1) You are approaching a harbor in the United States but not on the ICW in thick fog. You can hear a buoy ahead making a multi-toned gong sound but you can't see it. For safe entry through the channel into the harbor you should: Leave the buoy to starboard Leave the buoy to port It doesn't matter Don't pass the buoy as it's marking an obstruction ** Correct answer is b. (With 830 quiz results in 23% got this correct.) Per Mike Pyzel in Coastal Navigation, Official American Sailing Association Coastal Navigation Manual, "Gong buoys use up to four gongs for a multi-toned sound. ... As channel markers, gong buoys will be used on the left when returning." 2) You are under sail and approaching another boat under sail on a converging course from an angle 30 degrees aft of his starboard beam. Both boats are on a port tack. You are to leeward and going faster than the other boat. You are not in a race. You should: Maintain your course as you are the stand on vessel Maintain your course and try to get the attention of the other boat to stay clear Trim sails to speed up as you think you can squeeze past in front of him Give way by bearing off to starboard until well clear or tack to port and pass astern ** Correct answer is d (75% got this correct). The key here is that you are more than 22.5 degrees aft of the other boats beam. As such you are considered to be overtaking the other boat, making them the stand on vessel, even though you are to leeward. Source is colregs rule number 13. 3) You are caught in an unexpected storm and decide to heave-to to ride it out. To accomplish this you will: Back the jib by tacking without releasing the jib sheet and then lock the helm hard over to windward Turn into the wind and release the sheets allowing the sails to luff, motoring to keep your bow into the wind Drop all sails and lock the helm amidships Luff the main by easing the traveller to leeward and drop the jib ** Correct answer is a (75% got this right). In the heave to position the backed jib will try to turn you away from the wind; the windward helm will bring you back into the wind. In balance these competing forces will hold you 40 degrees plus or minus off the wind in a relatively comfortable position. 4) You are under sail at night and are approaching two vessels on a converging course at a 90 degree angle from slightly ahead of them. The first vessel is showing a red sidelight, and three masthead lights. The second is showing only a red sidelight. You should: Maintain your course as you are the stand on vessel Let the first boat pass but pass in front of the second as there appears to be room Alter course to pass astern of both boats Raise them on the VHF and ask them to slow down or alter course to let you pass ** Correct answer is c (86% got this right). A vessel showing three masthead lights is indicating it has a tow more than 200 meters astern. As such she is "restricted in her ability to maneuver" and is the stand-on vessel (colregs rule 18). The second vessel is its tow. Trying to cut between the two can be deadly. Two years ago in our home waters, a powerboat tried to cut between a tug and a barge at night. The powerboat's prop was fouled on the towing cable rendering it immobile. The tug couldn't stop the barge in time. The powerboat was sunk and all aboard her died. Think of a tug and it's tow as a grizzly with a cub. Don't get between them. 5) According to Dennis Connor, the mainsheet will be properly set on a beam reach if: The top batten in the main points to windward of the boom The top batten in the main points leeward of the boom The top batten in the main is parallel to the boom The position of the top batten has nothing to do with proper set of the mainsheet ** Correct answer is c (45% correct). "An easier (if less exact) way to determine proper mainsheet tension, and thus twist, is to trim the mainsheet so that the top batten is parallel to the boom." Dennis Conner, Sail Like A Champion. 6) Your GPS has stopped working and you are no longer sure just where you are. Just above the horizon you are able to see at a magnetic bearing of 265 degrees a white light that is on steadily and then shuts off briefly every four seconds. To identify the light on your chart and thus be able to draw a line of position you would look for a light marked with characteristics as follows: Fl 4 sec 50ft 20M Occ 4 sec 50ft 20M E Int 4 sec 50ft 20M F Fl 4 sec 50 ft 20M ** Correct answer is b (39% correct). A light that is on more than it's off is said to be occulting, abbreviated Occ in chart symbols. The other characteristics shown are timing, height in feet, visibility in miles, assuming you are high enough above the water to see that far. More on this in the answer to question 7. Fl is for flashing, E Int for equal interval, and F Fl for fixed flashing. 7) The lighthouse in question six is just visible to you at the top of a two foot wave and disappears when you are in the trough. You are six feet tall and the sole of your cockpit is four feet above the water. Approximately how far out on your line of position are you from the light house? 