Bluewater Crew Rating
| When: | Any Bluewater sail |
| Who: | MITNA Regular Members |
| Boats: | Mashnee |
| Prerequisite: | Provisional Rating |
Safely operating a boat the size of Mashnee requires a wide range of skills, from handling sails to navigation to emergency procedures. The Bluewater Crew rating indicates that you are familiar with the standard operations of the boat, can work independently with other crew members, and can assist the skipper with sailing operations. These skills will serve you well as a crewmember on any other big boats you might step aboard.
Developing skills for the Bluewater Crew rating is self-directed, and the rating is awarded when you have been able to demonstrate everything on the Bluewater Crew Sheet safely and independently. Most people who are new to big boats will need to sail regularly on Mashnee for a full season to complete the rating. Those with prior experience on big boats may earn it as soon as they demonstrate competence with Mashnee‘s quirks.
Progress on the Bluewater Crew rating is tracked on the Bluewater Crew Sheet. There are two boxes next to each skill. One is checked off the first time you learn or participate in a task. The second box is for mastery, when you can complete a skill safely and accurately without outside guidance. At the end of each sail, the skipper will initial your sheet for each skill you’ve learned or demonstrated. You can work on your sheet on any Mashnee sail.
Bluewater classes will be offered throughout the season to work on mastering specific skill groups. However, if there is something you would like to work on during a regular sail, please ask!
Bluewater Crew Skills
Sailing and boat operations
Bluewater crew should be able to manage all regular sail and boat operations when requested by the skipper. Where needed, they should be able to direct less-experienced crew members to help complete multi-person tasks.
- Mooring approach/Departure
- Safely drop mooring pennant, communicating with skipper
- Provide distance reports when approaching mooring, and clear communications at all times
- Pick up mooring pennant
- Make safety line fast
- Raising, lowering, and furling mainsail
- On raising sail, lead operation from mast, including safe winch operation, proper halyard jumping, and guiding cars up sail track. Judge proper tension when complete
- On lowering sail, lead operation from mast, including safe winch operation and flaking sail as it comes down
- Be able to coordinate flaking sail from both forward and aft ends
- Unfurling and furling jibs
- Able to release and haul in roller furler line, maintaining proper tension
- Able to handle jib sheets with proper tension
- Basic sail trim
- Able to gauge proper sail trim for course steered
- Able to trim sails properly for close-hauled and downwind courses
- Tacking
- Comptent at all roles: jib sheets, running backstays, and main sheet
- If operating jib sheets, able to work in concert with other jib sheet trimmer
- Jibing
- Comptent at all roles: jib sheets, running backstays, and main sheet
- If operating main sheet, able to centerline main and release sheet safely
- Assisting with docking
- Set up docklines and fenders
- Safe technique for jumping ashore
- Safe line handling around cleats and bollards
- Clear communication with skipper
- Use of head
- Proper operation of head mechanisms
- Proper technique to keep compartment clean
- Dinghy operation
- Correct installation of engine
- Departure from dock, safe driving, and arrival at boat.
- Able to direct crew on boarding and disembarking
- Knots
- Able to correctly tie a bowline, cleat hitch, rolling hitch, round turn and two half hitches, and sail tie slip knot
- Able to identify correct knots for sailing situations
- Coil and heave line
- Proper coiling technique
- Proper heaving technique for distance without tangles
- Starting and stopping engine
Safety and Emergency
- Working with new sailors
- Guide new sailors in safe boat operations
- Radio proceedures
- Know correct format for emergency and non-emergency calls
- Know correct radio channels for calls
- Familiar with operating Mashnee‘s radios
- Location and use of fire extinguishers
- Location and use of PFDs and throwable flotation
- Location and use of distress signals
- Crew overboard
- Familiar with all roles, including spotting, recovery options, and radio calls
- Able to steer Mashnee through crew overboard recovery
- Checking and emptying bilge
- Able to identify normal bilge levels and abnormal ones
- Familiar with manual and automatic pumps
- Safe winch operation
- Able to safely load, haul, grind, tail, make fast, ease, and cast off lines from a winch, especially when under load
- Able to safely clear overrides
- Consistent and habitual attention to safety and load on winches
- Running backs
- Operate running backstays in correct tension and timing
Navigation
- Familiarity with layout of Boston Harbor
- Able to correctly identify Mashnee‘s general location in Boston harbor
- Oriented to major channels and location of marina
- Able to identify major islands, and lighthouses
- Familiar with location of principal hazards and how to avoid them
- Rules of the road
- Firm working knowledge of rules of the road, as written and as applied to a busy commercial harbor
- Coastal piloting using nautical chart
- Able to identify landmarks and aids to navigation on chart
- Able to identify location and orientation of boat on chart
- Able to identify courses and relevant aids to navigation or landmarks to follow
- Aids to navigation
- Familiar with aids to navigation and their meanings
- Able to apply knowledge to Boston Harbor and pick safe passage from visible aids
- Able to match aids to navigation on chart with those visible
- Knowledge of boat’s draft
- We need 8’4″ to float with the board down
- Use of GPS chartplotter
- How to use the MOB button
- How to determine Longitude and Latitude
- How to plot a course
- How to change from day to night mode
- How to swap between head up vs. north up mode
- Ability to turn on radar