Home Cookin'
Fleet Admiral
- Joined
- May 26, 2009
- Messages
- 9,715
our local Coast Guard auxiliary conducted courtesey inspections last weekend at the boat club; they give you a report and a sticker so hopefully the rest of the water cops will leave you alone for the summer. In addition to the requirements, they also check for and recommend extras.
They like to see how and where you stow your stuff, rather than have you pull it all out and put it on the deck; being readily accessible is part of the requirement for much of it. For example, he commented that I shouldn't have a small plastic box on top of my pack of life preservers.
He also said I was required to have a copy of the rules of navigation (they are in a chart book). Some people have them on a smart phone.
Although not required, he asked about local charts, how long the anchor line is, suggested clothing to wrap up someone who fell overboard (I have rain gear and also a "space blanket"; it's easy to carry those ponchos, too). IN addition to the flares he suggested a signal device (I'd tie an orange PFD to the boat hook) and suggested an old CD is a great reflecting device. Also a first aid kit, and a bailer or extra pump (I have a bucket, a hand pump and an extra bilge pump on clamps I can use anywhere). He liked the fact that I keep an extra kill switch lanyard in the glove box; if I go over with it on me, someone can come get me (as if). And that I have a real compass in addition to the one on the GPS.
They like to see how and where you stow your stuff, rather than have you pull it all out and put it on the deck; being readily accessible is part of the requirement for much of it. For example, he commented that I shouldn't have a small plastic box on top of my pack of life preservers.
He also said I was required to have a copy of the rules of navigation (they are in a chart book). Some people have them on a smart phone.
Although not required, he asked about local charts, how long the anchor line is, suggested clothing to wrap up someone who fell overboard (I have rain gear and also a "space blanket"; it's easy to carry those ponchos, too). IN addition to the flares he suggested a signal device (I'd tie an orange PFD to the boat hook) and suggested an old CD is a great reflecting device. Also a first aid kit, and a bailer or extra pump (I have a bucket, a hand pump and an extra bilge pump on clamps I can use anywhere). He liked the fact that I keep an extra kill switch lanyard in the glove box; if I go over with it on me, someone can come get me (as if). And that I have a real compass in addition to the one on the GPS.
