Seaworthy Essential Lessons from BoatU.S.'s 20-Year Case File of Things Gone Wrong

by Adriance, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780071453271
• ISBN10: 007145327X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-10-24
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press

Summary

You're safest on the water when you and your boat areseaworthyBoatU.S. provides marine insurancecoverage to 250,000 American powerboaters and sailors, which makes its collection of claims reports one of the world's largest archives of boating accidents. For more than 20 years, as writer and editor of BoatU.S.'s quarterly publicationSeaworthy, Bob Adriance has sifted and analyzed this rich trove to discover and highlight the profound lessons it contains.Here is the ultimate boater's guide to preventing, responding to, and surviving accidents under power or sail, including hurricane damage, lightning strikes, collisions, fires, groundings, sinkings, crew overboard, dismastings, and more.Experience may be the best teacher,but the lessons are a lot less painful when the experience is someone else's. Here is a unique opportunity to use other skippers' misfortunes to make your own boat and seamanship safer."A boaters' guide as important and practical as any I've read. And if you can ignore the occasional frisson of guilty pleasure, one that's as engrossing to read asThe Perfect Storm."Tony Gibbs, yachting writer, editor, and novelist"Hair-raising disasters, hard facts, and helpful advice;Seaworthyis a compendium of no-nonsense information on avoiding problems that only a marine insurer could provide. Invaluable for the boater, builder, designer, and surveyor."Dave Gerr, director, Westlawn Institute of Tecnology; author ofThe Nature of BoatsandThe Elements of Boat Strength

Author Biography

Bob Adriance has written and compiled BoatU.S.’s accident reports for twenty years. He is also the coeditor of Beacon magazine, which reaches 35,000 Coast Guard Auxiliary members.

Table of Contents

Foreword	v
Tony Gibbs
Preface	viii
Avoiding Collisions	1	(52)
Collisions Between Boats Underway
Collisions at Marinas: So Many Boats, So Little Room
Collisions Between Racing Sailboats
Collisions Involving Personal Watercraft
Avoiding Tugs and Barges
Avoiding Big Ships
Passing Under Drawbridges
What Should You Do If Your Boat Is in a Collision?
Preventing Fires	53	(48)
How Boat Fires Start
Troubleshooting 12-Volt DC Electrical Systems
The AC Electrical System
Poking Around Your AC and DC Electrical Systems
The Problem with Portable Electric Heaters
Propulsion System Fires
Keeping Fuel Out of the Bilge: Gasoline
Keeping Fuel Out of the Bilge: Diesel
Galley Fires
Marine Dry Stack Fires
Your Boat's On Fire . . . Now What?
Staying Afloat	101	(37)
Why Boats Sink at the Dock
Why Boats Sink Underway
Why Fiberglass Boats Sometimes Fail
Sailboat Stability
Powerboat Stability
The Art of Securing Your Boat
Seamanship	138	(54)
Going Offshore
The Loss of Morning Dew
The Loss and Recovery of Grey Girl
Coping with Monster Waves
The Last Few Hours of Proteus
Coastal Cruising: Abandoning Ship
Entering Inlets
All About Boat Wakes
Minding Your Own Boat's Wake
Grounding and Ungrounding
The Question of Salvage
Overboard Rescues from Sailboats
Overboard Rescues from Powerboats
Boat Handling in Thunderstorms
Hurricane Warning	192	(18)
Where to Keep Your Boat in a Hurricane
Critical Points
Hurricane Preparation Worksheet
Be Careful Out There	210	(25)
Boats and Swimming
Waterskiing Safety
Wear Your Personal Flotation Device (PFD)!
Boats and Lightning
Boats and Carbon Monoxide
Winterizing and Spring Fitting Out	235	(30)
Winterizing
Winterizing Chores
Winterizing Worksheet
Spring Fitting-Out Checklist
A Few Final Words
Resources	265	(2)
Acknowledgments	267	(2)
Index	269