Around the World of Sailing

11 September 2002

Event News: Round Great Britain Record
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/news/atwos/2002/se/0911/ms.htm

After Orange's near miss on the Round Great Britain record,
two of her fellow very large multihulls attacked the same
course recently. Both beat the existing record set by Steve
Fossett's Lakota, a 60-foot trimaran. However, as is the
nature of records only one boat gets credit for the new
record.

Maiden 2 is the new record holder in a time of 4 D 17 H 23
S, averaging 15.8 knots achieving a Sailing Record Score of
601.25. Maiden 2's time was 28 hours superior to the
previous time. Geronimo the first of the new generation
configured as a trimaran covered the course in 4 days
22 minutes 5 minutes 52 seconds. Maiden 2 skipper Brian
Thompson described the voyage this way: "The boat was really
good and we only broke a few battens on the trip. The crew
have been fantastic and it was great training for everyone."

Unusually for these information laden times both boats did
not disclose their position. They obviously both sought a
competitive advantage over the other by not communicating.

While records were being set Orange the current Jules Verne
record holder was dismasted. This as the sister ship to
Maiden 2 prepared for a series of record attempts in the
Mediterranean.

Links:
Orange's Near Miss
http://www.rowingreporter.com/linky/ag02/index.htm#19
Maiden 2
http://www.maiden2.com/
Geronimo
http://www.grandsrecords.com/ker/rec/en/evenementiel/homepage_flash.htm

Theme Article: Varnishing Part 1
http://www.torresen.com/news/atwos/2002/se/0911/ms.htm

In Michigan we are starting haul out/layup season. Along
with buttoning the boat up for the winter, many let winter
double as project time. A good winter project is to take
varnished items such as floor boards and drawers home.

Working with wood and varnishing is part science, part black
art. There are many variables including environment,
humidity etc. See below for some basics.

Once home, be prepared to spend more time preparing the
surface to be varnished than you spend on applying the
varnish. The quality of the varnish job depends on the
preparation!

Starting from bare wood use #320 sand paper to get a smooth
surface. Sand parallel to the grain. From old varnish, in
good condition 220 should do the job. Make sure that there
is NO shine left from the old varnish.

Brushes depend on personal preference. Choices include
bristle and foam brushes.

I've had great success using Interlux #333 brushing liquid
applied before each coat as directed on the can.

Starting from bare wood I use varnish thinned 50% for the
first coat. My varnish work has been with oil varnish though
poly varnish givers good results.

How many coats? From bare wood five coats gives good depth.
Doing an annual varnish job I find that one coat does it for
us in our northern environment. Maybe a second coat in the
sunny south with longer sailing season. Two coats on steps
and other areas such as companion way steps that are worn
down by heavy use.

Almost essential is a work space that can be kept dust free.
Also avoid varnishing in warm bright sun. That last can
cause some big deep puckers that take lots of elbow to sand
out.

Enjoy your sanding/varnishing !

Links:
3M Sand Paper
http://www.3m.com/product/s_index/Sandpaper,_3M(TM)_Production(TM)_(NA)_00.jhtml#TopOfPage
Interlux Brushing Liquid
http://us.yachtpaint.com/usa/product_guide/thinners/US_brushing_liquid_333.asp?ComponentID=9874&SourcePageID=13285#1

Event News: Around Alone Off this Week
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/news/atwos/2002/se/0911/ms.htm

By next week the Around Alone fleet sailors will be solo in
the North Atlantic. Before they reach that state there are
a few obligations that lie in between.

For all there is the Around Alone prologue from Newport to
New York which starts @ 1600 on Thursday. This will
essentially be a delivery race to the official staring point
in New York. For this overnight voyage crew and a media
person will be allowed on board.

For others there are varying amounts of last minute details.
These include safety inspections, measurement certificates,
securing insurance, all readying for the huge undertaking.

Once details are finished and the prologue is completed the
official race start will take place in New York. The fleet
will be docked at the Intrepid Museum, which as with Around
Alone is celebrating it's 20th anniversary. On 15 September
@ 1200 Around Alone will start serving as the final event of
Sail For America a nautical commemoration of the events of
9.11.01.

Leg 1 will take the sailors across the Atlantic to Torbay
England. This is the shortest of 5 legs at 2930 miles. It
could be completed by the fastest boats in 10-11 days. For
the first time Around Alone will be scored via points earned
on each leg rather than overall elapsed time. 1st place in
each class will receive 10 points per leg, 2nd place 9 etc.

Two skippers will carry penalties for arriving late in
Newport (John Dennis) and arrive late + not meeting the
deadline for a qualifying voyage (Graham Dalton). Dennis'
penalty is 1 h 47 Minutes while Dalton's is a whopping 60 h
59 minutes. These respective times will be added to their
Leg 1 times.

Stay with ATWOS throughout Around Alone for weekly coverage.

Links:
Safety Inspection
http://www.spiritofcanada.net/release_2002_09_04.html
Insurance Needed
http://www.oceanplanet.org/news/newport_02/update_09_07_02.htm

News: Boat Smart
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/news/atwos/2002/se/0911/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 St. Joseph/South Haven, where
Chief Rau is currently serving.

