JANUARY 2016 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 29A QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIPSEAMANSHIPBill’s answer from p26
The vital point missing from the skipper’s briefi ng was to nominate a second in command to take over in case he suddenly
becomes incapacitated. Without an obvious leader, poor old Fred is now likely to get confl icting instructions from both of the watch leaders – the classic nightmare
scenario of order, counter-order, disorder.less dogmatic about how a man overboard was to be recovered. His method may work The skipper’s plan could have been a bit
well for an incident when the boat is close-hauled or reaching under main and genoa, but clearly won’t if she’s sailing downwind with a preventer on the mainsail and a
headsail boomed out or a spinnaker set.wrong at the time of the incident, or what the leaderless crew should do next. No I didn’t actually ask what the skipper did
doubt readers will have their own ideas. The obvious ones are that the skipper was, to say the least, arrogant in his assumption that he would never be the man overboard,and unwise in exposing himself to a risky role while dropping the spinnaker. There are many scenarios that would negate the use of a simple pre-planned man overboard
recovery drill and probably no one plan would cope with all of them. I do hope that nobody reading this thinks that it simply confi rms their opinion that spinnakers are
dangerous and unseamanlike sails because, if sensibly used, they aren’t.I dreamt it up after reading an MAIB report The incident in the question is fi ctitious,
of a tragic accident in which a skipper was lost overboard. One of the so-called ‘lessons learnt’ from the accident, although in that incident it had no direct bearing on
the outcome, was the importance of having a nominated second in command who is immediately prepared to take over if the skipper goes missing or suffers a sudden
and totally disabling accident or illness. husband-and-wife team (little doubt can arise if there is only one of you left), or as a It is not relevant if you always sail as a
family in which there is an established and accepted pecking order. But with a crew who do not sail together regularly and have not worked out between them who is the
‘deputy boss’, it may be an important point to address before putting to sea.‘Properly briefed?’The Berthon Christmas QuizGo online for more about the stocking fi ller prizes and to enter the quiz atQ Q When was Berthon Boat Co Ltd founded? How many berths does the Berthon Lymington
Q Marina now have? How many paint spray jobs (approx.) has Berthoncompleted since it opened its 8000m (^2) facility in 1999?
Q Reverend E.L. Berthon invent? Other than the collapsible lifeboat, what else did the
Can I fi nd old articles?
Q apps. can’t fi nd the articles. How do I fi nd them, and YMI am currently looking at upgrading to a chartplotter but am also considering cheaper iPad navigation has reviewed both recently, but I
is it possible to buy a copy of old articles?Jeff Wrinch
A app came out on top for functionality. We haven’t reviewed chartplotters since January Pippa Park, replies: apps in June 2015, when the iNavX We reviewed iPad navigation YM editorial assistant
2012, so another test is in the pipeline.will be on our website, but you can fi nd a full database of our articles online – click If you want to look at these articles, some
on ‘Search and buy archive articles’ on our website. You can buy back issues and article reprints, but the best solution for the future is to keep up your YM subscription.
How do I clean my fuel?
Q erratic running of the engine. Can I clean up the fuel by recirculating the remaining fuel in the tank through a 10 micron fi lter (or fi ner) The fuel on my yacht has been contaminated with diesel bug, resulting in blocked fi lters and
and adding a diesel bug killer?Steve Huckvale
A cleaning all the surfaces. The problem here is the extent to which the bacteria have adhered Nigel Calder replies: it is diffi cult to fully rid a tank of bacteria without opening it up and Unfortunately,
to tank sides and whether or not the fuel polisher has a high enough fl ow rate to stir up all the contents of the tank.The bacteria grow in the interface between
the water and diesel so you need to make sure there is absolutely no water in the tank. Somehow you have to get a tube down to the very lowest point in the tank and suck out the
contents from here until you get clean fuel. If this is a recent contamination and not too severe, I would then add a kill dose of biocide – a smaller ‘maintenance’ dose will not solve
the problem and may make it worse – and use the highest volume fuel polisher I could fi nd. The 10 micron fi lter is plenty fi ne enough. Add a kill dose of biocide to your next tank refi ll to
knock out any residual bacteria. to within a few millimetres of the lowest point in the tank. I regularly pump a sample from In my tanks, I always install a pump-out line
here to make sure I have no water or other serious contamination.
PHOTO: DAVID WHITE/MARINE 16
Check your fuel tank regularly. Diesel bug can damage far more than just your fi lters
http://www.berthon.co.uk/christmasquiz2015All answers found on the Berthon website
We’re running a Christmas quiz and would like to invite you to win some great prizes, whilst learning more about the Berthon business at the same time.
below, using the Berthon website to help you, then you’ll be in with a chance of winning some early stocking fi llers! If you can answer the simple questions