Getting back to the original thread, or at least hijacking it in a different direction, I was amused that someone on another forum sugested we required handheld VHFs as the normal ones don't work when wet. Great idea; now I can get rid of that 12V car battery and the whip antenna, but I will miss the handset on the cord 🙂 Seriously, we didn't require one in the past because we were trying to limit costs. Now that everyone has a fancy GPS and a cell phone, should we require a handheld radio (instead of our current policy of a radio OR cellphone)? Seems a relatively small cost; heck, our late registration fee this year would have paid for a cheap one.
Chris - I vote yes on requiring a waterproof VHF (yes, yes, it probably still needs a dry bag) with the recommendation of two - one for each crew that they have on their vest.
I also liked the
require a handheld
comment. We'll go a little faster without the complexity of the electical system for sure!
We each had a handheld vhf on Gertie! And I vote it should be required.
Jake is correct. And it helps for the crew to sit on the back of the boat to depress it into the water as much as possible to make it right faster and more easily -- and keep the righting line centered as much as possible.
To right a boat head over heels like that, the boat should be pointed downwind (sterns facing the wind), and the tow boat should be pointed upwind. Then when the boat is righted, it will be pointed into the wind and won't take off chasing the tow boat <img src=
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It is also best to not have too long a tow line from the pulling boat. The longer the tow line, the harder to keep it centered and keep an even pull on the boat during the righting process.