Category: Boating Skills

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Planning To Fall Overboard.. Think Again

Cold Water Immersion – It’s a Killer!

In Queensland, we tend to take our warm weather and equally warm coastal waters for granted. Even in mid-winter, our coastal water temperatures are usually quite mild.

On a recent visit M.A.S.T. (Marine and Safety Tasmania) in Hobart, I picked up one of their flyers – Cold Water Immersion – which reminded me how critical water temperatures are to survival if you have the misfortune to fall overboard or capsize – especially in our Southern waters. Continue reading Planning To Fall Overboard.. Think Again

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Nautical Knowledge – What every marine skipper needs to know to keep safe at sea

Great manual to add to your sailing library!

I’ve just reviewed a copy of The Boating Bible Manual of Seamanship and thoroughly recommend it to you. Based on Jim Murrant’s book, The Boating Bible – sold 70,000 copies – the content has been updated and developed into an interactive multimedia manual. It’s a useful reference that you can access at home or at sea and each disk is fully searchable.

The Boating Bible Manual of Seamanship is six CDs covering:

  • Boat Handling (two disks): From hoisting sails to heavy weather running. How to arrive at and leave a marina berth safely.
  • Navigation and Passage Planning: Learn basic navigation as well as tips on getting the most out of your GPS.
  • Skipper and Crew: What makes a good crew? Learn ropework from an expert. Checklists prior to a voyage. Plus browse The Language of the Sea.
  • Safety and Emergencies: How to prepare your boat for a voyage; how to handle nautical and medical emergencies.
  • Weathercraft: Develop your observation skills to enhance the forecasts you receive.

Plus when you buy the complete Boating Bible Manual of Seamanship you will receive a FREE 75 minute DVD – The Joys of Sailing.

You can test your knowledge in five multiple choice quizzes:

  • Ships’ lights – recognise vessels around you
  • Rules of the road – know your rights
  • Sound signals – used in poor visibility and narrow channels
  • Buoyage systems – IALA A and B
  • Flags – from Diver Down to I Require a Tug

In all, there are 58 animations, 31 video clips and 107 illustrations, plus The Language of the Sea where 1,000 nautical terms are explained.

To order your copy or learn more about its content, go to

The Boating Bible.

Another great online quizz I tried was the the Nautical Knowledge five quizzes. Yes! It made me go back to the books for a refresher. I’ve entered more details about the package below:

The knowledge every sailor needs, whether fishing, cruising or racing, offshore or inshore.

The Boating Bible team has launched another aid to maritime safety – the Nautical Knowledge.

The Nautical Knowledge is five interactive quizzes which allows users to learn, revise and then test themselves on these key areas of safety and seamanship:

  • Rules of the Road
  • Buoyage – IALA regions A and B
  • Navigation Lights
  • Signal Flags
  • Fog and other Sound Signals

What’s more, users can refer to the Nautical Knowledge over and over again.

For instance, if you’re sailing at night and see a configuration of lights that puzzles you, you can scroll through the learning section of Navigation Lights to identify the vessel. At sea at night you need to know whether a vessel is fishing, towing or at anchor so that you can take steps to avoid it.

The Nautical Knowledge download should suit everybody who’s interested in or needs to know the basic regulations that control our sport and our safety, but particularly sailing school students.

For some examinations, having this knowledge is mandatory.

The Nautical Knowledge is available as a stand-alone download for either Mac or PC and costs AU$9.95. Order the Nautical Knowledge today.

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