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 This article is the first of a four-part series on the process of buying a sailboat. Unlike most boat purchase advice, written by manufacturers and designed to persuade to one brand or another, the suggestions in this article are written from the perspective of a sailboat buyer and are drawn from the collective wisdom of my dozen or so sailboat purchases as well as conversations with many, many other sailboat buyers. This article will focus on the buying process and vessel characteristics. The process described applies to both new and used sailboat purchases. Subsequent articles will apply the suggestions presented here to specific sailing areas and boat types.
Buying a sailboat is a multi-step process that involves answering three questions. Successfully answering these questions will lead you to the vessel that can provide years of joy, while failure to accurately or honestly answer the questions may steer you to the wrong boat, little usage and no fun. The three questions are:
- How will I use this sailboat?
- What characteristics of a sailboat are best for this type of use?
- What sailboats have those characteristics?
The most important question is “How will I use this sailboat?” Getting this question right goes a long way toward buying the right boat. The answer to this question, however, must be detailed. It can’t be a general answer like “to race” or “daysail” or “to cruise.” If you only answer the use question generally, you are not yet ready to buy a boat and run a high probability of making a large and expensive mistake. Answering properly means knowing the details of where you will sail, the weather conditions in those areas, the length of the trip you will take, number on board and how far you will be from assistance. Table one provides some examples of the detail you should know before you consider buying a sailboat.
Vessel Characteristics
Once we know how we will use our new boat, we can determine the vessel characteristics best for our use. Vessel characteristics can be divided into three categories: sailing, safety and living. Sailing characteristics include speed, stability (tendency to heel), ability to point, ease of steering (tendency to sail straight) and balance. A racer, for example, will want a fast boat that can point close to the wind and may be willing to sacrifice some stability and ease to get it. A long distance cruiser on the other hand may be willing to sail a little further off the wind to get more stability and balance. Sailing characteristics will be determined by the boat design, specifically: sail plan, keel type and depth, sail area to weight ratio, and displacement (Table Two).
Our next consideration is safety equipment. The need for safety equipment is primarily dictated by the conditions we will face and how far away help might be. If we will carry life rafts, EPIRBs, offshore first aid gear and emergency water and rations, we will need places to securely store these items when not in use. In addition, other safety gear may include advanced communications devices (SSB radio, satellite phone, email or fax) power generation (wind generator, genset, and/or solar panels) and items like sea anchors and drogues, radar and navigational gear.
Again, the safety equipment list can be generated based on distance away from help and likely weather conditions we will face. The key vessel consideration is to assure any boat purchased will have a place to safely store everything.
Next, we must consider living space. Again, based on our usage we should know the number of people and length of time of our voyages. This information is then used to determine the required living conditions and space. For example, a boat cruising away from shore for weeks would need to have a much different energy management system, provisioning ability, and cooking equipment than a boat sailing for weeks, but doing short hops between ports. This seemingly small change in sailing usage can mean large differences in vessel necessities. Consider power generation for example. Extended cruising means high output alternators, larger battery banks, external voltage regulation, and potentially alternative energy generating – all things avoided when short hops between marinas are the plan.
Summary
We are now ready to start looking for vessels that match our desired boat. In subsequent articles we’ll explore the right vessels for various sailing uses and conditions. Sailboats are the stuff dreams are made of, but buying the wrong boat can be a nightmare – expensive, unpleasant and dangerous. The most important way to avoid making a mistake is to know exactly how you will use the boat – in great detail – before you begin shopping for your dream boat.
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 Greece? I’m so there! Count on it!” Thus spoke my girlfriend, Heather, upon learning I’d booked two boats for my ASA sailing school, New York Sailing Center & Yacht Club. That was one cabin accounted for, and other people apparently felt the same way, given how fast they filled. We chartered from The Moorings base in Athens. Greece has many possibilities, and we decided on Athens for the best combination of travel logistics, pre-trip touring and sailing options.
Athens is bustling and friendly with great food, cappuccinos, frappes, and myriad historical sites and ruins. It’s well worth spending a day or two here in advance of a charter, which also serves to get over jet lag to avoid seasickness.
