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Articles are of general interest to the entire CCA membership, and are not particular to any specific station. Categories include Feature Articles, Safety Moments, White Papers and For Ocean Racers.

  • RAF demonstration photo by By U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Matthew Bruch - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pacificairforces/8473436702/in/photostream, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24954152
    “I’ve Heard It All Before” Sometimes, it pays to listen
    Frequent travelers, or those listening to a particularly good podcast, frequently skip the safety briefing because “they’ve heard it all before 1,000 times” and find no value in it. Similarly, when sailing, we become immune to repetitive messages about safety because “we’ve heard it all before.” But there are instances when things ARE different, and we’re foolish if we don’t listen, and listen carefully. Read more
  • Voyages Cover
    2024 Voyages Magazine
    Circumnavigations, Antarctica, Women Sailors and more. Read it here Read more
  • A VHF radio
    Coastal and Offshore Communications Guide

    The CCA Offshore Communications Committee has prepared an in-depth overview of offshore communications methods and considerations, from VHF to Starlink. Those planning an offshore voyage should consider reviewing this document.

    Read more
  • Safely at the dock
    No Apparent Cause: Engine Repair Underway
    ... There did seem to be some sort of moisture on the interior surfaces of the engine enclosure, but those surfaces led down to a gel-coat covered bilge pan, intended to keep any engine drips from going beyond the engine and messing up the rest of the bilge. Read more
  • Locking ring with positioning marks
    Keep the Rudder in the Boat
    If your boat is equipped with a Jefa rudder system, the design may be the type with a locking ring located above the top bearing to prevent the rudder from sliding out of the vessel. During 2022 and 2023, we discovered four boats equipped with a Jefa rudder system, where the step for pre-drilling the set screw locations had not been performed. Read more
  • Nexba on the beach
    Unanswered Questions: Nexba's Lost Keel

    “Safety Moments, presented at CCA Stations and Posts”

    By Chuck Hawley, San Francisco Station, November 2023

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  • Boat on Fire
    Boat Fire at a Marina Dock
    A fire at a marina in Maine destroyed one boat and damaged another. Loss or significant damage to several other boats was averted due to the unusually fast response of the local volunteer fire department. There are several important observations and lessons learned from this incident. Read more
  • Fire Icon
    Mid-Sized Lithium Batteries: A Warning
    The biggest issue with mid-sized batteries is charging. Think the battery on an E-bike, or even an electric outboard. These batteries are known sinners. The New York City Fire Department counts over 200 E-bike lithium fires per year, primarily when batteries are being charged. Read more
  • Susie, shown on her maiden visit, on a harbor tour.
    New Boat Jitters: Excitement is No Excuse
    The excitement of a new boat, even after you’ve toiled over it to prepare for its maiden voyage, should not be an excuse to neglect your safety preparation, nor forget your operational checklists... Read more
  • Al Shaheen in deeper water.
    Woods Hole Passage, Version Two
    In view of Stan’s apparent knowledge, I delegated the pilotage to him and, stupidly, didn’t keep an eye on the charts and the marks although I had read up on the passage. At that stage we did not have a chart plotter so we were relying on paper charts and eyeball navigation in very clear visibility. Read more
  • A fire extinguisher
    ​​​​​​​Clean Agents: Fire Extinguisher Choices
    Each group was also shown the effectiveness of the inexpensive ABC or BC dry chemical extinguishers, again using a short well-aimed blast at the fire. However, during one of my demonstrations, I accidentally grabbed the halon extinguisher that I had used in a discussion of different fire-fighting agents. I pulled the pin, aimed the nozzle and let forth a brief blast of banned, terrible-for-the-environment, not-Sierra Club approved halon Read more
  • Modern tricolor
    Tricolor Light Follies
    I idly looked aloft at the tricolor light, and it appeared to be showing its red light aft, which didn’t register as a problem, at least initially, until I looked aloft again and now saw the green light showing aft. It became obvious that the light fixture was unscrewing from the mast due to the movement of the boat as we sailed upwind plus the tapered threads used to attach the mounting post to the aluminum mast. I mulled over the possible explanations for a while, but what… Read more