 |
|
Links to Torresen.com Home Page: Subscribe to ATWOS
Around the World of Sailing
30 May 2001
News: Torresen Spring Series
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/my/0530/ms.htm
With the passing of Memorial Day, sailboat racing is in season
on Muskegon Lake. This past weekend saw the start of Muskegon
Yacht Club's Spring Series sponsored by Torresen Marine.
A total of 5 races were held over 2 days. Ten boats started
under the new 5-4-1-0 sequence on Saturday. Three races were
sailed in east-southeast winds with mostly overcast skies.
Top performers for the day were Hippy Chick in Division 1 with
finishes of 1st,1st and 2nd. In Division 2 and 3 Ricochet and
Mojo both took a trio of 1sts.
Sunday saw 2 more races sailed in NW winds, rain and 50°
temperatures. The fleet grew by 3 boats. Bill Newman's
Aftershock scored a 2nd and a 1st to take the Division 1
lead from Hippy Chick. Ricochet again posted a perfect score
line with 2 1sts. Division 3 saw Mojo win the 1st race, with
Puffin-Tralee winning the 2nd race.
The Spring Series takes a week off. Single races are scheduled
for 9 & 10 June.
Links:
Spring Series Coverage
http://www.torresen.com/races/torresen_spring_series/2001/index.html
Muskegon Yacht Club
http://www.muskegonyachtclub.org/
Theme: First Aid and CPR
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/my/0530/ms.htm
This month's series of theme articles focus on different
elements of on water safety. The final article in this
series considers why it's important for sailors to know
first aid and CPR.
Although sailors no longer make passages of 100's of days
with no hope of outside communication, self-sufficiency
should still be an aim. Sailing is a sport where unexpected
situations, accidents and plain bad luck can lead to onboard
injury. With modern technology help can be quickly summoned.
However, to enhance safety you should be First Aid and CPR
trained so you can handle situations while you await
professional help.
A time investment of 8 hours will pay off in a 3 year First
Aid certification and a 1-year CPR certification. You will
learn how to care for scrapes, cuts and sprains. You'll know
the proper way to bandage a wound. care for burns and more.
In the CPR portion of the course you'll learn what to do if
a person can't breathe or is without a pulse.
In addition to unexpected on the water situations you will
be better prepared while ashore. You can never tell when
this knowledge will allow you to perform in an emergency
situation.
Race organizers recognize the value of these skills. The
Sydney to Hobart race has this clause in their sailing
instructions, "two crew members shall have a senior first
aid certificate or higher." The Offshore Racing council has
this recommendation for all levels of racing, "It is
recommended that at least two members of the crew be
currently certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation."
For races in Categories 0 (Trans oceanic races) and 1
(long distance races without expectation of outside help).
The Offshore Racing Council recommends that a minimum of
30% of a crew be trained in CPR and first aid. Again the
ORC is an organization that studies safety, and their
recommendation on training should be heeded by sailors.
Each boat in the upcoming Volvo Ocean race will have
2 crew that are trained as medics. Among the requirements,
a first aid certificate. Volvo race organizers say that
well trained medics make a team, "more confident and safer."
For an 8-hour investment you too can take to the water
confident about emergencies and with a level of greater
onboard safety.
In future articles we will cover medical aspects of the
Volvo Ocean Race, what should be in your onboard first aid
kit and information about Red Cross first aid and CPR classes
offered by Torresen Marine.
To find a CPR and First Aid class near you contact the
American Red Cross on the web at
http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/
News: Detroit NOOD Preview
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/my/0530/ms.htm
Beginning Friday, over 1200 sailors will take to Lake St. Clair
for the annual Detroit edition of Sailing World's NOOD regattas.
Over 225 boats will sail in 22 classes. There will be one design,
level and handicap classes with racing concluding Sunday.
The largest class is the Cal 25 class. Defending champion
Tom Schreiber and Anni Maye are entered. Another double
digit entry class is the J 105 with 18 boats. This is the
first time this class has participated in the Detroit NOODS.
Hobie 33s will compete for their 2001 National Championships,
with Stealth the defending champion entered, Express 27s
will race for their Great Lakes Championship defending
champion Lorax and Muskegon's Trim are entered and the
Mumm 30s will race the first stop on their six-event
Great Lakes circuit, which includes a pair of events
in Muskegon.
In addition to typical trophies for winning boats presenting
sponsor Farmers Insurance Group will grant the Farmers Family
Award to the top-scoring family crew at the conclusion of the
regatta.
Torresen Sailing Site will provide daily reports during this regatta.
Links:
Entries
http://www.sailingworld.com/nood/2001/06_detroit/entries.html
Torresen Sailing Site Coverage
http://www.torresen.com/races/nood/detroit/2001/
News: Boat Smart
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/my/0530/ms.htm
Boat Smart is a weekly column written by Chief Tom Rau,
Group Grand Haven, U.S. Coast Guard and appears in a number of
newspapers. Chief Rau has been writing and promoting safe boating
since 1986. Many of his columns are taken from real life experiences
from Station Muskegon, where Chief Rau is currently serving, or
from the Group Grand Haven Area of Responsibility.
