Time for another Navagear feature at MadMariner. This time, I review a feature-packed handheld VHF radio from Cobra that would be especially ideal as a primary radio for those with small cruising boats, including kayaks and canoes, and as a handheld secondary radio for boats with fixed-mount VHF transceivers.

This must-read post by Mario Vittone appears over at gCaptain:

I’m going to come right out and tell you something that almost no one in the maritime industry understands. That includes mariners, executives, managers, insurers, dock workers, for certain – fisherman, and even many (most) rescue professionals:

It is impossible to die from hypothermia in cold water unless you are wearing flotation.

Despite the research, the experience, and all the data, I still hear “experts” – touting as wisdom – completely false information about cold water and what happens to people who get in it. With another season of really cold water approaching, I feel compelled to get these points across in a way that will change the way mariners behave out there on (or near) the water.

What follows is the truth about cold water and cold water immersion. I know that you think you know all there is to know about hypothermia already (and maybe you do), but read ahead and see if you aren’t surprised by something.

When the water is cold (say under 50 degrees F) there are significant physiological reactions that occur, in order, almost always.

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Scott Wilson has this post over at Three Sheets Northwest. I share his opinion that listening to the VHF constitutes a form of entertainment like Reality TV. But sometimes, you really wish there were an editor on staff…

Few things come to grate as much on cruiser’s nerves as listening to the incessant chatter on the international VHF hailing and distress frequency, 156.800 Mhz on your FM dial, or channel 16 on marine VHF sets.  In many parts of the world, the frequency is used and abused to capacity, with transmissions by users expert and amateur alike crowding it during daylight hours and often well into the evening.

You are forced to endure this by law and custom if you can stand to have the radio on at all; FCC regulations require any vessel with a VHF set turned on (and vessels over 20 meters, or those in commercial use, must leave their VHF on) and not otherwise in use to monitor (or “guard” in radio parlance) channel 16.

[…]

The problem generally arises with users forgetting that the channel is only supposed to be used for making initial contact, or for emergencies.  Rather than making contact and then switching to a less populated frequency (since 16 is a simplex frequency; only one station can understandably transmit across it at a given time, crowding out anyone else who may need it) they will carry on their extended conversations there, subjecting the rest of us to generally boring drivel and blocking others trying to make contact… or, god forbid, who need help in an actual emergency.

Still, it’s a fascinating snapshot of the world if you have the patience for it.

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I love Cap’t Pauley’s sketchbook. This time, he’s tackling the intricate mysteries surrounding cleat installation. It’s all about keeping water OUT, you know…

And notice how there is no sealant on the inside. I don’t know how many installations I’ve encountered with sealant on the inside! If the water gets past the first line of defense, you WANT to SEE it. You want it to pass through the deck unobstructed. Otherwise, you’re just trapping water inside the deck.

[It’s another MadMariner features from a few weeks back. —Tim]

I was at my local plumbing and electrical shop recently, getting more parts for a kitchen remodel. As I waited at the checkout counter, I looked over the various "impulse items" on display.

"Oh good, more cheap multi-bit screwdrivers destined for landfills," I mused to myself. "I wonder which ‘developing economy’ produced these?"

To my surprise, the multi-bit screwdrivers in question, from a company called Picquic, were manufactured in Vancouver, British Columbia. Hey, just up the road! That was refreshing…so many "wonder tools" are made overseas and end up being a big disappointment in design, materials, and manufacture.

A closer look revealed that these screwdrivers weren’t at all the junk I had imagined. In fact, this Canadian tool appeared to be well-designed, and made of quality materials. So I bought a Stubby, and when I got home, I did some online research and learned that Picquic made another product especially noteworthy for boaters: the Mariner. I had soon tracked one of those down as well.

The Picquic screwdrivers stand out above every other multi-bit screwdriver I’ve encountered.

That was 18 month ago, and today, the several Picquic screwdrivers I have at home, in the car, and aboard the boat are my favorites, by far. In fact, I like them so much that during a recent visit to Vancouver I stopped by the factory and spoke with Kerry Martin, Picquic’s sales and customer service guru.

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