Catalina Catamaran Cruise, March 25, 26, 27, 2025

We're going to Catalina...and would love to have you come along. Contact Louise, 801-636-5204, to reserve.

There will be no Winter Sailing Seminar this week, Thursday, Feb 13.

DNR, Utah Lake State Park,

 Discontinues Vessel Inpections

NO MORE VESSEL INSPECTIONS WILL BE PERFORMED/REQUIRED BY UATH LAKE STATE PARK. 2025

And now the pendulum swings back the other way. Although I was not a huge fan of vessel inspections, I feel it was the way these inspections were administered, rather than the concept of making sure boaters had a handle on what a safe boat was all about.

My concern now is with a vacuum of sorts. Just like the Home Alone kid watching Snakes terminate the competition on late night TV, while stuffing his face with Rocky Road and staying up late, we too may fall prey to the vacuum of no more inforced DNR rules (sort of).

You can tell by the length of this post, that I intend to stuff that vacuum full of safety ideas for you to digest…much like Kevins ice cream gorging.

I have not done a RANT LIKE THIS before, and don’t plan on doing it again. So sit back and enjoy. Maybe break it up into a couple of days. But it really was constructed as sharing time, with all the safety issues I have experienced or learned from over the years. 

THE RANT

Sea Bag (Contents : meds, sun screen, proper foulies, (rain gear), snacks, water, sun hat, dark glasses, knife, gloves, layers for warmth, headlamp, charging cords for phone, towel, soap, toilet paper, small first aid kit, warm socks, etc.

Cell phone in waterproof case

Fire extinguisher, (Expiration date ?, shake to “fluff up contents),

Fire blanket (Fire blankets don’t expire).

Anchor hung on bow, ready to deploy, with correct ground tackle.

Navigation lights (red, green, and white stern). Steaming light when under-way, under- power.

Anchor light when at anchor at night. Replace halogen light bulb with LED bulb. Your battery will last through the night, and still have enough power to make a VHF call, if necessary.

Flares (especially when ocean sailing).

Radio (OK to do radio check each time you go out. Make sure you understand proper use of VHF 16. Mayday, Pan-Pan, Securitay). Mayday transmission is only transmitted in cases of extreme emergency. Life and death stuff.

PFD (If self-inflating, replace “bobbin” according to manufacturer’s instructions).

Get rid of state required emergency oar. Learn how to “skull” your boat by moving the tiller back and forth. Much more effective than trying to paddle a sailboat anywhere. Try maneuvering your boat with an oar and see how that works for you.

Head lamp for hands free illumination. Red light option is desirable to preserve night vision.

First aid kit. Amend your kit with “Bonine” sea sick tablets. Neosporin and Hydrogen Peroxide. Purchase “medical grade” tweezers for your kit. Store-bought kits come with plastic tweezers (really ?) that don’t work.

Emergency food and water.

Careful inspection of standing rigging. How old is your rig?

Do some research on standing rig “tuning”. Momma bear. Not too tight and not too loose. Just right.

Chain plates. Tighten securing hardware as needed.

I think there’s a Bob Dylan tune about you don’t need a “windex” to know which way the wind blows. But it will help your tacking and jibing and wing-on-wing and pointing and heaving-to, and, and, and. I guess it could qualify as a “safety gadget”. If your spring sailing is anything like mine, some days I watch the wind at the top of my mast literally spin around in circles as I am trying to trim for lift, and all I really get is frustration. Time to get out the Brasso and shine some brass down below decks. A windex improves my mental health.

Tiller and rudder robustness. Pintles and Gudgions security. If your tiller has ever broken off in your hand, you may find it comforting to know you have a spare somewhere in the V berth.

Jack Lines, chest harness, tether. Solo and night sailing.

On board stove for warm drinks. Leak proof fuel storage.

Navigation app. (For night sailing, fog, storm, disorientation). Navionics (shows depths, etc).  SailFreeGps app.

Tools. Don’t get me started. You can never have enough boat tools. I have found a good cordless drill and multitool (oscillating) to be invaluable on the boat.

Bilge pump with float switch.

Life lines in good shape. Dyneema works fine as a replacement.

GPS.  Dedicated navigation tool or backup.

Deck shoes (So important for sailing safety). A “sticky” non-marring comfortable shoe. Must be grippy in wet and dry conditions. Don’t think of your running shoes as deck shoes. New, quality deck shoes should be dedicated to sailing only. Slipping on a pitching deck can result in painful or worse consequences. Skateboard shoes actually seem to work great on slippery decks. Clean the bottom of your deck shoes periodically. That fine layer of dust from walking across the parking lot, acts like little ball bearings on the bottom of your shoes, affecting “grip”.

CPR proficiency. First aid training. Recognize hypothermia, sun stroke, other medical emergencies.