Our charter began September 16, so we were still in Meltemi season. For the uninitiated, the Meltemi is a strong blow from the north that affects the Aegean Sea and Saronic Gulf. If we caught a Meltemi, we could hug the Peloponnisos coast and islands of the Saronic Gulf and manage. If it caught up to us in the Kyklades (Cyclades), out in the Aegean, it would be a rough ride.
Our vessels were Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 49s with four cabins and four heads, “Azul” and “Escapar.” They were well equipped and in generally excellent condition; nothing failed during the trip. The pre-charter briefing and post charter debriefing and inspection were meticulous and thorough. Nothing was left to chance that the boat would not be ready for the next charter.
 Winds were lighter than we’d hoped that week, ranging from motoring through zephyrs to occasional breezes in the mid teens. That was better than meeting Mr. Meltemi, as Jen and Mark dubbed it after doing just that the next week. They were along on our trip to earn Bareboat Charter certification and continue on with their own charter the day after ours ended. That’s a little ambitious for most people, but they’d set the goal early on in the season, taking Basic Keelboat and Basic Coastal Cruising as well as practicing. The only thing left to chance was the weather.
The islands were wonderful with warm weather, manageable numbers of boats and the excellent food one would expect. The distances between ports and islands along the Peloponnisos is shorter than some other areas in Greece, allowing for plenty of time to explore ashore, find swimming and snorkeling spots, or just have a leisurely meal. Every island seems to have wonderful churches, and often monasteries, to visit, and there are ancient sites scattered around as well. “Town” always centers around the harbor, and the harbors tend to be small. Mooring is tight, but the commute to town is by paper airplane.
Keep in mind that while the distances are average to short for Greece, they are long for many other areas. Readers who have cruised in the British Virgin Islands may be in for longer legs than usual.
 The Kyklades, or Cyclades (Circular Islands to us), are southeast of Athens and a longer, more open ride. If there is a moderate or heavy wind from the northern quadrant, the fetch can create decent waves. The Cyclades were high on our priority list, but with light winds, some of us preferred to skip it due to the amount of motoring involved. It’s around 50 nautical miles from Idhra to Kea, for example, so without an early start and good winds, you’re listening to the diesel throb. But that’s what one of our crews wanted to do, and badly enough that after a huddle we decided to split up for a few days. On “Escapar,” everyone preferred to sail even if it meant staying along the Peloponnisos. We each did our own thing after the first few nights together, and we loved it, meeting up for dinner and storytelling upon our near simultaneous return to Athens.
Another thing to get used to is Mediterranean mooring, or Med moor for short. It’s the most common way to berth a boat in Greece, usually along a breakwater or wharf with stone blocks or concrete, and bollards ashore. One anchors up almost on the other side, then lays out plenty of chain while backing down to the breakwater or wharf. Cruisers from adjacent boats are very forthcoming in helping to take lines to their own boats or ashore.
Expect to walk across several other boats or have them cross you. It’s how Greece is done, especially in the peak charter months of summer. However, we found it to be very civilized and a great way to meet people from all over.
Porpoises were the highlight of marine life, with no fish caught and nothing else spotted except for those who snorkeled. There was one resident barracuda at Idhra, right in the swimming area, but way too small to be a threat. Waters were very comfortable.
A few highlights of places visited are in order, all but one being islands. We began with Aegina, a few hours from Athens. This is a great first stop. It has the whole idyllic thing going on, while being a short run to begin or end a cruise. It’s a large island with too much to explore in one night’s stay. Wandering around the waterfront was exciting. We had a frappe at a local café, with a priest doing the same with some secular friends. Next thing we knew, he was presiding over the swearing in of the new mayor from a balcony overlooking the crowd on the waterfront. A frappe is actually Nescafe with a frothy head that just won’t stir into the coffee, no matter how you try. It’s very popular in Greece. Don’t smirk at the Nescafe: this is a culture that knows coffee. Later, waterfront dining al fresco was exquisite.