Rescue responders offer advice for 2001 boating season
By Senior Chief Tom Rau, Coast Guard Group Grand Haven, MI
So what important points or issues would you stress if you were
standing before an assembly of boaters or water enthusiasts?
I recently directed this question to fellow coasties, Coast Guard
Auxiliarists, U.S. Power Squadron folks, marine sheriff deputies
and DNR agents along Lake Michigan's Eastern Shore. It's the
same question I asked them at the end of the boating 2000 season.
I received a lot of constructive feedback then and now and I
couldn't think of a better way to kick off National Safe Boating
Week and the 2001 boating season on Lake Michigan than to share
their views with you.
Cold Water Late April found Coast Guard Group Grand Haven and
Station Ludington personnel involved in the search for a wind
surfer off Little Sable Point, Lake Michigan. Warm gusty winds
and ice-cold waters apparently had overwhelmed a solo wind surfer.
Loved ones, concerned after he failed to show up after many hours,
notified the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard boat crew later found
his body near Ludington; the crew reported water temperatures in
the mid thirties.
A week later a Coast Guard crew off Michigan City plucked another
wind surfer from the water. The Coast Guard coxswain reported
that the operator wore a heavy insulated wet suit but cold water
and fatigue got the best of him. He too was alone but fortunately
survived. Wind surfers face two deadly foes: fatigue and cold
water which when combined can over overcome the best, including
the wind surfer off Michigan City who reportedly is a wind surfer
instructor. Don't let warm temperatures fool you into thinking
waters are the same. They're not. Recent water temperatures
along Lake Michigan's eastern shore averaged in the low fifties.
That's cold! Rescuer responders urge wind surfers and jet skies
not to go out alone, but if they do at least have a spotter on
shore watching them.
Life Jackets I'm not going to mince words on this one nor do any
of my fellow rescue responders. If you go out alone into Lake
Michigan in a boat and do not wear a life jacket you are nuts.
It's fine if solo boaters care to play the fools role by not
wearing life jackets, but it's not fine for your loved ones
who must agonize over your loss- and I literally mean loss-
since in some cases the body is never recovered. This was
the case on Lake Michigan with several solo small boat
operators who went overboard last summer.
But even wearing life jackets can have its drawbacks and
one major problem rescuers point out is color. Dark green
and blue life jackets are very difficult to see in Lake Michigan
waters. Coast Guard pilots point out that some sort of
illumination device like a strobe light or glow stick would
greatly enhance the chance of spotting a person in the water
at night, especially with their night vision goggles. Surface
rescuers recommend that boaters carry a whistle, which reaches
far beyond the eye at night.
Flares Many boaters carried the appropriate number (three),
but boarding officers often discovered flares had expired.
Coast Guard approved flares are stamped with an expiration
date. Rescuers advise boaters to check to make sure the
flare date is current.
Hoax Calls Last boating season, Coast Guard stations on
Lake Michigan responded to 147 hoax calls, at a cost in
excess of $100,000. These prankster calls tie up scant
resources that may be urgently needed elsewhere. Worse yet,
pursuing these false alarms wear down crews. Coast Guard
Stations from Michigan City to Frankfort were shut down
30 times because crews exceeded fatigue boat standards.
Hoax calls played a heavy part in many of these crew shut
downs. If this mindless behavior offends you, imagine how
boat crews, Group rescue coordinators, and fellow rescue
agencies feel about these idiots that mock our commitment
and your safety. The Coast Guard is accelerating efforts
to acquire electronics that will home in on these callers
and thus land them a just home behind bars. And we will.
Marine Radios Youngsters make many of the hoax calls.
Group Grand Haven rescue coordinators suspect that adults
are leaving their marine radios unsecured and that kids being
kids are having their way with the radio. Furthermore, they
suspect many of these calls are coming from inland trailered
boats. Parents, make sure you secure your radio when away.
By the way, guess who pays the bills for Coast Guard resources,
heavy fines and possible prison time resulting from a hoax?
Not the kids. Believe me, there will be no mercy when we
apprehend these pranksters.
The Coast Guard urges boaters to continue using Channel 09
as their hailing frequency between fellow boaters. By using
Channel 09 boaters have allowed Channel 16 to resume its
primary role as an emergency and distress frequency. We
realize that not everyone knows about Channel 09, so this
year we will continue our public awareness message. You can
certainly help, by spreading the word.
More To Follow Already we are running out of space here and
there is so much more important information my fellow rescue
responders would like to share, so next week we'll be back
with advice that we promise will help you boat smart.
Until then, please do.
Link: http://www.boatsmart.net/