1. Seamanship Flashcards
Be familiar with the following parts of the boat:
- Keel
- Rudder
- Sail drive
- Pushpit
- Pulpit
- Jib sheet
- Vang or kicker
- Stem head fitting or bow roller
- Forestay
- Backstay
- Headboard
- Reefing cringle
- Reefing pennant
- Mast
- Jib clew
- Reefing eyelet
- Jib tack
- Jib luff
- Mainsail foot
- Mainsail leech or roach
- Foredeck
- Winch
- Stem head fitting or bow roller
- Starboard bow
- Cleat
- Cockpit table
- Port bow
- Windlass
- Port quarter
- Stern
Be able to tie the following knots and explain what they are used for:
- Bowline
- Reef Knot
- Round Turn & Two Half Hitches
- Rolling Hitch
- Clove Hitch
- Sheet Bend
- Double Sheet Bend
- Figure of 8
- Be able to make off to a cleat
Bowline
- The bowline has many uses on both sailing and motor vessels.
- Very good for tying up to a bollard because it is difficult to undo under tension
- Commonly used for tying the sheets to a Jib or Genoa sail.
- Used for forming a loop in the end of a rope.
Reef Knot
- Used for joining two ropes together. Can slip.
- Generally used on sailing vessels for tying down the bunt of the sail when reefing. The bunt is the unused part of the sail after reefing.
Round Turn & Two Half Hitches
- Ideal for tying up to a bollard or any post
- It can be undone under tension
- Very easy to learn
- Very quick and easy to secure
- Sometimes to secure fenders to the guard rail
- Used for securing a tow because it can be undone under tension
Rolling Hitch
- Ideal for tying up to a bollard or any post
- The pull can be in line with the post or rope and not slip.
- If a line cannot be undone because it is under tension a rolling hitch can be put round the line and the standing part taken to a winch the release the tension on the line
- Useful for snubbing the anchor. (Taking the tension off the chain by putting a rolling hitch round it and taking back to a cleat on the boat) This stops the chain rattling around in the bow roller during the night.
Clove Hitch
- Ideal for tying up to a bollard or any post
- Used for tying on fenders but would recommend an additional half hitch
- Commonly used for attaching a tow
Sheet Bend
- Used for joining ropes of different thickness together
Double Sheet Bend
- Used for joining ropes of different thickness together. More secure than a sheet bend
Figure of 8
- Used as a stopper knot or a knot that can help a user to grip the rope
What are the 4 avaialble rope types and what are they good for / their benefits?
1) Kevlar
Pre stretched like terylene.
Very good for Halyards etc.
2) Polyester
Similar to the one above but not quite as good.
3) Polypropylene
Floats and is good for the Danbuoy (the Danbuoy is a floating buoy with a flag set high up and is usually attached to a life ring).
4) Nylon
Very strong and stretches to absorb some of the shock when used for tying up, towing or anchoring. It sinks which means it will lie along the seabed with any chain when used for anchoring and reduces the risk of it going around the propeller if dropped in the water.
Safety checklist before departure:
- Safety Brief on flares and life raft
- Check batteries are switched correctly when sailing
- Check navigation lights and instruments
- Food prepared
- Rubbish ashore
- Get weather forecast
- Check fuel level
- Check gas
- Make sure everything is stowed properly
- Life jackets checked and ready for use
- Harness lines checked and ready for use
- Check you have emergency spares.
- Radar reflector in place
- Water full
- Crew suitably dressed
- Anchor ready
- Engine checks
- Sail covers off and sail ready to hoist
- Close all hatches
- Passage plans and pilotage ready
- Rigging pins and split pins checked
- General check round the boat
What factors must you consider when choosing an Anchorage?
- Check the chart and make sure that you are not anchoring in a restricted area.
- Check that you are not infringing local port authority rules which take priority in busy harbours and ports.
- Check the weather to make sure the vessel is not going to be on a lee shore in a strong wind.
- Check the chart to see if the area is free from obstructions, rocks or anything that could cause the anchor to become snagged.
- Check the chart to make sure the seabed is suitable for anchoring e.g. sand, kelp, rocks, mud pebbles etc.
- Check that the area has reasonable shelter.
- Tide and current.
- Out of the way of other traffic.
- Allow enough room to clear obstructions or other vessels if the vessel swings in the tide or wind.
10.
How to calculate how much chain or chain and warp to pay out?
Anchor with chain only
When anchoring using chain the skipper should pay out a length of chain equal to four times the maximum depth of water, taking into account height of tide.
Using chain and warp
When anchoring using chain and ‘warp’ (rope) the skipper should pay out a length of chain equal to six times the maximum depth of water, taking into account height of tide.
How much to allow for tide
Finding how much the tide is going to rise to HW (high water) or fall to LW (low water) is covered in “Tidal Information” section 3.
How do you calculate the maximum and minimum depth to drop an anchor?
Taking into account the height of tide
There are two tides per day which a skipper has to allow for when anchoring. Two high tides and two low tides both of which must be catered for when paying out anchor chain or a combination of anchor chain and warp.
Maximum depth to anchor in
To anchor and lay the right amount of chain, or chain and warp, The skipper would need to know how much the tide was going to rise between the time of arrival and the next high water. Otherwise as the tide rises and the boat with it the anchor could end up just hanging on the end of the chain.
The skipper needs to work out how much the tide will rise and add this to the depth shown on the depth gauge, on arrival, to work out how deep the water will be when the tide reaches its peak. E.g. depth on arrival say 5m. Tide is going to rise by 2.5m so allow enough chain to anchor in 5m + 2.5m = 7.5m.
Formula. Depth at the next HW = Depth on arrival + the difference between the height of tide on arrival and the next HW.
