Rosalie B. wrote:

I was thinking more about Caribbean charters which is what I'm more
familiar with. I didn't know that the UK HAD charters,

Heh, heh. Go on, say it. No-one in their right mind would want to
sail in UK waters.

let alone
rules for building boats to go into charter. So I've learned
something. (Which I think is a good thing BTW)

And too, our boat is a 1979 model, so it is way more than 15 years
old.

There are plenty of UK charter boats which are older than the rules
too, but that doesn't exempt them from complying. In most cases
compliance can be achieved by simply modifications. In the case
of hatches, for example, you simply have to remove and refit the
hatches the prescribed way round.

I really don't know what the new regs in the US require or even if
there are any. My husband always requires that we close all hatches
and ports before getting underway even though we don't really sail
much in the actual OCEAN.

Sure, but proceeding "to sea" doesn't mean you have to go out to
the "actual ocean", it just means leaving sheltered waters.

Even in bays, rivers, creeks, canals etc,
it's a good idea to close up the boat before pulling the anchor or
leaving the dock. Sometimes we do forget, of course.

Of course.

If you close the hatch before you get underway, I can see no advantage
and PLENTY of disadvantages for the hatch to open facing the stern.

Plenty? Such as? Apart from ventilation, which has already been
mentioned. By the way, except where plenty of ventilation is needed,
such as would make a scoop necessary, it shouldn't matter much which
way the hatch faces. The natural air circulation path for a boat
lying to the wind is said to be such that air *exits* by the forehatch
and *enters* by the companionway.

Why do you have that regulation?

Probably because if you close but forget to lock it, a big sea coming
over the bows is likelier to fling it open when the hinge is at the
back than at the front, thus allowing more water to find its way below.

I hope you won't object too much to my following the cross posted
thread, even if I don't know the UK rules.

Not at all.

In article ,
says...


We have a center cockpit so two companionways with hatchboards in
each, and 19 opening ports (if you count the one from the sink to the
cockpit, plus 6 (I think) deck hatches - 2 aft, 2 forward and 2 in the
main cabin. We do also have 12v fans in the Vberth and the aft cabin.
Don't have any wind scoops though.

Ours is also a center cockpit (O'Day 37) with about as many holes in it as
you have. Does make for good ventilation.

In article ,
says...

We've never felt the need for wind scoops. If we are at anchor, the
boat usually points into the wind and the hatch popped up acts as a
wind scoop. I've seen some boats where the hatch can be hinged on
either side in case the wind or breeze isn't coming from the bow.

In New Jersey they are big on windscoops. Almost every boat in the anchorage
will have one. But you seldom see one on Long Island Sound unless it's a
Jersey boat that drifted north..

Ronald Raygun wrote:
Rosalie B. wrote:

I was thinking more about Caribbean charters which is what I'm more
familiar with. I didn't know that the UK HAD charters,

Heh, heh. Go on, say it. No-one in their right mind would want to
sail in UK waters.

England and France suck, but Scotland *rocks*!

In article ,
says...

Perfect Storm is a fine, but humanly imperfect, piece of book
journalism. Everything in it is attributed.

As a journalist, I would be proud to have written it.

Are you a journalist Rodney? I didn't know that. Well, as a one-time journalist
myself, I too am envious that somebody else wrote the book, but it was sloppy
journalism nonetheless. Which, by the way, I can understand. There are some
people vital to a story that you just don't want to talk to or can't talk to
either because they will upset a thesis or they are just nasty and
intimidating people one would rather not go near. But the worst thing for any
journalist is to have someone who prominently figures in a story pop up after
the fact and say "He never even tried to talk to me."

On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 13:36:30 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote:

PyroJames wrote:


Except that this is cross posted so it is not just uk.r.s, so it not
just a UK discussion.
PyroJames
Would arsonists please try to control themselves for the duration of the emergency.

I hope you won't object too much to my following the cross posted
thread, even if I don't know the UK rules.

Me? Not at all. I don't find that sailing conversations are generally
limited to one geographical area. There are equally valuable
contributions to discussions from both sides.


PyroJames
Would arsonists please try to control themselves for the duration of the emergency.

Jeff wrote:

Ronald Raygun wrote:

Our charter rules also require hatches to be labelled with a notice
"NOT TO BE OPENED AT SEA".

Does that apply to all hatches, or just those up forward? I have
hatches 8 feet above the waterline that can't take water in seas under
about 4 feet. I usually close them in rougher weather to avoid
catching spray, but they only really need to be dogged down in seas
over 8 feet.

Actually, having checked the rules, they're not as strict as I thought:

--quote
5.1.1.3

A hatchway with a hinged cover which is located in the forward portion
of the vessel should normally have the hinges fitted to the forward side
of the hatch, as protection of the opening from boarding seas. A hatch
with the hinges on the after side of the hatch should be secured closed at
sea, and be provided with a suitable blank.
--unquote

Rosalie B. wrote:
PyroJames wrote:

I was thinking more about Caribbean charters which is what I'm more
familiar with. I didn't know that the UK HAD charters, let alone
rules for building boats to go into charter. So I've learned
something. (Which I think is a good thing BTW)

There are very few rules about non-commercial sailing in the UK[1]. No
required qualifications for skippers or crew, no rules about the design,
construction or equipment of the boat[2]. Once money is involved,
though, all kinds of regulations apply. It can be quite expensive to
upgrade a privately-used boat to charter spec, and turning hatches round
is one of the things that gets mentioned.

If you close the hatch before you get underway, I can see no advantage
and PLENTY of disadvantages for the hatch to open facing the stern.
Why do you have that regulation?

Because plenty of idiots charter boats :-). I think the main reason for
it is in case the hatch is shut but someone forgets to close the
latches. If a wave comes onto the foredeck with the hinge at the front,
it will tend to push the hatch closed and only a little water will come
into the boat. With the hinge at the back, the wave will pull the hatch
open and rush into the boat.

Except that this is cross posted so it is not just uk.r.s, so it not
just a UK discussion.

I hope you won't object too much to my following the cross posted
thread, even if I don't know the UK rules.

I don't object at all. You're very welcome.

Pete

[1] Though our government seems to be doing its best to change that :-(
[2] There *are* rules if you're building the boat to be sold.

Jeff wrote:
Ronald Raygun wrote:

Our charter rules also require hatches to be labelled with a notice
"NOT TO BE OPENED AT SEA".

Does that apply to all hatches, or just those up forward? I have
hatches 8 feet above the waterline that can't take water in seas under
about 4 feet. I usually close them in rougher weather to avoid
catching spray, but they only really need to be dogged down in seas over
8 feet.

I think it applies to all hatches (not sure about small opening ports
like you often have in the side-windows above the cooker), but of course
you're free to ignore it if you wish.

Pete

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 10:20:57 -0500, "Dennis Gibbons"
wrote:

In other words, we can't take you seriously as a sailor or even a wanna-be.

Well, I was trying to be gentle G

R.