Idhra (Hydra) is a must-see. A small but very tall island further south. Take the long hike up the mountain to the monastery, be greeted by monks, and look down over the Peloponnisos and surrounding Islands. It’s quaint, has great swimming off the rocky shore with built in ladders, and no cars!
Poros, between Aegina and Idhra, has a gorgeous panoramic harbor. Sights include a monastery with services open to the public, including excellent cantors, and an archaeological site high on a hill, both doable in one taxi tour in part of an afternoon or morning. It also has great restaurants and cafes.
Our one stop along the mainland was Epidavros, a very small port along the Peloponnisos, close to Athens. It has more of a local flavor, both in the food and surroundings. The highlight was a morning taxi ride to an ancient amphitheater and an active archaeological site.
Our friends on Azul got to Kea in the Cyclades. It’s a mountainous island, and the closest of the Cyclades to the mainland. Azul liked it so much they stayed for two nights. They reported wonderful food and a tranquil atmosphere, enjoying a day sail on the second day. On their ride back, they were escorted by a pod of porpoises on the approach to Athens.
And we all liked it so much, we’re planning another trip this fall. Perhaps some of you readers will join us!
You can reach Captain Steve and New York Sailing Center at 718.885.0335, or at www.startsailing.com, where you can see more photos and video clips from this trip.
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Events
 Even as you read this, ASA is just starting its third annual American Sailing Week. Like the two previous years, we are holding the event in Antigua. This year we’ve added free Basic Keelboat certification to those interested.
Next year, we will likely host our Members’ Event a little closer to home. Rumor has it that ASA is considering Abaco in the Bahamas or the British Virgin Islands.
Speaking of the BVI, since our late fall ’06 flotilla in the British Virgin Islands was so successful, we hope to have at least one more this fall. The event is open to all levels of sailors, especially since the focus is more on visiting the many interesting beaches, coves and bars/restaurants, rather than long hours on the water or heavy-duty sailing.
New Courses
In response to your requests and those of our instructors and schools, ASA will be adding several new endorsement courses this year. Endorsements differ from courses such as Basic Keelboat or Basic Coastal Cruising in that they are not part of a sequence of sailing courses. They also tend to be shorter and provide focused study or practice for a specific topic.
Many of you may already be aware that we have added a Radar Endorsement that provides excellent, in-depth study into the use of this important navigation aid. If you are interested in taking this new course, please contact Brenda Wempner, ASA’s Education Coordinator, to find the nearest ASA school offering this course. (Since this endorsement course is so new, there are fewer ASA facilities offering it versus our other courses.)
Keep an eye on the ASA website and future editions of this publication regarding other new courses and endorsements. In particular, keep an eye out for a Docking Endorsement (intensive practice docking and maneuvering a sailboat under power) and a Weather Endorsement.
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 At the southern end of North Carolina, the broad Cape Fear River bends around islands and three lighthouses before opening out into the Atlantic Ocean. Beautiful sandy beaches and warm ocean water attract tourists from near and far. This vacation destination is also a wonderful place to learn to sail and cruise. It has extensive protected inland waters and the 50-mile Long Bay, which offers unobstructed coastal sailing. The heart of the area is the city of Southport, a charming waterfront community with a rich history of explorers, pirates and blockade runners. Southport is the base for Priority Sailing Academy, one of ASA’s newest affiliate schools. People can sail yearround here, and any season can be a good time for lessons.
The Owners
 Captains Dave and Carolyn Pryor have over 100 years of sailing experience between them. They have sailed extensively on inland lakes and the Great Lakes, and raced competitively in many yachting events. When they were ready to leave Michigan winters, they chose Southport as their ideal home base. After searching for their ultimate cruising boat, they bought a Tayana 52 and set sail for Southport in 1999. Carolyn, a clinical social worker, established a program to help local youths and families. In 2002, the Pryors started offering sailing charters, lessons, and home-based counseling for children, their “priority one.” Priority Sailing also provided adventure-challenge training for business teams. As their customers expressed an interest in becoming certified by the American Sailing Association, Carolyn became an ASA instructor. They established the Priority Sailing Academy in 2006.
