If hypothermia leaves you cold, then read this....

If you're like me, and I know I am, I shudder at the thought of freezing to death.

Bad pun aside, the human body operates best when its internal temperature ranges between 98 and 100-degrees F. The body starts to lose function when its internal temperature falls below 96-degrees F. Hypothermia is a bitch.

News of the blizzard expected to hit the northeast U.S. this afternoon brought hypothermia warnings to the fore. Hypothermia is easily avoided for most. Avoid the cold. Dress warmly in layers. Pay your heating bill. Be alert for signs of hypothermia.

Wikipedia -- you can always trust Wikipedia -- lists mild, moderate and severe hypothermia symptoms. At its mildest, hypothermia can cause involuntary shivers and mental confusion. At worst, hypothermia causes loss of muscle coordination, decreases in heart and breathing rate, blood pressure and can cause hypoglycemia.

The Power Squadrons is a boating civic & safety group. We are concerned with captains and crew who fall from the boat into cold water. This 2007 story at The Ensign is a dandy piece on hypothermia safety for boaters. It includes a chart that show survival times based on water temperature. If you fall into 32.5-degree water, you've got 15 to 45 minutes to get the heck out.

A second chart lists survival rates in 50-degree water with and without flotation devices. A life vest keeps you warmer as well as afloat. That's why the Coast Guard has become a doggone pest about wearing one all the time.

By the way, boaters, alcohol won't keep you warm in cold water. Instead, it speeds up hypothermia's effect. Save the drinkin' for the dock party.

Hypothermia is best avoided. If you must run the risk on land or on the water, be ready.

Image found on kayakquixotica.com, which also pointed me to this 10-minute NASBLA video on surviving hypothermia in the water.




NEWS:
Coroner: Woman suffers hypothermia, drowns after swimming in 45-degree water.

"The Coast Guard Station Annapolis, in Bay Ridge, earlier this year took delivery of a new Response Boat to allow it to better patrol Greater Annapolis waters and the Chesapeake Bay.

"Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, improving the safety of major waterways and large ports has been a priority of the Department of Homeland Security. And the bay leads directly into the Port of Baltimore.

"The new $2 million, 41-foot boat will improve the Coast Guard’s performance and ability to respond to incidents. The new boat has significantly faster speeds—maximum of 42.5 knots—and a longer range at about 250 nautical miles, according to a release."

This story from the Greater Annapolis PATCH in September 2011.

Warning From Topper Shutt: Ocean Temp Is Cooler Than On Thanksgiving

Some of the best boating news over the Memorial Day weekend (Thank you, veterans) has been penned by DC area weathermen dutifully repeating warnings issued by the National Weather Service. WUSA-TV 9 meteorologist Topper Shutt is the latest contributor with his piece in the Sunday, May 29, 2011 edition of The Washington Examiner.

Shutt's "Chilly water" message warning of hypothermia appears in the Weather News You Can Use column. Sadly, WashingtonExaminer.com did not post an active link to the story, so as a public service, I'm posting the entire piece here. This will assure two or three more people, mostly relatives, get this information.

Remember, full credit goes to Channel-9 weatherman Topper Shutt.

"Many people flock to the shore for Memorial Day weekend. If I suggested you go to the beach on Thanksgiving, you would think I was crazy. However, the ocean is actually warmer on Thanksgiving Day than on Memorial Day.

"The water temperature on Thanksgiving Day is typically 64 degrees. On Memorial Day, it's only about 61 degrees.

"The ocean is still recovering from winter and hasn't received the added boost from the Gulf Stream. The atmosphere is vertically mixed, but the ocean is horizontally mixed.

"If you get into the water this weekend, don't stay in long. It is possible to get hypothermia in water that is about 50 to 60 degrees. Hypothermia can set in between one and two hours.

"Although the sun might not feel that hot, late May sun is equivalent to July sun, so remember to apply sunscreen."

Photo credit: Ocean City surf, Anthony Brown, 2011

Be Careful On The Potomac

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Natural Resources Police say they plan to patrol aggressively on waterways across the state this holiday weekend.

Natural Resources Police say officers will target boaters driving in a reckless or negligent manner or under the influence of alcohol. And they will also be making sure boaters have required safety equipment.

Authorities also are advising boaters to keep a cautious eye on the upper Potomac River, where recent rains had pushed the river to hazardous levels. NRP says an advisory for the upper Potomac has expired, but any significant additional rainfall could cause hazardous conditions again.

NRP says last year its officers responded to more than 323 boating accidents that led to 13 deaths.
~ Associated Press Story taken from here.

Montgomery County Fire and EMS crews will be handing out hundreds of these fliers in Great Falls Park reminding people that you cannot swim, wade, or drink alcohol there.

Because as enticing as the Potomac is this time of year, it is always dangerous. Crews pulled a 12 year old boy who was swimming near White's Ferry after he became fatigued and couldn't make it on his own.

Mark Gleason, who patrols the C & O Canal on bicycle for the US Park Service, says the Potomac is very deceptive.

In some places, the power of the Potomac is obvious. But in others--a deadly hazard lurks beneath the tranquil surface.

"Most of the accidents people here are when they step in and the water is much faster underneath and it sweeps them away."

~ Read more at MyFoxDC.com here.

All this talk about the swollen waters of the Potomac is a reminder that it's the best time to see the river's Great Falls, the most awesome natural sight in the DC Metro area. The Falls' Maryland shore offers more access points for an up-close, intimate view of the river and the C & O Canal. The view from the Virginia shore is simply spectacular.

The Maryland side is accessible through the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park. Access to the Virginia side is through Great Falls Park. Both are National Park Service facilities.

Don't Go Into The Water

All the news focuses attention to the Mississippi River flood and the unfortunate circumstance of the people there. We have our own problems with the waters around D.C.

Flooding Potomac presents hazards for area boaters according to an online story by WTOP.

Heavy rains in the area has the Potomac River cresting its banks and creating navigational hazards for all boaters. The D.C. Harbor Police advises all boaters to stay off the Potomac through the weekend (20-22 May 2011).

A similar story on www.nbcwashington.com says the worst of the flooding is probably over, but advises boaters to stay off the Potomac this weekend. That story gave high tide (11:15 AM and 11:56 PM at Key Bridge) on Friday, 20 May, as a time for special caution for boaters and anyone along the waterfront.

The National Weather Service issued a Flood Warning for the Potomac River at Point Of Rocks affecting Frederick (MD) and Loudoun (VA) Counties and at Little Falls affecting Montgomery (MD) and Fairfax (VA) Counties. The warning is in effect until this evening. The warning was issued at 4:24 PM today.

A warning means that flooding is actually occurring. Take extreme caution when driving through flood areas. A vehicle can be swept away in as little as two feet of flowing water. Cars are not boats!

If you have first-hand knowledge of conditions along our waterways, leave a comment.

This story originally posted to the private Potomac River Power Squadron group page on SailAngle.com.

Photo Credit: natasialester 16 found on Photobucket.com

Did you hear the one about the fish just jumped into the boat?

Just like those old fish stories, these carp just jumped into the boat. Carp do that when startled. You would think they'd be used to motor boats on a well travelled river like the Wabash.

Oh yeah. There's a safety message here. Note that these boaters are wearing life vests. Good idea on a small boat. Especially when a 20-pound flying fish can knock you out.

See the Coast Guard's web page on life vest selection, care and use here.

Wave Running

Riding out the waves can be a fun part of boating...if you know what you are doing.

This skipper took the first wave bow-on. That's good, but he did not, or could not, maintain his position, so the second wave hit him abeam. That's not good. The skipper rights the boat to face the bow to the third wave. That's good, but it's a bigger wave. like Gilligan, the tiny ship--and the passenger--was tossed.

Even on recreational boats, if the helmsman is also the owner and, therefore, captain, he is responsible for passenger safety and for every action of the crew. If I were captain of this vessel, I would not maintain station in a boat that small with oncoming waves that big. And everyone on board, including me, would be wearing life vests.

Want to know more about boating skills? Talk to your local Power Squadron about Seamanship.

I Must Go Down To The Sea, But Not With The Ship

"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by...,"

Ah, the sea. Is there a mariner anywhere who can resist its alluring call? Isn't it a joy to just pick up and go?

Those of us who can, boat. Those who cannot, cruise.

I've never done a cruise ship. If I want to stay in a hotel, I prefer it to be on land. When I want to go to sea, I want the motion of the ocean and the spray on my face. I want to feel like I'm on a boat. Do you feel the same?

We should change our snooty attitude.

An August 2008 story in the Daily Telegraph (UK) reports that the P&O cruise ship Pacific Sun was caught in a violent storm 400 miles off New Zealand. According to the story:

"Some passengers told how they were flung across the ship, along with crockery and 'anything not nailed down,' when the ship tried to turn to face its bow into the storm.

"They said huge waves caught it side-on as it manoeuvred, causing the ship to pitch violently."

It's a networked world. So naturally, the event was caught on video.

Now, that's an adventure.

The Pacific Sun is a 47,000 ton vessel. She is described in Wikipedia as a medium-sized ship accommodating up to 1,900 passengers.

I've forgotten what I remember about bad weather cruising. I do remember to slow down when conditions worsen. If you can't make safe harbor, turn the bow into the weather and ride it out. (You should have checked the chart before leaving port for safe gunkholes just for this purpose.) It's a good idea to get those life vests on.

Time to dig out those old Power Squadron books, or the Chapman, at least.

Did you know that Charles F. Chapman, the original author of Chapman Piloting and Seamanship was a founding member of United States Power Squadrons?

Did you know that Chapman wrote the book in 1916 at the instigation of the assistant secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, as a training manual for Navy Reservists?

That would be the same FDR who encouraged Roger B. Upton to take his boating safety movement "national." That movement morphed into United States Power Squadrons.

Did you know that Chapman has a 12 page description of United States Power Squadrons and Canadian Power Squadrons? And that those groups are described before the U.S. Coast Guard?

So which group is more important? Unless that blue light is flashing, I mean?

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John Masefield's I Must Go Down To The Sea is an anthem for boaters, sailors and mariners everywhere. Here's the full work:

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

You have to weather the storm

Ah, to be a man. To master the sea. To feel the spray on your face. To weather the storm. It sounds so romantic until, you know, you're caught in it.

Boat long enough and you'll eventually run aground, they say. Cruise the Chesapeake long enough and you'll get caught in a squall.

Today's Washington Post tells the story of Steve Murfin who was caught in a violent storm last August. Murfin was tooling around the Eastern Bay just off St. Michael's (If you don't know where that is, you're just not a Bay boater) in his 17-foot Boston Whaler.

Murfin had been tracking the approach of a storm. He decided to head to home port about 90 minutes before the weather was predicted to hit. Then, two bad things happened. First he couldn't start his engine. Second, the squall hit at just that moment. Like Gilligan, Murfin's tiny ship was tossed.

A Good Samaritan on board the vessel Her Baby arrived and gave Murfin a tow through the worst of the storm. The Post's description of that adventure is as stirring as any you'll find in classic sea yarns.

Her Baby towed Murfin safely to his dock on the Wye River. She departed without Murfin so much as knowing her captain's name. Just another example of good boaters being good boaters.

Captains are expected to help other boaters in distress, if it is within their capability to do so and when such help does not constitute a danger to themselves. This is especially true in the case of accident.

The Boat Handling S102 manual (2002) of the Power Squadron's Seamanship Course has these legal tips for captains offering Good Samaritan tows:

1.  The skipper (of the towing boat) must have the proper equipment and be mentally prepared.
2. Insurance coverage may change if you tow someone. Don't wait until you are faced with a towing situation to look into this. Check your insurance policy now--and every time it is renewed.
3. Before towing, make sure actions are appropriate, reasonable and properly documented because they are subject to review in the event of mishap, damage, or injury. Keep a detailed log of every action taken.
4. Under no circumstances should the owner of the boat doing the towing accept anything of value from the owner or crew of the boat to be towed. Such acceptance is regarded as being engaged in the business of commercial towing.
5. The towing boat skipper should make clear that it is his /her intention to help a fellow boater. The owner of the towed boat must make clear that the assistance provided does not constitute a salvage operation. Crews should remain on their respective boats. If the crew from the towing boat boards the boat to be towed, there is possibly the implication that the skipper of the boat to be towed has surrendered command. The towing skipper should use lines from the boat to be towed.

If the above gives a captain pause, the federal government provides legal cover for Good Samaritan under the Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971 (FBSA/71). It's summarized in the 64th Edition of Chapman Piloting and Seamanship as follows: 

Any person who gratuitously and in good faith renders assistance at the scene of an accident or other boating casualty without the objection of any person being assisted cannot be held liable for any civil damages as a result of rendering assistance, or for any act or omission in providing or arranging salvage, towage, medical treatment, or other assistance when he acts as an ordinary, reasonably prudent person would have under the same or similar circumstances. 

When you have to weather the storm, it's good to have help.

Postscript: When the words "federal" and "boating" appear in the same sentence, it applies to navigable waters. To me, that means water under the control of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and patrolled by the U.S. Coast Guard. States have Good Samaritan laws, but each have their own local twist. Federal or State, Good Samaritans are not expected to, and should not, attempt something beyond their ability. Standing by until the authorities arrive is also a Good Samaritan act.

Photo Credit: www.whaler.com

Science Finds What Boaters Already Know: Drinking Is Good

You can never be too rich or too thin, but you can drink too little for your own good. Boaters know that instinctively. Why else would you boat except for the dock party? And what's a dock party without spirits and beer?

Now comes scientific evidence in an article in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. A study shows that moderate drinkers live longer than non-drinkers.

The study confirmed the finding that alcohol consumption is heart-healthy and even helps destroy pancreatic cancer cells. The new news is that non-drinkers have higher mortality rates.

Researchers said that the non-drinkers tend to be from lower socioeconomic classes where life stresses are higher. They say lower income inhibits alcohol consumption because of the costs involved. Hmmm, that sounds like the rationale for why more people aren't boaters. Come to think of it, low income and high stress is a formula for high mortality with or without alcohol. I think those researchers were drinking when they came up with that conclusion, so don't drink the Kool-Ade on this one.

Boaters are generous with the spirits. However, I've never seen my Power Squadron friends drink while boating. We save all that for the dock parties. Age could be a factor. Most of my Power Squadron cohorts graduated high school in 19-none-ya-business.

Captains know, or should know, that alcohol has an accelerated effect on the senses when you are on the water. There's something about the glare of the sun reflected off the water, engine vibration, motion of the ocean (bay, river, lake) and the dehydrating effect of it all.

Plus drinking while boating makes you look stupid when you try to dock--and when those people with the flashing blue lights want to talk to you. They have no sense of humor about BUI. So just don't.

I'll drink to that.

More: See Boating Under The Influence .org

Photo credit: www.free-extras.com

Are Your Charts Outdated, Captain?

My instructor in the Piloting class told me something astounding. I am supposed to navigate my boat using paper charts and that round thing on the dash covered by that glass bowl. What is it called? Oh yeah. The compass.

This is the Age of Technology. We don't convey messages by pen and paper. Most boaters don't pay much attention to chart books, if they even have one on-board.

For the longest time, United States Power Squadrons treated Global Positioning Systems (GPS) as back-up to nautical charts and the skills to read them. Not that they were being old fashioned. How's a recreational boat captain to know where to go if the GPS conks out?

USPS adapted to trends and boater preferences to treat GPS as the primary navigation tool, without backing away from paper charts (every boater should have the chart on board of the waters they ply).

Now the challenge is to get captains to check the accuracy of their nav tools from time to time. It turns out that is something of a problem.

A survey of boaters by the Alliance for Safe Navigation found that only one-third of respondents regularly undated their on-board navigational data.

“Unfortunately, these survey results indicate that boaters simply are not aware of how often conditions change and how those changes can affect their safety,” explains President Ron Walz of OceanGrafix, a founding member of the alliance. “The truth is that waters do change—and inaccurate chart information can turn a safe and enjoyable cruise into a dangerous situation.”

Highway surfaces do not change, except for the damned potholes. Water always change. Wind, current and tide works its magic both on the surface and the sea floor.

So yes, it really does help to swap out those old paper and electronic charts for more current ones and to glance at the Coast Guard Notice to Mariners from time to time. If you are a thorough captain who plots your course on paper before transferring it to your GPS, be sure you've set the GPS to the same datum as on the paper chart.

If you don't know what I just said, schedule yourself for a Piloting class or GPS seminar offered by your local Power Squadron.

If you don't know where you are going, you'll run aground when you get there. Put more bluntly, boating's a bitch when you are lost on the water. Don't get lost because of outdated information.

Full disclosure: United States Power Squadrons is a member of the The Alliance For Safe Navigation as is Jeppsen, Sea Tow, BoatUS, and OceanGrafix. The Power Squadrons and BoatUS would have you avoid incidents on the water. Jeppsen and OceanGrafix would like to sell you stuff that enables you to know where you are--and avoid hazards--on the water. If you have to call Sea Tow...well, you probably weren't paying enough attention to the other four.

USPS members are offered discounts on navigation products offered by Jeppsen and OceanGrafix and receive discounted membership in BoatUS.

Boating Education Saves Lives

You get into a lot when you get into a boat. Too

many recreational boat captains do not appreciate how tricky the water can be until they get into a jam. What they do then may cost them their lives, or save it.

So Many Lessons In Tragedy

Anthony Brown of Silver Spring, Maryland, commander of Potomac River Power Squadron, suspects that less experienced power boaters think of their vessel the way they think of their car. That thought occurred to him when he read Nick Schuyler's account of the tragic accident that took the lives of two NFL players as told in Schuyler's book Not Without Hope. Victims of the February 2009 Gulf of Mexico accident were pro football players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, and Will Bleakley, a friend of Schuyler. Cooper was the owner and skipper of the 21-foot boat.

Cooper's anchor snagged on something on the seabed. Unable to get it up, the group tied the anchor line to the stern of the boat and tried to pull the anchor free. That's a big no-no, according to Brown. The dangers of tying off the anchor to the stern of a boat is one of the early lessons students are taught in the Power Squadron's Seamanship course. In Cooper's case, the anchor did not give way. Instead, the stern was pulled under water swamping the boat. The four men were thrown overboard as the boat capsized.

Brown suspects that the group thought of the boat as a tow truck. Faced the same situation a week before the accident, Cooper did one of the smartest things a skipper can do when an anchor can't be unsnagged. He cut the line, sacrificing the anchor for the safety of the boat and passengers. Schuyler says Cooper was determined not to lose another anchor.

Boat Handling Is A Skill

Chris Pickwick, of Adelphi, Maryland, a squadron past commander and boating instructor, says the incident forcefully illustrates the need for safe boat education and how to handle unexpected boating situations even when on a simple fish

ing trip.

"The United States Power Squadrons and a number of other private and state organizations offer safe boating education. This training would have been helpful for the four football players aboard a 21 foot boat who experienced a boating accident 75 miles from shore in the middle of Winter.

"After taking such a course, these boaters would have known that four big men on a small boat might have at least made the boat unstable if not overloaded according to the boat's U.S. Coast Guard Maximum Capacities Vessel Plaque. They would also have been aware that standing on the boat’s rear deck would contribute to its instability as would surging the engine. They would also have known not to anchor from the stern as this also drags down the lowest part of the boat. These boaters would have known the proper way to free the anchor, and the need to make a float plan in case of emergency.

"Other courses offered by the Power Squadrons such as Seamanship, Piloting, Advanced Piloting, and Weather would have offered them further instruction them on how to plan a safe trip, how to handle the boat in heavy weather, the need to monitor the weather and to call for help before it was too late and the best way to manage hypothermia once in the cold water."

Schuyler is the lone survivor of the accident and the only one with a first-hand description of what happened. He is not an experienced boater, so Brown is not sure that Schuyler has the best grasp of Cooper's action. But the story itself is a cautionary tale for recreational boaters.

What's A Recreational Boat Captain To Do?

Recreational boat captains have fewer hours on the water than commercial captains or watermen. They are not required to meet commercial certification nor even have nautical charts on board. Sooner or later says Brown, every skipper must decide whether he is a boat driver or pilot.

For Brown, that was easy. He was looking for a way to reassure his non-boating, non-swimming passengers that it would be OK cruise with him. He took the Power Squadron's Safe Boating and Seamanship course before operating his boat. "I spent the equivalent an hour of class room time for every two hours of on-water time in my first year boating."

Organizations like the Coast Guard Auxiliary, community colleges and State authorities offer boating safety courses. Commercial schools go beyond that, but target their offerings to those who want a commercial captains license. The Power Squadrons may be the only group that certifies recreational boat skippers as having a body of knowledge in piloting and seamanship.

Skippers who take the Power Squadron curriculum from Seamanship, Piloting, Advanced Piloting to Navigation would be able to plot a course anywhere in the world as long as they have the proper charts, a sextant and a GPS. They would also be exposed to what can go wrong during a voyage and how to cope with it.

Know Before You Go

"All of boating is based on maritime practices and traditions" says Eugene Roberson, Mitchellville, Maryland, Potomac River's safety officer. Roberson points out that the captain of the Titanic was an experienced seaman, yet he sunk his ship. Boating is fun, but anything can happen on the water.

There's more to learn than safe boating, adds Roberson. Boating demands more self-sufficiency than does driving. The captain needs to know his mechanical and electronic systems. There's no pulling over if your boat breaks down in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. "Boating education saves money as well as lives."

About The Power Squadrons

Potomac River Power Squadron is one of over 450 local affiliates of United States Power Squadrons, the world's oldest and largest non-profit volunteer boating organizations. Potomac River Power Squadron was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1915 and is a 501c(3) non-profit educational organization. It's members volunteer their time on boating safety and education as a civic service. Most members boat on the Chesapeake Bay or Potomac River, but live in suburban Maryland or the District of Columbia.

Potomac River is one of four squadrons active in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The others are based in Rockville, Maryland, Northern Virginia and Mid-Potomac, centering on the Occoquan and Potomac Rivers.

The Power Squadrons offer a safe boating course that meets the requirements of the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. The squadrons offer advanced classroom courses on boating. Its members volunteer to offer courtesy Vessel Safety Checks for non-commercial boats and perform other civic services around boating. United States Power Squadrons has been honored by four U.S. presidents for its boating safety and education programs.