Boating Insights

Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacons which are usually referred to as EPIRBs play a huge role in the safety of a modern vessel. This episode looks at if you need to carry one, the differences between GPS and non GPS enabled models, considerations for your registration and why it's important, what the differences and similarities between a Personal Locator Beacons (PLB) and an EPIRB are, stowage and the adaptations for your boat set up if you are single or short-handed.

Boating Holidays can be some of the most fantastic opportunities to enjoy being out on the water. This episode looks at the destinations, the different options available including bareboat charters, skippered charters, flotilla holidays, live-aboard boating courses and the options available for having a sail guide or skipper join you onboard.

The course we mention in this episode is the Online Skipper Course: aabboating.com/online

Deckee is an app for the boating community. It can help you to stay safe and informed on the water and to get official aids and information from maritime agencies. Mike McKiernan the founder and CEO of Deckee joins us today to explain how they are simplifying access for the notice to mariners around the world and some of his favourite features for using the app on the water.

How can you factor in taking a break for your passage as a local adventurer, coastal explorer or blue water skipper? This episode looks at some of the ideas you can build into your passages now so that if you need to help manage fatigue, seasickness or a maintenance issue at sea you have some transferable skills to draw on.

When you are looking at qualifications and training for young people in the marine environment, the list can quickly become quite extensive and confusing. In this episode, we help you understand how to evaluate what courses may be applicable and useful for a teenager and young adult, that will be enjoyable to study, useful, achievable, internationally recognised and explain which qualifications will not expire.

When you head out on a coastal passage there will need to be a junction point built into your passage plan, where the boat and crew adjust into the pilotage mode to prepare to enter the harbour, river or anchorage you are heading to. This episode looks at some of the factors to consider for selecting a junction point, what the actions you would need to take in the lead up to arriving there, as you arrive and what your plan is if things don't unfold as you are expecting as you arrive at the junction.

This episode is ideal for local adventurers, coastal explorers and blue water skippers.

We have packages for training all of these levels, click here to learn more.

Getting a good sleep at sea can make a huge difference to how enjoyable and safe a multi-day passage will be. In this episode, we look at the bigger picture for your sea berths including setting them up. This includes the standing orders for when to wake up the skipper and how to convert your boat from a liveaboard cruising configuration to being in an on passage configuration with sea berths set up properly.

It can often feel that there is no time to think things through under pressure. Every time you guess without taking the time to think through the next steps, you have a 50% chance of hopefully making the right decision. You also have a 50% chance of making the wrong decision.

One wrong decision can have a knock-on effect quite rapidly at times. Always try to take the time to think steps through and find a way to stabilise a situation, so these things are not getting worse. This will hopefully allow you some time to come up with a plan and brief your crew on what is required of them.

This is a major benefit of training so that you gradually increase the number of experiences you have skippered and the equipment you have used. It will help you to grow a collection of transferable skills that you can draw on during an emergency at sea. Hopefully, these experiences help you avoid even finding yourself in an emergency at sea.

When you turn the key and nothing happens, depending on a number of factors, the next few minutes could have a huge impact on the outcome of your scenario. One of the most common errors is to rush straight into fixing the issue without taking stock of the current situation, where you are, the traffic around you, managing your immediate hazards such as lee shores, rocks, bar crossings, breaking waves, shallow water etc. This podcast helps you factor in potential engine failure into your passage planning from local adventuring right through to blue water skippering.

This episode examines the details that can help make your first overnight passage safe, enjoyable and a positive learning experience so that they start well and just keep getting better and better. Through the episode we look at people, skills, the boat set up, the timing of watches and departure, how to get enough rest, managing food and hydrations, setting up your clothing for the conditions, safety considerations, navigation. We look at the tools you need to make sure you are properly prepared to master this skill and ensure passage are not limited by daylight.