On Campus Skills Checklist

BCSE On-Campus Skills Checklist

You must be able to accomplish the following skills by the time you have completed the on-campus courses. This is not an academic exercise for which you will be receiving a grade. Instead, it is necessary that you be able to complete 100 percent of these skills to function as a productive, safe and effective member of the ship’s crew.

Sailing Skills

1. Identify the following parts of the boat:

a. Bow/Stern
b. Port/Starboard
c. Forestay/backstay
d. Shrouds
e. Mainsail/Jib
f. Mast/Boom
g. Halyard/Sheet
h. Leech/Luff
i. Tack/Clew
j. Boom Vang
k. Winch/Cleat/Block

l. Keel/Rudder
m. Telltales

2. Use three sources to identify wind direction and speed.

3. Identify when a boat is on the following points of sail and how to trim the sails when:

a. Head to wind
b. Close Hauled
c. On a close, beam and broad reach
d. On a run
e. Tacking or gybing

4. Differentiate between windward and leeward

5. Describe when and how you would tack or gybe

6. Describe the forces that affect a sailboat, including the center of effort and the center of lateral resistance, apparent and true wind

7. Explain the difference between weather and lee helm. Describe how to adjust the sails to reduce/increase both forces.

8. Identify the three factors that affect the sails’ power and lift. Describe at least one way of controlling each of these factors.

9. Describe when and how to reef a mainsail and jib

10. Discuss the steps used to recover a crew overboard

11. Identify a safe anchorage on the chart given the day/night weather forecast

12. Calculate the scope and swing room for a specific anchorage and set the anchor alarm

13. Tie the following knots with relative ease:

a. Figure eight stopper knot
b. Clove hitch
c. Round turn two half hitches
d. Bowline
e. Cleat Hitch
f. Coil and gasket a line

14. Identify the stand-on vessel and give-way vessel and know how to resolve the following:

a. Two sailboats on a head-on course
b. Two sailboats on same course, windward and leeward
c. One boat overtaking another
d. Sailboat and a power boat on a crossing or head-on course
e. Two power boats on a crossing or head-on course

Navigation Skills

1. Locate the scale, sounding unit, variation (and annual increase/decrease), publication date and special notes on a chart

2. Use the bearing worksheets to convert from true north to ship’s compass and vice versa

3. Shoot a compass bearing

4. Locate ship’s position on a chart by:

a. plotting an electronic fix
b. shooting two or more LOP’s

5. Interpret a tide table - both reference and secondary stations

6. Interpret a current table – both reference and secondary stations

7. Calculate actual depth using chart datum and tide tables for daily high and low tides

8. Plot a DR, calculating for distance, time and speed

9. Use a DR and electronic fix to account for current set and drift and wind leeway

10. Determine a course to steer given desired course over ground, set, drift and leeway

11. Make an accurate logbook entry

12. Identify the following chart symbols:

a. Lateral buoys – cans and nuns
b. Lateral Day Beacons
c. Cardinal buoys
d. Fair water buoy
e. Isolated danger buoy
f. Preferred passage buoy
g. Submerged rock or reef
h. Bottom type – sand, gravel, mud, rock
i. Submerged cable
j. Current – ebb and flow

VHF Skills

1. Use proper radio protocol to:

a. Undertake a radio check with another vessel
b. Hail another vessel and switch to a working channel
c. Transmit a Mayday
d. Obtain the marine weather forecast