SECTION II

Tips for Cruisers, Some Learned the Hard Way

By

Dave Schaefer

Late this summer we went sailing with Bob and Thea Platt and a couple from South Hero. The South Hero folks were about to take off on their first long cruise south and they were interested in hearing what we had learned during our cruise. Some of their curiosity, of course, was about favorite places between here and the Keys. But part of their curiosity was about some of the little items that improve the cruising life. Our conversation reminded me of small things that might be of interest to other cruisers and sailors planning to head south. These ideas are fairly simple. Some can be used right here on the lake, others might make good holiday gifts or be added to the ever-growing "to get" list. Some are most useful for single-handed or short-handed sailing.

REFLECTIX--This insulating material is available by the foot from home supply stores and can double the life of the ice in your ice chest. It is a thin sandwich of air bubbles between reflective foil, providing R-16 insulating value. If the ice chest is poorly insulated, you can line it by using adhesive backed Velcro to hold the insulation to the walls, as Bob has done. We simply cut a piece a little larger than the top of the chest and used it as a second lid, tucking it down around the groceries so we were not trying to cool empty space in the box. In the south, boaters at docks use it inside large south-facing windows to keep the cabin from overheating. Because it is not made for boats, it is cheap.

POST-IT ARROWS--These thin plastic arrows from office supply stores are made to highlight places in printed material, but we used them on charts--particularly on the Hudson River and Intra Coastal Waterway--to mark our progress. Advance them as you pass navigation aids and you or the relief helmsman can tell at a glance where you are. On the waterway, page after page of chart look the same, and sometimes you need to know where you are in a hurry. A packet comes in a variety of colors, and we used a red one to mark our destination anchorage for the night.

PLEXI CHART SANDWICH--This simple device helps keep the right chart handy and keeps it from getting wet or blown overboard. It is simply two thin pieces--maybe 1/8 inch for each side-- of plexi held together along one edge by a hinge of duct tape. Mine was about 18 by 20 but there is no perfect size, you will have to fold the chart so your route shows. One dimension might be the width of your cockpit seat so it doesn’t get in the way by overhanging. A large clamping paper clip can be used on the open edge to keep it flat. Places like Vermont Plastic Specialties in Williston can cut one for you.

PLASTIC CHART KIT COVER--An available option for Chart Kits for sailing in the rain, this most was useful in keeping charts dry against cockpit seats soaked with morning dew, a condition found every morning in the fall.

COMMUTER MUGS--Each crew member had a designated cheap plastic commuter mug for morning coffee, lunch juices and evening cocktails. No need to have a sink full of dirty cups and glasses since each person was responsible for one mug...which can also be used for hot soup.

A DINGHY ANCHOR--A five-pound Danforth in the dinghy can keep you from being swept away by the current in emergencies, and is useful as a stern anchor to keep you off a beach or nasty dock full of nails.

A DODGER--Simply wouldn’t cruise without one.

A BIMINI TOP--Didn’t use it much in Vermont, but it was up all the time in hot climates as protection against the sun and sometimes the rain.

THE NOTEBOOK--A small notebook that fits into a shirt pocket (so it will always be with you when you need it) and contains the part numbers for fuel and oil filters, phone numbers of the diesel place and the instrument manufacturers, part numbers for light bulbs and so on, the dimensions of the project you are working on and other critical dimensions, web site addresses, serial numbers of the boat, inflatable and outboard...all the stuff you need to know when you get to the pay phone or marine supply store, or to call the cops if something is missing.

PHONE BOOK AND LCYC DIRECTORY--Handy for writing post cards, recruiting crew and handling banking and other basics.

MAIL FORWARDING--If family and friends aren’t thrilled about handling your mail and bills, get a PO Box at Mail Boxes Etc. When you know you will be in a port somewhere, call MBE and have them Priority Mail your package to General Delivery at the local post office, listing both your name and the boat name. Allow at least three days, four is better. List the MBE box as your forwarding address with the Post Office. Let your magazine subscriptions run out or have them sent directly to MBE, since they won’t be forwarded for very long.