12 miles 5 miles 20 miles 30 miles ** Correct answer is a (44% correct). Even though the light in question 6 is technically visible for 20 miles based on it's brightness, the curvature of the earth means a 50 foot light can only be seen from 8.1 miles away if you are at sea level. The formula to calculate this is 1.15 times the square root of the height in feet yields the maximum visible distance in miles. If you are above sea level, you can see the light from farther away. Combining the four feet your cockpit sole is above the water plus your six foot height gives you ten feet. Using the same formula of 1.15 times the square root of ten gives you 3.6. This is added to the 8.1 to arrive at 11.7, rounded to 12 miles. Since you can just see the light at the wave tops, and it disappears in the troughs, you are at the point of maximum visible distance. Combining this distance with a line of position from your bearing on the light should give you a pretty accurate position of where you are on your chart. This is known as "dipping a light." Source for answers to 6 and 7 is Pyzel, Coastal Navigation, op cit. 8) You are tied up at a dock with a starboard tie, and you are ready to leave. The wind is blowing from port directly over your beam at 12 knots pushing you against the dock. You have half a boat length clearance ahead and astern and open water to port. Which of the following is the best way to get off the dock? Untie all lines and have a crew member push the bow out and jump on board. Motor out forward fending off other boats as necessary. Untie all lines and have a crew member push the stern out and jump on board. Motor out in reverse fending off other boats as necessary. Untie all lines except the after spring line which you run around a cleat on the float and tie off on your starboard bow cleat. Motor forward until the bow comes in to the dock and the sterns swings away. Reverse engines, release and pull through the remaining spring line and back away from the dock. Untie all lines except the forward spring line which you run around a cleat on the float and tie off on your starboard stern cleat. Motor in reverse until the stern comes in to the dock and the bow swings out. Put the engine in forward, release and pull through the remaining spring line and pull away from the dock in forward gear. ** Correct answer is c (44% correct). This is my personal viewpoint so I'll take the heat for any disagreements. Using your engine and the spring lines will give you more power to push out than a crewmember--you also then don't have to worry about them jumping off the dock onto the boat. The reason for backing away from the dock has two good explanations: a. Your bow can only swing out if the stern comes in to the dock. Based on your hull shape the stern isn't tapered all that much from the beam (unless you have a double ender) and consequently it will soon contact the dock before the bow has swung out much. Conversely the bow can swing in considerably (as suggested, a fender at the bow is a good idea) and you can thus swing your stern out at a good angle from the dock. b. Your bow is more susceptible to a cross wind than your stern is. If you pull out bow first, you will be fighting the wind's tendency to push the bow back into the dock and by now the boat ahead of you. If you back out, the wind will force the bow in further, giving you an even greater angle with which to back out. Even though you may be more maneuverable in forward gear, you'll not have much rudder control at your slow speed in either direction and the reasons cited above are more important in my opinion and experience. 9) One of your crew has fallen overboard. In the first minute after "crew overboard" (COB) is called, only one of the following is not a critical action to take. Which one is it? Get the boat turned around and heading back to COB Throw a cushion to COB Assign another crew member to continuously point at COB Notify the Coast Guard of your situation ** Correct answer is d (89% correct). You have more important things to do than notify the Coasties at this point. 10) Two red triangular pennants flown at a marina, yacht club, or coast guard station is an indication of: Small craft warning Gale warning Storm warning Hurricane warning ** Correct answer is b (46% correct). Two red triangular pennants are a gale warning; one is a small craft warning; a single square red flag with a black center is a storm warning; and two red square flags with black centers are a hurricane warning. Source is Sailing Fundamentals by Gary Jobson. Hope you enjoyed this and maybe learned something. We'll plan to do more.
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Russell
I would pick a nit about heaving-to
Helm position is called with regard to the tiller. You put the helm alee to harden up or tack, and put it to windward to fall off. When you heave-to, you lock the helm alee.
Helm position is called with regard to the tiller. You put the helm alee to harden up or tack, and put it to windward to fall off. When you heave-to, you lock the helm alee.
