50 Skills Every Boater Should Have

Boating proves that the more you know, the more you realize you didn’t know. To help you develop a strategy for your next cruise we’ve compiled 50 important skills and tips gained from decades of experience, with a whole lot of mistakes along the way.

By PMY Staff

September 22, 2015

Game Plan
Boating proves that the more you know, the more you realize you didn’t know. To help you develop a strategy for your next cruise we’ve compiled 50 important skills and tips gained from decades of experience, with a whole lot of mistakes along the way.

Cook a Gourmet Meal with One Pan
There’s nothing better than a tasty meal while on the water. Yet sometimes space limitations or simply being dead tired after a long cruise don’t allow you to strut your inner Top Chef. Here’s a simple tasty treat that will please any palate.
Citrus Shrimp and Rice
½ pound shrimp, peeled but keep tails on
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon honey
Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
2 cups cooked rice
In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp and olive oil. Then heat your nonstick pan over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. (Hint: Never start cooking with a cold pan.) Add the shrimp and cook for about 1 minute until pink and curled. Then add the rest of the above ingredients except for the rice. Stir and mix well. After another minute, add the cooked rice and cook until everything turns slightly brown. Then serve! Sailors would eat out of the same pan with a wooden spoon.
We recommend plates and utensils.

Bleed A Diesel
First, back off bleed screw on the engine’s secondary fuel filter(s). Second, work the lever (plunger or whatever) on the fuel lift pump until solid fuel replaces bubbles under the screw, and then tighten the screw back down. And THIRD, repeat the process via the bleed screws on the injector pump and on each injector if necessary. Procedures vary from engine to engine, so consult your operator’s manual for specifics.

Love Thy Piling
On any given weekend in a crowded marina, you’ll see some poor mate up on the bow with a boathook ready to harpoon, err…fend off a piling like it was a live missle. Don’t be afraid of that big piece of wood jutting out of the water if you have a decent rubrail, and are familiar with where your boat’s center of lateral resistance (CLR) is. The wind or current will hold you against the piling and if you position her forward of your CLR, your stern will swing easily around with the wind or current. Of course, practice makes perfect.

Lock Down a Shaft
Think about what’s happening to your running gear—an engine-driven propeller is constantly pushing forward against the drive, transmission, and engine mounts. When one engine is shut down and that propeller now freewheels, the drag it creates pulls back in the opposite direction as it tries to pull the propeller and shaft right out of the back of the boat. Different stress loads are occurring, and things may loosen. Play it safe—if you’re faced with freewheeling a propeller over long distances, install a stop collar.

Change a Propeller Underwater
Make sure you know how to change your prop above water before having to change it underwater because you have no choice. Have a long-handled wrench to get the necessary torque and one that fits your hub. Carry a few spare chunks of wood onboard so another set of hands can place them between the blades to hold the prop in place while pressure is applied. Or a prop-puller is worth every penny. Expect to pay around $500. It applies pressure to the back of the hub while pulling the prop forward on the shaft.

Measure Distance Off
Like sailors, we think that powerboaters should also carry a hand-bearing compass and embrace this darn simple tool. It’s great for kids, too. This simple trick utilizes 8th grade geometry and the right-angle triangle with two equal sides. Look for a landmark ashore and take a bearing when it’s 45 degrees off your bow. Look at your log. Then take another bearing when it’s 90 degrees off. Since these two parts of the triangle are equal, the distance run between the 45-degree bearing and the 90-degree bearing, is the distance off that landmark. We find this very helpful while maneuvering through an island chain. TIP: Assign this to kids. Better than video games!

Launch a Life Raft
First, do not base your life-raft launching technique on All Is Lost. The movie starring Robert Redford was an agonizing 90 minutes for most boaters to watch, especially those with even a sliver of survival instincts. When you get your raft serviced, ask if you can come by when it’s inflated and climb around and familiarize yourself with the unit and its inventory. Long before you need to, know precisely where you’ll secure the painter to your boat. Keep a ditch bag handy with additional supplies and equipment.

Know How to Say in Spanish
“WE HAVE NO GUNS ON BOARD OUR BOAT.
WE ARE BOATERS IN NEED OF A SHOWER.”
No tenemos armas a bordo de nuestro barco.
Somos navegantes que necesitan una ducha.
(You never know when this may come in handy.)

Filet a Fish
A fillet knife has a sharp thin blade with a bit of flex to it, and that’s what makes it work. Lay the gutted fish on its side and make a vertical cut perpendicular to the spine behind the pectoral fin. Then start cutting parallel to the spine working toward the tail. Make short cuts to separate the fillet from the bones, pulling the fillet back as you work. Use the point and flex that blade to get it between meat and bone, and you’ll be surprised how much ends up on the fillet. It does take some practice, which is just a good excuse to get out fishing more often.

Properly Maintain An Interior
To keep a fresh and seamanlike interior, follow this easy routine:
• Change the battery in the smoke alarm semi-annually.
• Flush air conditioning evaporator drip pans with hydrogen peroxide monthly to eliminate mold and mildew odors. Do the same with the shower sump boxes. Just pour a bottle into the shower and let it sit for a few hours. NEVER use bleach, which can damage plastic parts and hoses.
• Clean air conditioning filters at least once a month during heavy use. Remember there are two filters per room.
• Flush ½ cup of liquid laundry detergent down each MSD three times a year to keep internal parts clean and fresh.
• Wipe off fingerprints on teak surfaces with a clean cloth dampened with Novus No. 1.
• NEVER use Windex or any cleaner with ammonia on mirrors or teak surfaces. Use Novus No. 1.
• Seal granite counters and floors yearly.

Fight a Fire
If you think yelling “Fire!” in a crowded movie theater is bad, try yelling it on a crowded boat. It’s pure nightmare fuel. But the only thing worse than having a fire onboard is having a fire onboard and not being prepared to deal with it. These steps might prevent an emergency from becoming a disaster:
1) Alert the Coast Guard to your situation and have everyone don life jackets.
2) Try to position your boat so that the fire is downwind from you and your crew.
3) Never open an engine-room hatch if you suspect an engine-room fire. Adding air to flame only helps a fire grow. The ABYC recommends letting fixed gaseous extinguishers do the fighting for you. Those extinguishers are up to date, right?
4) If the fire is in the accommodations, grab your extinguisher, aim the nozzle at the base of the fire and sweep from side to side. Act quickly and decisively, but remain calm and aware.

Change Engine Zincs
Replace your engine zincs at least once a year or whenever they appear to be half depleted. Check their health once a month. A socket wrench works best. If you change marinas, check your zincs more regularly at first—once a week is not overdoing it. And don’t quit until you’re sure galvanic activity is not eating up your mechanicals.

