Sensible Small Boat Cruising

Comment

Comment by Gail W. on July 24, 2008 at 11:34am

Richard, I just joined this group, and read your story about your heart attack. What a scary thing to go through. I'm so glad you got medical attention quickly and I hope you are doing well. Wishing you good health, fair winds and calm seas.

Comment by Richard on July 16, 2008 at 6:01pm

Wow, I can't believe how this group has grown! But at least I get to keep up with it, thanks to modern medicine.

At a little after 2 a.m. this past Monday morning, I awoke with a burning pain running from my left elbow up through my shoulder, across my chest and down through my right shoulder
and down to my right elbow. And when I say burning I mean it was like someone was branding me. Needless to say I knew something was seriously wrong here. It was
perhaps the second time in a couple of weeks I'd felt it, but we've had a ton of rain and that effects my shoulders with arthritis pain and it went away before. This time it wasn't going away and when I broke out in a cold sweat I knew for sure I was in deep doo doo.

I knocked on my roommates door and told him to get up and take me to the hospital..."I think I'm having a heart attack." I didn't bother calling 911 since we only live six blocks from one of the biggest hospitals in Broward County and we could get there in my car before an ambulance would get to our door.

They drew blood and took a chest xray and proved that I'm a pretty decent diagnostician. I was whisked off to an operating room and they did an angioplasty and inserted three
stents. I spent a day in the Cardio vascular ICU and on Tuesday they transfered me to a regular ward and today, Wednesday, I was released.

I feel fine as I ever did and the doctor gives me an excellent prognosis. Of course I've got to take a bunch of pills now instead of a single lisinopril a day, and one is Plavix at
$153.21 a month.

Well, I guess it all beats the alternative, though.

Comment by Ed, Milinda, Isaiah, Elijah on July 14, 2008 at 3:55am

Any suggestions about a dingy for a 24'. I live and sail in Southeast Alaska where there are plenty of islands and shore is never more than a couple miles away. I have 2 kids, wife and a dog and fishing gear for salmon and halibut so there isn't much room topside.

Comment by Richard on July 13, 2008 at 9:01am

Okay, the main reason for this group is to give each other tips on Sensible Small Boat Cruising, so here's one. . .

We should all know that Rule 5 of the Inland and International Navigation Rules requires that all vessels maintain a "proper lookout at all times by sight and hearing, as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions, so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision."

This presents a problem for singlehanders who are engaged in cruises longer than a day sail. How do you mantain a "proper lookout at all times" when you also need to sleep? I think that if you're fortunate enough to have radar, the alarm feature might allow one to take a much needed nap, but who among us with small boats can 1) afford a radar? 2) have somewhere to mount one? Also, would the alarm be loud enough to wake a napper?

So, what is one to do?

When I was making the passage from Key West to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, and the reverse transit, I was at sea for 5 days going and 3-1/2 returning. You obviously can't stay awake that long. I've read of people who recommend using a cooking timer as an alarm system, but, to me, they don't ring long enough to be really effective. My solution was to buy TWO wind up alarm clocks. I set them both to go off at 12:30, so that when the clock was set to 12:00 they would go off in at the half hour. I slept in the cockpit and wedged the clocks in a little niche between the side of the cabin and the dodger and slept with my head next to them and would nap for a half hour. When they went off I'd arouse myself and check to see what was going on around me. If there was anything in sight I'd naturally stay awake until everything was clear and nod off again. But even this is dangerous when you consider that at the normal speed of most container ships and tankers a ship will go from horizon to horizon in about 18 minutes, but I find that a body needs around a half hour to do any good. The reason for setting the clocks at 12:30 is that even in the dark it's easy to reset them at 12 straight up, and the reason for having two clocks set the same is that they aren't going to actually go off together so if the first one doesn't rouse you the second will ring within a couple of minutes as backup. The system worked well for me.

Comment by Aria on July 11, 2008 at 12:13am

In response to the singlehanded question, except for my first month (when trying to go Galveston to Key West), all my cruising is done single. Have buddied up a few times, usually to help someone out.

Comment by Rebeccaburg on July 10, 2008 at 11:53pm

"Sensible" is definately the word! Didn't know that this great group was a whole nother thing. Already learned some ideas from reading these pages. My boat is truly small, but just right for me. With a 24' waterline on a 31' boat, I just don't go out in the rougher, bigger seas that fellow big boats do. Glad to be here!

Comment by Richard on July 10, 2008 at 1:07pm

Welcome aboard, Ric.

Comment by Richard on July 9, 2008 at 9:49am

Kevin: Let us know what you think about the book. For me it was very influential.

Comment by Kevin on July 8, 2008 at 7:46pm

Just picked up 'Sensible Cruising', let the reading begin!

Comment by ___/)ances With Sails on July 7, 2008 at 7:52pm

No more brew??? I'd say another reason to sail alone, but who likes to drink alone. So, like the weather, we deal with it.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• …
• 13
• Next ›
• Page