POWER INVERTER--There are very big, fancy and expensive power inverters and small cheap ones. Small cheap ones like mine plug into a cigar lighter outlet and turns battery DC power into AC power. They cost around $40 for a 300 watt unit with two outlets, and allow you to run and recharge notebook computers, the video camera, power drills and portable VHF batteries...even plug in a small television if you must. My old 150 watt unit would not handle a palm sander; don’t know about the new 300-watt unit. I had a notebook computer and Canon BJ 80 portable printer on board. The printer (around $299) is a great little unit. Inverters are available at electronics stores and this summer COSTCO had them for $39.

RENTING THE CONDO--There is a little-known service in Burlington called Monthly Manors, which rents fully furnished homes and condos on a month-to-month basis, usually to people in the area on a corporate or university assignment. My tenant was on assignment to IBM while he installed an internal cell phone system, arriving the month I left and leaving when I returned. His company paid for everything. Monthly Manors provides a contract with the tenant, collects the rent, deposits it to your account, and arranged to replace a failed hot water heater. Contact: Lee Ann Wright, Monthly Manors, 862-8459. Vermont law is lopsided in favor of tenants, who can stretch out eviction for non-payment for six months and then declare bankruptcy and never pay, so dealing with a corporate assignee rather than an individual minimizes the risk. If you plan to be gone for years, call the dean of the UVM Medical School and look for medical residents. They are usually too tired to party. The dean’s office will post a rental card for you.

BIGGEST FAILURE--Cellular phone bills. Rates are better now with digital on the scene and a no-roaming charge feature available, but one month of cell roaming cost more than all the diesel fuel for the trip...$471.

MARINA STRATEGY--We anchored out as much as possible, staying overnight at marinas only when we needed an ice, fuel, laundry, provisioning, and sanity stop. If you get into a marina at 5 or 6 p.m., you will hardly have time to get everything done. We began to time marina stops to arrive around noon, right after everyone left, to allow time to do the chores and see the city. It simply means anchoring out the night before within striking distance of a good marina...sometimes just a hundred yards or so from them.

THINGS WE LEARNED TO LIKE OR COULDN’T DO WITHOUT

ORIGO STOVE--This two-burner Swedish alcohol stove replaced the pressure stove system on Dream Weaver. It can be gimbaled and is very efficient, compact and trouble free. Spend the extra money for the clamps that hold pots in place, even though they are horribly expensive for what they are. Even at anchor, wakes from passing boats are a risk. Origos are hard to light without one of those long-snouted gas grill lighters filled with propane. Disadvantage: If you are going to really remote places like Borneo, you won’t find stove alcohol, but might find propane.

AUTOHELM 3000--The Autohelm was a welcome luxury on long motoring passages like the Hudson River or ICW. For a single-hander, a steering device is essential if you have any desire to eat, pee, raise and lower sails or anchor with any degree of control.

HANDHELD VHF--For bridges, locks and marina docking instructions. If you are alone, you simply can’t safely coastal cruise without one. A good feature: being able to run the radio with a AA battery pack as well as the internal rechargeable battery.

PARMALAT--This is milk sealed in cardboard bricks at high temperatures. It stores for months without refrigeration. Available at most grocery stores, sometimes in the fruit juice section.

VIDALIA ONION DRESSING--For salad dressing, veggie dip, even making potato salad out of leftover spuds, this is the stuff. It seems to last forever with little or no refrigeration, despite instructions on the label. Available at COSTO and under a different name at the Wal-Mart supermarkets.

PRESSURE COOKER--On a cold night you can make a savory pot roast in 40 minutes. You will need one big pot anyway, so it might as well be a pressure cooker. Figure out how it works. Cookbooks are available. Get a 6 quart version.

PILLOW SHAMS--These are like slipcovers for small pillows. They can be used to store sweaters, fleece, long underwear and other seasonal clothing. They provide extra storage as well as a few pillows. Fleece is best for comfortable pillows. Available at linen supply places.

