About - Page 8 of 21 - Safe Skipper Boating & Safety Afloat Apps for phones & tablets

Safe Skipper – crew management tips

by Simon Jollands | Boat Handling, Communications, Crewing skills, Navigation, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Effective crew briefings are a vital part of the good on-board communication that helps everything to run smoothly on a sailing vessel at sea, whether it is cruising or racing. Involving everyone on board, including children, with sailing a boat will make the...

Preparing for sailboat cruising

by Simon Jollands | Boat Handling, Boat Maintenance, Communications, Crewing skills, Emergencies, Navigation, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Preparing for a sailing trip entails a lot of planning. In this blog, we take a look at some of the many safety aspects that a skipper needs to consider before heading off on a cruise. The degree of preparation, knowledge and equipment needed for cruising will vary...

Five dangers a vessel may encounter at sea

by Simon Jollands | Boat Handling, Boat Maintenance, Communications, Crewing skills, Emergencies, Navigation, Preparation, Yacht ownership

What are the main dangers a vessel may face at sea and what should skippers do to reduce the risk of these happening? Collisions with other vessels The Collision Regulations apply to “all vessels upon the high seas and in all waters connected therewith navigable...

Avoiding personal dangers at sea

by Simon Jollands | Boat Handling, Communications, Crewing skills, Emergencies, Navigation, Preparation, Yacht ownership

In order to stay safe at sea, we need to know the risks we are facing and to be aware of any personal dangers we could possibly encounter. Here are six of the most common potential dangers individual crew members should be aware of. 1. Fatigue, seasickness and...

Safety at sea principles

by Simon Jollands | Boat Handling, Communications, Crewing skills, Emergencies, Navigation, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Safety at sea is not as simple as just spending money adding shiny new emergency equipment such as liferafts, danbuoys, distress flares, EPIRBs and so on. While these items are important, it’s better to view them as an insurance that offers a potential lifeline when...

Nautical paper charts – a reminder of the basics

by Simon Jollands | Crewing skills, Navigation, Preparation, Yacht ownership

In this age of easy to use and highly accurate electronic navigation, conventional paper nautical charts are still regularly used by mariners. Even in cases where electronic charts have replaced them for primary use, paper charts are a reliable backup should the...

Boat interior varnishing

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Boat interiors on the whole are pretty resilient but over time bulkheads, doors, the cabin sole and surfaces become scuffed, stained and suffer general wear and tear due to the marine environment. In an ideal world, the best location to undertake such a project is...

Boat gas system maintenance

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

There are correct types of hose for marine plumbing, sewerage, exhaust, cooling and gas and all hoses should be checked regularly for wear and deterioration. Hose clips should also be checked for corrosion. Nowhere is this more important than with the gas system, so...

Marine toilets – care and maintenance

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

There are a number of different types of marine toilet, or heads. They fall into one of three categories – manual, electric and vacuum, the most common being the manual, hand pumped type. These have double acting piston-pumps which both discharge the waste and flush...

Seacock maintenance

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Seacocks are often awkward to get at, awkward to open and close, and often ignored. Should they fail, the results can prove disastrous. Most seacocks are sited well below the waterline, so they cannot be ignored if your vessel is to remain safe. If seacocks are always...