Basic Cruising Standard Specifics

(DAY SKIPPER SAIL)

OBJECTIVE

To be able to cruise safely in familiar waters as both skipper and crew of a sloop rigged keelboat of 6 to 10 meters in moderate wind and sea conditions by day.

PREREQUISITES

None.

ASHORE KNOWLEDGE

Section I: Terms and Definitions

The candidate must be able to:
 

1. Identify and describe the following:

   Hull and keel	Gooseneck
   Bow, beam and stern	Boomvang and topping lift
   Fenders	Shackles and fairleads
   Deck and cabin	Cleats and winches
   Rudder and tiller/wheel	Pulpit and pushpit
   Cockpit and self-bailing cockpit	Stanchions and lifelines
   Gudgeons and pintles	Main, jib and storm jib
   Mast and boom	Genoa and spinnaker
   Spreader	Head, tack and clew
   Shrouds and stays	Luff, foot and leech
   Tangs and turnbuckles	Battens, hanks and slides
   Chainplates	Cringles and reef points
   Running rigging	Roller and jiffy/slab reefing
   Standing rigging	Sheets and halyards
   Telltales	Outhaul and cunningham
   Spring and breast lines	Roller furling

    

2. Describe the following with the aid of diagrams: Ahead, abeam and astern, forward and aft;

    

3. Define and be able to identify these terms from a diagram:

   Port	Underway
   Starboard	No way
   Windward	In irons
   Leeward	Beating
   Tacking	Sailing by the lee
   Gybing	Running
   Close Hauled	On a tack
   Port tack	Luffing (of sail)
   Starboard tack	Heading up
   Leeway	Bearing away
   Wash	Wake
   Reaching (Close, beam and broad)

Section II: Gear and Equipment

The candidate must be able to:

4. List from memory:
   a) the Department of Transport (DOT) required items for the candidate’s boat (Safe Boating Guide),
   b) the rules for care of PFD’s and Life Jackets,
   c) the recommended method of testing for buoyancy in a PFD;
5. Describe: a) the reasons for keeping gear and equipment stowed in assigned places in a cruising boat.
   b) the frequency of maintenance of a recreational boat and its equipment so that it is capable of functioning at all times,
   c) the minimum items recommended for a waterproof emergency kit

Section III: Safety

The candidate must be able to:

6. Describe:
   a) The purpose of a safety harness and dangers of improper attachment in a cruising boat,
   b) The purpose of pulpits and lifelines;
7. Identify the required navigation lights for a vessel:
   a) under sail; under power and at anchor and describe the angles of each;
   b) for an unpowered vessel less than 6 meters in length;
8. Describe the effects, treatment and prevention of hypothermia including:
   a) Define hypothermia and describe the major areas of heat loss to the body,
   b) Describe treatment for mild and severe hypothermia,
   c) List correct actions to be taken by a victim in cold water to increase survival time;
9. Describe the precautions taken to prevent undue magnetic influences to the vessel’s compass;
10. Describe the common sources of fire and explosion and list the methods for preventing such occurrences and actions to be taken in the event of an onboard fire;
11. Describe safe refueling procedures;
12. Identify a scuba diving flag;
13. Describe:
    a) The danger involved in re-charging batteries,
    b) How to safely launch flares;
    c) The types of signals used to indicated distress;
    d) List the actions to be taken in case of a capsize;
14. Describe the uses, capabilities and limitations of a yacht radar reflector;
15. State the dangers of overhead power lines.
16. Describe:
    a) Reasons for filing a float plan and who the plan should be filed with;
    b) Items of important information which should be included in a Float Plan,
    c) Reasons for completing a pre-departure check-list;

Section IV: Rules of the Road and Canadian Regulations

The candidate must be able to:

17. Apply Rules 12 - 17 of the Collision Regulations by means of diagrams;
18. Identify and describe the following:

    Pleasure craft	Power driven vessel
    Sailing vessel	Recommended gross load capacity
    Capacity plate	Recommended safe limit of engine power

19. Identify:
    a) Four considerations in determining the safe speed to operate a vessel,
    b) The actions and precautions to be taken in reduced visibility,
    c) Responsibilities when operating in a commercial traffic lane;
20. Demonstrate knowledge of regulations applying to boaters:
    a) Identify the minimum required publications for operating a 10 meter pleasure vessel in unfamiliar waters,
    b) Describe the guidelines for licensing and how a license number must be marked on a vessel,
    c) Identify the principal acts / legislation that a pleasure craft operator should be knowledgeable about, and the areas covered by each including:

    Canada Shipping Act	Small Vessel Regulations,
    Boating Restriction Regulations	Contraventions Act
    Collision Regulations	The Criminal Code of Canada.

Section V: Weather

The candidate must be able to:

21. State three sources of marine weather information;

     

22. Interpret the marine weather forecast applicable to the area of operation, and describe how to apply the information:
    a) Determine whether it is safe to set sail in the candidate’s boat, and
    b) Decide what changes are forecast for the next six hours and what effect these should have on the day’s planned activities,
    c) Identify the wind speeds associated with

    Light winds	Moderate winds	Strong winds
    Small craft warning	Gale warning	Storm warning

23. Describe local weather hazards, how they can be identified, the normal warning time available, and the actions to be taken to reduce/avoid effects.

