line: safety gear is a compromise. Too foolproof, and it may be either too expensive or too difficult to use. Too heavy, and people leave it below decks. Too much maintenance required, and it may not work when it is supposed to.
We offer several types of article covering a wide range of topics. Choose your topic or article type below:
- Feature Articles. Discussions of one or more topics regarding Seamanship, Safety, and best practices afloat.
- School of Hard Rocks. First-person narratives of ... challenging ... experiences and lessons learned.
- Safety Moments. Short items suitable for a quick read or presentation to a group.
- White Papers. In-depth dives into topics of interest.
- Travelogs. Stories of near and far journeys afloat, including selected articles from our Voyages magazine
- Videos. A growing library of streaming content, from weather seminars to member highlights.
|
Safety Moment
Subject:
Preparation of Boat and Crew, Seamanship and Awareness
I had the wonderful opportunity to charter a Moorings 4600 catamaran in Croatia for two week in late May, and in fact I am writing this Safety Moment from the catamaran as I sit in the lovely Palmizana marina on the island of Klement.
|
Safety Moment
Subject:
Good Practices Underway
Many of us have a general idea about how we’d tow another boat back to the harbor or gas dock or a safe anchorage. While most sailboats don’t generate a lot of pull, they can generally tow a similarly-sized sailboat at four or five knots, which…
|
Safety Moment
Subject:
Anchoring
Several decades ago, entering Morro Bay around sunrise, I was at the helm of a 30’ wooden ketch while the rest of the crew slept below. It was near a full moon, and the boat was bucking about a 3-knot ebb with her 4.5 knots of speed through the…
|
Safety Moment
Subject:
Practice and Safety Training
Recently, we discussed some New Year’s Resolutions for safe voyaging that included having a pre-departure chat with your crew so that everyone had basic safety (and comfort) information when on the water: where the safety gear was stowed, how to…
|
Safety Moment
Subject:
Safety Gear, Personal
In 2017, US Sailing Yachtswoman of the Year Timmy Larr asked me to participate in a series of life jacket tests in Tampa Bay, about ¼ mile from the University of Southern Florida. These tests were reasonably similar to other life jacket testing that…
|
Feature Article
Subject:
Narratives
‘Lore from the Lazarette,
…. a Look Back’
|
Safety Moment
Subject:
Preparation of Boat and Crew
“Safety Moments, presented at CCA Stations and Posts”
|
Voyages
Subject:
Narratives
These Stories!
A range of tales, lavishly photographed, from Maine to the Antarctic.
|
Safety Moment
Subject:
Seamanship and Awareness
Safety Moment, Cruising Club of America
|
Safety Moment
Subject:
Good Practices Underway
Safety Moment, Cruising Club of America
|
Safety Moment
Subject:
Practice and Safety Training
Safety Moment, Cruising Club of America
|
Safety Moment
Subject:
Practice and Safety Training
Safety Moment, Cruising Club of America, June 2017
Chuck Hawley
|
Safety Moment
Subject:
Seamanship and Awareness
CCA Safety Moment for September 2015
|
Safety Moment
Subject:
Communications
... As we were the fastest boat, we had the least amount of time to prepare for spinnaker sets and douses, gybes, configuration changes, and most importantly, communication. This was evidenced by some truly terrible spinnaker sets, botched take-…
|
School of Hard Rocks
Subject:
Damage and Repair
“From the CCA School of Hard Rocks
|
School of Hard Rocks
Subject:
Dinghy Management
.... As the sun descended towards the mountains on the distant mainland, we discussed our concern. While we were hesitant to retrieve and reset the anchor, we agreed that we could wait no longer for her to return without commencing a search; she…