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A List to Keep Handy in Case you run Aground in the Boat

July 19, 2011 by
U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Vigilant (WMEC-617). 

Image via Wikipedia

 

Running aground is just one of the hazards of operating a boat, and there’s a sequence to doing things right. The first thought should be of the crew’s safety. 

 

  1. The second move is for the captain to assess his own injuries and to see if there’s any shock. If so, hand the procedures to another shipmate.
  2. Grab a notebook and begin listing everything that happened, including the times they happened. Tide level, location and a geographic landmark is helpful.
  3. Use the VHF radio to reach the Coast Guard. Write down if the responding CG is from the US, Canada, etc.
  4. Request a no-wake zone around the boat for safety.
  5. Get a current weather forecast; know what is to come in the next 24 hours. Secure all seacocks and ports.
  6. Carefully calculate the way out. See which way the current is pushing at high tide and try to set the kedge anchor in the right direction.
  7. Make a drawing of the situation and what looks like the best way out, along with the biggest hazards.
  8. If possible, take heavy items to shore in the skiff. Remove as much weight as possible and if there’s a freshwater tank, drain it except for  minimal water to drink.
  9. With all this information the captain can assist any help that may arrive, whether from private boaters, ships or the Coast Guard.
Assessment of detail is the single biggest help in getting rescued; and it’s the best tool available to get the craft on the water and sailing again.

Keep this list handy so the captain knows what to do without having to remember it all.

 

 

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Major Recall Issues for Auto Brands

May 22, 2011 by

Over the past two years consumers have come to look at auto manufacturing in a completely different light. Many of the top brands in the industry have requested that customers bring their vehicles to the service department in order to install some type of fix for a mechanical error. The dilemma is that some of these “problems” have become major issues for consumers that faced negative consequences when their vehicle didn’t work like it was supposed to.

As more and more people came forward the media scrambled to get to the bottom of what was going on. When it came to personal injury lawyers Los Angeles residents began to seek out assistance. They wanted more information on why this happened and what was going to be done about it. Who was going to foot the bill for the damage to the vehicle or even the passengers in a vehicle when the faulty equipment didn’t work as it should have and an accident occurred?

Unfortunately, all auto brands didn’t come to the rescue of consumers. Sometimes the issue was swept under the carpet until enough people came forward and became vocal enough to get some attention. Then, instead of admitting fault and making arrangements to handle the situation, there were parts delays and even miscommunication about the solutions that were going to be offered shortly.

This situation opened many companies’ eyes to the lack of procedure and policy when it comes to automotive recalls.  There are several lessons to be learned by automotive manufacturers as well as consumers. For many, the lesson was to follow instinct when you know something just isn’t right.

 

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Get the Most out of Your Charitable Car Donation

March 9, 2011 by

When donating a car to charity, search out a particular charity to give it to, like Kars for Kids. The most important step toward choosing a charity is to make sure it is a 301(c) filing nonprofit organization. To do this, a person needs to itemize tax deductions on their return. The deductions cannot be more than half of the adjusted gross income and the vehicle must be a car, truck, boat or aircraft.

There are several things to consider when figuring the amount that can be deducted for a vehicle, such as, the car must be privately owned. In most cases, fair market value can be the deduction amount, unless the car is worth more than $500. In that case the person would do well to consult with a tax professional to make sure the deduction is taken correctly.

To itemize the charitable contribution the person must file a Schedule A with the return. This form has specific directions in the booklet for 1040A filers, and an easy worksheet included in the booklet will take the person step-by-step through the form to fill it out correctly. The worksheet will require:

  • Step 1: list the qualifying conservation contributions.
  • Step 2: list the car and any other applicable contributions and do the math described in each part (50% limit, etc.).
  • Step 3: figure one half of the year’s adjusted gross income.
  • Go through all the questions in Step 3 and fill in the blanks. At the end it will require the person to add and subtract the amounts and it tells the user which amounts to list on Schedule A and on which line.

Follow the directions on the Schedule A form and enter the figured amounts on the form 1040A.

Make sure you choose the correct nonprofit organization to donate to, follow the easy step-by-step directions for form 1040A and Schedule A, do the math and put the figures in the right spaces. That’s it!

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Sports Have Become Improved With The Advancement Of Technology

March 7, 2011 by

You can find few people who are not concerned about sports. All kind of sports has become more improved with the touch of modern technology. In ancient time also various sports were played. Most of the sports played that time were cruel. Day by day those cruel sports have banned. The experts are always busy to make all the sports free from any error. Many kind of new devices and machines are being used so that players can play games in a better way. Sports have a great effect in financial sector also. Most of the companies try to advertise their products through the sports.