TWO-GALLON FREEZER BAGS--Every galley needs a supply of the one-gallon zipper bags, but the two-gallon version is the ticket for dry storage of video cameras, computers, the little 5-inch television set, and items to be taken through the surf to the beach in the dinghy. Stuff them with off-season clothing, sit on them while zipping them up, and they flatten into something like vacuum-wrapped pancakes. Available at supermarkets.

THE GPS "ETE" FEATURE--The "Estimated Time En route" feature of the GPS is great for planning overnight anchorages on the Hudson River and the ICW. Currents can turn a plan into a dream, and sometimes anchorages are few and far between. Each night we would plan a target destination about 40 miles away (days are short in November), an ambitious destination and a fall-back destination. Program the Lt and Ln of the target destination as a waypoint, monitor the ETE, and you’ll have a good idea if you can make it in before dark.

STUFF WE ARE GATHERING TO TRY OUT ON THE NEXT TRIP

EASY E-MAIL-Since our last cruise, an e-mail system called PocketMail has appeared on the scene. It is quickly being adopted by cruisers and RV travelers. PocketMail consists of a service ($10 a month) and a hand-held device to send and receive. Palm Pilots can be fitted out for PocketMail, or you buy the device for about $100 by ordering it through outfits like Staples. It can be used from any phone except digital cellular (analog cellular can work), including pay phones. You dial a 800 number, hold the device up to the phone, and the squeaks and squawks become e-mail, which can be read on the device. Bob and Thea Platt have one. Or go on the internet: www.pocketmail.com.

NEW POTS AND PANS--Cooking and storing kitchen gear on board is an endless search for better answers. The local K-Mart on Shelburne Road has a possibility: T-Fal InGenio pots and pans. These are fairly heavy non-stick pots that nest and have removable handles that firmly clamp on, two covers that fit six pots, and snap-on plastic lids that turn the pot into a container for the ice chest. They claim to have a heat-evening bottom construction. Storage is one issue...handles are a nuisance...but more important is the danger the handles present on a gimbaled stove. These look very good and are working great at home. Six pots, two detachable handles, plastic storage cover lids, $100. Not All T-Fal is Ingenio with detachable handles, so be sure.

ANCHOR STOWAGE--Dream Weaver has four anchors on board: The CQR as a primary, stored in a roller on the bow; a Danforth as a secondary, hanging off the bow pulpit but waiting to snag a jib sheet; a Claw (imitation Bruce) with chain and rode in the lazarette, ready to go; and a grapnel, which has never been wet. I just don’t know how to get enough anchors on the bow. I have had three set during a norther in the Keys, and often set two where currents don’t allow much swinging room.

POWER MANAGEMENT--When you are motoring on the ICW for 10 hours a day, battery management is no issue. Anchor out for three weeks in the Keys, and it is. The setup is this: Two six-volt Trojan golf cart batteries hooked in series to make a deep 12 volt system, plus a starting battery. No refrigeration. Old alternator. "Keep it simple" philosophy. A hybrid system of low output solar plus wind is attractive. Here in Vermont a company represents (but does a poor job of marketing) one of the most popular brands of European wind chargers, the Rutland Windcharger, which has good reviews and a competitive price. Still searching.

There is no "perfect" time to go cruising. Something about the timing is always imperfect. What is certain, however, is that there is inevitably a "too late". At some point in life it is wise not to buy any green bananas, since you might not get to see them ripen.

You do not sail to the Carribean. You sail 20 yards at a time.

Here is good advice from Joanne and Stark Ferris, who had lived aboard for seven years when I met them in Key Largo: "I’m here to have a good time. I’m not here to be frightened. I can wait out weather." His roots are in Vermont, he claims. (Starksboro, Ferrisburg). You’ll see their writings in the Southern Cruising Guide.

The best way to get into trouble on a boat is to be driven by someone’s shore schedule and hope the weather will cooperate.

