BOAT RULES & SAFETY RULES &
COURTESIES
We do have some "do's &
don'ts"! Most of them are
obvious; the others are
sufficiently important to me
to cause me to include them.
You should be fully prepared
to observe them.
No drugs.
No firearms.
Non-smokers only. This does
not mean that it is OK to
smoke ashore but not on the
boat. It means that one must
be a non-smoker, both ashore
and aboard, while a member
of crew of Mantra.
Nothing down toilet that you
haven't personally eaten or
drunk. Toilet paper goes in
a bin, not down the toilet.
That serves three purposes.
There is far less risk of
the waste pipe furring up
and necessitating a very
nasty job of dismantling and
then de-furring. Also
it makes it far less obvious
if one is pumping the toilet
in places where one is
encouraged only to use
holding tanks. In
Turkey the fines are
draconianly high.
Lastly, it means the the
holding tank doesn't get
paper pulp and is easier to
keep odour free.
In rolly seas, male crew
should sit on the toilet
when urinating so that any
results of upset aim are not
anti-social.
Nothing on inside seats
other than covered bodies;
no gear stored on cabin
beds.
When one is on watch alone
at night, please stay in the saloon
except for leaning out to
see better or except for very short
periods to get food or use
the head. Visual look out
every 10 minutes when in
areas where there could be
other shipping. No music
which could mask boat
noises. Protect night vision
by using the red lights and
by only using the white
lights when really needed
for log entries & chart
work. If you have
music on you'll be liable
not to notice a warning
change in engine beat or
other crucial sounds.
If you've had on a white
light your night vision will
not be as good as it can be
and you could miss seeing
the lights of a ship which
might be in harm's way and
you'll not notice a boat
travelling illegally without
lights.
Tell someone if going out
onto foredeck or to the
cockpit.
When wind is strong or sea
jerky, we use harnesses when
going outside.
Conserve fresh water.
Conserve battery electricity
when charger is not running.
All gear & bags to be stowed
away; not on the floor, nor
higgledy pickledy in sight.
Please, no food, nor biscuits,
peanuts, chocolate, fruit,
etc is to be consumed in
sleeping cabins.
Put things back in their
place. Everything has a
place and should be in its
place. Feel free to suggest
changing the usual place for
something, but please bear
in mind that other people
will then have to unlearn
what that usual place is and
newly learn the new place,
so it will have to be a
significant improvement. If
unsure where something goes
please ask, rather than
guessing.
At sea: any clothes, sloppy
clothes or no clothes; but,
in port or ashore:
conservative dress and, when
appropriate, shoes or
sandals.
If while on watch you wonder
whether we should reef or
take in sail or whether we
should deploy the paravanes,
we do it.
If on watch and getting
anxious, don't hesitate to
get me.
Please respect the Boat
Rules to the letter. Please
do not bend them, nor
"interpret their spirit". If
in any doubt, ask; anytime;
day or night.
NB: Most of the above is
common sense seamanship or
crewmanship or safety sense
or how I consider a house
guest should behave when on
a boat which is someone
else's permanent home. The
reason that it has been
spelt out in unusually
explicit detail is to help
ensure no repeats of some
unlucky experiences with
some (luckily few) crew. The
intention of such
nit-picking, control freak detail (which is
certainly not my normal style) is that
it should help contribute to
maintaining the ambiance
that keeps Mantra an
effective and happy yacht. Mantra is, and will continue
to be, an effective and
happy medium for relaxed
cruising. Such greater than
normal care is even more
important when passages are
longer.