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Gary Wyngarden
Hi Russell
I can relate to your confusion here. To offset the force of the backed jib you want the rudder trying to turn the boat to windward. To make that happen you turn the wheel to windward or put the tiller to leeward as you point out. In using the term helm (which can apply to either the tiller or the wheel) I was to trying to convey turning the boat to windward with the rudder and perhaps failed to do so. Most importantly, you've got the idea. Thanks for the clarification which may help others. Gary Wyngarden s/v Shibumi H335
I can relate to your confusion here. To offset the force of the backed jib you want the rudder trying to turn the boat to windward. To make that happen you turn the wheel to windward or put the tiller to leeward as you point out. In using the term helm (which can apply to either the tiller or the wheel) I was to trying to convey turning the boat to windward with the rudder and perhaps failed to do so. Most importantly, you've got the idea. Thanks for the clarification which may help others. Gary Wyngarden s/v Shibumi H335
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Ray
Reverse
Qyestion 8 about reversing out in a 22 footer from a starboard dock might work for an inboard but reverse in an 8 hp outboard into 12 knot beam winds is sure to lose. I know.
Qyestion 8 about reversing out in a 22 footer from a starboard dock might work for an inboard but reverse in an 8 hp outboard into 12 knot beam winds is sure to lose. I know.
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Russell
Gary, I understand how thinking of the wheel ..
I understand how sailors thinking of the wheel might be tempted to use the terms "helm alee" and "helm to windward" opposite their traditional use. It seems to me, though, that these terms then become near to useless, since anyone hearing them or reading them cannot know what they mean without first determining (a) how the boat is steered, and (b) whether the speaker is using these terms in their traditional sense or not. If you also reverse the sense of the related terms "weather helm" and "lee helm," you had better be careful, because your sail loft and rigger will adjust things opposite to how you intend.
I understand how sailors thinking of the wheel might be tempted to use the terms "helm alee" and "helm to windward" opposite their traditional use. It seems to me, though, that these terms then become near to useless, since anyone hearing them or reading them cannot know what they mean without first determining (a) how the boat is steered, and (b) whether the speaker is using these terms in their traditional sense or not. If you also reverse the sense of the related terms "weather helm" and "lee helm," you had better be careful, because your sail loft and rigger will adjust things opposite to how you intend.
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Steve Winkle
Dock Departure
Gary, Even though I got Q8 correct, I think there is a simpler and easier way to depart the dock. Let's assume we're singlehanding and that there is no tide or current. I would untie the bow line and run a long line from the bow cleat on the boat around the cleat on the dock and back to the cockpit where I'd secure it either to another cleat or around a winch. Your might also want to attach a messenger line between the bow cleat and dock running to the cockpit. I'd then untie all other lines and shift into reverse. The bow line will act as the lever pivoting around the dock cleat allowing the stern to swing to port. Since most boats have a right hand prop, reversing will cause prop walk to port thereby helping the stern swing out. When there is sufficient clearance, I'd release the bow line from the cockpit and pull it aboard using the messenger line while the boat continues to back out and away from the dock and other boats. Am I right or did I miss something here? Fair winds, Steve S/V Options
Gary, Even though I got Q8 correct, I think there is a simpler and easier way to depart the dock. Let's assume we're singlehanding and that there is no tide or current. I would untie the bow line and run a long line from the bow cleat on the boat around the cleat on the dock and back to the cockpit where I'd secure it either to another cleat or around a winch. Your might also want to attach a messenger line between the bow cleat and dock running to the cockpit. I'd then untie all other lines and shift into reverse. The bow line will act as the lever pivoting around the dock cleat allowing the stern to swing to port. Since most boats have a right hand prop, reversing will cause prop walk to port thereby helping the stern swing out. When there is sufficient clearance, I'd release the bow line from the cockpit and pull it aboard using the messenger line while the boat continues to back out and away from the dock and other boats. Am I right or did I miss something here? Fair winds, Steve S/V Options
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Gary Wyngarden
Dock Departure
Steve, Which cleat on the dock would you run your long bow line through? Gary Wyngarden
Steve, Which cleat on the dock would you run your long bow line through? Gary Wyngarden
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Scott
Question 7
Gary, I think your math is off on question 7. Using your formula the sqrt of 60 times 1.15 is 8.9. However, I've never heard of that formula. Bowditch Vol II Table 8 shows that at 60 feet the distance to the horizon is 9.1 nm (10.4 miles) The sum of the lighthouse height and yours would have to be 105 feet to see 12 nm.