Classes
Priority Sailing Academy’s most popular class is Introduction to Sailing. Visitors to the area sail on the Pryors’ blue-water cruiser, the 52’ Carolina Gale. Typically, they sail along the south-facing Brunswick County beaches, where the sunsets and moonrises over the ocean are magnificent. Students get to see what it’s like to sail on a sturdy and responsive boat. The Pryors then assess students’ interests, abilities and learning style, and recommend ways they can reach their sailing goals.
Basic Keelboat lessons are taught on a Catalina 25, Datso. The protected waters of the Wildlife Recreation Area, the Intracoastal Waterway and Dutchman Creek are excellent areas to practice boat handling and sailing techniques. The salt marsh and forest areas are beautiful places to watch for dolphins and birds. As a bonus, students may serve as crew on the Carolina Gale when custom cruises are booked.
Cruising Locales
Datso and Carolina Gale are docked side by side in Southport’s Old Yacht Basin, a postcard-pretty setting, with views of the Intracoastal Waterway and the Oak Island Lighthouse. Several great restaurants, fun shopping, the Maritime Museum, a library, churches and the post office are all within walking distance of the Yacht Basin. Sailing students and charter guests have the option of sleeping aboard or at a nearby bed and breakfast inn, beach cottage or hotel.
If Basic Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Charter classes are taken separately, they are held in local waters. Students may travel by boat to Bald Head Island, Wilmington or Little River. Bald Head is accessible only by boat and is a breathtaking resort.
Wilmington has a city dock close to museums and many restaurants. Little River is near Myrtle Beach, the entertainment capital of the area. If students choose a week-long combination class, they may travel north to Wrightsville Beach, Beaufort and Cape Lookout, or south to Charleston and Georgetown. The Carolina Gale has three cabins with queen berths and is well equipped for cruising.
Satisfied Students
One couple with a vacation home in Southport took Basic Keelboat lessons from the Pryors four years ago. After that they helped out as crew whenever they were in town. They helped test out the Pryors’ new cruising spinnaker on a trip to Charleston and back. The spinnaker is now used for longer charters and Coastal Cruising classes.
Another couple, also with a vacation home in Southport, received Basic Keelboat lessons as a wedding present. Carolyn told them an ideal teaching boat was for sale. They bought it for pleasure and as a business venture. The wife, an interior decorator, is making this boat, Datso, delightful to be aboard. The couple took their maiden voyage to Bald Head Island on April 1.
This year, the Priority Sailing Academy offered a Spring Break Sailing School for local youths to learn to sail and crew. In response, highly qualified adult sailors also offered to help with crewing and instruction. These new additions to the team are helping the academy’s offerings grow.
If you want to take classes from expert sailors who are eager to share their love of sailing with others, Dave and Carolyn Pryor are ready to custom design classes to help make your sailing dreams come true.
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 The sailor said, “Brandy, you’re a fine girl. What a good wife you would be. But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea.” (Dooda-dit-dooda), (Ditdooda- dit-dooda-dit).
Do you remember that song from the 70s called Brandy? Well, I blame two local past San Luis Yacht Club Commodores, Captain Rob Bollay and Captain Kirk Miller, for making me the deserted wife of a seafarin’ sailorman who’s surely in love with the sea.
My husband, Captain Gary Nichols, began his love of all things windy on water in 1996 when we purchased a home on San Luis Obispo’s beautiful, albeit breezy, Laguna Lake. The winds there were often too gusty for our red Navarro canoe, yet perfect for the wee sailboat Gary found at a garage sale. We called it Buzz, as in buzzing around on the backyard lake. Gary learned to sail it with a video from the local library. Once mastering tiny Buzz, that only the dog would ride in with him, Gary approached a high school chum about their 17-foot O’Day that sat abandoned on a Whittier driveway. Gary had enjoyed sailing days in it in the 70s. It soon found a new watery home at our dock. It was a fine, cozy sailboat, but after further instructions from Rob, Gary got his certification to be an ASA Sailing Instructor and a Captain’s License, so the need for a larger boat seemed like a natural step—to him.
