A few Pacific Northwest Weather web links for a weather class I am taking and helping with in Seattle.
Greenwood / Green Lake Weather:
Cliff Mass Weather and other blog:
Washington State Ferry Weather / Wind:
NOAA Tides and Currents Home, With Gulf Oil Spill Information Link:
NOAA What are Tides and much educational information:
c/m
NAVIGATION EXERCISE # 2
This is a basic Navigation exercise but the problems are typical of those seen by a recreational boater. The questions are “Bite Sized” and except for one question, each question stands alone from the others.
This exercise was done on Small Boat Chart 18445 Page A. The area used is just South of West Point on the south end and Whidby Island on the North. If you have this chart or a similar chart that covers this area you may work the problems on it. If you do not have a suitable chart there is a PDF Chartlet of the area that can be printed out on 11 x 17 paper. Many office supply stores and copy centers can print 11 x 17 if you don’t have a large printer. You may also tile the printing to print onto two letter sized pages then tape them together, a bit crude but it does work.
The answers are at the bottom, there is also a PDF Chartlet showing the answers. The questions and answers are also available in a formatted for printing PDF file at the bottom.
Thanks for your interest in Boating Safety and good luck with the exercise.
Reference card with help for correcting and uncorrecting a compass, speed / time formulas and other quick hints for navigators.
Navigators Piloting and Charting Reference Card
More Navigation Exercises & Practice:
Crew Course Navigation Exercise 1 – More Practice
Mountaineers Sailing Crew Class Navigation Exercise – More Practice
Click For Larger View of Chartlet Area
What we use winches for: Winches provide the mechanical advantage to hoist and trim the sails and running rigging on a sailboat. There are usually no powered winches. Depending on circumstances, there can be thousands of pounds of pressure on a line, so don’t be casual when working with lines and winches.
Grinding and tailing: The act of rotating the handle is grinding, pulling on the line being tightened is tailing. Because the winch won’t pull the line unless the line is tight on the winch drum, both actions need to occur simultaneously. Sometimes one person does both actions, sometimes it takes one person for each action. Thus the person pulling is the tailer, the person grinding is the grinder. One little joke we do from time to time (but not on races) is to get halfway through a tack and then not pull hard on the line. The grinder just keeps grinding but the sail doesn’t come in at all.
Author: captnmike
A quick guide to using your VHF Marine Radio.
RADIO USAGE
Channel 16 is Distress and Calling.
Pleasure Vessels Working Channels: 09, 67, 68, 69 and 72.
Contact can be made on Ch 16 but then go to a working frequency
CALLING
Make sure Radio is turned on and set to the proper channel.
Press microphone button & speak past the microphone not directly into. Do not “spit” into the microphone, use a normal voice.
(Name of vessel station you are calling three times) THIS IS (your vessel’s name and call sign).
Do not add other words (Such as “Come in Bob” or “Do you read me?”)
Release microphone button.
You must not call the same station for more than 30 seconds at a time.
If you do not get a reply wait at least two minutes before calling again.
After 3 tries wait 30 minutes before calling again.
When you reach the other station go to a working channel and send message.
If you expect an answer end your transmission with “OVER” else say “OUT”
Use low power (1 watt) in a Harbor.
Selected Puget Sound Charts with prominent marine points highlighted. Use as a training aid to learn the area or to find points on a chart quicker. The area points are in a white bubble with black border, this makes finding points quicker and easier.
The charts will print in Black and White or Color. Many office supply stores and copy centers can make large prints. The base charts are from standard NOAA chart graphics.
Shilshole to Ballard (PDF) – Suggested print size 11×17 inches (8.5×11 also works but type is a bit small).
Boating Safety Tips, Tricks & Thoughts from Captnmike 