The introduction of the Biofuels Obligations Act in Ireland has meant that from July 1st 2010 petrol sold in the republic contains 4 to 5% ethanol. This has resulted in some engine failures due to dirty storage tanks. The ethanol acts as a detergent in the petrol and being polar will absorb or be absorbed into water in the petrol depending on the water quantity. The problems caused by ethanol are 1 – Mobilisation of sludge causing engine cutout 2 – Reduction of the octane level in petrol when ethanol separates into water in the bottom of a tank or container 3 – Deterioration of some types of fibreglass tanks 4 – Deterioration of the petrol if standing for months (over winter) 3 – Increased corrosion if water has separated in a metal container or component. The US has added 10% ethanol and the market has adjusted to this by attention to keeping water out, by ensuring standing stored petrol is in full containers and by use of petrol stabilisers – see http://www.goldeagle.com/engine_care/411onethanol.aspx. It may be worth paying attention to ensuring there is no water in your engine’s carburettor or in the fuel tank over winter. Article By:
General A spare washboard can be useful for mounting a chartplotter. If you’re looking for somewhere to mount things temporarily in the cockpit, consider making a replacement lower washboard that can slide into the companionway. It’s a great, secure place to mount a chartplotter for when you want it in the cockpit, or cockpit speakers if you don’t fancy cutting two large holes in the boat. You can even attach cup-holders to it – the possibilities are endless – and all without drilling a single hole in your pride and joy! When planning a trip or day on the water, use the “1/3″ rule for fuel consumption. Plan your trip so that you calculate fuel usage of 1/3 out, and 1/3 back. This will leave you 1/3 of a tank in reserve for those times when wind, waves, or drift make your running time longer than expected. If you are going to bathe in salt water use shampoo. A rich cleaning lather will result. Formula for figuring out how much bottom paint in gallons you’ll need for one coat. One coat = your boat’s LOA x Beam x .85 divided by square feet covered per gallon listed on the paint can. In clear water, to determine your distance from the horizon, use this formula. Distance from the horizon = 1.17 x the square root of the height above the sea in feet. Add a little rice to your salt shaker to help keep the contents flowing easily. Maintenance Every now and then, pour a shot of cooking oil into your marine toilet, especially if it’s difficult to pump. This will lubricate the seals, “O” rings and moving parts. There are a lot of sail and canvas cleaners on the market, but use a mild dish washing liquid if the canvas is in good shape. It’s best cleaned with lukewarm water and mild natural soap. Mix a 1/2 cup of non-chlorine bleach and 1/4 cup of natural soap(not harsh detergent) with one gallon of water. Let it soak in. Use a brush for stubborn stains, then rinse with cold water and allow to air dry. You want to use something mild, that will not weaken the fabric or threads. A product called Mirror Glaze works great on plastic windows. The plastic will last longer if covered from the UV rays. UV rays in a short time will discolour the plastic turning it brown. After cleaning make sure no water is left on the vinyl window, the sun will boil the water and leave a permanent discoloration. To eliminate corrosion, increase durability and improve serviceability of trailer light bulbs, boat running lights, remove each bulb and coat the metal base with grease. To remove mildew from the interior walls of your boat pour two tablespoons of non-chlorine bleach into a spray bottle. Spray then wipe. It cleans the mildew away and will help prevent the mildew from coming back. Inspect fuel tanks annually. Pay particular attention to bottom surfaces which may have been in contact with bilge water. Weather If you’d like to know where the approximate centre of a low pressure area is located (the source of most unstable weather), face the wind and extend your right arm out from your body about 100 degrees (a little further toward your back than sideways). You’ll be pointing at it. If most storms generally approach your local area from the south, west, or southwest, for example, and your arm is pointing in that direction, you can be pretty certain the low is moving in your general direction. On the other hand, if you’re pointing northwest, north, northeast, east, or southeast, the low is probably skirting you, or has already passed. You can then take appropriate action. This method of approximating the centre of a low pressure area is called “Buys-Ballot’s Law”. (And, by the way, if you’re in the Southern hemisphere, use the other arm.) To find the eye of a hurricane, face the wind and with your right hand, point 112 degrees to your right. In the southern hemisphere face the wind and with your left hand, point 112 degrees to your left. Anchoring If you’re anchoring in for the night, be sure and show your anchor light. Check to make sure you have adequate room to swing around your anchor if the wind should change. When your anchor is set and the boat has steadied on the anchor, eyeball a spot in the distance relative to something close to you on the boat. For example, standing in a certain spot, look across one particular cleat toward a signal tower on shore. Then check that same relative position 15 minutes later. If they no longer line up, and you can’t attribute the difference to normal boat swing, you’re probably adrift. Store your ground tackle (anchor, rode, chain) where its fairly accessible. In an emergency, you’ll be glad you’re able to get to it quickly.