Make a Dark ’n Stormy
Since the recipe is trademarked by Gosling’s, the Dark ’N Stormy is tough to screw up. You just need: Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, Gosling’s stormy ginger beer (though Barritt’s Bermuda stone ginger beer, in a can, was long the preferred accompaniment), lime, and ice.
• Fill a tall glass with large ice cubes, then add 4 to 5 ounces of ginger beer.
• Pour 1.5 ounces of Gosling’s Black Seal Rum so it floats on top, resembling a storm cloud on the horizon.
• Garnish with a wedge of lime. If you modify your proportions or ingredients, call it something else (and share your discovery with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/powerandmotoryacht).

Beach a Tender
Keep in mind that someone is going to get wet, and it’s most likely gonna be you, bud. If you have a relatively light tender and there are no large swells, head into the beach, keeping an eye out for swimmers, rocks, and coral. Apply a last bit of throttle before turning the engine off and lifting it up. Assign one person to go over the bow with the painter and hold the tender steady while you unload beach bags and coolers. Do not beach a tender if there is a large swell on the beach. It’s better to drop folks off and anchor off with a grapnel anchor, bow into the seas.

Clear Your Head’s Discharge Lines
If you’re planning on leaving your boat for more than two weeks, follow these steps to help ensure you’re not hit with a wall of eye-watering odor when you return. You can thank us later.
1. Fill MSD bowl and add 4 ounces of biodegradable liquid laundry detergent.
2. Flush the MSD, holding the foot pedal down for about 2 minutes.
3. Turn off the breaker for MSD’s water supply.
4. Flush without the water supply. After vacuum pumps shut off, repeat two more times.
This helps to clear the water sitting in the discharge lines.
5. Turn power off to the MSD.
6. Completely pump out the holding tank.

Make Friends with MARPA
Today’s touchscreen systems make your Mini Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (MARPA) easier to use than ever—generally you just poke and hold any target you want to track. Here’s what you need to know:
• MARPA tracks your chosen radar targets and basically tells you their speed and course.
• Simply mark boats and ships that enter your effective radar range and track their progress in relation to your own, and use the track-line function if available.
• Handy Tip: Practice using MARPA in conditions with good visibility so you trust it when the fog rolls in or the sun sets.
• Handy Tip, part 2: Check out the discrepancy between your radar and plotter—it may seem minor in daylight but in the fog or night everything is amplified.
Bonus: Use the system in conjunction with AIS to track boats so equipped.

Free Yourself After Running Aground
After determining that your hull has not been punctured or rendered leak-prone for some other reason, check out the tides and prepare for what possibly may be a long wait. While gently backing away (in a direction precisely opposite to the one that got you into trouble) is always an option, it’s often much safer to let an incoming tide float you off if this is possible. Especially if you’re hard aground.

Change Your Oil
Make sure you have several 5-gallon buckets at the ready, the total number depending upon how much oil your engine holds. Then, operate the engine to warm up the oil inside thoroughly. Now, use a pump (whether manual, portable, engine-mounted, or whatever) to remove as much oil as possible and stow it in a bucket or buckets—make sure you have lids to prevent spills while conveying used oil to an appropriate disposal facility. Before adding new oil, remove as much old-oil residue as possible—this may entail waiting an hour or so for oil residue to pool in the pan at the bottom of the engine. Pump this stuff out too and fill ’er up, being careful to let some settling time elapse prior to dipstick checks.

Decompress
Turn off your cell phone for at least four hours and place below as far out of reach as you can. Make sure your family and guests do the same. Make your boat a cell-phone-free zone for at least part of the day.

Set an Anchor Alarm
Systems vary (on the helm or in available smartphone apps), but you’re generally setting a GPS “fence” that will trigger an alarm when your boat crosses it. Figure out your anchor-rode length, and double it to calculate the radius of your anchor-alarm circle for changing conditions (Note: This is for just one anchor—multi-anchor setups will generally call for a shorter radius). Most alarms use increments of 0.01 nautical mile (about 60 feet).

Determine if Risk of Collision Exists
Draw a bead (establish a bearing) on the vessel in question using two fixed objects onboard like rifle sights—the toe of a deckshoe resting on the steering console and the edge of a windshield mullion might work, for example. A more refined (and significantly more accurate) method entails putting one of your radar’s Electronic Bearing Lines (EBLs) on the target in question. In any case, observe the situation for a short time (five or six minutes will usually do it) and check again. If the bearing to the vessel or target remains unchanged and the range is diminished, a risk of collision exists.

Use an Engine to Pump an Engine Room
Should your engine room be filling with water for some deplorable reason and your bilge pumps aren’t keeping up, you may be able to cut the raw-water feed hose to an engine, stick it into the water, and thereby transform said engine into a giant bilge pump. A last-ditch emergency procedure? Oh yeah!

Drill a Hole in Fiberglass
Whether you need to drill a big hole with a hole saw or a small one with a drill bit, always tape the work area off first. The point is to keep gelcoat and glass from splintering while it endures the drilling process. Use a new saw or bit, too—even a couple of layers of tape won’t keep you from messing up if you’re working with old, dull tools.

Apply Tape for a Crisp Paint Job
For starters, buy the priciest tape you can find—Fine Line varnishing tape from 3M is about the best we’ve run across. And then, after you’ve smoothed the tape against your work surface, press its working edge down with a thumb or a finger, going from one end to the other. Now do it again. Thoroughness pays off, big-time.

How to Not Get Seasick
Stand up. Try taking the helm. Get some wind in your face, look at the horizon line and pray. This could be a very long day for you. Happy thoughts always help.

Dress a Wound
First, stop any bleeding—gentle pressure usually works. Then, if possible, wash your hands before proceeding with your patient. Next, wash the area around the wound with clean water and soap—debride if necessary. Tweezers tend to work best. Once dry, apply an antibiotic like Neosporin and, if it’s serious enough, cover the wound with a large Band-Aid or a petroleum-jelly-impregnated gauze dressing that you tape in place. Some deeper wounds can often be addressed with butterfly tape or adhesive strips rather than stitches. Be sure to change the gauze if the bandage gets wet or dirty. Contact a physician if stitches or further attention are required, and do so immediately if the injured area becomes more painful, develops a foul odor, you notice increased drainage, or if your patient gets a fever or chills. Remember—he or she may need a tetanus shot or a booster.

Combat Boat Shoe Odor
Just like your old baseball glove, the most comfortable boat shoes are the ones that are broken in. Spilling some oil and varnish on them only adds to their salty authenticity. But after a certain number of miles you might find that your leather shoes develop an unwanted badge of odor. Sperry Top-Sider management recommends leaving your shoes in the freezer overnight and letting the cold kill the odor-producing bacteria. Our editors recommend putting the shoes in a bag before placing them in the freezer; thus reducing the wrath from your Mrs.