Your expired flares could be useless

By Senior Chief Tom Rau, Coast Guard Group Grand Haven, Mi.

I've read about, talked with, and listened to experts
explain why visual distress signals may fail after they
exceed their three-year useful life. Such advice made sense,
however, staying true to my namesake- Thomas- I had my
doubts.

That is until….

After conducting a recent night-time visual distress
exercise on Lake Michigan, I'm here to testify that expired
distress flares can, indeed, be useless. Coast Guard
personnel aboard a 47-foot motor lifeboat and members of the
Coast Guard Auxiliary on shore fired off more than 50 visual
distress flares, the same flares carried on recreational
boats.

Of the 51 flares we launched, 12 failed. In other words, 23
percent were duds! All the flares, except one, carried
expired dates, some dating back to 1994. The only currently
dated flare that failed expires in September 2002.

Not only do experts advise that expired flares might fail,
but burn time, candle power, and altitude reach may be
compromised by age as well. That proved to be the case as
some flares failed to reach prescribed altitudes, others
fizzled out short of their burn time, and a few didn't
ignite until far into the night sky.

Were these weaker flares less effective? From three miles
off shore, they definitely drew shore-side eyes like a red
traffic light announcing its presence above a dark country
road intersection. Imagine though, if that intersection
light or an expired flare failed- oh my!

A flare's expiration date is stamped on the visual distress
device. Contrary to boater scuttlebutt, the manufacturer
does not set the three-year useful life, but rather the
Coast Guard who follows the recommendations of certified
independent laboratories. These laboratories demand that
manufacturers meet certain standards.

According to Frank Amodeo, an official at Orion Signals, a
major manufacturer of visual distress signals, independent
inspectors routinely visit his plant. The random test,
finds inspectors selecting samples from various production
lots. They then place the flares into an oven set at 174
degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours. Then they submerge them
under four inches of water for 24 hours, then they uncap and
submerged them again, with the "ignite button" exposed to
water, for an additional five minutes. They wipe dry the
flares and ignite them using the submerged strikers.
Following that, they expose them to high heat humidity
conditions in a 'jungle room' environment. So why then do
flares expire?

According to Amedeo, like camera film or pharmaceuticals,
their proper performance relies on the interaction of a
chemical composition, which can be influenced by a "hostile"
marine environment. According to Amedeo, the U.S. military
conducted a test of small-arms primers. The ignition system
used to fire a bullet or shell is similar to aerial flare
ignitions. Their studies revealed a dramatic ignition
failure after three years.

Also a flare's effectiveness, whether new or old, is
influenced by care. Any flare, handheld or aerial, regardless
of its age, can be difficult to ignite, or fail to at all
depending on care. It is advisable to check flares for
moisture exposure and other negative environmental
influences- not just at season's start, but throughout it.

Although flare failures stood out most during the flare
demonstration other concerns drew attention.

Instructions. Flares are simple to light off, if familiar
with the device. I've fired off a number of Coast Guard
distress flares even while being heaved about in 4-6 foot
seas, but I always held training before entering the water
to fire off the device. And likewise with the commercial
flares, we reviewed the steps before launching them. Simple,
yes, but, imagine fumbling with an unfamiliar explosive on a
heaving deck, at night while trying to read instructions- no
thank you. Reading the simple instructions that accompany
flares and becoming familiar with their use will lead to
safe and productive use.

Safety. When launching an aerial flare, turn your head away
from the flare. Do not watch it fire off. It could misfire
and burn your eyes. When gripping a handheld aerial
launcher, do so with your index finder on top of the flare
tube and your thumb at the bottom. That will draw your hand
upward when you pull the ignition chain. When holding a
handheld flare, hold it over the side of the boat and
downward to avoid hot ash from oozing down the flare onto
your hand.

Familiarize crew. Instruct crewmembers on the flare usage.
It can be fun and it will refresh your skills.

Save one for the rescuer. Do not fire off all your flares at
once. Save one for the rescue boat. Personally, I recommend
boaters carry three aerial and three handheld fares. The
aerials can be seen from 16-20 miles away, the handheld
around 5 miles. The aerials burn between 5-10 seconds, the
handhelds around 2 minutes. If rescuers are within 5 miles
the 2-minute hand-held flares will lead them to you.

Follow-up. If you fire off a flare and no longer require
assistance, notify authorities immediately to avoid a
needless search. Also, you needn't be in a life-threatening
situation to fire off a flare. Recently, the Coast Guard
assisted a couple adrift in their disabled boat off New
Buffalo, Michigan after they fired off a flare.

Winter Storage. It's advisable to store your flares in a
dry, safe environment during winter. Treat fares as if they
were a firearm; keep them away from children.

Expired flares. It's okay to keep them aboard but make sure
you carry three with current dates. Light off the old ones
first then the new ones.

Remember, check your flares to make sure they are current,
become familiar with their use, and keep them dry and
readily available. In short, Boat Smart- don't you become
useless when it comes to flare usage.

Links:
Boat Smart
http://www.boatsmart.net/