From a New Zealander who has sailed the world--in response to my Yankee guilt complaining about how worthless I was feeling being stuck in the Keys and not doing any meaningful work: "Well, mate, nobody cares about that except you. Your job is not to do the same thing forever; your job is to understand your options. You could cruise forever if you really wanted to."

You know you have finally achieve live-aboard status when it takes all day to tighten two screws and buy a six-pack.

Dream Weaver was going down. Within minutes the bilge had filled and the floorboards were floating. I could have thrown a stone to the shore moments ago, but now I had drifted out into 30 feet of water squarely in the Intracoastal Waterway channel in the vast and desolate marshes of Georgia.

Through the adrenalin rush I pondered my situation and options. I was alone on my 32-foot Endeavour. For four days my only company had been the occasional dolphin rising beside the boat and, along the shore, egrets and wood storks. In the last few hours had seen just one small fishing boat. The shoreline was a distant shadow rising above miles of marsh grass. The thunderstorm and lightening I was trying to dodge by ducking into a creek to anchor was bearing down. The weather radio had warned of waterspouts offshore between St. Catherine Sound and Sapelo Sound. I was approaching St. Catherine Sound from Sapelo Sound. I had no forward or reverse following the loud clunk that shook the boat as I backed off the shoal at the mouth of Walburg Creek. By the time I discovered I was taking on water the source was already under water. Going over the side to investigate in this murky water and strong flood tide current did not seem like much of an option.

Certainly I could launch the inflatable, now partially deflated turned upside down on the foredeck, and salvage whatever I grabbed, but the boat would sink and become a hazard to navigation and spill its oil into the waterway. What to save? What to leave behind after six months of living aboard from Florida to the Bahamas and back? And to abandon a fiberglass friend that had taken me from Vermont to Hemingway’s haunts in Cuba and back to Florida seemed a traitorous thought. Perhaps I could radio another boat, beach Dream Weaver and save as much as I could. But with the tidal range here about 8 feet, and just one hour into a rising tide, the success of a beaching would be marginal at best.

I reached for the radio, wondering how long I had before the batteries flooded, and called "Mayday Mayday Mayday…any vessel". I was standing in water in the cabin. Was anybody nearby?

Even before today, the trip back from the Abacos had been plagued with delays and mechanical problems that had me wondering if I would ever complete the remaining thousand miles to Vermont. With dozens of other cruisers we had been pinned down in the Abacos with three weeks of high winds that kept us on the east side of Whale Cay passage. A half dozen cruisers finally convoyed across the Gulf Stream from West End on May 17, the first five hours taking water over the bow in a west breeze gusting to 22 knots. In Vero Beach the water pump packed it in and I replaced it and the dying house battery bank. An inspection of the rigging turned up three cracked swage fittings, including the backstay and port upper shroud. With my old friend Don Steffens joining me in Vero, we pushed on to St. Augustine for repairs as the June rainy season brought the first thunderstorms.

Dream Weaver was hauled in St. Augustine and for two weeks I lived on the hard next to the lift, which roared into life before 7 each morning, an overture to a symphony of grinding, pounding, drilling and roaring engines that continued through the day, slowing somewhat during the ferocious afternoon thunderstorms that roared through northeast Florida every day in the wake of tropical storm Allison. Then the temperature would return to its usual 94 degrees, but with a little added humidity. Finally the standing rigging was replaced, along with the prop shaft, stuffing box and cutlass bearing, which I had correctly suspected was out of alignment.

##

SECTION III

by "The Yacht Docs"

Swimmer’s itch or cercarial dermatitis, is a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction to infection with the larvae of certain parasites released from infected snails. These larvae swim along shallow water at various times during the summer months.

Within minutes to days after swimming in contaminated water, your skin may tingle, burn or itch, followed by small reddish pimples within 12 hours. These pimples may develop into small blisters, and the itching may last up to a week or more, but will gradually go away.

Children are most often affected because they swim, wade and play in the shallow water more than adults, and they usually do not towel themselves dry when they leave the water.

