Shorter Days, Longer Nights
Commodore B. J. Turk, 13 October 2005

Alas, the summer has drawn to a close, and all that's left is the maintenance, the laundry, and trying to find the money to replace that brand-new, imported 955 megapixel digital camera with all the accessories that accidentally got knocked overboard just before leaving the dock the first time out this year. At least the first two should be relatively easy.

When was the last time you took a good look at your hull? If your boat stays in the water year-round, you should still pull it out at least once a year to check for damage, barnacles, and debris snarled in your rudder and keel. You won't get to the scene of your next disaster as quickly if you've got unintentional hull passengers slowing you down. A nice scrape and paint wouldn't hurt every now and then, you know?



While you've got the works high and dry, that's your best chance to go over everything, inside and out, to make sure that all is as it should be. That means checking things like the mast foot where you only notice damage shortly after your boat is dismasted. How about the keel attachments that you never see or think about until the keel suddenly drops off just before you capsize? And what about the condition of the rudder that never gets your attention until the blade suddenly falls off? And when was the last time you checked for damage to the propeller that you count on to get you out of a tanker's path if you can't catch a breeze?

Doing all of this doesn't take a whole lot of time, but it takes a great deal of care. It's not something that you should avoid, or just gloss over. Your life, and the lives of your passengers, depend upon the condition of your vessel and its equipment. Remember to take the time if you have plenty of time, and to make the time if you don't. There's too much at stake to do half the job, or to do it half-well.



Yes, I know that you can't post race notices yet, even though I mentioned it months ago. What of it? Not much on this site is working the way I want it to, even after two years of off-and-on work. That's the way it goes. At least nobody's paying anything. Things will get where they need to go eventually, but the timetable for that is like a telltale, swinging in the breeze.



Other Commodore's Log entries:

      Thankful (13 November 2005)
      Summer's End (13 August 2005)
      Summer Sailing (13 July 2005)
      3rd Friday the 13th Status Report (13 May 2005)
      Ode to Spring (13 April 2005)
      The Misfortune Continues... (13 March 2005)

      Commodore's Log Archive (old stuff)


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