Tie a Bowline (In The Dark)
The rabbit-comes-out-of-the-hole-and-goes-around-the-tree approach is simply not fast enough for emergencies, especially after-dark ones. Here’s something better, although unfortunately we’re stuck with right-hand-specifics here. Start by laying the bitter end of your line over the standing part and then (the tricky part) rotating your right hand so that the bitter end dives down, turns to the left, and then comes up into an upright position. At the same time (and this is even trickier) you use the index finger of your left hand (left) to pull the standing part of the line left and then up to raise it into a vertical tree-like position, thereby forming a loop around the upright bitter end. Now, you’re almost home—simply circle behind the ‘tree’ with the bitter end (middle) and go back down the ‘hole’ and tighten (right).

Plot a Course
REQUIRED TOOLS
: Dividers, parallel rules, chart, sharp pencil.
WHO SHOULD KNOW THIS SKILL?
Everyone.
WHY?
Because you’re a boater dammit.
HOW?
Pick your course between two points on the chart and draw a straight line between them using the parallel rules. Walk the rules to the center (magnetic) ring of the chart’s compass rose to determine your heading in degrees. Use the dividers and the latitude scale (one minute of latitude equals one nautical mile) on the side of the chart to measure (“step-off”) the distance of your plotted course. Write the compass-rose degrees above the courseline (typically with three digits and an ‘M’) and the measured distance below.

Repair a Torn Bellows-Type Shaft Seal Underway
A decidedly temporary but effective fix here is to simply wrap the bellows with duct tape. While the fix may continue to let a bit of water in, it’s likely to last long enough to get your boat to safety.

Prepping for Foul Weather if You Can’t Get to Port
The basic goal is to avoid foul weather, but if you find yourself on the water with an approaching squall, or sustained gale-force conditions, you can take steps ahead of time that will improve the safety and comfort of your crew. Here are a few:
1. Walk around the deck and ensure everything is properly secure. Remember that a boarding wave has a tremendous amount of force. Stow items such as loose deck chairs, jerry cans, grills, and tables. Check that on-deck gear such as ice makers and refrigerators are secure. If your anchor is stowed forward on a roller, take the time to secure it properly and ensure the cap to the deck opening for the rode is secure.
2. Go through an engine check while the weather is still reasonable. Pay close attention to fuel filters and coolant. If you get into nasty seas, the motion will stir up any sediment and dirt lying on the bottom of your fuel tank. Bring out life jackets. We’re fans of the inflatable harness units.
3. If you don’t have a satellite-weather overlay, listen to the forecast and tape with small recorder. Plot it on a chart and devise how you will navigate out of the foul weather.
4. Study up on your landfall options and determine if additional sea room is necessary. Do not anchor offshore of a rough inlet until the weather breaks!
5. If you’re going to be at sea for a few hours or more, make sure the crew is well fed and hydrated before the storm. Keep a thermos for coffee and one for soup at the ready in the galley.
6. Secure items down below.
7. Communicate precisely with your crew. Let them know what they should expect and your course of action. If they have confidence in you, it will go a long way.

Stow the Primary Anchor Properly
A decade or so ago there was a case of a bow anchor accidentally deploying, grabbing the bottom astern, then quickly releasing while the boat was underway. The anchor became a projectile, flying into the cockpit and killing the captain’s wife. A $40 anchor safety cable would have avoided this horrendous accident. Does your boat have one? It secures the anchor to the deck.

Maneuver a Twin-Engine Boat Sideways
Because most recreational vessels have comparatively small rudders, walking a twin-engine boat sideways typically requires a bow thruster. To walk your boat to port, for example, shift the starboard engine astern first (its prop is less effective when going astern) and then shift the port engine ahead—this will ‘twist’ the stern sideways to port. At the same time, push the bow in the same direction with the thruster. Occasionally, you may have to give the starboard engine more juice to keep up with the port engine. Should your boat be graced with a flat bottom and whopping big rudders that are directly abaft the props, you can reverse the engine configuration (and skip the thruster), swing the rudders away from the dock for starters, and then solemnly invoke divine assistance while you finesse rudders and engines to walk your boat to port.

Docking with a Strong Current
1. Use wind and current to your advantage.
2. On face docks, current usually runs parallel to dock.
3. Look around the bases of pilings to judge the current’s velocity.
4. Always head into the current. If you have wind and current, use whichever force has more velocity.
5. Before committing to a final approach, take a moment, bring your boat to idle and see which way she drifts. Don’t hesitate to do this several times.
6. Stay calm. Slow and easy wins the race.

Tipping The Dock Boy/Girl
Dockhands are kind of like the Mafia. Sure they smile, help with the lines, and tell you to have a nice day, but make no mistake, they are privy to the true inner workings of the marina. Tip them $5 to $10 and you’ll stay in their good graces. Pass them a Jackson and they’ll remember it. Need a couple bags of ice? Suddenly they’re “on the house.” Want a recommendation for where to eat and what to do in town? Their local knowledge will be well worth the price. Who knows, that slip on the end might just open up and become yours. Welcome to the family. Tip on Tipping: Instead of tipping $5 here for ice and $5 there for help with the lines etc., give each $20 right off the bat and they’ll go out of their way to make your stay comfortable.

Make a Mayday Call
Only transmit when there is grave or imminent danger. Be clear and concise.
• MAYDAY…MAYDAY…MAYDAY (On Channel 16).
• THIS IS…(Give vessel name three times, registration # once.)
• MAYDAY (boat name) MY POSITION IS…This is key. Far too often folks do not transmit a proper location, wasting valuable time. Read latitude and longitude from the GPS or chart and/or a distance and bearing from a well-known landmark if available.
• STATE NATURE OF EMERGENCY
• STATE TYPE OF ASSISTANCE REQUIRED
• ON BOARD ARE…(State number of adults and children and condition of any injuries.)
• WHAT’S THE CURRENT SEAWORTHINESS OF YOUR VESSEL AND TYPE OF SAFETY GEAR ON BOARD
• STATE DESCRIPTION OF BOAT
• I WILL BE LISTENING ON CHANNEL 16
• Ensure everyone is wearing a PFD. It’s one of the first requests the Coast Guard will make.

Contact a Ship That’s Underway
It’s easy to identify a specific ship in a highly trafficked situation if there’s a little AIS (Automatic Idenification System) capability in the mix—simply compare the ship’s physical location with its transmitted position on your plotter and use the ship’s name (always preferable), course, speed, or some other identifying parameter to make contact using your VHF. Also, if you have MARPA (Mini-Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) capability on your radar, you can most likely determine the ship’s course and speed, info that will help you make contact via VHF. If you’ve got neither AIS or MARPA onboard, you’ll have to go the old-school route and use geographic or cartographic references to get a VHF response. “This is the motoryacht Betty Jane, Betty Jane, Betty Jane,” you might say via your radio’s mic, “calling the inbound ship in Egmont Channel, just north of Egmont Key… come in, cap.” And remember—if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Safely Overtake A Slow Vessel Ahead On Inland Waters
1. If in a narrow channel, hail vessel on VHF and arrange for passage. In order to minimize your wake, request them to slow down.
2. You can pass on either side, to maintain safe navigation.
3. If you are the vessel being passed, for the love of God, do not change your course unless to avoid danger.

