Welcome Cruisers ! Secrets of a Professional Delivery Captain & Trainer Captain Doug Dickinson

1. Welcome Cruisers ! Secrets of a Professional Delivery Captain & Trainer Captain Doug Dickinson USCG Master & Trainer March 2014 Coastal Passage www.coastalpassage.com captdougcp1@gmail.com

3. Qualifications: USCG Master & Certified Trainer 150K Sea Nm; 25 years experience BSME, Design and Project Mgmt. Sea School Trainer-Instructor Yacht Buyers’ Consultant/Broker Former Host - Boat Talk Radio Show Able Seaman & PSC Rating STCW, Ham Radio Op., PADI Diver

4. Anticipate... then Adapt

5. Trip Planning – Some Secrets • Ask marina about shore power vs. your needs before arrival - i. e. 30A, 50A • Leave early and get in early on long run days; short daylight in winter months • Marinas close earlier, fuel & supplies • They may have a courtesy car or bike; • how far to the store and the hours?

6. Trip Planning – Some Secrets • Start a trip on a weekday, not a weekend – why? • Make shorter runs the 1st couple of days, until • you know how the boat is working • When WX permits, run in open water i.e. Offshore • Avoid busy or more populous areas on Holiday weekends.

7. Trip Planning – More Secrets • Carry your common spare parts with you; pay for labor on the repairs only, saves time too • Talk to other cruisers and locals for details • Call ahead early during the day for a planned marina stop, ask for any services ahead of time.

8. Trip Planning – The Details • Carry Change for Coin Laundry & Tips for dockhands • Skipper Bob’s Book is better for Inland Waterways • NOT a substitute for Cruising Guides • If cruising Bahamas, very few ATON use daylight for approaches • Practice with a new boat, become accustomed to handling

9. KEEL OFFSET

10. Tips for Safety • Learn how to care for your fuel • its your lifeline to smooth running • Understand your equipment, even if you are not the one fixing it • Keep logs on all servive and $ over 200.00

11. Easy things you can do to improve your safety • Add an external speaker to your radio(s) • Have extra dock lines; correct size & type for boat • Have dock lines stored on deck near the locations they are used & practice handling lines • Understand the ‘Pivot Point’ Concept • Have an Airhorn within reach whenever underway

12. Emergency Boarding Ladder

14. Navigating in Todays Waterworld Q: Do I really need paper charts ? • Answer: Yes - and here’s why: • Software Cartography on GPS is very limited • Aids to Navigation (ATON) can be non-existent • Little or no landmark details on GPS charts • Can’t see the ‘big picture’ the full route

15. Where to find Resources ??? • America’s Great Loop Cruisers Assn. – the Loop • Cruisers Forum - Blogs, Opinions, People, Places • US Power Squadron – Nav. training, social groups • Boat US – Crew, insurance, service providers • Active Captain – Interactive and real time guides • Doziers Waterway Guide; www.waterguide.com • Salty Southeast Cruisers Net http://www.CruisersNet.net • Talk to local captains Sea Tow & Tow Boat excellent

18. Tell me & I forget Show me & I remember Involve me& I Understand Chinese proverb

19. Where to find Resources ??? • All Inland Waterways – Inlets, ICW, Locks & Dams • US Army Corps of Engineers ; USACE • Get Local Knowledge from – Sea Tow, Tow Boat US, Dockmasters, Commercial Mariners • Look in Marinas for Maps, Charts, Brochures • If you will need services, get their days & hours of operation ahead of time - for fueling, docking, supplies.

20. Learn to use the VHF Radio – Your Key to Stress Free • Bridge Tenders on Ch. 9 in Fl. Ch. 13 going north • Ask Sea Tow; Tow Boat for local Nav Info – • they are locals! You can file a float plan too. • Learn Securite, Pan Pan, and what to say if you need help; Position, Boat’s Name and Description, No. of POB, and nature of your problem, distress.

21. Learn to use the VHF Radio – Your Key to Stress Free • Commercial vessels monitor Ch. 16 & 13 • Ch. 13 is called ‘bridge to bridge’ 1 watt • Radio Range is typically 20-30 miles on ‘base unit’ 25Watt • Caution Handhelds are good for only 1-2 Mi ! • You may hear them, but they may not hear you

22. Easy things you can do to improve your safety • Slow down in shallow water, and near inlets in ICW – most shoaling occurs here • Practice using all your safety gear, Flares, EPIRB, MOB, in the water with survival gear on • Keep paper charts at the helm, to compare to GPS

23. Anchoring & Line Handling • ‘The Parking Hook’ • The Snubber • The Rolling Hitch

24. Services Offered Here: • Customized Training Programs • Yacht Delivery • Buyers Broker & Consulting

25. Marine Training Course – Tyndalls • Session Topics • (hrs) • 1.0 (8hrs) Reference Materials • Charts, ATON, Plotting • GPS, Depth Soundings • 1.0 Marlinspike - Lines • ---------------------------------------------------- • 2.0 (8 hrs) Tides, Currents, Wind • Weather (WX) Patterns • 2.0 Radio Communications • 2.0 Safety Equipment • Handling Emergencies • ----------------------------------------------------- • (4 hrs) Aids to Navigation Details • Pre-Departure Checklist • 3.0 Docking & Anchoring • ----------------------------------------------------- • 4.0 (4 hrs) Rules of the Road • 4.0 Engines & Fuel Basics • 4.0 Cruise Planning, Etiquette, Protocol • 5.0 (2 hrs) Reviews & Understanding (quiz) • --------------------------------------------------------------- • 6.0 ++ (tbd) OWT Training • 01/2013 Capt. Doug Dickinson, USCG Master & Cert. Trainer

27. Good Judgment – comes from Experience – most of which comes from Bad Judgment …

28. Relax  March 2014 Coastal Passage www.coastalpassage.com captdougcp1@gmail.com