Author Archives: captnmike

Laundry Day & Washing The Life Jackets

Posted on April 24, 2014 by captnmike

Cleaning Life-Jackets seems to be overlooked on many boats, and is not a job that anyone looks forward to. Having clean Life-Jackets makes it easier to get the crew to wear them.  Cleaning the Life-Jackets from time to time helps … Continue reading →

Posted in Boat Maintenance, Boating Safety | Tagged | 1 Comment

A Luncheon Cruise & Tour on the Coast Guard Icebreaker Healy

Posted on April 14, 2014 by captnmike

Last Saturday I had the honor of an Elliot Bay lunch cruise on the USCG Icebreaker Healy which is home-ported in Seattle. This was a special trip set up to let the family and friends of the crew on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Aux Activities, History | Tagged , | 5 Comments

How to Tie a Spilled Hitch Bowline

Posted on April 9, 2014 by captnmike

Tying a Bowline using the Spilled Hitch method is a quick and easy, but not a well know way to tie a Bowline. The Spilled Hitch Bowline can be used to quickly tie a Bowline around an object or through the … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety, Sailing and Boating Skills | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

NOAA’s paper nautical charts are here to stay

Posted on April 7, 2014 by captnmike

New certified printing agents bring buying options It won’t be long before mariners and the boating public will have a wider choice of options and special services when they purchase NOAA paper nautical charts, thanks to NOAA’s expanded “print-on-demand” chart…

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Pre-Season Checklist – Dewinterizing Your Boat for the Season

Posted on April 3, 2014 by captnmike

Originally posted on BoatSafe Blog:
Spring is here and it is not too soon to start thinking about dewinterizing your boat for the season. Even if you live in an area where the “boating season” doesn’t begin with the start of…

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The New Cabin Lights

Posted on March 22, 2014 by captnmike

Recently I needed to do something about the old cabin lights when the switches stopped working. I decided to upgrade the lights to Red / White LED fixtures.  I wanted the Red light  option to preserve the night vision of … Continue reading →

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Catch the digital wave in NOAA navigation products #Data4Coasts

Posted on March 18, 2014 by captnmike

Navigation manager Kyle Ward explains some of Coast Survey’s new products at the Savannah Boat Show. This week, NOAA’s National Ocean Service is inviting you to explore #Data4Coasts that NOS provides to the public, to researchers and decision makers, and to…

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More TVMDC – Practice Problems – Correcting and un-correcting the compass

Posted on January 22, 2014 by captnmike

Correcting and Un-correcting a compass is still a useful skill.  Paper charts and plotted course lines are still in use, even with today’s Cell Phone Apps and GPS Plotters.   If you take a Navigation or Piloting class that lasts … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety, Navigation, Safety Thoughts, Sailing and Boating Skills | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment