Coast Guard Boardings

Have you ever been boarded by the Coasties?  The one time they boarded my boat, I was single handing on the bay.  They did a safety inspection and noticed I did not have a safety throw cushion on board.  Who is going to throw it to me, I asked?  Point taken.  I got a throw cushion.  Here is a great two part article about your rights as a boater when the arrive along side you boat.  Basically, you have no rights.  They can look and do anything they want.  Read it here.
http://www.sailfeed.com/2012/10/coast-guard-boardings-and-your-fourth-amendment-rights-part-1/

Gate Jumper Rescued by Sailors

SAN FRANCISCO -- A Santa Cruz sailing crew rescued a man who jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday, delivering him safely to Coast Guard officials. Scott Walecka, 56, of Santa Cruz, was taking his 38-foot vessel Animal to San Francisco to prepare for Friday's Spinnaker Cup race from the city to Monterey when his daughter, 23-year-old Hilary, said she saw a person jump from the fabled bridge shortly before 2 p.m. Moments later, the pair and sailing friend John Mizell heard a Coast Guard radio call for a jumper in the water near the San Francisco end of the span. Walecka saw the man bobbing underneath a California Highway Patrol helicopter and sailed toward him. "He was alive and wanted to be rescued," Walecka said after returning home late Monday. "We threw a life sling out to it. He grabbed on to it, and he was hand-over-hand on the rope to get to the back of the boat." That's when Walecka realized the man's legs appeared to be broken. The man, who authorities say is 31 and identified as homeless, told the sailors he was from Alabama. The tattooed man was wearing a shirt, shorts and appeared to be in strong physical condition. "He was really fit, really buff," Walecka said. Walecka said Mizzel, who is 30 and trained is mountain rescue, talked to the jumper to keep him from going into shock. Walecka said the man didn't seem capable of saying much, including thank you. "He was just in pure survival mode at that point in time," Walecka said.California Highway Patrol officer Peter Van Eckhardt said the first call of a person over the bridge's railing came at 1:45 p.m. and four minutes later he was seen in the water. The Santa Cruz sailboat picked up the man at 1:54 p.m. Escorted by a 47-foot Coast Guard vessel, the Santa Cruz sailboat delivered the injured man to a Coast Guard station in Sausalito, where he was treated and then transferred to Marin General Hospital, authorities said. The full extent of his injuries was not immediately known. It's rare for jumpers to survive the 220-foot plunge off the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge's governing body hopes to complete a design for a suicide barrier. Walecka is glad he was in the right place at the right time Monday. "It's good for him," he said. "Things just work out that way." Walecka owns Animal with Santa Cruz area residents Matt Lezin, Craig French and Tom Akrop. Walecka, who rented a car to get back home Monday, said he and Lezin still plan to participate in Friday's race from San Francisco to Monterey.

Awesome Bucket Racing (or the best sailing video of the day)

The Ship That Sailed into the Huricane: HMS Bounty

Why would an experienced captain of the HMS Bounty sail into the worst storm of the century?  Were there structural problems aboard the 50 year old ship?  Why put the ship and it's crew to sea when ports were available to weather out the storm?  Here is an excerpt from an article that delves into these questions and more:
The AIS records of the Atlantic during those hours are chilling: a sparsely dotted screen of vessels all making their way to port. Simonin attempted to counter growing vitriol online by reminding mariners of the adage that a ship is safer at sea than at port, but that idea was quickly denounced by other captains. Navy vessels and tankers may go to sea, they responded, but only in the interest of national security or averting major environmental disasters. Did Simonin think either applied to the Bounty? She didn’t reply.
At 7:30 p.m. on the 27th, Simonin received Walbridge’s scheduled email update. He told her that his new plan was to “keep trying to go fast and squeeze by the storm and land as fast as we can.” All else, he wrote, “is well.”
On board the Bounty, the ship’s cook, Jessica Black, was no longer able to prepare meals. She and Christian handed out sandwiches and cold hot dogs.
Barksdale was the first to sustain a significant injury, careening into the side of the vessel, jamming his right hand and rendering it all but unusable. Hours later he was thrown against a metal worktable in the engine room. He sustained a severe gash on his arm and was certain that he’d broken his leg.
Sometime on Sunday the 28th, Prokosh, a bearded, tattooed 27-year-old, was thrown across the tween decks, dislocating his shoulder and breaking several ribs. Christian found a mattress, tacoed Prokosh inside it, and wedged him against the vessel’s starboard side. “Claudene was mothering him,” says Barksdale, “stopping by while she was running around doing her duties to make sure he was comfortable.”
Later that day, Barksdale and Walbridge were in the great cabin in the vessel’s stern when the Bounty hit a large wave. The captain’s lower back struck a bolted-down table, and he crumpled to the floor in pain. With Barksdale’s assistance, Walbridge was able to stand, but for the rest of the voyage he was nearly incapacitated, unable to get around without help.

Read the whole article and the comments here.

It's turning into a banana!

Terra d'Agua

Here is a blog with some interesting characters that are sailing the world to get to know it better.  Here is their story:

You can read more here.

Nautical Terms Used in Every Day Speech

Some of these you might not know but others stand out as you may use them yourself.  Take a look.

A shot across the bows

All at sea

Anchors aweigh

Batten down the hatches

Between the Devil and the deep blue sea

Broad in the beam

By and large

Chock-a-block

Close quarters

Copper-bottomed

Cut and run

Cut of your jib

Edging forward

Fathom out

Full to the gunwales

Get underway

Give a wide berth

Go by the board

Hand over fist

Hard and fast

High and dry

In the offing

Know the ropes

Loose cannon

Mal de mer

On your beam ends

Panic stations

Plain sailing

Push the boat out

Shipshape and Bristol fashion

Shake a leg

Shiver my timbers

Slush fund

Taken aback

Tell it to the marines

The bitter end

The cut of your jib

Three sheets to the wind

Tide over

Walk the plank

Sad Day

Our hearts go out to the Simpson family and friends.  Here is a pic Andrew might have enjoyed.