Category Archives: Safety Thoughts

New autonomous surface vehicles to deliver shoaler depth measurements for NOAA nautical charts

Posted on August 27, 2015 by captnmike

Great news from NOAA for anyone boating in shallow water. If you look closely at any U.S. coastal nautical chart, you’ll likely find that the areas closest to the shore, shoals, and rocks do not have updated depth measurements. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety, Navigation, Safety Thoughts | Tagged | 3 Comments

2014 Boating Accidents & How You Can Reduce Your Risk Of Having An Accident

Posted on August 14, 2015 by captnmike

Nobody wants to have a boating accident, here are my thoughts on how not to be a boating accident statistic, this is based on the U.S. Coast Guard’s study of 4,064 accidents in and compiled their 2014 Recreational Boating Statistics. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety, Safety Thoughts | Tagged | 4 Comments

New ACR Firefly Pro Series Rescue Strobe Light

Posted on January 20, 2015 by captnmike

ACR has finally came out with a worthy successor to the classic Firefly Rescue Lite ACR / 4F.  The ACR Firefly PRO Series is Brighter, flashes longer and has more functions (Strobe, Flashlight, SOS) than the 4F model.  I found … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Safe Boating In Fog

Posted on October 21, 2013 by captnmike

With the arrival of the Fall fog season a few safety tips for boating in the fog are in order. Before the fog sets in, make sure you have charts and a compass on board.  A GPS is also good … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety, Safety Thoughts, Sailing and Boating Skills, seattle | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Avoiding the Seattle Harbor Patrol’s Attention

Posted on May 14, 2013 by captnmike

Being stopped by the Harbor Patrol is one of those things very few people look forward to. To help avoid unwanted attention from the Seattle Harbor Patrol, they have produced a booklet covering Seattle area Regulations & Information for local … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety, Safety Thoughts, Sailing and Boating Skills | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

The Esquire Magazine Interview

Posted on June 8, 2012 by captnmike

In January of this year I received the following message from Taylor Adams at  Esquire Magazine. Message: Hello, I’m one of the people at Esquire magazine responsible for the research that goes into our Big Black Book supplement, which this … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety, Safety Thoughts | 2 Comments

TVMDC – Practice – Correcting and un-correcting the compass

Posted on November 13, 2011 by captnmike

In today’s increasing use of electronic navigation aids, the ability to correct and un-correct a compass heading or bearing seems to becoming a lost art outside of a classroom.  Here are a few TVMDC Practice Problems to help keep your … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety, Navigation, Safety Thoughts, Sailing and Boating Skills | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments