Safety on the water

The best site I've found that discusses safety is http://www.boatsafe.com. Before you do anything else, go there, bookmark the page and start reading.

Know the colregs

Here's a great link that has the complete description of the colregs. These are the International Regulations for Avoiding Collisions at Sea.

Things to practice and things I teach....

• Crew Overboard/Safety Equipment
• Motoring/docking in tight quarters
• Basic sailing and boat handling
• Anchoring techniques
• Rules of the Road and terminology
• Basic knots (e.g., cleat hitch, bowline)

What to do if you fall off the boat....

Let's assume that you fall off the boat, someone sees you and tosses you a line. What do you do to get yourself attached to the line (and boat) as quickly as possible. Here's one thing you should know how to do.

Tie a bowline

1. Assuming that you are right handed, grasp the line with the left hand about six feet from the free end; this will take all load off the last six feet of line.
2. Pass the slack end around behind your body and grasp the line about six or eight inches from the end with the right hand palm up.
3. Lay the right wrist across the top of the line between the body and the left hand. Leave a gap between the body and the wrist. The palm of the right hand is now down and the line forms a closed loop around the body.
4. Push the right hand down and curl it over and around the line so that the closed right hand is forced back to pass inside the loop next to the body. The palm is now up and a loop is formed around the wrist. Keep this loop loose. The end of the line in the right hand is now leading away from the body parallel with the line coming from the left hand.
5. Pass the end of the line around behind the line coming from the left hand.
6. Flip the end of the line toward the body with the fingers and catch it with the thumb.
7. Change the grip on the end so that the right hand now only holds the very end of the line caught by the thumb.
8. While holding tight to this end withdraw the right hand from the loop.

A bowline has been tied around the body using only one hand. With a little practice this knot can be made in less than 5 seconds.

You can also rent a movie...

Rent the old movie "Never Give an Inch" with Paul Newman. He ties a one-handed bowline. Play this section over and over in slow motion. Also, it's not a bad movie!