Guide to Traveling aboard s/v Ripple

Updated May 15, 2018

This brief manual is intended to make clear what the moving parts are, and what skills you will master in order to assure the highest probability or crew and boat returning safely.
As master of this vessel, responsibility for safe and responsible operation and conformance to the rules of the road falls to me, and you needn’t be concerned about them beyond picking up what you’ll naturally observe in the course of our voyage.

Shit happens, and it happens more often on boats, so I will endeavor to give you sufficient knowledge to operate Ripple safely in the case that I am incapacitated.  There is no reason to memorize anything here… rather, this document will serve as a reminder to all of us of the scope of information that I need to convey as we begin our respective journeys .

Daily systems checks and log notations

• temperature
• barometer
• location (by name or lat/long)

• engine hour notations
• daily route planning and chart selection, destination and alternate harbor identification

Weather checks and notations of barometric pressure

• weather radio
• periodically at 1 hour intervals

Operation of Ripple’s engine

• Checking fuel and oil levels
• Starting
• Stopping

Ripple’s Electrical Panel

• Aft cabin bulkhead DC panel - circuits are labelled and used according to the configuration of the boat in a given circumstance.  During normal daytime operation, only the bilge pump circuit and the electronic instrument circuit are engaged.
• Bilge pump circuit (confirm on… always).
• Aft starboard corner shore-power panel and additional DC fuses do not require any actions unless an instrument failure suggests the possibility of a blown fuse.  The chart plotter and tiller pilot are fused on this panel.  The VHF radio and AIS receiver have fuses proximal to the devices, and are engaged via the DC panel electronics circuit.

VHF radio

Ripple is equipped with a new DSC VHF radio, with a console station and a remote mic that can be used to operate all functions. DSC signifies that the radio has Digital Signalling Capability, and specifically, has a single switch that enables sending a distress call with identification information and GPS location automatically.  In the event of an emergency, activating this switch broadcasts the distress signal to all stations within range.The radio is also our link to other vessels and marinas for normal communications.

AIS Transponder
Ripple is also equipped with an AIS transponder (Automatic Identification System) that projects data to the chart plotter that indicates the position, course, speed, and identity of every vessel within 10-20 nms that is equipped with an AIS transmitter.  This includes all commercial vessels (ferries and fishing vessels) and larger pleasure craft.  It does NOT include naval or coast guard vessels.  Having such a receiver will increase our awareness of other traffic, and keep us safer. In addition, our own information is broadcast to other vessels: we can see and be seen.

Ripple’s position will be trackable online at https://www.marinetraffic.com when we are within VHF range of an AIS repeating station.  If we are not visible, it does not mean we have sunk. Ripple's MMSI: 338183643

Navigational Resources

Ripple has a multifunction chart plotter with detailed chart representations for the entire west coast of North America.  This device will be our primary navigational tool.  In addition, I have navigational apps on my phone and on an iPad that serve as backups.  Finally, I have paper charts for the entirety of the trip, and part of each day’s route planning will be selecting the appropriate charts for the day's travel.  

Each hour our position should be noted on the paper chart, and in the day’s route log.

Tiller Pilot

Ripple has a tiller pilot which we will use on a routine basis.  It is a better helmsman than any of us on our own.  Its operation is straightforward and will be demonstrated when we are underway.

Running Rigging

The majority of our travel will be with the iron genny.  In the event that we have opportunities to use the actual sails, instruction (such as it may be) for raising the sails and trimming them appropriately will be made.

Making fast to a dock.

Pilotage near docks or other hazards is a matter of managing boat behavior, wind, tide, and current. The skipper will handle most of that.  Making fast to a dock engages many of those shit happens opportunities.  Crew will be instructed in handling of a mid-ships line that will be the initial point of connection between dock and boat, as well as proper technique in tying off to cleats, as well as setting and tying off to an anchor.
At no time should any action be taken by a crew member that puts his well being in jeopardy:

• Boat hooks are for retrieving lines, NOT fending off docks (I have a 35-stitch scar to prove the point).  
• Body parts should at no time be situated between boat and dock.
• Care should be taken to assure that fingers should never be drawn into a tangled configuration involving lines and cleats and belaying pins 
• Never try to prevent damage to the boat or my ego by putting your well-being at risk. The skipper is responsible for pilotage of the boat, and if he fucks up, it is generally manageable by the application of paint or varnish or whiskey in appropriate sequence.

Man-overboard procedures

We will discuss man overboard procedures at an early stage of the voyage. There is a re-boarding ladder that is always on the stern quarters and can be deployed instantly in the case of someone falling overboard.
It must be emphasized that in Inside Passage waters, a swimmer has very little time during which they will be able to sustain sufficient dexterity and strength to re-board the boat. As a matter of perspective, no one has ever fallen off my boat... it isn't that easy to do. In unsettled conditions, no one will leave the cockpit other than the skipper.
Everyone who will be traveling aboard Ripple should review http://www.coldwaterbootcamp.com/pages/1_10_60v2.html so as to understand the issues involved in reacting to a crew member going overboard.

Fire Extinguishers

There aren’t many circumstances worse than a fire aboard.  There are three fire extinguishers aboard, and we will discuss appropriate deployment.  There are four potential sources of fire below decks: the engine, the electrical system, the wood-burning heating stove, and a butane cartridge stove for cooking. Crew will be briefed on their safe use.

Flares for emergency signaling

There are flares aboard for signaling purposes.  We will discuss their use.

Use of PFDs

By and large, being in the cockpit or on deck will mean a PFD will be worn.  In the case of settled weather, it is acceptable to not be wearing one’s PFD in the cockpit.  Being on deck should always mean a PFD is being worn. Ripple is equipped with two auto-inflating PFDs and at least two standard (for use in the dinghy).

Use of jacklines and harnesses

Jacklines are nylon webbing fitted along each side on the deck.  In anything but settled weather, going on deck will mean wearing a safety harness clipped into the jacklines.  

Operation of the head

Ripple has an effective porta potty when the call of nature manifests in the #2 dialect.  For #1, there is the lee-rail while underway, and a specially designated bottle when greater discretion is required. If you don’t know what ‘lee rail’ means… please ask.

Operation of Stoves

I have one cooking stove aboard, a small, butane cartridge stove (Iwatani) that generates 13,000 BTU and handles all the cooking needs nicely. The cartridges are stored in the house-top carrier, separate from the cabin. The stove can be used in the galley, or in the cockpit in good weather.

Operation of the wood-burning cabin heater

Ripple sports a wood burning stove for heating and (mostly) drying out the cabin in wet weather.  The key thing is to make certain the outside flue is fitted (not the wooden flue plug). Charcoal briquettes and scrap wood be the standard fuel.  Wood from the shore can be scavenged as well, but wood that has been in salt water is not good, as the ashes tend to be corrosive.

Anchoring

Ripple is equipped with two bow anchors . The primary anchor is a Bruce anchor on a 400 foot rode. The secondary anchor is a Vulcan high efficiency anchor, which will only be used in the case of a serious blow calling for simultaneous deployment of two anchors. 

In addition, the AIS system has an anchor alarm system to alert us in the case that we should drag anchor.  In the case of a big blow, it is unlikely that we’d sleep, and we would be on alert to take any steps available to assure our safety.  

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