Blog 2020

How To Make A Mayday Call On A VHF

When you need help, every second counts.

The goal is to broadcast the most important information as quickly and clearly as possible.

If you have a DSC-equipped radio, flip up the cover on the DSC button and press the button for 3 to 5 seconds. Some radios will allow you to choose your problem from a list (Fire/Explosion, Flooding, Collision, Grounding, Capsizing, Sinking, Adrift, Abandoning Ship, Piracy, Man Overboard) so that vessels receiving your transmission will automatically know what happened. After the radio transmits your position, MMSI number, and the nature of your distress, it will revert to Channel 16 so you can make a voice transmission.

The regulations require a two-step process to send a DSC distress call, so most radios will have a spring-loaded red cover over a red button. Press and hold for 5 seconds.

If you don't have a DSC-equipped radio, select Channel 16 and high power (25W), press the transmit button, and say the following:

"Mayday!, Mayday!, Mayday!" (Urgency word three times.)

"This is the vessel Surprise, Surprise, Surprise." (Vessel name three times.)

"Mayday Surprise."

"We are located at ..." [insert latitude and longitude of your location]

"Surprise is a 38-foot yawl with a blue hull and a tan deck." [Description of vessel.]

"We are taking on water, and we cannot find the leak. We request immediate assistance." [Nature of the emergency.]

"There are six crew on board. We have a life raft, EPIRB, and life jackets." [Number of crew and information on safety equipment.]

"This is the vessel Surprise standing by on Channel 16."

There are three emergency procedure words that carry extra importance when you're communicating by radio. In order of decreasing severity, they are mayday, pan-pan, and sécurité.

Emergency Words

Through the use of these words, you will alert all mariners to the seriousness of your transmission, and to the possibility that they might be involved in lending assistance. All three are anglicized versions of French words, and each is repeated three times in succession so that those who hear the transmission understand that they're hearing an actual call for help and not a discussion of another vessel's distress call. (See additional comments on mayday relay below.)

When you hear a transmission that uses one of the three emergency words, what action should you take?

A lot depends on your proximity to the vessel or incident in question.

It also depends on your ability to respond and give assistance. If you hear a mayday and you are the most appropriate vessel to respond, you are legally and morally required to lend assistance, if you can do so without endangering your crew or vessel.

NATIONAL CROISSANT DAY – January 30

In the United States, National Croissant Day is observed each year on January 30th.  Croissants are a buttery, crescent-shaped rolls that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

  The key to a perfect croissant is laminating the dough. Laminating the dough is a process by which butter is folded into the mixture creating multiple thin layers of butter and dough. The result is a mouth-watering flaky crust and airy body.

Legend surrounds this pastry, as is often the case with a popular, worldly treat. What is known, is that crescent-shaped breads have been found around the world for ages. One of these was the Kipferl which originated in Austria as far back as the 13th century. This non-laminated bread is more like a roll.

Credit for the croissant we know today is given to an Austrian military officer, August Zang. In 1939 he opened a Viennese bakery in Paris introducing France to Viennese baking techniques.

 THE BEST WAY TO OBSERVE

Stop by a bakery for a fresh, warm croissant and enjoy

SUPERBOWL SECRET WEAPONS

 Those that know me, know I tinker in the kitchen.

WARNING: I take no responsibility if you pay more attention to the food than the game.

Chicken Parm Bites

 Ingredients

• 2 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
• 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
• kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 c. marinara
• 1/4 lb. mozzarella, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Prepare breading station with 3 large bowls: In one bowl, whisk together breadcrumbs, garlic powder, paprika, and Parmesan; in another bowl egg; and in the last bowl flour.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Coat each piece of chicken in flour and shake off excess, then dip into egg, and lastly, coat in breadcrumb mixture. Repeat steps for remaining chicken and set aside on a plate.
3. In a deep cast-iron skillet, warm 1" oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
4. Arrange chicken in a baking dish in a single layer. Add a small spoonful of marinara over chicken and top with a cube of mozzarella.
5. Bake until chicken is warmed through and cheese is melty, 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Garnish with basil and serve immediately.

 Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Go balls to the wall for these buff chick meatballs.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/3 c. hot sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot)
• 1/3 c. crumbled blue cheese
• kosher salt
• 1/3 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c. sliced scallions, plus more for garnish
• 1 lb. ground chicken
• extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425º. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add butter, hot sauce, blue cheese, and 1/2 tsp salt. Whisk until butter and cheese are melted and fully incorporated, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp salt, celery, onion powder, garlic, egg, and scallions. Add chicken and half of the hot sauce mixture and blend until combined. Do not over-mix.
3. Brush a large cast-iron skillet with olive oil. Using an ice cream scoop or your hands, form 1" meatballs and place in prepared skillet.
4. Bake until lightly golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes.
5. Warm remaining sauce and drizzle over meatballs, then sprinkle with scallions. Serve on toothpicks.

The fate of your boat's security in a storm comes down to these essential and critical points in your defense strategy. Addressing them early could mean the difference between your boat surviving a serious storm, or breaking free, hitting hard objects, filling with water, and sustaining catastrophic damage.

Your pet needs protection from the cold

 This week the cold weather seems to have really set in. While we bundle up, our pets are sometimes not given the appropriate attention.

 Here are some tips for keeping our pets safe and healthy.

           Keep them inside when the temperature drops below freezing.

• Bang on the hood of your car before starting it to scare away stray cats that may have sought warmth from the engine.
• Never let your dog off the leash on snow or ice, especially during a snowstorm, when dogs can lose their scent and become lost. More dogs are lost during the winter than any other season, so keep ID tags on a well-fitting collar.
• Wipe off your dog's paws, legs and belly after a walk to remove ice, salt and antifreeze. Make sure a freshly bathed dog is completely dry before taking it outside.
• Put a coat or sweater with a high collar on short-haired dogs.
• Check your dog's paws frequently for signs of cold-weather injury or damage, such as cracked paw pads or bleeding. During a walk, sudden lameness may be due to ice accumulation between the toes.
• Postpone housebreaking puppies during the coldest months.
• Don't leave a pet alone in a room with a space heater. It could get knocked over and start a fire.
• Dogs that can tolerate long, cold walks -- the larger breeds with thick fur -- will need to eat more high-protein food.
• Pets need a place to sleep off the floor and away from drafts.
• Dogs that spend any time in the yard must have a dry, draft-free shelter large enough to lie down in, but small enough to retain body heat. The floor should be a few inches off the ground and covered with cedar shavings or straw. The doorway should be covered with waterproof burlap or heavy plastic. Do not use metal bowls for food and water.

The American Boat & Yacht Council was formed by members of the Motorboat and Yacht Advisory Panel of the U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Marine Council in 1954 as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation.

Previously, manufacturers could say their products meet the standards, but in the past there was no way to know for sure because ABYC didn't verify that they did.

But that's changing, and soon there will be ABYC-certified products that manufacturers will have to prove meet the standards. Members will be more easily able to find things like thru-hulls, electrical connectors, and propane stoves that meet ABYC standards. If a manufacturer claims its product is certified but it's found that the product didn't go through the testing process to meet the standards, ABYC will take steps, up to and including legal action, to stop it.

While boats have had high-voltage AC shore power systems for years, most DC (battery-driven) circuits have been 12-volt, which, while still able to start a fire, is not dangerous if a person accidentally contacts the positive and negative leads. But new high-horsepower electric motors are changing that with the recent arrival of high-capacity lithium-ion batteries. These systems can have up to hundreds of volts DC, making them every bit as dangerous as AC shore power, so a new standard for high-voltage DC systems is in the works.

Boat propulsion systems are getting more complex with the advent of joystick controls and someday will likely even include self-docking. It's important to make sure new boats with these products are designed with the safety of the boat and crew in mind. An ABYC Control Systems Project Technical Committee (PTC) is creating a new standard to address wireless controls, dynamic positioning, and joystick controls.

LED lights are becoming mainstream for most uses aboard, but they work differently than the old incandescent lamps with which we're all familiar. The Navigation Lights and Sound Signals PTC is working on updating the navigation lights standard to better address LED technology. They've also been tasked with addressing the challenge with the growing popularity of accent lights, which could conflict or be confused with navigation lights.