More About Hurricanes....Preparing for Tomas!

Well, just after the celebrations for the end of Hurricane Season (29th October) we have Hurricane Shary just leaving Bermuda, and Tropical Storm Tomas headed for the Windward Islands - including Grenada where I'm on IBIS - and with a 75% chance of becoming a hurricane over the next 48 hours!

After the weather forecast yesterday, there was a steady stream of yachts heading into Port Louis Marina (and others) here in Grenada and the previously busy St George's Bay is now a ghost town.  There's barely a space to be had in Port Louis and every berth is a cats cradle of mooring ropes.  The water this morning is like a millpond, with barely a breath of wind, but everyone knows it's the calm before the storm!  Winds are expected to reach 75 knots or more in Grenada, and waves of 12 feet, although the eye of the storm is predicted to pass about 100 miles North of us, with St Vincent & St Lucia in the firing line.  The effects of Tomas cover a diameter of around 200 nautical miles from the eye.

How Safe is Your Yacht’s Gas System? Part 1: Latest Standards

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) or Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is commonplace on board the modern yacht, for your stove, your barbeque and perhaps also your water heater.  I'll never forget walking down the pier in Penryn, Cornwall, past an old barge with the back end blown apart in a gas explosion.  The family with 2 children had all been killed in the blast.  Whilst instances remain relatively rare, do yourself a favour and run through your own system to make sure you have all the bases covered.

Types of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) & Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

LNG/LPG is most commonly supplied as Propane (orange bottles familiar to the US) or Butane (blue bottles familiar to the EU).  Both are gaseous at room temperature, but turn to liquid under pressure.

Propane turns into gas at a slightly lower temperature than Butane, and is therefore stored at a slightly higher pressure, however both can change from 1 volume of liquid into approximately 250 volumes of gas at room temperature.  LPG is considerably heavier than air and escaped gas therefore drops to the lowest part of a boat and spreads throughout the bilges for a considerable period of time.  It also known as a “searching” gas as it can find exits from spaces that would normally hold air or water.

In the Caribbean, LPG is simply sold as “Cooking Gas” and can be propane, butane (normal butane and/or iso-butane), or a mix of propane and butanes.

LPG is highly flammable at concentrations of 2 to 10% in air and, once ignited, flames can travel back along pipework to source before exploding.

How Safe is Your yacht's Gas System? Part 2: Bottles & Bottle Storage

From yachtandboat.co.au

Following on from Part 1 on Gas Installation standards, we start to look at practical installation pointers with a section on gas bottles and bottle storage.

Bottles & Bottle Storage

Boaters normally acquire their gas bottles from the gas supply companies.  Bottles tend to be of steel or aluminium construction and will have been manufactured to comply with national quality standards.  Overseas, it’s possible to buy gas bottles from local gas suppliers, or from chandlery shops.  Aluminium is a favourite in the chandlers due to its light weight, but the see-through fiberglass bottle is rapidly gaining popularity.  Fibreglass tanks have been approved by ABYC (check for the mark of approval) but, at the time of writing, have yet to be accepted by the European Union as ISO compliant.

If you're buying a new gas bottle, be sure to check it carries the necessary kite mark or other symbol indicating compliance with your required standard.

How Safe if Your Yacht's Gas System? Part 3: System Components & Fittings

From BSS Guide Chapter 7

Following on from Part 2, which looked at gas bottles and bottle storage, we continue with a look at the various gas system components and what to look for to ensure that your system is up to recommended manufacturing standards (Part 1).

Regulators

The gas discharge is controlled by a regulator which essentially controls the conversion from liquid to gas form. The regulator can be fixed directly to the bottle, as is often the case in Europe, or to the side of the gas locker where it may accommodate more than one tank and allow switching between the tanks.  The switch may be a manually operated valve or a very low voltage electrical switch (solenoid) that operates automatically.

How Safe is Your Yacht's Gas System? Part 4: Leak Detection & Management

Make Sure You Know What to Do!

In Part 3, we looked at the gas system components needed to comply with recommended manufacturing standards (Part 1).  This followed from a Part 2 post covering gas bottles and storage.  My final section looks at how you can detect a leak on board and what action to take.

 Leak Detection

Installing a bubble leak detector close to the gas bottles provides a quick, easy and safe way to check for any leaks in the system itself – from the pipes, hoses, joints, valves or appliances.  You can then use a solution of detergent in water to trace the exact place of the leak, the escaping gas will cause the liquid to bubble.

Other types of leak detectors link to a pressure gauge at the regulator.

It is also worth considering fitting a gas alarm on board – this is mandatory if you operate under a commercial licence.  Modern gas detectors can have more than one sensor location and will detect other gases such as carbon monoxide as well as LPG in low concentrations before they become a serious threat to life.  A gas alarm will emit a loud siren in the presence of dangerous gases.

Sam Loves.....my Dymo Letratag Plus Label Maker....a Top Teaching Tool

Dymo Letratag Label Maker

I've been using this as part of my teaching toolkit ever since I began teaching, over 10 years ago.  Whilst the first half day is usually spent settling onto the boat followed by a safety briefing, I bring out my Dymo at the beginning of the second session and hand it to one of the quieter crew members.

As part of my prep for this week's class I've already peeled off the carefully prepared labels from last week's team and the task now is for the new group to trace all of the lines (ropes) on deck and make new labels for the rope clutches, and anything else that students think might come in useful.  This is a great exercise for the following reasons:

• the group usually need to combine their knowledge to get all the answers right, so it starts to foster the need to work as a team.

Make the Best Bread & Pizza’s in the Galley

Home Baked Bread, courtesy of allrecipes.com

There’s nothing quite like the smell of fresh, home baked bread wafting from the galley, and it’s surprisingly cheap, quick and easy to do!  I’ve tried a few different bread recipes & techniques now and this one’s my favourite by far!  It takes about 2 hours in total, there’s no real kneading involved and you only use one bowl so mess is kept to a minimum.  The recipe is versatile enough to make flavoured breads using extras such as cheese & onion or olives, and to make pizza bases!

Here in the Caribbean, away from the famous French Boulangeries found on the French Islands, it’s surprisingly difficult to buy good quality crusty bread.  Supermarket bakers invariably produce a soft crusted bread, made worse by the fact that it’s stored and sold in a plastic bag!  We’re lucky enough to have temperatures very conducive to yeast fermentation & melting butter, but you might need assistance from a warm engine compartment or stove top depending on where you sail.