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RELEASE DATE 6th May 2010 – GREAT PRODUCT FOR CORK WEEK!!! Go directly to product in the webstore. Developed in conjunction with the Royal Yachting Association, Tough Charts are fully waterproof and designed to be used on open or wet boats. They are A3 in size and spiral bound for convenience. Each Tough Chart consists of around 15 main charts for a specific area, as well as approach plans covering a number of popular harbours in the area. The main charts are based on the 1:50000 scale charts of the area and are magnified for easier reading at speed. A3 spiral bound book, Practical to use, can be written on, 100% waterproof and Simple to update. SC5915 Cork to Kinsale: 1st Edition 5914.1 Seven Heads to Old Head of Kinsale 1:50,000
Amidships – condition of being surrounded by boats. Anchor - a device designed to bring up mud samples from the bottom at inopportune or unexpected times. Anchor Light – a small light used to discharge the battery before daylight. Bare Boat – Clothing Optional. Beam Sea – A situation in which waves strike a boat from the side, causing it to roll unpleasantly. This is one of the four directions from which wave action tends to produce extreme physical discomfort. The other three are `bow sea’ (waves striking from the front), `following sea’ (waves striking from the rear), and `quarter sea’ (waves striking from any other direction). Berth - a little addition to the crew. Boat ownership – Standing fully-clothed under a cold shower, tearing up 100-dollar bills Boom – sometimes the result of a surprise jibe. Boom – Called boom for the sound that’s made when it hits crew in the head on its way across the boat. For slow crew, it’s called `boom, boom.’ Bottom Paint – what you get when the cockpit seats are freshly painted. Chart – a type of map which tells you exactly where you are aground. Clew - an indication from the skipper as to what he might do next. Companionway – a double berth. Course – The direction in which a skipper wishes to steer his boat and from which the wind is blowing. Also, the language that results by not being able to. Cruising – Fixing your boat in exotic locations. Crew – Heavy, stationary objects used on shipboard to hold down charts, anchor cushions in place and dampen sudden movements of the boom. Dead Reckoning – a course leading directly to a reef. Deadrise – getting up to check the anchor at 0300. Deviation – any departure from the Captain’s orders. Dinghy – the sound of the ship’s bell. Displacement – when you dock your boat and can’t find it later. Estimated Position – a place you have marked on the chart where you are sure you are not. First Mate – crew member necessary for skippers to practice shouting instructions to. Flashlight – Tubular metal container used on shipboard for storing dead batteries prior to their disposal Foul Wind – breeze produced by flying turkey. Freeboard – food and liquor supplied by the owner. Gybe – A common way to get unruly guests off your boat. Headway – what you are making if you can’t get the toilet to work. Head up – Leaving the boat toilet seat up. When boat skipper is female, leaving the head up is a serious offense Heave-Ho – what you do when you’ve eaten too much Ho. Jack Lines – `Hey baby, want to go sailing?’ Jibe – either you like it or you don’t and it gets you. Keel – term used by 1st mate after too much heel by skipper. Ketch – A sailboat with good wine in the cabin Landlubber – anyone on board who wishes he were not. Latitude – the number of degrees off course allowed a guest. Mast – religious ritual used before setting sail. Mizzen - an object you can’t find. Motor Sailer – A sailboat that alternates between sail/rigging problems and engine problems, and with some booze in the cabin. Noserly – What to call the wind direction when it comes from where you’re going Ram – an intricate docking maneuver sometimes used by experienced skippers. Sailing - The fine art of getting wet and becoming ill, while going nowhere slowly at great expense. Schooner - A sailboat with a fully stocked liquor cabinet in the cabin Sheet – cool, damp, salty night covering. Shroud – equipment used in connection with a wake. Starboard - special board used by skippers for navigation (usually with “Port” on the opposite side.) Swell – a wave that’s just great. Square Rigger – a rigger over 30.
