CROWLEY’S QUICK TIPS

Part of fitting your boat out for spring is making sure all the required U.S. Coast Guard safety gear is on board. Reconciling USCG requirements with your own state’s regulations makes this a confusing venture. To make it a little easier, we provide a list of web sites that clearly illustrate what safety gear the Coast Guard requires and what your state requires so you can easily comply with both federal and state regulations.

Federal: www.uscgboating.org/safety/fedreqs/equ_refchart.htm

Illinois: www.boat-ed.com/il/course/p4-17_checklist.htm

Indiana: www.boat-ed.com/in/course/p4-17_checklist.htm

Michigan: www.boat-ed.com/mi/course/p4-17_checklist.htm

Wisconsin: www.boat-ed.com/wi/course/p4-17_checklist.htm

CROWLEY'S QUICK TIPS

If you’re just starting out or even a seasoned boater, it seems like you always forget something on that first trip from the boat yard to the harbor. We provide some hard-earned tips and good advice on how to prepare and what to provision on this traditional spring mission.

Below is a checklist to guide you through each phase of preparing the boat for takeoff: Before departure, underway and docking / mooring.

If you have questions, ask around the boat yard during spring fitting out when there’s lots of people around to give their advice.

Kristen Cooper of Chicago was a new boat owner at Crowley’s Yacht Yard last year and she gives this advice: “I'd have to say that, thinking you can maneuver the boat isn't enough. Think things through...what can go wrong? If the boat had run aground, taken on water or weather hit...I definitely wouldn't have been prepared. Know how to deploy your anchor, the location and usage of all safety gear...and how to call for help. Read, read and read some more. Get time on others' boats and gain the confidence to ensure the safety of your boat and your crew.”

If you're not comfortable delivering the boat yourself, hire a captain who is willing to give you some tips while he or she shows you how to safely navigate to the harbor. Customers or employees of the yard should be able to recommend a competent captain who will charge a fair price. Yard employees are often captains themselves.

BEFORE DEPARTURE

 Check the weather

 Check and review usage of all safety equipment

 Plot course on chart and in GPS to final destination

 Leave a float plan with friend or relative

 Review Man Overboard Drill procedure

 Discuss equipment on the boat and how it operates

 Discuss getting through bridges (if applicable)

 Provision plenty of sunscreen, life jackets, water and warm clothes

UNDERWAY

 Monitor time, distance and direction while underway so you can follow your progress on a chart

 Perform Man Overboard Drill (this should be done once annually)
 Practice docking, leaving the dock and tying up to a mooring

DOCKING / MOORING

 Discuss tying up the boat properly

 Review lessons learned

 Turn battery switch to off before closing up boat

 Secure the boat before leaving it

CROWLEY'S QUICK TIPS

Photo: Rogan Birnie

While you’re thinking about fitting out your boat for spring, think about safety equipment. It’s never a first priority, but definitely a necessity to keep your boat safe and compliant with U.S. Coast Guard regulations. Crowley’s Yacht Yard offers a handy chart as a quick reference guide to clearly explain the requirements.

http://www.crowleys.com/pdfs/USCG_minimum_reqs.pdf

CROWLEY'S QUICK TIPS

More CROWLEY’S QUICK TIPS this week: Have a guest book handy onboard, see what fabric softener sheets can do and be wary of causing electrolysis corrosion from your power cord.

· Have a guest book handy onboard. Guests can sign it during your boating adventures. In the winter, it’s fun to look back and remember your trips.

· Fabric softener sheets tucked in between cushions and placed around the boat cabin give the boat a fresher smell. Some claim it even repels those nasty black flies.

· When your boat is plugged into shore power, keep the power cords out of the water. If the cord is cracked, it will cause electrolysis.

CROWLEY'S QUICK TIPS

As the season gets busier, our tips get quicker. Read Crowley’s Quick Tips to get a jump on getting the boat fitted out for summer. Read about keeping a log book and keeping your head flushing like a poker-playing wizard.

· Keep a log book to record any problems, needed repairs or upgrades wanted. At the end of the season, you’ll know what you need instead of having to depend on your memory. Log books also help keep track of maintenance schedules and costs, fuel usage, repair dates and trips. If you have partners, this is especially helpful.

· When cleaning your head, don’t use chlorine or ammonia. This eats the inside coating of the white sanitation hoses and lets out the smell from inside.

· Flush vegetable oil down your head to keep the parts working. About 2 tablespoons every spring should do it, more often with heavy use. For a vacuflush, take piece of paper towel, coat with Teflon®, and coat the rubber seal at the bottom of the bowl. Do not use a petroleum product for this.

Time for a Fish Fry

Story by Marian Lambrecht
Photos by Dan Bochnovic

The perch are running in the Calumet River. At Crowley’s Yacht Yard Lakeside, employees are catching their share along with the rest of the locals.

Theric Marion, Crowley’s travelift operator, caught the limit of 15 in an hour on Tuesday afternoon, a decent average compared to other catches.

“I caught six or seven in the last hour,” said Jim McInnes, a retired fireman from the South Side. On Tuesday morning Jim was using a crappy rig with live minnows, which was the bait of choice. Most of the perch caught from the bridge were 8-10 inches, no jumbos were reported.



All day Tuesday and Wednesday no less than 25 fishermen and women crowded the 95th Street bridge which borders Crowley’s Yacht Yard. Cars lined the curbs leading up to the bridge and passersby wanted to know how the catch was.

“[The perch] are spawning and the river temperature is warmer than the lake right now,” observed Tom Butkovich of Calumet Park. “On a nice day like this it’s hard to find a place to fish because the fish are biting and everyone’s out.”


Finding a fishing spot will get harder after April 1 according to Lois Varela, the drawbridge operator. He says that’s when the busy season for ships and freighters begins. Then the bridge goes up more frequently and the perch catchers will have to find another platform to use.

Some trivia: John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd jumped the 95th Street bridge in their car in the 1980 hit movie “The Blues Brothers.”

CROWLEY'S TIP #18 - Join us for Yachtapalooza!

This Saturday, March 21, Crowley’s Yacht Yard in Chicago invites you and your family to our annual outdoor event with live music, food, store sales, a boat show, a flea market and educational seminars. Come any time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The event is free to all.