Find a Window Leak
The details involved are going to vary but the procedure is always basically the same. Use duct tape and construction plastic to cover a suspect portion of your boat whether actually on the window or in its vicinity. Then hit the surrounding area with a good long soak from a water hose—if water subsequently manifests inside your boat, you know you’ve probably eliminated one area. If water does not manifest, you know you’re onto something, too—go with a smaller piece of plastic in the same area in hopes of zeroing in on the problem. A tedious process? Yup, be prepared to spend a day or more.

Make Use of the Most Important Safety Feature
on a Propane Stove System
Yes, you’ve hit the switch on the electrical panel. And you’ve tightened the valve in the locker where the propane tanks are stowed as well. You’ve also turned off the knob on the stove itself. But what about turning off the switch that’s clearly labeled and usually nearby the stove but not part of it? Could it be red-hued for a reason? Many a cook forgets this particular switch while remembering everything else. We’re just sayin’.

Know When to Paint Your Bottom
It’s key not to overpaint. Ablative bottom paints are designed to wear away gradually taking clinging slime with them. As the paint dissolves, a new surface area presents itself to repeat the process. Overpainting is not recommended because the weight of the paint can actually cause it to break away from the existing painted substrate leaving craters and an unsightly uneven surface that will offer less protection and can cause a loss in speed.

How to Ignite a Handheld Flare
1. Remove black lid.
2. Twist off red cap and save.
3. Grasp below holding line.
4. Point downwind.
5. Strike igniter top with abrasive portion of red cap.
6. Hold overboard.

VHF Etiquette
We’re sorry if this sounds basic, but after a few months of cruising this spring, we felt a gentle reminder on working the VHF is necessary. Channel 9 is for hailing in New England, Northern N.J., New York, and bridges in Florida and South Carolina. Channel 13 is used to hail commercial traffic. If hailing on 16, immediately switch to a working channel. Don’t use the VHF as a passive-aggressive tool to dress-down somebody who doesn’t know the rules. You know who you are. No F-bombs! There are kids listening too.

Properly Coil a Line
As you lay bights of line into one hand, rotate the other in the direction of the line’s lay, meaning the twist that was built into it during manufacture. In the photo shown above, a right-handed person is rotating his right hand down towards the ground, in keeping with the left-to-right diagonal-like directionality of the line’s strands or, in other words, the lay of the line.

Heave a Line Ashore
First, coil the line properly (see previus, if you’re right-handed) and then split it into two parts, one in the stowage (left) hand, the other in the throwing (right) hand. Then, rear back and make a side-arm throw, taking pains to consider exactly how much energy you need to impart—too much and you can hurt some poor expectant soul dockside. Finally, put the breaks on if necessary. Adjusting the number of bights you keep in the line-stowage hand controls your range.

Keep Seacocks Free and Flowing
Next time you walk past that valve handle in the ER, bend down and swing it open or closed, whichever applies. And if you’ve got old-fashioned bronze seacocks, with the screw-in plugs that need to be removed and temporarily replaced with Zerk fittings for greasing, exchange them permanently for Zerks—this will expedite the application of grease every couple of months, a move that’s bound to keep the valve handles moving smoothly.

Equalize the Pressure in Your Eardrums When Snorkeling
We’ve all been there. You’re in some little slice of watery paradise. You see something interesting on the bottom, so you slap on a mask and dive in to see what it is. But then you get about 10 feet below the surface and blammo, your eardrums feel like someone lit ‘em on fire. To combat that, use the Valsalva method: Hold your nose and blow—gently, for about five seconds. Doing that helps to open up the Eustachian tubes in your ears, thus relieving the pressure. For bonus points, try swallowing while you blow out. You’ll be down among the fish in no time.

Bleed a Hydraulic Steering System
Let’s look at a simple, single-station, inboard-type setup—bleeding a multiple-station system is similar. First, get a friend to help and make sure you have enough hydraulic fluid on hand—three quart-sized bottles will typically overfill a basic dry system (check your manual to be sure). Next, your friend should attach a bottle of fluid to the fitting on the pump at the helm via a length of clear plastic tubing (threaded fittings will most likely be involved) and then hold the overturned bottle aloft after poking a small hole in the bottom with a pin so the fluid will flow downwards smoothly. Even if you have to switch to a new bottle, make sure the pump is full and oil is visible in the tube and bottle before proceeding. Now, with you at the hydraulic cylinder in the engine room or lazarette, your friend should turn the steering wheel clockwise until you see the hydraulic cylinder rod is fully extended to port. Open the portside bleeder on the cylinder and hold the cylinder rod so it can’t move while your friend begins turning the steering wheel counter-clockwise—eventually a steady stream of air-free oil will materialize at the bleeder. Catch oil with rags and a spare container, like a plastic milk jug cut in half. Close the portside bleeder. Now finally, have your friend continue turning the steering wheel counter-clockwise until the cylinder rod is fully extended to starboard and open the starboard-side bleeder valve. Again, immobilize the rod while your friend turns the steering wheel back clockwise until a steady, air-free stream materializes. While the wheel remains hard over, close the bleeder and let go of the rod. Check for air-related jogs and bumps in the system.

Treat a Terrible Sunburn
Whoops, maybe one too many mojitos the night before and now you’ve gone and done it. You fell asleep in the sun and woke up the color of a pink Easter egg. There are a few things you will want to do.
• Get out of the sun immediately. The time to seek shade is not when you blister, it’s the moment you feel that special heat on your skin and think, “I wonder if I’m burning?” Newsflash, you are.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. You know how if you’re making dinner and it starts to cook too quickly, you put some cold water in the pan and the heat dissipates and your chicken marsala doesn’t burn? Think of yourself as the chicken marsala. Drink water accordingly, i.e., early in the day and often.
• One word: ibuprofen. (You know, Advil). It will work better than Tylenol to help not only ease the pain, but prevent possible long-term skin damage.
• Moisturize. Take a cool shower and rub a moisturizer, preferably one with Vitamins C and E in it, all over the affected area. Repeat as necessary. And remind yourself to buy a nice big hat for next time you go outside.

Statements That’ll Convince Your Better Half
You Need More Than One Boat
I saw us giving this boat to our kids.
Well, she’s already paid for.
I don’t know what boat you are referring to.
It’s easier to take a smaller boat out than the big boat. (Hint: plant that sentence and walk away before the person is able to counter with sound logic.)
And here’s your haymaker:
It’s nice having a boat in two locations. We can share with your parents.