Section VI: Duties of the Skipper and Crew

The candidate must be able to:

24. List the main responsibilities of the skipper and crew as listed below:
    Skipper
    a) Safety of crew and boat,
    b) Briefing on location and operation of lifesaving and other safety equipment prior to getting underway,
    c) Assigning duties,
    d) Instruction in the safe use of the boat’s equipment while underway;
    e) Obligations on observing an accident or vessel in distress;
    f) Actions to demonstrate respect for other boaters and other’s property;
    Crew
    a) Obey skipper
    b) Assist skipper

Section VII: Seamanship

The candidate must be able to:

25. Describe the sequence of sail reduction as wind speed increases;
26. Describe the danger of your lee shore;
27. Understand the use of a Canadian Hydrographic chart of the local area: of the local area:
    Describe:
    a) a chart
    b) aids to navigation
    Read:
    a) depth of water
    b) distance scale
    c) buoys and their significance
    d) types of bottom (sand, rock, mud and clay)
    e) under water/surface hazards: kelp, cable, rock, shoals, cribs, wrecks, currents
    f) light symbols
    g) beacons
28. Use of Tide and Current Tables to find:
    a) times and heights of tides at reference ports
    b) direction and rate of current at reference stations
29. Describe:
    a) the features of a secure anchorage
    b) the holding characteristics of commonly used anchors
    c) suitable rode makeup and handling
    d) scope requirements when anchoring for lunch, overnight and rough weather
30. Describe the immediate action to be taken for the following circumstances:
    

    a) springing a leak	f) dragging anchor
    b) steering fails	g) running aground
    c) grounding at anchor	h) broken halyard
    d) fouled propeller	i) fire
    e) standing rigging fails

31. Describe the one commonly accepted use for each of the following knots, bends and hitches:

    a) reef knot	d) bowline
    b) figure eight	e) clove hitch
    c) double sheet bend	f) round turn & two half hitches

32. Describe the use of the VHF radio for receiving weather reports and making emergency calls.

AFLOAT SKILLS

(18 hours minimum) Boat should be 6 - 10 meters sloop rigged keelboat.

Section VIII: Preliminaries

The candidate must be able to:

1. Demonstrate on land the correct method of putting on a personal flotation device in the water;
2. Demonstrate the correct use of a heaving line;
3. Carry out a check of the vessel’s gear and equipment in accordance with the CYA Cruising Boat Cheklist and demonstrate use and care of onboard equipment;
4. Select, bend on, check and stow sails;
5. Coil a line and secure (sea coil);
6. Properly stow lines and fenders;
7. Demonstrate how to belay to a cleat;
8. Demonstrate safe winch techniques with particular emphasis on:
   a) possible high strain on sheet/halyard
   b) how to avoid riding turns (and how to clear)
   c) position of hands/fingers
   d) winch handles - fitting and removal.

Section IX: Manoeuvring Under Power

The candidate must be able to:

9. Start auxiliary engine on vessel, observing commonly accepted safety practices;
10. Come to a full stop with stern one half boat length away from a buoy using reverse. (The objective of this manoeuvre is to know how much distance is required to bring a vessel to a full stop. Vessel is to be kept on a straight course while the manoeurve is being carried out);
11. Manoeuvre a vessel under power to a position alongside and parallel to a dock, portside to and starboardside to, not more than one meter off without the aid of lines, without the stern passing a given mark at any time during the manoeuvre;
12. Apply Rules 5 through 18 of the Collision Regulations as applied to a vessel under power;
13. Set a anchor under power in water more than 3 meters in depth so as not drag when tested under engine power at half-throttle astern;
14. Raise anchor with boat ready and get under way.

Section X: Handling Under Sail

The candidate must be able to:

15. Hoist the basic sails while under power/at anchor, or mooring (head to wind, main sail first), set appropriate luff tensions, and flake halyards;
16. Apply Rules 5 through 18 of the Collision Regulations as applied to a vessel under sail;

     

17. Act as skipper and crew giving correct commands and responses while demonstrating the proper techniques of beating, reaching and running; tacking and gybing; heading up, bear away, luffing and heaving to; using the following commands and responses:

    Commands	Responses	Alert
    "Head Up"
    "Bear Away"
    "Ease Sheets"
    "Harden Sheets"
    "Ready About"	"Ready"	"Helms-a-Lee"
    "Ready to Gybe"	"Ready"	"Gybe-ho"

18. Reduce sail by reefing and shake out a reef while keeping vessel under control, either at the helm or controlling the sails, as commanded by the skipper;
19. Demonstrate skipper’s action/commands while under sail from the time a member of the crew falls overboard without warning, until the crew is safely recovered. Consider the crew overboard wearing a PFD and able to assist him/herself. Include the following minimum actions:
    a) Sound alarm "Crew Overboard!",
    b) Deploy marker and buoyant object(s),
    c) Appoint and maintain a look out,
    d) Triangle method of return (under sail),
    e) Describe at least two methods of getting a person out of the water and back aboard.
    The student must be able to perform returns both under power and sail. For these manoeuvres the crew can consist of three or more, but the student is to describe the actions to be taken if one of a two person crew falls overboard also, with the vessel under sail.
20. Lower sail while under power or at anchor or a mooring.

Section XI: Making Fast and Snugging Down

The candidate must be able to:

21. Secure a vessel to a dock to prevent excessive movement and set out fenders correctly;
22. Stop auxiliary engine and secure when departing vessel for night, observing commonly accepted safety practices;
23. Demonstrate how to secure a vessel for the night using appropriate dock lines;
24. Tie the following knots, bends and hitches within 30 seconds each:

    a) reef knot	b) bowline	c) double sheet bend
    d) figure eight	e) clove hitch	f) round turn & two half hitches