Many factors must be present for swimmer’s itch to become a problem. The snails become infected with certain parasites of birds and mammals, and the larvae are released intermittently. The larvae cannot develop inside a human.

The rash and its itching and tingling may be relieved by the following non-prescription remedies:

corticosteroid cream

cool compresses

bath with baking soda

baking soda paste to the rash

anti-itch lotion

Calamine lotion

colloidal oatmeal baths, such as Aveeno

TRY NOT TO SCRATCH!

1. Avoid swimming in areas where swimmer’s itch is a known problem

2. Avoid swimming near or wading in marshy areas

3. Briskly towel dry or shower immediately after leaving the water

4. Do not attract birds to the area by feeding them

by "The Yacht Docs"

The summer sun of July and August is finally here, and it’s time to get "color" or a tan on the water where there is little shade and the water can reflect 50% of the sun’s rays back at you--Right? WRONG!

Both of sun’s ultraviolet radiation wavelengths (UVA) and (UVB) are harmful and may lead to premature aging (wrinkled, leathery-looking skin), eye damage and cataracts, and most importantly skin cancer. Since 1930, there has been an 1,800% increase in the incidence of malignant melanomas (the most serious of the skin cancers). Currently one in five Americans develops some form of skin cancer. A blistering sunburn can double your lifetime risk of developing melanoma. A family history of skin cancer and chronic exposure to sunlight (as in boating) are also significant contributing factors.

PREVENTION TIPS

1. Avoid midday sun exposure--10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Note that UVA rays are equally as strong early in the morning and late in the day as at noon, and in the fall and spring as in midsummer. UVA is likely to produce a toll through tanning, rather than burning, especially on or near the water.

2. Wear a hat with a 2" to 4" brim--baseball caps don’t do much for those sensitive ears, neck, forehead.

3. Use sunscreens regularly. Read the labels, get one which withstands swimming and sweating. Use one with an SPF(sun protection factor against UVB rays) index of 30. Apply frequently and liberally.

4. Wear loose-fitting. tightly-woven colored clothing, ideally with long sleeves and long pants--try the lines of sportswear especially created for sun protection with an SPF of 30. (A white cotton tee-shirt has an SPF rating of only 5 to 10).

5. Wear sunglasses--preferably ones which are polarized and ultraviolet -protected. Be sure to use one of those colorful strings to keep them attached to you.

6. Use an SPF lip block or consider emulating Dennis Connor and use zinc oxide ointment (the white stuff)on your lips and nose to physically block both UVA and UVB rays.

7. Avoid sun-bathing!!!

A mild sunburn, where the skin is pinkish-red, hurts and is warm to the touch may last 1-3 days and can be treated symptomatically with cool compresses, over the counter topical steroids or other lotions.

A severe sunburn, where the skin is deep red, possibly swollen and/or with blisters may be associated with nausea, fever, chills and may need medical care.

by "The Yacht Docs"

Boaters on Lake Champlain should avoid mosquitoes and prevent mosquito bites. They are a distinct nuisance with resulting itching, swelling and redness at the site of the bite with possible ensuing local infection. In addition, mosquitoes carry various diseases. Until recently, Lake Champlain harbored no disease carrying mosquitoes. That has now changed.

West Nile virus is a virus mosquitoes sometimes transmit to humans. Mosquitoes are infected when they feed on an infected bird. West Nile virus has been confirmed in Vermont and all New York counties bordering Vermont. There is no interstate mosquito barrier!

Most people exposed to the virus do not become seriously ill, having symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, skin rash and swollen lymph glands. More severe cases can lead to encephalitis, an infection of the brain. Symptoms of encephalitis are convulsions, coma, disorientation, and even death.

1. Avoid anchoring near swampy, standing water or wetlands where mosquitoes may breed.

2. Limit on deck time at dawn or dusk, especially in May and June when mosquitoes are most active.

3. Use screens or screening materials in good repair to cover portholes, hatches and the companionway. The breeze can still come through the boat. Kill any mosquitoes found promptly.