Minimum depth to anchor in:
On arrival at the anchorage the skipper would need to make sure that the boat was not going to ground as the tide dropped to low water.
Formula. Draught + fall of tide + clearance = minimum depth to anchor in at the time of arrival. The draught is the vertical distance between a ship’s waterline and the lowest point of its keel
Using an Anchor ball etc:
Don’t forget the anchor ball by day and the all round anchor light at night.
How can you check if the anchor is secure?
To check the anchor is secure the skipper can gently reverse the vessel. If the anchor chain trembles the anchor is dragging.
If the bow dips slightly that is a good sign of the anchor digging in.
The next step is to look for a transit of two fixed objects off the beam or take a bearing of a fixed object on the beam.
If the transit goes out of line continually or the bearing changes and continues to change then the vessel is dragging.
The depth gauge can be used. The depth minimum/maximum alarm can be set but the rise and fall of tide would have to be taken into account which would make it a less promising check.
The GPS can be used to give an alarm if the vessel moves over a certain amount off station.
How to anchor in strong two way tidal flow?
To anchor in tidal stream or river where the tidal flow can reverse requires a little bit more work to make it safe:
- Place an anchor upstream and pay out chain or chain and warp until it is virtually all out.
- Lay the second anchor downstream and pay out chain or chain and warp taking some chain and warp back in on the upstream anchor until both lengths are even. Normally the kedge anchor or spare anchor can be used for this.
- Check that there is a sufficient chain or chain and warp laid out to hold the boat, on either anchor, in the prevailing conditions.
- The yacht will lay downstream of one or other of the anchors depending on flow.
How to anchor in strong tidal streams or rivers?
- In a strong one-way tidal stream place two anchors upstream
- If you are using chain and warp, then you need to pay out at least six times the maximum depth taking into account tide
- The chain lying on the seabed helps the anchor to stay dug in because the weight of the chain keeps the stock of the anchor laying flat on the seabed.
- This causes the fluke of the anchor to dig further into the seabed as the yacht pulls backwards in the tidal flow or strong winds.
How to anchor a motor boat?
Affected by the wind much more so 4 times max depth in chain and 6 times max depth using chain and warp.
Sufficient chain and warp paid out to allow for rise and fall of time and to make sure chain is pulling horizontally on anchor which will keep it bedded in.
Lenght & weight of chain acts as shock absorber when boat is anchored in swell or against gusts.
What and where are the various parts of this anchor?
What is the Fisherman’s Anchor used for?
Parts:
- Stock
- Flank
- Crown
- Shank
Reasonable holding in rocky and kelp areas. No very good for mud and sand.
Stows flat but easily gets tangled up with rope etc
What is the Danforth Anchor used for?
What is it good and bad at?
Used mostly as spare anchor that stows flat to be stored in locker
Very good at trapping your fingers
Good holding in mud and sand but poor for gravel and rock
Tripping eye on crown can be used to attached tripping line to pull out anchor from crown if it gets stuck.
What is the Delta anchor used for and why is it good?
Good, all round anchor with very good holding capabilities in nearly all circumstances
Stows and self launches off bow roller and has no moving parts to trap fingers
A tripping line can be attached to bar at crown of anchor to pull anchor out if it gets stuck.
What is the Grapnel Anchor used for?
Used mainly for smallboats.
Folds well and stows away in small space
Average for holding but can be good in rocky areas
What is the Bruce Anchor and why is it used?
Similar to Delta anchor with very good holding capabilities especially in mud and sand.
Easy to stow on bow roller and no moving parts
Desk fittings are avaialable to stow on deck
What is the CQR/Plough Anchor best used for?
Excellent in mud or sand as penetrates grass and weed better.
Hinge allows to keep it’s bite when pulled at an angle.
Tripping line can be attached to pull anchor out if it gets stuck
What is the Mushroom Anchor best used for?
Good in mud or sand for smaller craft.
Will not penetrate grass and weeds.
What is the set up of ropes on both vessels when tying up alongside?
- Two breast lines: Stern Line (E) and Bow Line (F)
- Two spring lines:
- Bow Spring attached to stern (A) stops sliding forward - surging
- Stern Spring attached to bow (B) stops sliding backward - surging
- Outside vessel has two breast and spring lines attached to vessel alongside quay but also has two shore lines on bow and stern.
Bow and stern springs are named after the job they do rather than where they are attached to the vessel.
Rafting up
If several yachts raft up with strong current, outside yacht need to lay anchor upstream to stabalise raft and stop curving downstream.
Describe a port and starboard tack?
Why is it used?
What are the right of way rules?
Describes side of vessel wind is on.
Part of the collision avoidance regulations. Used instead of left/right to avoid confusion.
The current tack determined by the mainsail or to be more exact the boom.
If the boom is carried on the starboard side then the wind is deemed to be coming from port, therefore, this yacht would be on port tack. Same vice versa.
Port tacking vessels give way to starboard tacking vessels.
Except in overtaking situation, as overtaking vessel is always give way vessel.
Stardbord Tack Downwind
If downwind, better to be on starboard tack. Gives advantage in close quarter situation.
In graphic yacht is running downwind with the headsail out on the starboard side and the mainsail and boom out on the port side. Because the boom is out on the port side it is on starboard tack .
Boom is the determining factor when deciding if a yacht is on port or starboard tack.
Always assume that a sailing vessel is on starboard tack unless you are certain it is not.
What are the points of sail?
- Dead/no go zone/in irons
- Close haul
- Close reach
- Beam Reach
- Broad Reach
- Run
Each can be on starboard or port tack. Have a good understanding of what each point of sail looks like.