Many competitions are arranged around the world for every type of sport. The world cup of football is one of the most popular competitions in the world as football is the most popular sport worldwide. The people of whole world get fever when this world cup comes. Apart from this, cricket, tennis, car racing are also the popular sports worldwide. The popularity of a particular sport varies from one country to another. Cricket is the popular sport in India, Pakistan and some other countries but it is not played in many countries also. Sports can be enjoyed by two ways.

Sports are considered as the popular sources of entertainment. People want to have a beautiful time by watching various types of sports on TV. The experts are trying to make all the sports more entertaining for the people. There are many sports channels who telecast the live matches of various sports for the viewer. By sitting in your home you can enjoy these matches with family members and friends. People are always eager to get the latest news of sports. Many spots newspapers and magazines are there to fulfill this desire. You can access many sites in internet to get the history.

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Models Of Boats And The Pleasures Attached With It

February 23, 2011 by
Model boat

Image via Wikipedia

Building models of boat is a unique and highly imaginative hobby. People who do not have time and money to go for sailing can fulfill their desires by getting indulged in boat model making hobby. People use many kinds of materials to make a boat model. Some use the traditional wood while some use plastics to make boat models. Metal is also used to make boats. The making of boat model is seen from the ancient times where people used to make boats by paper or wood to have leisure time. Children are always fascinated by playing with a boat and imagining a voyage all over the world.
Some people decorate their boat in  a beautiful way that people keep on looking at them. Some decorate their boats by pebbles and jewels. Some paint it with various colors.
Making models of boat is a tiring and hard job. Some people make the models of boats which are only for the purpose of decoration. Even people have mastered the skills to make a model of boat inside a bottle. This kind of artwork is rare and people sell them at a very high cost.
Making boat models is a kind of hobby which adds colors and joy in our life. People of highly imaginative value only can keep this kind of hobby. Children feel special pleasure when they play with water as well as the boat. There are many toys available in the form of boats which makes a child jump with joy.
Boat model making has also become a big business. People specially order the kind of boat which they can assemble at home. They pay high prices for these kinds of models.
Whatever, but making models of boat is a work which we do with pleasure and we never get tired of doing it.

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Models Of Planes And Their Uses

February 16, 2011 by

Making models of planes can be taken as a hobby as well as for doing research in the field of space and aerodynamics. People those who love adventure as a hobby choose building models of plane. While getting in this hobby they get the same pleasure like a pilot gets when he flies a plane. This gives a feeling of flying like a bird. In the 80’s this kind of hobby came into existence when people started making miniature engines for cars and planes. They experimented and found that a flying model of any plane can be built which can fly also!!! In those times people made planes with mechanical engines which flew on fuel. They were heavy and were to be controlled by the attached strings so that they don’t get strayed and injure or harm somebody. Those kinds of models were heavy and difficult to control. But nowadays models of planes have become lighter due to the use of batteries. Also they can be controlled by Remote control. Now they can fly to longer distance and at a higher altitude.
Now the electronic components are used to make models of planes which make them lighter and efficient.
There are various uses of building a model of planes. The first use is to take it as a hobby. Scientists related with Airlines, Military and Space make use of these models by using them in an air tunnel. This makes them to understand the flow of air and problems regarding the structure.
Discoverers also make a good use of flying models of planes. They can send a model of plane to discover the areas where it is difficult for a human to go. Biologists can keep an eye on the animal species they are researching on. Military uses these models to spy upon their enemies using camera embedded planes.

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Model Building And Its Uses

February 10, 2011 by
Model builder

Image via Wikipedia

Model building is a kind of hobby where people make small models of Buildings, landscapes, plane or boat which act or looks like a real one. This is an expensive but interesting hobby. Making models of buildings are useful for us because before constructing a real building we can have an idea about the shape and appearance of a building. Most of the time architects hire people who make the miniature model of the building before giving it a real shape.  This is kind of preview before starting a project.
Some people have their skills unleashed by making a small model of plane or helicopter. This helps in fulfilling our hobby while scientists who are doing research on aerodynamic models can have an idea about how that model will work. Making models of boat is also a hobby which fills our hearts with joy. It feels like we are on the boat and we are going for a voyage of the world. Boat making is a beautiful and soothing hobby.
Making models of planes is an old hobby. In older times people used to make models of planes by using mechanical engines and using fuel to fly it. But nowadays people use electric components to make a plane which runs on batteries. Also they have sensitive controllers, by which they can fly their planes at a higher altitude, speed and to longer distances. Even these models are used to discover new areas and to spy over the enemies as they are unmanned and quite small to be detected by radar.
Building models is a kind of hobby which makes our minds fly to a new horizon. It gives wings to our imagination and makes us dream. Architects and interior decorators use model building to touch new heights in their career. Model building helps them to understand their work in a better perspective. They can add or remove various things without destroying the original structure which makes their work safe and cost effective. Model building could be really beneficial.

