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Cruising Life
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Anatomy of a Man Overboard Fatality

Here’s a MARS report case study about the death of a man who fell overboard while rigging the pilot ladder on a commercial ship. MARS is the Mariners’ Alerting and Reporting Scheme, a confidential reporting system run by The Nautical Institute to allow full reporting of accidents without fear of identification or litigation. As a result, there are no names or details. But the report, printed in Marine Insight, is eye-opening for anyone going offshore: A bulk carrier in ballast was making way at 7 knots in a traffic separation scheme (TSS). The pilot ladder was being prepared on the…

Cruising Life
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How To Avoid Submerged Dangers

Here’s some great advice from Skipper Tips about how to spot, and avoid, submerged jetties or piers or other underwater dangers: What two little known sailing hazards could damage your boat’s hull, crack your keel, or mangle your propeller shaft or rudder? Make sure that you mark these dangers of the deep on your nautical chart or electronic chart plotter. Scan any chart in sheltered waters and you might see submerged jetties, sunken piers, or hidden ‘groins’ (more on this later). Set your sailing course to clear these dangers by a mile or more if possible. Note the slight differences between…

Cruising Life
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Tony Fleming: Back in Alaska on Venture

Tony Fleming, the founder of Fleming Yachts, is one of the most experienced, and capable, cruising people I know. Over the years, Tony also has developed a worldwide following for the writing, photos and videos based on his voyages on Venture, his personal Fleming 65. Here’s his latest, starting in Auke Bay, near Sitka, Alaska. June 24th Friday We arise just after 0600 and leave for the fuel dock at 0735. We take on 475 usg @ $5.52 per gallon. We depart Auke Bay fuel dock at 0810. We pass the small town of Hoona which has three cruise ships…

Cruising Life
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How To Prepare for a Hurricane

Hurricane season is now well underway, and NOAA says it will be more active than normal. Here’s some great advice from America’s Boating Club (formerly the U.S. Power Squadrons) about how you can make your boat ready for the storm: Hurricane preparation for boaters can help protect your boat during the predicted above-normal 2022 hurricane season. If you live in a hurricane-susceptible area, you need to create a hurricane plan for your boat. First, ask your marina about its hurricane plan and what procedures are in place to handle major storms. This will help you formulate your own plan. Given…

Cruising Life
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China Starts Sea Trials for Autonomous Ship

China just launched a fully autonomous, “revolutionary” research ship that is powered by artificial intelligence and that the director of the Southern Ocean Laboratory there calls a new “marine species.” The ship, Zhu Hai Yun, can carry drones, submersibles and smaller ships on its deck to carry out marine research, and can navigate the ocean waters via remote control. The state-owned Science and Technology Daily said the ship is equipped with an Intelligent Mobile Ocean Stereo Observing System (IMOSOS), described as a one-of-a-kind artificial intelligence system. The Zhu Hai Yun is 290 feet long, with a 45-foot beam and a…

Cruising Life
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Do You Need an EPIRB or Just a PLB?

Do you need a PLB or an EPIRB to keep you and your crew safe this summer? Here’s the answer from BoatUS: ANNAPOLIS, Md., June 14, 2022 – The proliferation of personal locator beacons (PLBs), whose diminutive size belie their enormous on-water safety advantage, are no longer thought of exotic rescue electronics. “PLBs are user-friendly and easy to maintain, and we are seeing more boaters using them as a mainstream rescue device,” said BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water Assistant Director of Boating Safety Ted Sensenbrenner. However, do recreational boaters fully understand the difference between a PLB and…

Cruising Life
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Ten Tips for a Safe Boating Season

Boating season is well underway across the United States, with more and more people (including many new owners) taking to the water. The National Marine Manufacturers Association even predicts that more people will buy new boats this year than did in 2021. It’s going to be busy out there, and staying safe is taking on a new emphasis. Here are ten tips from Sea Tow about how to do that: Have a checklist. Before leaving the dock, have a pre-departure checklist to review all critical systems (i.e.: engine check, battery levels, fuel levels, etc.). Don’t solely rely on the fuel…

Cruising Life
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Lock Closure on Illinois Waterway

The Brandon Road Lock and Dam in the Joliet area of the Illinois Waterway will have restricted passage until August 14, and then a full closure from August 15 to September 4. Anyone planning on the Great Loop needs to schedule accordingly. The Illinois Waterway connects Lake Michigan/Chicago, with the Mississippi. Here is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ schedule for closures along that waterway this year and in 2023: 2022 Brandon Road Lock and Dam – Upper Bulkhead Recess Installation Restriction period/partial closure (will pass traffic under a 70′ width restriction from 6pm-6am): May 9-Aug. 14, 2022 Full closure: Aug. 15-Sept.…

Cruising Life
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Explore the Monitor, and More, with NOAA

Now you can explore the remains of the Civil War ironclad Monitor, built for the Union Navy, and lots of other underwater wrecks and reefs, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (The Monitor’s bow, resting on the North Carolina seafloor, is pictured above.)  Here’s NOAA’s announcement: Beginning May 15, the public can join NOAA scientists and partner researchers as they explore the shipwreck of the USS Monitor, natural reefs and the maritime cultural landscape off the North Carolina coast. The two week mission — titled “Valor in the Atlantic” — will use state-of-the-art, remotely-piloted submersibles and other technologies to…

Destinations
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Groundbreaking for Big New Lauderdale Marina

Here’s the official announcement from the City of Fort Lauderdale about the start of a new $70 million Las Olas Marina, the future home of the Lauderdale show:  The City of Fort Lauderdale and SunTex Marinas broke ground on the new Las Olas Marina Thursday as part of a public/private partnership. In addition to being the future location of the expanded Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the iconic marina will redefine the Fort Lauderdale waterfront featuring fine dining, boutique retail, state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements, and lush pedestrian-friendly landscape. The $70 million project will be built and paid for by SunTex Marinas…

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