Offshore Sailing: 200 Essential Passagemaking Tips

Author's Note on Origins

Introduction: Countdown to Offshore Sailing

Chapter 1. A Safe Deck

Crew Safety

Jacklines and Cockpit Pad Eyes

Safety Harnesses

Knives

Cutting Lines Fouled Underwater

Securing the Deck

Knots

Lashing Gear on Deck

Cockpit Speakers and Other Holes

Easy to Flood

Leaking Deck Hatches and Portlights

Toilet Bumpers on Hatches

Duct Tape on Deck Fills

Closure of Deck Blower Vents

Closure of Chain Pipes Built into Windlasses

Bedding Deck Hardware

Anchors on Bow Rollers

All-Chain Anchor Rodes

Cleat Guards

Supports for Cockpit Structures

Yacht Defense Strategy

Clean Your Combination Lock

Replace Fasteners in Companionway Stiles

Replace Hatch Hinge Pins

Dinghy ID

Test-Fire Flares

Miscellanea

Chapter 2. Rig and Sails

Running Rigging

Boom Preventer

Spinnaker Halyard

Right Side Up

Masthead Sheave Arrangement

Mainsheet Blocks

Roller Furling

Running Backstays

Securing a Halyard Tail

Whipping Lines

Reel Out Spools

Standing Rigging

Magnaflux Test Kit

Bolt or Wire Cutters

Turnbuckles

Tape on Turnbuckles

Cotter Pins in Clevis Pins

Sails

Storm Trysail and Storm Jib

Storing Spare Sails

Marking Sails

Measuring Sails

Sail Repair Materials

Mainsail Reefing

Other Tricks

Masthead Burgee

Spreader Flag Halyards

Rigging a Radar Reflector Hoisted to a Spreader

Dissimilar Metals

Miscellanea

Chapter 3. Interior Modifications

Securing the Cabin

Handholds

Locking the Companionway

Remotely Activated Lock

Drawers

Berth Top Access Lids

Cabin Sole Floorboards

Hinges

Holding Down Batteries

Construct Fiddles

Place Fiddles

Avoid the Toilet Seat Toss

Sea Berths

Removable Sea Berth

Root Berth

Lee Cloths

Berth Cushions

Climate Control

Fans

Washboard Vents

Carbon Monoxide Detector

What's What and Where

Labels

Yacht Inventory Database

Chapter 4. Electronic and Electrical Equipment

Electronics

Interfacing Electronics

Electronic and Other Devices That Belong on Every Boat

EPIRBs

Handheld VHF and Handheld GPS

Navtex

Emergency Radio Antennas

Intelligible Boat Name

Emergency Use of Ham Nets (Amateur Radio Networks)

Other Useful Radio Services and Frequencies

Electronic Timer and Clock

Serial Numbers

Uninterruptible Power Source

Batteries

Types

Deep-Cycle versus Starting

Battery Bank Configurations

Charging Profiles

Lights

Flashlights

Spotlight

Running Lights

Anchor Light

Laser Pointer

Ghost in the Machine: Solving Weird Electrical Problems

Watertight Junction Box

Battery Charging

Shore Power Problems

Spontaneous Ignition

Engine Wiring

Playing It Safe

Making the Connection

Lightning

Miscellanea

Chapter 5. Engine, Mechanical, and Plumbing Systems

Engine and Fuel

Engine Education

Mechanical Oil Pressure Gauge

Changing Oil the Easy Way

Oil Analysis

Engine Water Flow Alarm

Removable Strainers