February 2014
Page 9
BOATING COLUMN:
Standing Watch Is A Must On Boats, Even On Jetskis
Area Pet Photos: Sponsored By Beacon Suites Pet Resort & King’s Crossing Animal Hospital
By Captain Reg Fidoe
Thanks to an ID chip, “Buddy” was able to get back home to his family in one day. Photo: The Star.
Stokesdale Veterinarian Helps ID Dog Via Chip
BELEWS LAKE – How do we properly stand a watch while underway on recreational vessels? Some of you might reply "I'm not in the Navy or Coast Be sure to look and listen Guard and I don't stand to be aware of other watches on my personal boats when out on the boat." The U.S. Coast lake or the water. Guard interprets a watch to be activities involving "the direct performance of vessel operations."
The Coast Guard's interpretation is generally in the context of such activities being on a scheduled basis and on a fixed rotation. Even though recreational vessel SUMMERFIELD - When some gas line workers told operators do not maintain a "watch schedule," we The Star that they found a dog in Summerfield, our certainly cannot abandon the helm without another editor could not find a tag on the collar but decided to operator taking that responsibility over. see if the friendly dog had an implanted ID chip. The staff at King’s Crossing Animal Hospital in The U.S. Inland and International Navigation Rules Stokesdale were kind enough to help identify the clearly state that the Nav Rules apply to all vessels. animal at no charge. One of Dr. Fuller’s staff did a From a wave runner to an aircraft carrier, the operator quick scan and found an ID number from the chip and of the vessel must comply with the Rules. Rule 5 states called in to the main database to get the owner’s name, that a "lookout" shall be maintained at all times. address, and phone number. Although the address turned out to be old, one of the phone numbers worked Being a lookout is only part of the watch stander's and soon we were able to reunite the fuzzy dog, whose responsibility on a recreational vessel. The operator is name was “Buddy,” with his owners. also responsible for steering, speed control, radio As seen in this case, the implanted ID chips do communications, etc. So, we are all standing a watch work, but be sure to update your info with the database when we are operating our personal vessels. company. Dr. Fuller says that often the chip info is out of date. She also trimmed Buddy’s dewclaws at no Now, back to my original question of how to properly charge before we returned him home to his family. :: stand a watch underway. Being at the helm, or "on watch," requires more than just sitting there. To illustrate the point, let’s assume we are on an overnight offshore trip with three watch standers onboard, on a schedule of "3 hours on" and "6 hours off." Our example will be the 1:00 AM to 4:00 AM watch. Some friendly faces at King’s Crossing Vets say hello! By The Star
Lost Dog And Cat Are Missing In Stokesdale
Some of the obvious requirements include being awake and alert. The problems associated with falling asleep should be obvious. However, being alert involves more than just being awake. Reading or listening to headphones can cause you to be unaware of a ship that is on a collision course with your vessel. In this case you could have seen them visually or heard the ship's whistle. In the event that the visibility deteriorates due to fog or other bad weather, you will need to operate the vessel's radar. In order to do that effectively, you need to be a qualified radar operator. If you are not, you will fail at your obligation to keep a "lookout" at all times, and subject your sleeping This brown, white, and black dog named “Tracker” is A giant dog has invaded the area! At least he’s very shipmates to a collision. missing in Stokesdale. If you see him, please call 644-7328. He was reported missing in January. Also, a black, grey, and white cat with a pink nose has been reported missing in Stokesdale. If you see or find the cat please call Donna Childress at 8508 Vaughn Street in Stokesdale at 704-564-9577.
friendly, although he does eat a lot.
Your visibility can also deteriorate from exposure to lighting that will interfere with your "night vision." SEND US YOUR PHOTOS: Send us your photo to Going below to the head or to the refrigerator can StokesdaleNews@Yahoo.com as a JPEG. Thanks! impair your vision.
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Once exposed to white or bright lighting, it can take up to 30 minutes to restore your night vision to where it was before you left the helm. If you need to go below momentarily while on watch, it is wise to have a flashlight with a "red lens" on hand. Another aspect of proper watch standing is the use of autopilot. Autopilot is intended to save you the trouble of constantly wrestling with the helm and to keep a steady heading. It's not a "relief helmsman" so you can go down below to read a magazine. There have been many accidents due to operators being "over-reliant" on autopilot.
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Before you plan your next overnight cruise, think about the qualifications of your watch standers. You'll be glad you did!
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Until next time, I wish you clear skies, fair winds and calm seas!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Captain Reg Fidoe is the chief instructor of World Wide Marine Training, Inc., a U.S. Coast Guard approved facility near New Bern authorized to give examinations for captain’s licenses up to 200 Ton Master, Able Seaman up to Unlimited, STCW, and others. In addition we offer CPR/First Aid classes monthly Vist on the web at www.fromthehelm.com or call 1-866-249-2135. ::
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