Curtis, Something popped up in my head, when I read your post – about the emergency tiller. It has nothing to do with your trip; rather, it is quite generic.
Just recently I read a thread about emergency steering on Sailboat Owners forum (Maine Sail, I do follow his musings). A big take out point was to try emergency steering when there is no emergency. Locate your emergency tiller (and make sure that all people on board who should know about its location, do); install it/attach it (this may lead to removal of the steering wheel on some boats!); find out if you can steer the boat with what you have (I have heard of boats, where the emergency tiller is too short/too long or in such an awkward place that you have to bend completely out of shape in order to operate it (question yourself if you can do it for an hour? longer?). All of the above can be done when in port. The next step is to try some manoeuvring with that tiller. just an idea. Marek (in Ottawa) ________________________________ Message: 1 Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2014 20:16:06 -0500 From: Curtis <cpt.b...@gmail.com> To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Re: Stus-List Near-shore tide what to expect. "Need some Guidance" Message-ID: <CALf-bNT49mBR1yAKeixMV9GSJp3yOH11kCt=mmtywr86pey...@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" What would anybody do? I would first cry out "OH GOD OH GOD" Then I would calm my self. I have a cable driven edson Wheel. I also have an emergency fitting in the cockpit floor were a tiller can be attached. I have the emergency tiller in the forward birth. If I lost the rudder I would "heave too" and call sea-tow with my GPS location. If I lost an exhaxh hose I would Shut down the engine turn off the seacock, Heave too and call sea-tow. If I Lost power I have a hand held VHF and a cell phone. I would follow a magnetic course west until I had sight of land then Heave too and fire a flair or two. Lets face it 14 miles out or 3 1/2 hours out 3 1/2 hours back and 14 miles up the river. Almost 48 miles of the trip will be in sight of land.7 hours off shore. I have not taken a safety at sea course? But that I would love to find local if you know of a place in the Savannah -HHI- Beaufort or Charleston area I would like to take one. For sure. Thanks Curtis
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