4. Use insect repellent that contains DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide). Be sure to carefully follow the directions on the label. DEET can be harmful if overused. It should be applied sparingly, to clothing and exposed areas of skin. It should not be applied to a child’s face or hands, or to skin that is scratched or irritated. Use DEET repellents with concentrations below 10% for children and below 30% for adults. Do not use DEET on infants. Do not use DEET on children under age 3 or in concentrations greater than listed above, without first consulting your health care provider. Cream, lotion or stick formulas are best for applying to areas of exposed skin. Wash skin where DEET was applied when mosquito exposure has ended.

5. Consider spraying screens, using citronella candles and/or bug coils.

6. Pay special attention to any water which collects in a puddle, container, rigging, sails or deck equipment. Egg to wiggler to stinger in FOUR days.

HYPOTHERMIA

by "The Yacht Docs"

Lake Champlain remains cold, or at least cool enough to cause hypothermia, all year round. Therefore, the risk of hypothermia is almost always present.

Apr. 38.2 F July 67.8 F Oct. 55.2 F

May 47.0 F Aug. 70.8 F Nov. 47.4 F

June 59.8 F Sept. 66.2 F Dec. 41.0 F

Falling in the water is only one cause of hypothermia when boating. The cold water temperatures of spring and fall increase the wind chill factor of those on deck.

Last fall on a day with blustery NW winds, a 2-4’ sea in the LCYC anchorage and snow predicted, we watched a sailboat under sail try repeatedly to pick up a mooring which had a dinghy attached with a long line. After several failed attempts, the boat sailed over the dinghy painter, cutting loose the dinghy from the mooring. Finally sails were taken down and a motor turned on. No PFDs were in sight . The next mooring attempt succeeded. Now how to get ashore. The docks and dinghies were all on shore. Luckily someone trailing a dinghy came by, launched it and "rescued" the pair on the sailboat. They were quite cold by this time, and would be colder yet if they had to swim to shore.

It may take 10-15 minutes before the temperature of the heart and brain start to drop when the body is immersed in cold water. Survival in cold water depends on many factors, only one of which is the temperature of the water. By swimming or treading water, a person will cool about 35% faster than if remaining still. An average person, wearing light clothing and a PFD, may survive 2 1/2-3 hours in 50 degree water by remaining still and assuming the huddle position (legs up, arms wrapped around the body).

1. Don’t fall overboard--use all prevention strategies such as not boating alone, no drinking, using a tether when moving about on deck, etc.

2. Wear a PFD.

3. Wear several layers of clothing--consider a wet or dry suit

4. Get hold of anything which floats

5. Get out of the water--back onto a boat if capsized

6. Swim to shore only if certain of success

7. Have a practiced plan and equipment to get yourself or others back on board--ladder, steps, lifesling, trailing line overboard--out of the propeller.

by "The Yacht Docs"

The sobering facts are that alcohol impairs maritime vision performance in several spheres and navigational problem solving.

Studies have shown that deaths resulting from boating-related accidents and deaths frequently involve elevated blood alcohol levels. They have also shown that drinking promotes risk-taking behaviors and impairs balance--a sense already challenged on a boat in the water, at the dock, at anchor or on a mooring or underway. Alcohol exacerbates heat loss and hypothermia by dilating blood vessels.

Many people believe it is o.k. to have a "designated boater" as the captain, but what about the drinking passenger who is at increased risk for falling off a boat or having a boating-related accident regardless of the sobriety of the boat operator? In addition, a variety of surveys of boaters have shown that drinking while boating is much more common than drinking while driving.

In addition to the serious physiologic problems which occur to the boater using alcohol, under Vermont and Federal laws, an intoxicated boater is subject to a prison sentence of one year and/or a substantial fine ($200-5000).

The smart LCYC boater will be judicious in alcohol use, of course. "Sundowners" while cruising are popular, but what about the long, dark night at anchor or the ride home in the dinghy? What about the cold beer on the race course? Knowing some of the facts and practicing safe, sensible boating will prevent the LCYC boater from becoming a Coast Guard statistic.