Instruction manual

PROFICIENCY IN SURVIVAL CRAFT AND RESCUE BOATS OTHER THAN FAST
RESCUE BOATS
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spread from the fore part of the towing vessel. This will benefit both craft, the tug and
the towed vessel.
Heavy oils tends to be better than lighter oils and prevent solid water landing on
the top of the craft. The obvious danger is that the boat could be swamped or stove
in with large waves. Comparing the pollution aspect of the use of oil with the safety
of line, the priority must be in favour of safety of life at sea.
If the weather continues to to deteriorate and the boat labours badly, take the
jib halyard block off the mast head band and bend the two ends of the halyard
together to make endless fall. Haul in about two fathoms (3.7m) of the se anchor
hawser and bend the jib halyard block onto the hawser, then pay the hawser out
again.
Put a little oil in the oil bag, cork the bag and make it fast to the jib halyard. Haul
the bag a little way out towards the sea anchor. The oil will seep out of the bag and
help prevent the seas from breaking and the boat will be able to lie better to the sea
anchor. The best position for the oil bag will have to be found by experiment. If the
weather is very cold and the oil to thick to seep through the bag, prick the bag a few
times with a sail needle or something similar.
10.3 Beaching
10.3.1 Detecting land and general information regarding rafting or beaching
techniques
Detecting Land
You should watch carefully for any signs of land. There are many indicators that
land is near.
A fixed cumulus cloud in a clear sky or in a sky where all other clouds are moving
often hovers over or slightly downwind from an island.
In the tropics, the reflection of sunlight from shallow lagoons or shelves of coral reefs
often causes a greenish tint in the sky.
In the arctic, light-colored reflections on clouds often indicate ice fields or snow-
covered land. These reflections are quite different from the dark gray ones caused
by open water.
Deep water is dark green or dark blue. Lighter color indicates shallow water,
which may mean land is near.
At night, or in fog, mist, or rain, you may detect land by odors and sounds. The
musty odor of mangrove swamps and mud flats carry a long way. You hear the roar
of surf long before you see the surf. The continued cries of seabirds coming from
one direction indicate their roosting place on nearby land.
There usually are more birds near land than over the open sea. The direction
from which flocks fly at dawn and to which they fly at dusk may indicate the direction
of land. During the day, birds are searching for food and the direction of flight has no
significance.
Mirages occur at any latitude, but they are more likely in the tropics, especially
during the middle of the day. Be careful not to mistake a mirage for nearby land. A
mirage disappears or its appearance and elevation change when viewed from
slightly different heights.