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Hobby As A Sport

February 8, 2011 by

Hobbies are the activities which we do for our pleasure and utilizing our free time to do creative works. People have different kind of hobbies according to their nature. Some people make paintings, handicrafts, some collect coins and stamps. Photography is considered as the most common hobby in the entire world. Some people take traveling as a hobby while some go for making miniature models of various things which are found on our planet. Some people like to learn about the culture and religion while some like to read books. The new kind of hobby is to make planes and boats which can fly and sail in the same way as a real plane or boat works.  Some people have taken reading books or writing books as a hobby.  Cooking various kinds of continental and country foods is a delicious and mouthwatering hobby. Dancing, Gardening, and Fishing are some kinds of hobbies which satisfy us with lot of physical work to keep us fit. Boys have the hobby to playing sports and going to gym to shape their bodies and keeping fit.

People love music and entertainment. So some people like to listen to music and some collect movies to have the time of their life. Hobbies are totally related with the kind of interests which are hidden within us. Hobby is an activity which makes us relax. We feel energetic and happy after we go through our hobby.  Hobbies play an important role to make us free from the stress and tensions of life. Hobbies do not let us feel bored when we have nothing to do. Some hobbies even earn money for us like opening a beauty parlous or swapping coins where international currency exchanged is involved. Our hobbies reflect the kind of personalities we have. Hobbies not only sooth us but also make our time creative and keeps us busy. They give us pleasure and satisfaction that like millions of people in this world we also have something within us which people adore and praise. There are many more kinds of hobbies.

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Hobby And Its Kinds

February 3, 2011 by

There are many kinds of sports which are related to our hobbies. Some of them are building models, flying planes, sailing boats etc. These kinds of sports need higher skills and we need to learn the tactics of doing these kinds of things. There are also manuals available for these kinds of sports. Even in many countries exhibitions and contests are organized where people can show their skills and talent in this kind of sport.
People are always been crazy for the sports related with assembling and making models.  The new technology has given wings to the building of model planes and flying them into open spaces. People get the same feeling like they are themselves flying a plane. This hobby is a special kind of hobby. Before people used to make models of planes by using small engines and mechanical controls. Nowadays people use electronic equipments and high frequency controllers to fly the miniature models of plane.

Making of small boats is also in vogue. People make ships and make them sail in small ponds and water bodies to get the pleasure of sailing in a boat. These boats are perfectly balanced and they are controlled by remote controls.
People are also indulged in many kinds of hobbies. Some to mention here are Coin collection, stamp collection, collection of antique things, making models of planes and ships etc. Some people like to make the collection of match box covers while some collect the beer cans. It has been noted that even some people collect the scratch cards of cell phones which contain various pictures on them. Some have the hobby of Photography while some like to make friends all over the world.

Internet is playing a big role to fulfill these hobbies as people now can get connected easily.  People choose their sports as per the personality they have. Sports play a big role in our life to make us overjoyed and enthusiastic. It can be really beneficial if the sport is considered as an hobby. Just know the importance of it.

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Emergency Items to Pack in Your Sailboat

February 1, 2011 by

When you’re out on the water, you don’t hope for an emergency. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared for one either. Planning for events you hope will never happen will make you better able to handle them when they do. Some good items to stash away on your sailboat are a first aid kit, a dry change of clothes, a VHF radio, snacks and water bottles, and a large beach towel.

First Aid Kit

It’s impossible to stress how important it is to have a well stocked first aid kit. If you get cut or injured you want to be able to treat yourself as soon as possible. Because you’re keeping the first aid kit on a sailboat, you’ll have larger storage available and can stock more things. You’ll want basics like bandages, alcohol for disinfecting, and antibiotic ointment, but you should also consider elastic bandages, gauze, first aid tape, aloe ointment for burns, sunscreen, and extra medication for any condition you might have.

Dry Clothes

If you’re on a boat you could get wet, and what’s worse than sitting in wet clothes all day long? Packing a change of dry clothes is easy to do, and barely takes up space. Carry along a set of pants, undergarments, socks, shirt and a sweater or a jacket. If you get wet you’ll be able to change and keep yourself dry.

VHF Radio

Should anything happen on the water, you’ll want to be able to contact other boaters in the area. You can do that easily with a VHF radio. Make sure the batteries are charged before you leave.

Snacks and Water

Keep extra water bottles and some non-perishable snacks in case you get stranded somewhere without food or water.

Towel

In a pinch a towel is a lot more useful than a blanket, and you should have a large one stashed with your extra clothes. Not only can you dry yourself off, but you can use the towel as a blanket to keep warm, or lay it down on the ground when you’re on shore.

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