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Photo Gallery, Seamanship

Game Plan
Boating proves that the more you know, the more you realize you didn’t know. To help you develop a strategy for your next cruise we’ve compiled 50 important skills and tips gained from decades of experience, with a whole lot of mistakes along the way.

Cook a Gourmet Meal with One Pan
There’s nothing better than a tasty meal while on the water. Yet sometimes space limitations or simply being dead tired after a long cruise don’t allow you to strut your inner Top Chef. Here’s a simple tasty treat that will please any palate.
Citrus Shrimp and Rice
½ pound shrimp, peeled but keep tails on
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon honey
Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
2 cups cooked rice
In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp and olive oil. Then heat your nonstick pan over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. (Hint: Never start cooking with a cold pan.) Add the shrimp and cook for about 1 minute until pink and curled. Then add the rest of the above ingredients except for the rice. Stir and mix well. After another minute, add the cooked rice and cook until everything turns slightly brown. Then serve! Sailors would eat out of the same pan with a wooden spoon.
We recommend plates and utensils.

Bleed A Diesel
First, back off bleed screw on the engine’s secondary fuel filter(s). Second, work the lever (plunger or whatever) on the fuel lift pump until solid fuel replaces bubbles under the screw, and then tighten the screw back down. And THIRD, repeat the process via the bleed screws on the injector pump and on each injector if necessary. Procedures vary from engine to engine, so consult your operator’s manual for specifics.

Love Thy Piling
On any given weekend in a crowded marina, you’ll see some poor mate up on the bow with a boathook ready to harpoon, err…fend off a piling like it was a live missle. Don’t be afraid of that big piece of wood jutting out of the water if you have a decent rubrail, and are familiar with where your boat’s center of lateral resistance (CLR) is. The wind or current will hold you against the piling and if you position her forward of your CLR, your stern will swing easily around with the wind or current. Of course, practice makes perfect.

Lock Down a Shaft
Think about what’s happening to your running gear—an engine-driven propeller is constantly pushing forward against the drive, transmission, and engine mounts. When one engine is shut down and that propeller now freewheels, the drag it creates pulls back in the opposite direction as it tries to pull the propeller and shaft right out of the back of the boat. Different stress loads are occurring, and things may loosen. Play it safe—if you’re faced with freewheeling a propeller over long distances, install a stop collar.

Change a Propeller Underwater
Make sure you know how to change your prop above water before having to change it underwater because you have no choice. Have a long-handled wrench to get the necessary torque and one that fits your hub. Carry a few spare chunks of wood onboard so another set of hands can place them between the blades to hold the prop in place while pressure is applied. Or a prop-puller is worth every penny. Expect to pay around $500. It applies pressure to the back of the hub while pulling the prop forward on the shaft.

Measure Distance Off
Like sailors, we think that powerboaters should also carry a hand-bearing compass and embrace this darn simple tool. It’s great for kids, too. This simple trick utilizes 8th grade geometry and the right-angle triangle with two equal sides. Look for a landmark ashore and take a bearing when it’s 45 degrees off your bow. Look at your log. Then take another bearing when it’s 90 degrees off. Since these two parts of the triangle are equal, the distance run between the 45-degree bearing and the 90-degree bearing, is the distance off that landmark. We find this very helpful while maneuvering through an island chain. TIP: Assign this to kids. Better than video games!

Launch a Life Raft
First, do not base your life-raft launching technique on All Is Lost. The movie starring Robert Redford was an agonizing 90 minutes for most boaters to watch, especially those with even a sliver of survival instincts. When you get your raft serviced, ask if you can come by when it’s inflated and climb around and familiarize yourself with the unit and its inventory. Long before you need to, know precisely where you’ll secure the painter to your boat. Keep a ditch bag handy with additional supplies and equipment.

Know How to Say in Spanish
“WE HAVE NO GUNS ON BOARD OUR BOAT.
WE ARE BOATERS IN NEED OF A SHOWER.”
No tenemos armas a bordo de nuestro barco.
Somos navegantes que necesitan una ducha.
(You never know when this may come in handy.)

Filet a Fish
A fillet knife has a sharp thin blade with a bit of flex to it, and that’s what makes it work. Lay the gutted fish on its side and make a vertical cut perpendicular to the spine behind the pectoral fin. Then start cutting parallel to the spine working toward the tail. Make short cuts to separate the fillet from the bones, pulling the fillet back as you work. Use the point and flex that blade to get it between meat and bone, and you’ll be surprised how much ends up on the fillet. It does take some practice, which is just a good excuse to get out fishing more often.

Properly Maintain An Interior
To keep a fresh and seamanlike interior, follow this easy routine:
• Change the battery in the smoke alarm semi-annually.
• Flush air conditioning evaporator drip pans with hydrogen peroxide monthly to eliminate mold and mildew odors. Do the same with the shower sump boxes. Just pour a bottle into the shower and let it sit for a few hours. NEVER use bleach, which can damage plastic parts and hoses.
• Clean air conditioning filters at least once a month during heavy use. Remember there are two filters per room.
• Flush ½ cup of liquid laundry detergent down each MSD three times a year to keep internal parts clean and fresh.
• Wipe off fingerprints on teak surfaces with a clean cloth dampened with Novus No. 1.
• NEVER use Windex or any cleaner with ammonia on mirrors or teak surfaces. Use Novus No. 1.
• Seal granite counters and floors yearly.

Fight a Fire
If you think yelling “Fire!” in a crowded movie theater is bad, try yelling it on a crowded boat. It’s pure nightmare fuel. But the only thing worse than having a fire onboard is having a fire onboard and not being prepared to deal with it. These steps might prevent an emergency from becoming a disaster:
1) Alert the Coast Guard to your situation and have everyone don life jackets.
2) Try to position your boat so that the fire is downwind from you and your crew.
3) Never open an engine-room hatch if you suspect an engine-room fire. Adding air to flame only helps a fire grow. The ABYC recommends letting fixed gaseous extinguishers do the fighting for you. Those extinguishers are up to date, right?
4) If the fire is in the accommodations, grab your extinguisher, aim the nozzle at the base of the fire and sweep from side to side. Act quickly and decisively, but remain calm and aware.

Change Engine Zincs
Replace your engine zincs at least once a year or whenever they appear to be half depleted. Check their health once a month. A socket wrench works best. If you change marinas, check your zincs more regularly at first—once a week is not overdoing it. And don’t quit until you’re sure galvanic activity is not eating up your mechanicals.

Make a Dark ’n Stormy
Since the recipe is trademarked by Gosling’s, the Dark ’N Stormy is tough to screw up. You just need: Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, Gosling’s stormy ginger beer (though Barritt’s Bermuda stone ginger beer, in a can, was long the preferred accompaniment), lime, and ice.
• Fill a tall glass with large ice cubes, then add 4 to 5 ounces of ginger beer.
• Pour 1.5 ounces of Gosling’s Black Seal Rum so it floats on top, resembling a storm cloud on the horizon.
• Garnish with a wedge of lime. If you modify your proportions or ingredients, call it something else (and share your discovery with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/powerandmotoryacht).

Beach a Tender
Keep in mind that someone is going to get wet, and it’s most likely gonna be you, bud. If you have a relatively light tender and there are no large swells, head into the beach, keeping an eye out for swimmers, rocks, and coral. Apply a last bit of throttle before turning the engine off and lifting it up. Assign one person to go over the bow with the painter and hold the tender steady while you unload beach bags and coolers. Do not beach a tender if there is a large swell on the beach. It’s better to drop folks off and anchor off with a grapnel anchor, bow into the seas.

Clear Your Head’s Discharge Lines
If you’re planning on leaving your boat for more than two weeks, follow these steps to help ensure you’re not hit with a wall of eye-watering odor when you return. You can thank us later.
1. Fill MSD bowl and add 4 ounces of biodegradable liquid laundry detergent.
2. Flush the MSD, holding the foot pedal down for about 2 minutes.
3. Turn off the breaker for MSD’s water supply.
4. Flush without the water supply. After vacuum pumps shut off, repeat two more times.
This helps to clear the water sitting in the discharge lines.
5. Turn power off to the MSD.
6. Completely pump out the holding tank.

Make Friends with MARPA
Today’s touchscreen systems make your Mini Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (MARPA) easier to use than ever—generally you just poke and hold any target you want to track. Here’s what you need to know:
• MARPA tracks your chosen radar targets and basically tells you their speed and course.
• Simply mark boats and ships that enter your effective radar range and track their progress in relation to your own, and use the track-line function if available.
• Handy Tip: Practice using MARPA in conditions with good visibility so you trust it when the fog rolls in or the sun sets.
• Handy Tip, part 2: Check out the discrepancy between your radar and plotter—it may seem minor in daylight but in the fog or night everything is amplified.
Bonus: Use the system in conjunction with AIS to track boats so equipped.

Free Yourself After Running Aground
After determining that your hull has not been punctured or rendered leak-prone for some other reason, check out the tides and prepare for what possibly may be a long wait. While gently backing away (in a direction precisely opposite to the one that got you into trouble) is always an option, it’s often much safer to let an incoming tide float you off if this is possible. Especially if you’re hard aground.

Change Your Oil
Make sure you have several 5-gallon buckets at the ready, the total number depending upon how much oil your engine holds. Then, operate the engine to warm up the oil inside thoroughly. Now, use a pump (whether manual, portable, engine-mounted, or whatever) to remove as much oil as possible and stow it in a bucket or buckets—make sure you have lids to prevent spills while conveying used oil to an appropriate disposal facility. Before adding new oil, remove as much old-oil residue as possible—this may entail waiting an hour or so for oil residue to pool in the pan at the bottom of the engine. Pump this stuff out too and fill ’er up, being careful to let some settling time elapse prior to dipstick checks.

Decompress
Turn off your cell phone for at least four hours and place below as far out of reach as you can. Make sure your family and guests do the same. Make your boat a cell-phone-free zone for at least part of the day.

Set an Anchor Alarm
Systems vary (on the helm or in available smartphone apps), but you’re generally setting a GPS “fence” that will trigger an alarm when your boat crosses it. Figure out your anchor-rode length, and double it to calculate the radius of your anchor-alarm circle for changing conditions (Note: This is for just one anchor—multi-anchor setups will generally call for a shorter radius). Most alarms use increments of 0.01 nautical mile (about 60 feet).

Determine if Risk of Collision Exists
Draw a bead (establish a bearing) on the vessel in question using two fixed objects onboard like rifle sights—the toe of a deckshoe resting on the steering console and the edge of a windshield mullion might work, for example. A more refined (and significantly more accurate) method entails putting one of your radar’s Electronic Bearing Lines (EBLs) on the target in question. In any case, observe the situation for a short time (five or six minutes will usually do it) and check again. If the bearing to the vessel or target remains unchanged and the range is diminished, a risk of collision exists.

Use an Engine to Pump an Engine Room
Should your engine room be filling with water for some deplorable reason and your bilge pumps aren’t keeping up, you may be able to cut the raw-water feed hose to an engine, stick it into the water, and thereby transform said engine into a giant bilge pump. A last-ditch emergency procedure? Oh yeah!

Drill a Hole in Fiberglass
Whether you need to drill a big hole with a hole saw or a small one with a drill bit, always tape the work area off first. The point is to keep gelcoat and glass from splintering while it endures the drilling process. Use a new saw or bit, too—even a couple of layers of tape won’t keep you from messing up if you’re working with old, dull tools.

Apply Tape for a Crisp Paint Job
For starters, buy the priciest tape you can find—Fine Line varnishing tape from 3M is about the best we’ve run across. And then, after you’ve smoothed the tape against your work surface, press its working edge down with a thumb or a finger, going from one end to the other. Now do it again. Thoroughness pays off, big-time.

How to Not Get Seasick
Stand up. Try taking the helm. Get some wind in your face, look at the horizon line and pray. This could be a very long day for you. Happy thoughts always help.

Dress a Wound
First, stop any bleeding—gentle pressure usually works. Then, if possible, wash your hands before proceeding with your patient. Next, wash the area around the wound with clean water and soap—debride if necessary. Tweezers tend to work best. Once dry, apply an antibiotic like Neosporin and, if it’s serious enough, cover the wound with a large Band-Aid or a petroleum-jelly-impregnated gauze dressing that you tape in place. Some deeper wounds can often be addressed with butterfly tape or adhesive strips rather than stitches. Be sure to change the gauze if the bandage gets wet or dirty. Contact a physician if stitches or further attention are required, and do so immediately if the injured area becomes more painful, develops a foul odor, you notice increased drainage, or if your patient gets a fever or chills. Remember—he or she may need a tetanus shot or a booster.

Combat Boat Shoe Odor
Just like your old baseball glove, the most comfortable boat shoes are the ones that are broken in. Spilling some oil and varnish on them only adds to their salty authenticity. But after a certain number of miles you might find that your leather shoes develop an unwanted badge of odor. Sperry Top-Sider management recommends leaving your shoes in the freezer overnight and letting the cold kill the odor-producing bacteria. Our editors recommend putting the shoes in a bag before placing them in the freezer; thus reducing the wrath from your Mrs.

Tie a Bowline (In The Dark)
The rabbit-comes-out-of-the-hole-and-goes-around-the-tree approach is simply not fast enough for emergencies, especially after-dark ones. Here’s something better, although unfortunately we’re stuck with right-hand-specifics here. Start by laying the bitter end of your line over the standing part and then (the tricky part) rotating your right hand so that the bitter end dives down, turns to the left, and then comes up into an upright position. At the same time (and this is even trickier) you use the index finger of your left hand (left) to pull the standing part of the line left and then up to raise it into a vertical tree-like position, thereby forming a loop around the upright bitter end. Now, you’re almost home—simply circle behind the ‘tree’ with the bitter end (middle) and go back down the ‘hole’ and tighten (right).

Plot a Course
REQUIRED TOOLS
: Dividers, parallel rules, chart, sharp pencil.
WHO SHOULD KNOW THIS SKILL?
Everyone.
WHY?
Because you’re a boater dammit.
HOW?
Pick your course between two points on the chart and draw a straight line between them using the parallel rules. Walk the rules to the center (magnetic) ring of the chart’s compass rose to determine your heading in degrees. Use the dividers and the latitude scale (one minute of latitude equals one nautical mile) on the side of the chart to measure (“step-off”) the distance of your plotted course. Write the compass-rose degrees above the courseline (typically with three digits and an ‘M’) and the measured distance below.

Repair a Torn Bellows-Type Shaft Seal Underway
A decidedly temporary but effective fix here is to simply wrap the bellows with duct tape. While the fix may continue to let a bit of water in, it’s likely to last long enough to get your boat to safety.

Prepping for Foul Weather if You Can’t Get to Port
The basic goal is to avoid foul weather, but if you find yourself on the water with an approaching squall, or sustained gale-force conditions, you can take steps ahead of time that will improve the safety and comfort of your crew. Here are a few:
1. Walk around the deck and ensure everything is properly secure. Remember that a boarding wave has a tremendous amount of force. Stow items such as loose deck chairs, jerry cans, grills, and tables. Check that on-deck gear such as ice makers and refrigerators are secure. If your anchor is stowed forward on a roller, take the time to secure it properly and ensure the cap to the deck opening for the rode is secure.
2. Go through an engine check while the weather is still reasonable. Pay close attention to fuel filters and coolant. If you get into nasty seas, the motion will stir up any sediment and dirt lying on the bottom of your fuel tank. Bring out life jackets. We’re fans of the inflatable harness units.
3. If you don’t have a satellite-weather overlay, listen to the forecast and tape with small recorder. Plot it on a chart and devise how you will navigate out of the foul weather.
4. Study up on your landfall options and determine if additional sea room is necessary. Do not anchor offshore of a rough inlet until the weather breaks!
5. If you’re going to be at sea for a few hours or more, make sure the crew is well fed and hydrated before the storm. Keep a thermos for coffee and one for soup at the ready in the galley.
6. Secure items down below.
7. Communicate precisely with your crew. Let them know what they should expect and your course of action. If they have confidence in you, it will go a long way.

Stow the Primary Anchor Properly
A decade or so ago there was a case of a bow anchor accidentally deploying, grabbing the bottom astern, then quickly releasing while the boat was underway. The anchor became a projectile, flying into the cockpit and killing the captain’s wife. A $40 anchor safety cable would have avoided this horrendous accident. Does your boat have one? It secures the anchor to the deck.

Maneuver a Twin-Engine Boat Sideways
Because most recreational vessels have comparatively small rudders, walking a twin-engine boat sideways typically requires a bow thruster. To walk your boat to port, for example, shift the starboard engine astern first (its prop is less effective when going astern) and then shift the port engine ahead—this will ‘twist’ the stern sideways to port. At the same time, push the bow in the same direction with the thruster. Occasionally, you may have to give the starboard engine more juice to keep up with the port engine. Should your boat be graced with a flat bottom and whopping big rudders that are directly abaft the props, you can reverse the engine configuration (and skip the thruster), swing the rudders away from the dock for starters, and then solemnly invoke divine assistance while you finesse rudders and engines to walk your boat to port.

Docking with a Strong Current
1. Use wind and current to your advantage.
2. On face docks, current usually runs parallel to dock.
3. Look around the bases of pilings to judge the current’s velocity.
4. Always head into the current. If you have wind and current, use whichever force has more velocity.
5. Before committing to a final approach, take a moment, bring your boat to idle and see which way she drifts. Don’t hesitate to do this several times.
6. Stay calm. Slow and easy wins the race.

Tipping The Dock Boy/Girl
Dockhands are kind of like the Mafia. Sure they smile, help with the lines, and tell you to have a nice day, but make no mistake, they are privy to the true inner workings of the marina. Tip them $5 to $10 and you’ll stay in their good graces. Pass them a Jackson and they’ll remember it. Need a couple bags of ice? Suddenly they’re “on the house.” Want a recommendation for where to eat and what to do in town? Their local knowledge will be well worth the price. Who knows, that slip on the end might just open up and become yours. Welcome to the family. Tip on Tipping: Instead of tipping $5 here for ice and $5 there for help with the lines etc., give each $20 right off the bat and they’ll go out of their way to make your stay comfortable.

Make a Mayday Call
Only transmit when there is grave or imminent danger. Be clear and concise.
• MAYDAY…MAYDAY…MAYDAY (On Channel 16).
• THIS IS…(Give vessel name three times, registration # once.)
• MAYDAY (boat name) MY POSITION IS…This is key. Far too often folks do not transmit a proper location, wasting valuable time. Read latitude and longitude from the GPS or chart and/or a distance and bearing from a well-known landmark if available.
• STATE NATURE OF EMERGENCY
• STATE TYPE OF ASSISTANCE REQUIRED
• ON BOARD ARE…(State number of adults and children and condition of any injuries.)
• WHAT’S THE CURRENT SEAWORTHINESS OF YOUR VESSEL AND TYPE OF SAFETY GEAR ON BOARD
• STATE DESCRIPTION OF BOAT
• I WILL BE LISTENING ON CHANNEL 16
• Ensure everyone is wearing a PFD. It’s one of the first requests the Coast Guard will make.

Contact a Ship That’s Underway
It’s easy to identify a specific ship in a highly trafficked situation if there’s a little AIS (Automatic Idenification System) capability in the mix—simply compare the ship’s physical location with its transmitted position on your plotter and use the ship’s name (always preferable), course, speed, or some other identifying parameter to make contact using your VHF. Also, if you have MARPA (Mini-Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) capability on your radar, you can most likely determine the ship’s course and speed, info that will help you make contact via VHF. If you’ve got neither AIS or MARPA onboard, you’ll have to go the old-school route and use geographic or cartographic references to get a VHF response. “This is the motoryacht Betty Jane, Betty Jane, Betty Jane,” you might say via your radio’s mic, “calling the inbound ship in Egmont Channel, just north of Egmont Key… come in, cap.” And remember—if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Safely Overtake A Slow Vessel Ahead On Inland Waters
1. If in a narrow channel, hail vessel on VHF and arrange for passage. In order to minimize your wake, request them to slow down.
2. You can pass on either side, to maintain safe navigation.
3. If you are the vessel being passed, for the love of God, do not change your course unless to avoid danger.

Find a Window Leak
The details involved are going to vary but the procedure is always basically the same. Use duct tape and construction plastic to cover a suspect portion of your boat whether actually on the window or in its vicinity. Then hit the surrounding area with a good long soak from a water hose—if water subsequently manifests inside your boat, you know you’ve probably eliminated one area. If water does not manifest, you know you’re onto something, too—go with a smaller piece of plastic in the same area in hopes of zeroing in on the problem. A tedious process? Yup, be prepared to spend a day or more.

Make Use of the Most Important Safety Feature
on a Propane Stove System
Yes, you’ve hit the switch on the electrical panel. And you’ve tightened the valve in the locker where the propane tanks are stowed as well. You’ve also turned off the knob on the stove itself. But what about turning off the switch that’s clearly labeled and usually nearby the stove but not part of it? Could it be red-hued for a reason? Many a cook forgets this particular switch while remembering everything else. We’re just sayin’.

Know When to Paint Your Bottom
It’s key not to overpaint. Ablative bottom paints are designed to wear away gradually taking clinging slime with them. As the paint dissolves, a new surface area presents itself to repeat the process. Overpainting is not recommended because the weight of the paint can actually cause it to break away from the existing painted substrate leaving craters and an unsightly uneven surface that will offer less protection and can cause a loss in speed.

How to Ignite a Handheld Flare
1. Remove black lid.
2. Twist off red cap and save.
3. Grasp below holding line.
4. Point downwind.
5. Strike igniter top with abrasive portion of red cap.
6. Hold overboard.

VHF Etiquette
We’re sorry if this sounds basic, but after a few months of cruising this spring, we felt a gentle reminder on working the VHF is necessary. Channel 9 is for hailing in New England, Northern N.J., New York, and bridges in Florida and South Carolina. Channel 13 is used to hail commercial traffic. If hailing on 16, immediately switch to a working channel. Don’t use the VHF as a passive-aggressive tool to dress-down somebody who doesn’t know the rules. You know who you are. No F-bombs! There are kids listening too.

Properly Coil a Line
As you lay bights of line into one hand, rotate the other in the direction of the line’s lay, meaning the twist that was built into it during manufacture. In the photo shown above, a right-handed person is rotating his right hand down towards the ground, in keeping with the left-to-right diagonal-like directionality of the line’s strands or, in other words, the lay of the line.

Heave a Line Ashore
First, coil the line properly (see previus, if you’re right-handed) and then split it into two parts, one in the stowage (left) hand, the other in the throwing (right) hand. Then, rear back and make a side-arm throw, taking pains to consider exactly how much energy you need to impart—too much and you can hurt some poor expectant soul dockside. Finally, put the breaks on if necessary. Adjusting the number of bights you keep in the line-stowage hand controls your range.

Keep Seacocks Free and Flowing
Next time you walk past that valve handle in the ER, bend down and swing it open or closed, whichever applies. And if you’ve got old-fashioned bronze seacocks, with the screw-in plugs that need to be removed and temporarily replaced with Zerk fittings for greasing, exchange them permanently for Zerks—this will expedite the application of grease every couple of months, a move that’s bound to keep the valve handles moving smoothly.

Equalize the Pressure in Your Eardrums When Snorkeling
We’ve all been there. You’re in some little slice of watery paradise. You see something interesting on the bottom, so you slap on a mask and dive in to see what it is. But then you get about 10 feet below the surface and blammo, your eardrums feel like someone lit ‘em on fire. To combat that, use the Valsalva method: Hold your nose and blow—gently, for about five seconds. Doing that helps to open up the Eustachian tubes in your ears, thus relieving the pressure. For bonus points, try swallowing while you blow out. You’ll be down among the fish in no time.

Bleed a Hydraulic Steering System
Let’s look at a simple, single-station, inboard-type setup—bleeding a multiple-station system is similar. First, get a friend to help and make sure you have enough hydraulic fluid on hand—three quart-sized bottles will typically overfill a basic dry system (check your manual to be sure). Next, your friend should attach a bottle of fluid to the fitting on the pump at the helm via a length of clear plastic tubing (threaded fittings will most likely be involved) and then hold the overturned bottle aloft after poking a small hole in the bottom with a pin so the fluid will flow downwards smoothly. Even if you have to switch to a new bottle, make sure the pump is full and oil is visible in the tube and bottle before proceeding. Now, with you at the hydraulic cylinder in the engine room or lazarette, your friend should turn the steering wheel clockwise until you see the hydraulic cylinder rod is fully extended to port. Open the portside bleeder on the cylinder and hold the cylinder rod so it can’t move while your friend begins turning the steering wheel counter-clockwise—eventually a steady stream of air-free oil will materialize at the bleeder. Catch oil with rags and a spare container, like a plastic milk jug cut in half. Close the portside bleeder. Now finally, have your friend continue turning the steering wheel counter-clockwise until the cylinder rod is fully extended to starboard and open the starboard-side bleeder valve. Again, immobilize the rod while your friend turns the steering wheel back clockwise until a steady, air-free stream materializes. While the wheel remains hard over, close the bleeder and let go of the rod. Check for air-related jogs and bumps in the system.

Treat a Terrible Sunburn
Whoops, maybe one too many mojitos the night before and now you’ve gone and done it. You fell asleep in the sun and woke up the color of a pink Easter egg. There are a few things you will want to do.
• Get out of the sun immediately. The time to seek shade is not when you blister, it’s the moment you feel that special heat on your skin and think, “I wonder if I’m burning?” Newsflash, you are.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. You know how if you’re making dinner and it starts to cook too quickly, you put some cold water in the pan and the heat dissipates and your chicken marsala doesn’t burn? Think of yourself as the chicken marsala. Drink water accordingly, i.e., early in the day and often.
• One word: ibuprofen. (You know, Advil). It will work better than Tylenol to help not only ease the pain, but prevent possible long-term skin damage.
• Moisturize. Take a cool shower and rub a moisturizer, preferably one with Vitamins C and E in it, all over the affected area. Repeat as necessary. And remind yourself to buy a nice big hat for next time you go outside.

Statements That’ll Convince Your Better Half
You Need More Than One Boat
I saw us giving this boat to our kids.
Well, she’s already paid for.
I don’t know what boat you are referring to.
It’s easier to take a smaller boat out than the big boat. (Hint: plant that sentence and walk away before the person is able to counter with sound logic.)
And here’s your haymaker:
It’s nice having a boat in two locations. We can share with your parents.

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