 I arrived home from work one day to find a very large 25-foot MacGregor perched high on a trailer in our front yard. Gee, I didn’t recall a conversation about that! It was a great sailboat with a wonderful pop-up cabin top. We enjoyed taking our newly born daughter Sarah on cruises about Morro Bay. Our photo announcement of Sarah’s arrival in 1997 shows the three of us, plus our Siberian Husky Nikita, beaming from the bow of the Sea Jane with Morro Rock in back.
You sailors all know what happens next. Once you find that perfect dream boat, you are immediately in pursuit of a bigger, better boat on the horizon just calling your name. Two boats weren’t quite enough so we found ourselves having a look at a nice 25-foot O’Day in search of a new home. This time I went along. We liked her immediately, and Scout was soon ceremoniously christened with champagne as our Sarah Jane. For several years now she has resided in a slip of the Morro Bay Marina. We have seen the Fourth-of-July fireworks display from it every year, even last year when Gary had cracked his ribs in a biking mishap earlier that day. He didn’t want to disappoint us.
As a sailing instructor for the Santa Barbara Sailing Center and for private individuals, Gary averages 75 days per year on the water. With only 52 weekends in the year, this explains why we regularly miss the Yacht Club’s Friday night dinners and Sunday brunches. The man is never home. And sailing is his side job!
 Again, Captains Rob and Kirk are to blame for singing to Gary shanties of the life aboard a Tall Ship. Okay, so they didn’t actually sing, but their stories were exciting enough that Gary endured a four-day roundtrip train ride to Grey’s Harbor, Wash., for a ten-day course aboard the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain last fall. He worked like a dog and the worn off fingerprints of his hands took weeks to grow back. We watched the video Pirates of the Caribbean again the other night to see the Lady Washington in her role as the Interceptor. That is one of Gary’s favorite movies and we even watched it this year on Valentine’s Day! Hmmmmm. Seeing the Lady under full sail is quite impressive, and she is as much a star of that movie as Johnny Depp.
Captain Gary’s latest adventure has been working as one of the captains of Morro Bay’s 64-foot, two-story paddlewheel riverboat Tiger’s Folly II. Our family had a grand time actually being in the Christmas Lighted Boat Parade this year and have been fortunate to enjoy several Sunday Champagne Brunches while cruising the waters of the picturesque harbor—a real treat.
For the past three summers we have trailered the Sarah Jane to Long Beach and then sailed to Catalina’s Two Harbors Isthmus. That makes our tenth trip on board a sailboat, including three charters in the BVI. Sarah first went with us to Catalina on a sailboat when she was three months old. It is her favorite vacation even topping a trip to Florida and Disney World. However, she often brings up the fact that we have promised her a trip to the British Virgin Islands one of these days.
I’ve given up my daydreams of a five-star hotel and spa treatments. Yes, the quarters on boats are cramped, and I can’t get through a day without bumping my head several times. Taking down the rigging, pulling the boat from the bay, shopping, packing, stowing gear, pulling a two-ton vessel on a trailer through LA traffic, and all that goes along with our vacations aboard the Sarah Jane is exhausting. Yet, when our child is spending hours fishing off the bow and identifying the fish by name, snorkeling along with Garabaldi, exploring a cavern by kayak, mugging for the camera while diving off the side, toasting marshmallows on the cockpit barbecue, or pointing out the Milky Way in a dark starry night, it is pretty hard not to love shipboard life with your family. Aye, me hearties, I’m married to a sailin’ man!
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 If you look at a map of Barbados, from a certain angle it actually looks like a sail—what could be more inviting? Perhaps it’s the 70 miles of coastline, or the diverse conditions provided by the Atlantic on one side and the calm Caribbean Sea on the other, that beckon to sailors from a variety of skill levels. Clint Brooks, president of the Ocean Racing Challenge, admits that getting to Barbados is not for the timid sailor.
“It’s a bit of a geographical hurdle,” he says, “because people don’t like to sail east. It takes a bit of a push to get here.” But once you are here, there’s so much to enjoy.
 World-class sailor Gary Jobson thoroughly enjoyed his visit to the island. He agrees that the windward side is more for the experienced sailor whereas the leeward side, with its sheltered breeze, makes for a more relaxing sail. He suggests renting a Hobie Cat or Sunfish off the beach, as he did, for some “good fun.” But he also sailed around the island on a 130- foot sailboat. “It’s just nice sailing when you get on something like that,” he says. But he didn’t restrict himself to the sea. The Mount Gay rum distillery was one of his first stops.
What to do onshore Indeed, what’s more perfect for a sailor than grabbing a bottle of rum? Along with the distillery tour, pop into one of the local rum shops that dot the island, as charming and picturesque as the locals who run them are warm and welcoming. The plethora of rum is a product of the primary crop on the island, sugar cane. Its sweet heritage is also responsible for many of the historical structures on Barbados, such as plantation houses. Sunbury Plantation is a lovely spot to stop for afternoon tea.
 Barbados is, after all, known as “Little England” because of its predominantly British influence, a holdover from its colonial days. But the Caribbean spirit injects the formal culture with a sprightly sense of joie de vivre. Witness Oistins Fish Fry, a must-do on a Friday night if you’re in town (there’s a tamer version on Saturday nights). The outdoor street party offers an ample opportunity to sample Bajan (pronounced like Cajun) cuisine, the specialty being Flying Fish and Cou-Cou (a delicious cornmeal and okra blend). Of course if you’ve been sailing around the island, you’ve already seen the abundance of flying fish as companions on your trip. Hopefully, too, you’ll make a point of seeing the nesting sea turtles that make their home on the island.
A trip inland to the lush forest of Turner’s Hall Woods or Welchman Gully Hall, a collapsed cave-turned-ravine, affords a glimpse of Barbados’ famous green monkeys and other wildlife like toucan, mongooses, iguana, and yellow birds. St. Lawrence Gap offers wildlife of another sort: that of revelers who enjoy the party atmosphere of steel pan bands, Calypso music, and the socasamba fusion the island lays claim to. The Ship Inn offers live entertainment seven nights a week, as do many of the hotspots in the Gap. Another great place to kick back with a Banks beer is The Boatyard after you’ve enjoyed all the water sports they have to offer from scuba equipment to Ocean Trampolines and an Iceberg rock climb.
The Waterfront Café in Bridgetown has a delightful menu of jazz along with their delicious food to complement the harbor view and twinkling lights of the yachts at dusk.
 Barbados is also the only Caribbean island to have its own Zagat guide and the reason is easily apparent in the high quality and diversity of its cuisine. The Cliffs and Calabaza restaurants offer breathtaking views of the sea below along with gourmet fare served by torchlight. The Tides has similarly sumptuous food, but at sea level where the flying fish provide the entertainment. There’s also excellent Italian at Daphne’s, Il Tiempo, and Bellini. Also, Champers is a favorite with its delectable Caribbean food in a casual island setting.
Those looking to stay onshore will find some lovely spots at their jumping off point: Carlisle Bay has the Nautilus, Grand Barbados, and the new Hilton Hotel. Just up the coast, the luxe Sandy Lane Hotel boasts some of the best golf anywhere, which is why Tiger Woods is a frequent visitor (he even got married there). The Crane Resort on the West Coast is renowned for its gorgeous pink sand beaches and bucolic setting. But there are a host of smaller-scale comfortable spots to stay as well, at very reasonable prices.
Chartering and regattas Clint Brown has two 80-foot sailboats that are available for charter, the Athina and the Martell. Both have sailed the Whitbread race (now Volvo Ocean Race). He finds that sailors who come to Barbados are usually doing a cross-Atlantic sail between November and January “It’s the first island you hit,” he explains. The one natural bay on the western side, Carlisle Bay, is ideal for mooring, said Brown, but the entire western shore is a pretty 24-mile stretch, with any number of bays where you can drop your anchor in the sand and enjoy the beauty of the pristine white powder beaches. The eastern side, he said, is impossible because it’s too treacherous, with the coral reefs and rolling ocean.
 The Barbados Sailing Association runs a series of regattas for the first six months of the year, including the Mount Gay Regatta and the Banks Offshore Regatta, sponsored by Banks beer, the local brew, both of which take place in June. Brown calls them “very friendly regattas” primarily targeted to the yachting community in relatively nearby Trinidad & Tobago. Although he sees them slowly growing as they gain in popularity. Still, they offer a good opportunity for “young” sailors to cut their teeth.
The island is an ideal destination for sailors up for the challenge of getting here. An added plus is that the island is rarely affected by hurricanes. The exquisite tropical temperatures, between 75 – 85°F year round, coupled with the constant northeasterly trade winds off the Atlantic, keep the sails filled and offer enjoyable sailing conditions, particularly up the west coast.
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 We all have experienced it, you’ve had a great day sailing, the sun is setting, you’re nearing the breakwater and it’s time to fire up the motor. You lower it into the water, pull the starting cord and nothing happens. What could possibly go wrong with something as simple as a one cylinder outboard motor?!
There’s a long list of things that can be at fault here. I’m going to try to narrow it down to the handful of issues that usually are responsible for this dilemma. For questions on parts, see the diagram to the right.
First and foremost, these little engines are prone to flooding at the drop of a hat. They don’t have fuel injection like your car, opting instead for the good old-fashioned carburetor. The key point here is that good care must be taken to avoid doing things to the engine that will flood it. Regardless of the weather/temperature conditions, people invariably step about a small boat, pull out the choke and wail away at the pull starter until the engine starts. Using this process there’s a good likelihood that the engine won’t start at all. The ‘choke’ (see Fig. 11) is designed to choke off, or restrict the amount of air that runs through the carburetor. Less air means more fuel, a good thing in cold or damp conditions but far less desirable on our normal, sunny day. Using the choke on a fair weather day simply puts too much fuel into the engine. Too much fuel is as big a problem as too little fuel. Best common practice when starting an outboard, regardless of conditions (particularly if you’ve already run the motor or it’s a nice warm day) is to simply go through the pre-start checklist, without using the choke and you’ll likely have no trouble at all.
 Another culprit responsible for flooding the motor is the internal tanks incorporated into their design. In order to allow these engines to tilt out of the water, the manufacturer installed a fuel valve and screw vent on the tank. This provides the necessary shutoff components to insure that no fuel escapes the tank into the fragile bay waters. On a warm day, as a result of the heat, the internal fuel tanks pressurize considerably. If the fuel valve isn’t securely closed, this will allow fuel to slip by the slightly open valve and fill the motor. You may have noticed on a warm day when you open the vent you hear the telltale hiss, like you just opened a bottle of soda, escape the tank. There is no real fix for this problem, just don’t use the choke as there is plenty of fuel (often too much) in the engine already.
Most people use way too much throttle on these motors. Onequarter throttle pushes these boats at three quarters of their potential speed. You use up the other three quarters of throttle attaining the remaining one quarter of speed. These motors are designed to get the boat in and out of the harbor and were never intended to power the boat over long distances. Vessels with inboard diesels are much better suited to that purpose.
Finally, there are a few things you can do to make your outboard more reliable, with better performance and higher fuel efficiency. Always pull the motor out of the water when sailing, making sure you close the fuel valve and the tank vent securely. Make sure the engine is cooling properly. There should be a small stream of water squirting out of the rear of the motor. If not, either something is plugging the water impeller or the impeller itself is damaged. Finally, make sure you follow the checklists before you start the engine, while under sail and in final stowage of the motor at the end of your sail.
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Title: The Sailor’s Handbook Author: Halsey C. Herreshoff Publisher: International Marine/McGraw Hill 2006 Pages: 224; Paperback $22.95
 Halsey C. Herreshoff is a naval architect and marine engineer, President of the Herreshoff Marine Museum and of the America’s Cup Hall of Fame. Educated at Webb Institute of Naval Architecture with a Master’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, more than 10,000 vessels have been built to his designs. Halsey Herreshoff has skippered his own racing and cruising boats and has participated in yacht races around the world. He was a member of the crew of the 1958 America’s Cup Defender Columbia, and was navigator in three America’s Cup defenses: Courageous in 1974, Freedom in 1980; and Liberty in 1983. Halsey C. Herreshoff is the consulting editor for this compilation of contributions from many experienced sailors.
This handbook is an excellent introduction into all aspects of sailing; each section exposes the reader to the fundamental aspects of sailing topics: history, boats, wind and power, cruising boats, mooring and anchoring, navigation and weather, cruising grounds, safety at sea, boat care, laws and international signals. I recommend this book to introduce new sailors to all of the different aspects of boating and as a reference for experienced sailors. Each section reads like a cliff-notes version of larger volumes on each topic.
The section on history introduces some of the pioneers of sailing and the first yacht clubs. Next comes the parts of a sailboat, construction materials, rigging and ropes. “Wind and Power” covers sails, engines, and how to handle each in light and heavy weather. “Choosing the Right Cruising Boat” includes cabin layout, personal security and clothing. “Mooring and Docking” explains the vagaries of wind direction when maneuvering into and away from a dock and leads to anchoring choices and procedures. “Navigation and Weather,” the bane of new sailors, receives 32 pages of coverage with charts, graphs, tables and pictures covering compasses, charts, soundings, tides, radar, buoys, GPS, electronic charts, weather and visual clues! The section on cruising grounds exposes the reader to each of the major cruising grounds around the world and how to plan for them. “Safety” starts with the necessary minimums and shows where these items should be stowed along with the hazardous locations on your boat. Distress signals are explained, and a method for recovering a man overboard is included. There are also informative sections on steering and rigging failures, fire hazards, abandoning ship, survival and medical emergencies aboard.
Since none of us have a maintenance-free boat, “Boat Care and Repair” covers hulls, seacocks, fittings, decks, rigging sails, engines, electronics, tools, paint and everything inside the boat. “Boats and the Law” covers buying, selling, berthing/mooring, chartering, insurance, salvage and collisions. In the back of the book are the international signal flag pictures and Morse code, 18 reference tables of facts and figures useful for boaters and a glossary of sailing terms.
This handbook condenses many volumes of information into an easily read handbook that can be read in a couple of hours. Each topic is covered in sufficient detail to lead the reader into finding and exploring areas of interest in greater detail.
Dave Coleman was born in Florida and has been sailing since he was 16. He presently owns a Catalina 30 and a Chris Craft 33, is the race committee chairman for Port Royal Yacht Club, Director of Redondo Beach Yacht Club and a member of King Harbor Yacht Club, ASA, IOBG and US Sailing.
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Using Channel 13: Ship to Ship or Vessel to Bridge on your Marine Radio Near Commercial Traffic
 When cruising in a slow moving sailboat near commercial traffic such as tankers and tugboats towing barges, it is important to understand the intentions of those vessels in order to stay out of harm’s way. The best way to avoid trouble is to listen to channel 13 transmissions from commercial vessels in your immediate vicinity on your handheld marine radio.
You may be unaware a nearby tanker is lifting its anchor and preparing to head directly for you in the channel, but if you’re monitoring channel 13 you will hear that vessel’s bridge alerting all commercial traffic of their time of departure and intended heading.
When cruising at night, it is wise to communicate with the bridge of approaching commercial vessels. For example, if you are unsure of the meaning of three vertical masthead lights on a nearby tugboat - any pleasure vessel can contact the bridge of an approaching commercial vessel on channel 13 - especially if you feel you are entering into a dangerous situation. In this case, the masthead lights indicate a barge is being towed behind at 200 meters. You will most likely find the captain of the commercial vessel will welcome the call.
Paul Mirenda is a USCG Licensed Captain since 1992 and ASA Certified Sailing Instructor since 1988.
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