Gary, I think your math is off on question 7. Using your formula the sqrt of 60 times 1.15 is 8.9. However, I've never heard of that formula. Bowditch Vol II Table 8 shows that at 60 feet the distance to the horizon is 9.1 nm (10.4 miles) The sum of the lighthouse height and yours would have to be 105 feet to see 12 nm.
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Gary Wyngarden
The distributive Law of adding square roots?
Scott, I think the issue here is that 1.15 times the square root of 50 plus 1.15 times the square root of ten does not equal 1.15 times the square root of 50+10. There must be a law about this somewhere. In any event the book says to calculate them separately and add the results together. Go figure (as they say). Gary Wyngarden
Scott, I think the issue here is that 1.15 times the square root of 50 plus 1.15 times the square root of ten does not equal 1.15 times the square root of 50+10. There must be a law about this somewhere. In any event the book says to calculate them separately and add the results together. Go figure (as they say). Gary Wyngarden
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Peter
Helm comments for Russell
I agree that sailors not familiar with a tiller could be confused by the term "helm a-lee" when heaving-to. However, I feel heaving-to (like reefing) is a skill that should be practised until it becomes instinctive. There should be no confusion about which way to put the wheel or tiller when it's time to heave-to. I also don't see the possibility of confusion with the terms "weather helm" and "lee helm". These are specific descriptions of boat behavior and have nothing to do with the device used to steer the boat. Just my two cents... Peter H23 "Raven"
I agree that sailors not familiar with a tiller could be confused by the term "helm a-lee" when heaving-to. However, I feel heaving-to (like reefing) is a skill that should be practised until it becomes instinctive. There should be no confusion about which way to put the wheel or tiller when it's time to heave-to. I also don't see the possibility of confusion with the terms "weather helm" and "lee helm". These are specific descriptions of boat behavior and have nothing to do with the device used to steer the boat. Just my two cents... Peter H23 "Raven"
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Peter
Math law for Gary & Scott
Good quiz Gary (again). Thanks and keep them coming. To answer your question, the heirarchy of mathematical operations is as follows: First, perform all operations involving powers of the same variable, e.g. roots Second, do all multiplication and/or division, Finally, do the addition and subtraction. To be technically correct in your example, we should find each root individually, multiply each one by 1.15 and then add. However, since 1.15 is a common factor in this case, the distributive law can be applied, so the roots can be added and then multiplied by 1.15. If there were no common factor, we would have had to obey the heirarchy. Peter H23 "Raven"
Good quiz Gary (again). Thanks and keep them coming. To answer your question, the heirarchy of mathematical operations is as follows: First, perform all operations involving powers of the same variable, e.g. roots Second, do all multiplication and/or division, Finally, do the addition and subtraction. To be technically correct in your example, we should find each root individually, multiply each one by 1.15 and then add. However, since 1.15 is a common factor in this case, the distributive law can be applied, so the roots can be added and then multiplied by 1.15. If there were no common factor, we would have had to obey the heirarchy. Peter H23 "Raven"
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Todd Osborne (Windwalker)
Question 7 Info missing?
I believe an additional calculation is in order. Tidal height. Unless your lighthouse happend to be on a lake...
I believe an additional calculation is in order. Tidal height. Unless your lighthouse happend to be on a lake...
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SailboatOwners.com
Final results
Final fesults for the Quick Quiz ending January 12, 2003: How many questions did you answer correctly on sailing skills quiz? 6 - 7 - 43% 4 - 5 - 32% 8 - 10 - 16% 0 - 3 - 10% 1,647 owners responding
Final fesults for the Quick Quiz ending January 12, 2003: How many questions did you answer correctly on sailing skills quiz? 6 - 7 - 43% 4 - 5 - 32% 8 - 10 - 16% 0 - 3 - 10% 1,647 owners responding
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