PAGE 4 • SPRING 2005 THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SAILING ASSOCIATION
LIVING THE DREAM
continued from page 3
favored the latter.
could be ordered pre-finished by mail, 2 pallets of
plywood and 2000 lineal feet of Douglas fir were
Anecdotal evidence warning of the hazards of building
trucked into the yard. In place of the one gallon of
your own boat consists of the common admonition of the
resin, three 55 gallon drums of epoxy were rolled
project taking twice as long at twice the cost.
onto the worksite. Anyone familiar with epoxy
Experienced sources, however, would suggest that most
systems knows that the cost rivals that of rare,
builders should expect to perish divorced and homeless
single-malt scotch, which is just what you might
under a mountain of debt while their half-done project
need after seeing the bill for the initial building
rots in the yard. In light of this grim portrayal, we
materials.
attempted to remove any rose colored spectacles, discard
any romantic idea of ship building, and ready ourselves
Some differences from our kayak analogy were
to dive in.
harder to predict and even harder to endure. It took
a solid month of daily, sun up to sundown, work to
After holding a virtual yard sale in which our kitchen
get the inverted mold for the boat ready to start
table was magically turned into a gallon of epoxy and our
planking. It took us less than a month to build the
futon into a pile of plywood, everything we owned was
second of the kayaks. Where small cedar strips were
liquefied into boatbuilding funds. We then tore across
easily placed, bending 1x4 inch planks onto the hull
the country toward a little known town called Mims, FL.
took up to a full day to place one 45 foot plank.
Our decision to move to this anti-metropolis came from
an offer to use a bare patch of grass in the secluded yard
Things would improve. As the weather cooled in the
of a well meaning relative. Slow, humid and full of wild
fall, the epoxy started giving more than three
turkeys, it could not be more diametrically opposed to
minutes before it cured. By the end of November, we
L.A.
were hanging upside down in the porch swing,
looking at the inverted hull, dreaming of what she
“This should be just like the kayaks…only bigger, right?”
would become.
Chris said to me as we stood in front of the 60’x 60’
plot. She was referring to our only other boatbuilding
As with all things marine, change comes quickly and
experience. The simple answer was that the process was
often. Our daydreams of smooth sailing were quickly
quite similar to constructing small craft with some
replaced by the reality of an irritated host who
notable exceptions. Instead of ordering cedar strips that
thought that the boat was going to be 10%
continued on page 8
SAFETY AT SEA Interpreting the “Small Craft Advisory”
By Charlie Nobles
Y
ou and your regular sailing crew are at the dock
on seeing a small craft warning flag flying at your
preparing to head out for a daysail. As you are
harbor, though. As of February 15, 1989, the
about to depart, the National Weather Service
National Weather Service retired its Coastal Warning
issues a “small craft advisory” over your boat’s
Display network nationwide so flag usage
VHF radio. The wind in your location is blowing
varies by location.
about 12 knots, and the local Coast Guard
station is
The bottom line is, if you have doubts
not flying a small craft warning flag.
You are the skipper. Do you call off today’s
about whether it is safe to sail, you’re
sail?
probably better off spending the day
inside catching up on reading your
This safety-related question is one you will no
American Sailing Journals!
doubt encounter at some point in your sailing
lifetime. In deciding what to do, it helps to
Following is some more information to
understand what constitutes a “small craft
help you understand exactly what the red
advisory” so that you can make the best
pennant, red light or VHF radio issued
decision in weighing other factors, such as
advisory can mean.
boat size and design, crew experience, local conditions Definitions of “Small Craft Advisory”
and so forth.
Basic definition: A small craft advisory is issued
Sometimes it is “safe” to sail while a small craft advisory when the winds are expected to range between 18
is in effect. The small craft warning flags around San and 33 knots, or when other conditions (e.g. swell)
Francisco Bay are faded and tattered from use; but that may be hazardous to small craft.
is not to say that it is a fundamentally unsafe place to
sail. At other times large swells or gusty winds would
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s
make it unsafe to take a small boat into open water
(NOAA’s) definition: To alert mariners to sustained
despite the
(more than two hours) weather or sea conditions,
absence of a small craft advisory. Don’t rely
continued on page 16
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