• Spring Line

• Cruzin'

Spring Line

Fetch..... No thanks.... I’d rather sail!

by Doug Taylor

Doug Taylor

y... but time goes by when you are having fun. Boating season is once again upon us after a totally disgusting Spring, and it’s time to start thinking about boating safely on the lake.

Now to our first topic ... Watch the sun on your bare.....PFD?

Reading thru the trivia that still arrives via snail mail, I came upon an article about protecting your PFD’s (life preservers) from sun-burn.

No, this does not mean applying a generous portion of SPF 15 to their nylon or polyester cover, but rather being aware that exposure to the UV in sunlight can cause deterioration of the man-made fabric, and eventual failure of the PFD. How to guard against this insidious attack on your best buddy if you go overboard? Not much you can do except put it away where its hard to get at if needed. Of course, We don’t want you to do that! We want you to either wear the PFD’s, or have them out and accessible in case of need. By necessity in most craft, this leaves them exposed to the vagaries of UV fabric deterioration.

A good PFD should last at least a couple of boating seasons, but if you notice your PFD’s are fading, especially the dyed bright color ones, it’s time for a closer look. If you’re not sure its faded, look for part of the cover that hasn’t been exposed to the sun like under a strap or snap, and compare to the exposed part. Color fading is the first indication that sunlight has started to take a toll. Give each faded PFD a good going over, and solid tugs at seams and where straps are attached. If sound, they are probably OK for this season, but make sure to put replacements on your Santa list for next Christmas. Obviously, any that rip or tear should be relegated to the re-cycle bin and replaced immediately. For our second topic we ask ... Just how big were those waves?

We’ve all heard one or more of our boating companions talk about the size of the waves on our fair lake when a bit of a breeze comes up. I’ve heard seasoned skippers talk of 6 & 7 footers off Valcour Island, and the winds was only blowing 20 knots.

Well, for those of you with a propensity toward expansive descriptions, I say balderdash. Here’s the real skinny. Now I will be the first to tell you the obvious truth that the stronger the wind the bigger the wave, and of course at some speed the waves start to develop whitecaps which is a spilling of the wave crest as the top is blown off. However, there is another variable in the equation and that is fetch. Fetch is the distance that the wind has to work on the surface of a body of water to build waves. The longest fetch on Champlain is a little more than 20 miles, from Split Rock to Cumberland Head on the broad lake. Most of the other areas of the lake have a fetch of 10 miles or less, due to the vagaries of shoreline, islands, bays, etc. Also, it takes about 2 hours or so for the waves to build once the wind starts blowing.

So for a 20 mile fetch, a gentle breeze of 7-10 knots will produce wave heights of 2 feet, and scattered whitecaps will appear. For a 10 mile fetch, the height of the wave for the same wind velocity is 1.8 ft. For a moderate breeze (11-16 knots) the wave heights will get to about 3.2 feet with numerous whitecaps for a 20 mile fetch. A 10 mile fetch will produce wave heights of about 2.6 feet.

A fresh breeze (19-24 knots) will start to test your seamanship skills, especially in a small boat, as a 20 mile fetch produces 4.5 ft. waves, and a 10 mile fetch will bring 3.5 footers. The lake starts to look like shore to shore whitecaps, and even the experienced boater should think about his or her ability to handle these conditions on the broad lake. However, even with this wind speed there are plenty of areas on the lake where it is safe to go out in a small craft. Just pay attention to the direction the wind is blowing, the fetch it has to work with, and don’t venture out into waters where the fetch is long enough to produce rough seas.

CRUZIN'

“Yes Sir, this boat does have an auto pilot.” “Why do you ask?”

by The Harbormaster

Willsboro Bay

magine you’re leaving the peaceful confines of the Burlington Harbor the evening before an important race, heading for the equally peaceful confines of Malletts Bay. All your crew are busy so you plan to make the trip alone. It’s one of those warm summer nights —little or no wind to speak of, and the three hour motor to Malletts Bay will be at best, boring.

The drone of the engine quickly lulls you into a semi unconscious state. You set up the GPS for a course from Appletree Point to Colchester Reef, turn on the autopilot, set up the depth alarm just in case and open a luke warm beer. Just as you settle back in the cockpit you look ahead and see one of your competitors several hundred yards ahead. You recognize the crew as friends and decide you should catch up and motor along with them.

You push the throttle ahead and the knot meter just barely moves. If you’re going to visit you’ll have to find another way. Of course with the auto pilot in gear you can hop into the tender and catch up to them in only a few minutes. You flick on the running lights, just for good measure, jump in the tender, crank over the outboard and off you go —feeling confident that the autopilot will handle the steering chore. After all you’re only a few hundred yards away.

As you arrive along side the other boat. you are welcomed aboard and offered a frosty beer. You exchange pleasantries, discuss the upcoming race, old girl friends you have in common, and of course family. Twenty minutes rolls by and someone notices a Coast Guard boat approaching with the blue lights rolling. Everyone quietly stows their beer and prepares for the inevitable “inspection”.

Someone asks who’s aboard your boat!..... you can see the surprise in their faces when they figure out that the autopilot is in charge. Meanwhile the Coast Guard accompanied by the VT State Police arrive at your boat.... they circle several times and hail you to stop. Realizing that they aren’t about to take “no response” for an answer you hop into the launch and return to the boat just as the Trooper boards your boat.

You greet the officer with a smile and a warm “welcome aboard”. He greets you back with a concerned look and asks if you have the papers for the boat. You quickly assure the officer that everything is properly documented and present him with the paper work. After a complete inspection including through hulls, fire extinguishers, and life jackets.... (although you show the officer ten pfd’s in reality all you need is one) the officer hands you a VT State inspection certificate and mast decal. With what has to be called a double-take, smirk-frown, the officer suggests “Ya-all might think of stickin’ a-little closer to your wheel when you’re out and about.” You thank him for his concern and assure him those are your plans.

As the Coast Guard blasts off into the sunset you recognize another boat catching up from behind and you wonder if their beer is any colder than yours?

The proceeding is a true story.... honest.... with the names being withheld to protect their idiosence.