Update:
Articles are of general interest to the entire CCA membership, and are not particular to any specific station. Categories include Feature Articles, Safety Moments, White Papers and For Ocean Racers.
There’s often a prolonged period of motoring to cross the largely windless Pacific High and to make headway in some adverse winds. Motoring, at least with my vintage Pathfinder engine, introduces vibration into the boat. Many, many cycles. Read more
Michael Moradzadeh, San Francisco Station
The Global Software Glitch of the Summer of 2024 serves as a warning and reminder to, among others, ocean voyagers.
An innocent error in coding took out thousands of computers, with paralyzing consequences for global communications including systems used by offshore sailors for email and weather. One can only imagine the consequences of an intentional, malicious, attack.
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It may be too soon to store your sextant, sight reduction tables, chronometer, and that funny starfinder... Read more
Before we head out on the water once again this is a good time to check on all things inflatable... and NOT inflatable. Read more
Both these incidents illustrate the fact that yacht safety equipment is useful only to the extent it can be accessed in difficult conditions, that it is in working order, and that the operator is thoroughly familiar with its operation. They also illustrate that guiding a rescue vessel into the vicinity of survivors in the water or in a life raft is not the end of the rescue problem. There remains the problem of visually spotting the victims among waves or swells, often… Read more
Frequent travelers, or those listening to a particularly good podcast, frequently skip the safety briefing because “they’ve heard it all before 1,000 times” and find no value in it. Similarly, when sailing, we become immune to repetitive messages about safety because “we’ve heard it all before.” But there are instances when things ARE different, and we’re foolish if we don’t listen, and listen carefully. Read more
If your boat is equipped with a Jefa rudder system, the design may be the type with a locking ring located above the top bearing to prevent the rudder from sliding out of the vessel. During 2022 and 2023, we discovered four boats equipped with a Jefa rudder system, where the step for pre-drilling the set screw locations had not been performed. Read more
“Safety Moments, presented at CCA Stations and Posts”
By Chuck Hawley, San Francisco Station, November 2023
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The biggest issue with mid-sized batteries is charging. Think the battery on an E-bike, or even an electric outboard. These batteries are known sinners. The New York City Fire Department counts over 200 E-bike lithium fires per year, primarily when batteries are being charged. Read more