Sound maker. Whistle, air horn, kazoo, whoopie cushion if all else fails (night and fog).

Tow rope. May not be just for you.

Boat hook. Get a good one…the more boat bucks the better. Sturdy.

Hand bilge pump. Bucket and sponge.

Proficiency and skill in shortening sails quickly. Practice, practice, practice.

Furling jib will reduce your big genoa faster than a hanked on jib.

Recognize dangerous weather conditions. Watch other boats who have seasoned skippers for signs of when to return to safe harbor. Have respect for high wind warnings from the weather app “Windy Lookout” This is a real time weather report from weather stations surrounding Utah Lake. These clouds should get your attention when out on the lake: Cumulonimbus (dak bottom clouds), Virga.

Don’t mess with lightning. If it’s closer than 5 miles, you need to seek shelter. Get off the lake.

Know navigation buoy shapes and colors and placements. The state rangers have been known to incorrectly place nav buoys on Utah Lake.

Spare lines for repairing stuff. KNOW YOUR KNOTS. PRACTISE YOUR KNOTS. BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR KNOT TIEING SKILLS.

Know how to perform a MOB maneuver, especially in challenging conditions. PRACTISE, PRACTISE, PRACTISE.

Marlin spike knife. Needs to be sharp (enough to cut ½” line). Carry it with you EVERYWHERE. Just remember to remove it to a safe location when going through TSA (Ask me how I learned this trueism)

Ships batteries fully charged (especially before a night sail)

Emergency sleeping bag, warm blanket (Polypropylene, warm when wet)

Emergency (spare) pull cord for outboard engines. Know how to replace this item before your pull cord breaks…because it will.

Barometer. Falling needle is telling you a storm is coming.

Right of way (The main three examples: Starboard vessel is stand on. Windward vessel is give way. Overtaking vessel is give way).

Auto pilot when solo sailing, or long distances. Reduces fatigue.

Life ring or Type IV flotation devices (throwable square cushions).

Swim ladder for MOB egress into boat. How do you get back in the boat, if somehow you manage to get yourself outside the boat?

Consider filing a float plan when making multi-day or dangerous passages.

Auxiliary (Engine Outboard / inboard). You take care of it, and it will take care of you. Change the oil frequently (Cheap insurance). Change the spark plugs each year. Change the water impeller regularly. Change thermostat regularly (The dealership said to do this regularly when I noticed gas in my engine oil. ???, yeah really. It was a for real fix). If your pull cord (on OB) is starting to fray, fix it before it fails. If your cooling water stream is weak, you may have a bug nest in your water tube. Use a straightened paper clip to break up the nest. Next year, put tape over all holes in your boat when “on the hard”. Diesels are happy when they have regular oil changes too. If there is a filter on your inboard diesel, (air, oil, fuel, water) change it often. Again, cheap insurance.

How old is your ships battery? Keep a maintenance section in your logbook for this sort of info. (What…you don’t keep a logbook?). Well, you could look up that stuff in your logbook, and you wouldn’t be stuck out in the dark on that cold autumn night, when trying to get in that last sail before the lake ices over. And too bad your OB didn’t start because your pull cord broke. No worries, you can drop the anchor and pull out that nice warm sleeping bag and spend the night.

Maybe consider a carbon monoxide alarm if you overnight on your boat.

Know your limits, as well as your boats limits. Common sense is your best safety item. As Master and Commander of your vessel, through time immemorial, the skipper has been responsible for ship and crew. You are in charge. What items do you consider important for a safe sailing vessel? Now that the state is not requiring a boat safety inspection, we can assume the important responsibilities of our own vessel security and safety.

You may have noticed I have omitted some of the items the state required on their, (used to be), vessel safety inspection. And I stand corrected, the state actually performed a “vessel inspection”. Why would I confuse that with safety? How does: registration certificate, bow numbers, currant registration stickers, proof of liability insurance, verified capacity info, adequate ventilation (Huh?), Hull I.D. number…have anything to do with safety.

I recall back in the early days when I first put my boat in to Utah Lake, the ULSP rangers brought a DNR boating specialist down from Salt Lake just to inspect my boat. He was very nice but somewhat apologetic that he didn’t know much about sailboats. (red flag).  So he brought along a thick DNR book that explained each and every item a sailboat should have/conform to. The strangest “ding” I received was that my Catalina 27 had a life line that was too high. It had to be exactly 18” above the deck. This boat obviously came from the factory this way, but the ranger was insistent that the book said it was not in compliance with the DNR printed page. (How could that be?) He said he would have to come back the following day to finish the vessel inspection. Yes, it really took 2 days because he, very nicely, tore the boat apart looking for more dings. Maybe that’s where I got the idea that these annual inspections were all (well, mostly all) about safety.

Bonneville School of Sailing
www.bonnevillesailing.com
801.636.5204