Ahoy Bar Boom Bulkhead Cabin Calm Channel Current Fitting Out Flipper Flotsam Fluke Galley Gear Gimbals Grounding Hatch Hull speed Jibe Lanyard Leeward Life jacket Mizzen Moon Motor sailor Ocean racing Passage Pontoon Pilotage Port Propeller Radar Regatta Sailing Satellite Navigation Single handed sailing Spinnaker Tides Yardarm
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Even in these modern times of satellites and Internet, the atmospheric pressure measured with a personal barometer remains the most important indication of weather changes at your location. To evaluate present weather or forecast coming weather, we need accurate barometric pressure. Most common barometers on the market are not accurate enough to serve this purpose. They are more decorative than functional. Barometer vs. barograph? Mechanical vs. electronic instruments? Mariners have historically cared only about pressure trends (up or down, fast or slow). These are important observations (if made accurately), but the actual values of the pressure can be even more important in many modern applications. Specific pressure values are the best way to monitor the timing of a forecasted weather system, as well as to evaluate the forecast in general. Target pressures are the key to tactical weather routing, and this can only be done with accurate pressure observations. The above discussion courtesy of Starpath Navigation
The first choice to make is between plastic or metal construction. Today’s low cost metal sextants offer high accuracy and ease of use. These reward the beginner’s efforts, and satisfy the professional’s demands. Plastic models are perfect for lifeboat provisioning,and for restricted budgets. They are also acceptable to some experts who don’t mind making frequent adjustments. The following characteristics of sextants should be considered. NEW OR USED? Older sextants tend to have smaller mirrors and scopes which make them harder to use. Spare parts and maintenance are also more uncertain. Avoid discontinued models (ie. those not shown in this catalog), and those greatly out of date. Purchase only from someone you know and trust, or a reputable dealer. You will find that today’s low cost metal sextants are very competitive with expensive used ones. ACCURACY For all practical purposes, metal sextants are error free when compared to the many uncontrollable errors which may exist from such things as refraction, oblateness of the earth, and data tabulation. Generally, a minute of arc (one mile) is about the best anyone can hope to achieve. For these reasons, undue emphasis should not be placed on extreme accuracy guarantees. Plastic sextants commonly exhibit errors in excess of 5 minutes, even when great care is exercised. Although this is sufficient to make landfalls; precision navigation is difficult, and student progress may be retarded. MIRRORSIZE The size of the mirrors on sextants generally vary directly with the quality of the instrument. Large index and horizon mirrors are desirable because larger mirrors allow more movement of the sextant while taking a sight, and lessen the possibility of losing the image as the body is brought down to the horizon. WEIGHT Sextants are available with their major metal parts made of either aluminum, bronze or brass. The alloys of these metals are well suitable for use at sea. Some people feel that the heavier weight of a bronze sextant provides greater steadiness and hence more accurate readings, especially if it is windy. Others find that the lightweight models are less tiring to their wrist and arm and that the reduced fatigue gives better results. As the observer develops proficiency and speed in sight taking, fatigue becomes less of a factor. Lightweight plastic models can be difficult to use facing into a stiff wind because they tend to “flutter”. SCOPES A 3.5 x 40 scope is a good choice for stars. The large objective 40mm lens admits a great deal of light. The 3.5 power magnification helps you find and maintain stars in view in both calm or pitching seaways. A 6×30 or 7×35 monocular of greater magnification is well suited for sun sights, or the greater heights of eye associated with large ships.The increased magnification allows the sun’s diameter to appear larger, and better defines a more distant horizon. This helps the navigator determine the point of tangency of the sun’s limb and the horizon. The increased magnification however makes finding and holding sights more difficult on a moving deck. A Sight Tube of zero magnification affords a wider field of view for rough weather, horizontal angles, and finding stars. If your sextant is to have only one scope, a 3.5x would be the logical choice for yacht sized vessels.
HORIZON MIRROR Many sextants have an option of either the traditional (half-silvered) horizon mirror or what is called a “whole horizon mirror”. With the traditional mirror, the horizon glass is divided vertically into two halves producing a “split image.” The half nearest the frame is a silvered mirror and the other half is clear glass. In some cases this clear glass is eliminated. A later development in sextant technology is the whole horizon mirror. Using specially coated optics, the whole horizon mirror superimposes both the horizon and the celestial body on the entire mirror with no split image. This greatly simplifies “bringing down” the celestial body and makes it easier to hold the body in view. A draw back to this system is a very slight reduction in light transmission and reflection which may affect marginally lighted observations. Some feel these two aspects are a “trade off; that is, one can more quickly take observations with the whole horizon mirror, and be finished before marginal conditions occur. In general, people on stable platforms such as large ships tend to favor the traditional horizon mirror while those on yachts tend to favor the whole horizon mirror. ILLUMINATION Sextant lighting is the least needed feature on a sextant, since a flashlight should normally be available in any event for recording observations. VALUE Contrary to the adage that you get what you pay for; global exchange rates, tariffs, and labor costs have combined to produce variations in value. In this monetary respect only, we would rate the ASTRA IIIB sextant highest, and the Tamaya sextants lowest in value for the metal sextants. The Davis Mark 15 is the best in value for the plastic models. |
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