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.
A boating accident on Lake Tahoe June 21 took 8 lives in a very short amount of time. The skipper wasn’t drinking, the incident took place around 3:00pm in the afternoon, the boat was in excellent condition, and there were plenty of lifejackets on board. So what happened? Read more
I would suggest that there should be a handful of audible early warning systems on every boat. This goes especially for recreational skippers and even more so for those who sail as a passage-making couple. The benefits of early warning do not always jump out at you. Many of the following early warning systems are warnings where vessel integrity and crew safety are at risk. Those are urgent and must be attended to. Others are warnings that can be dealt with in a more… Read more
... the collision occurred at night between an outboard-powered 20’ fiberglass boat and a 47’ commercial outboard-powered boat as the boats closed in on each other at 24 knots. Lights from an industrial plant on the shore made the navigation lights of the 47’ boat very difficult to distinguish, as well as the searchlight shining forward from the 47 footer which further obscured the lights. The skipper of the 20’ boat was operating on the right-hand side of the channel, and… Read more
In December of 2024, after decades of meetings of the stakeholders, testing, and technical meetings, the Final Rule was published in the Federal Register. This article, the sixth in a series, describes how the new North American Standard for flotation devices changes what we’ve been accustomed to since the 1970s. Read more
2024 Search and Rescue Experience in Lake Superior
Mark & Bev Lenci, M/V Friendship 4
We have decades of worldwide cruising experience, but those years never included being the primary vessel in a search and rescue (SAR) event. Then in one week, we were the primary vessel in three SAR events in Lake Superior.
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This article is about the process by which life jacket standards and requirements have changed in the last 50+ years leading up to December of 2024, when new standards and requirements took over. In the second part of this article, available next month, we’ll discuss what we think are the ramifications of the latest, greatest (?) regulations. Read more
Three yachts participating in or returning from the 2024 Newport Bermuda Race incurred severe flooding and were abandoned. All aboard were rescued without death or injury. All three yachts later sank.
US Sailing, the CCA, and the BROC empaneled a team of experienced ocean sailors to review the incidents. Their findings are linked below.
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Our fleet surgeon, Jeffrey S. Wisch, M.D., has prepared the attached memorandum which contains excellent advice and a comprehensive medical list. Updated PDF posted here
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In general, of all of the lithium-ion cells that were tested, LiFePO4 would be considered the safest cathode material because of the relatively low temperature rise and the resulting low likelihood for thermal runaway to propagate. LiCoO2 and LiMnNi would be considered the most hazardous because of the relatively large temperature rise and high probability for propagation of thermal runaway to adjacent battery cells. Read more
The underlying reason to wear a life jacket is to provide buoyancy to keep the wearer’s mouth above the water to prevent drowning while awaiting rescue. With that relatively simple goal, why are there so many life jacket designs, and why are some more effective than others? Read more