LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE GLOBAL TSUNAMI - HOW TO SURVIVE
In spite of the Global Tsunami, Exit Only had a great Thailand adventure. We came through almost without a scratch.
And if surviving a massive tsunami was not enough, before we left Thailand, we found Exit Only at the end of a rainbow.
Here are ten of the most important tsunami survival lessons we learned.
1. When you are anchoring in Tsunami Land, anchor in deeper water. Avoid the temptation to anchor close to shore. Even if you have a shallow draft yacht, it's safer in deeper water. You will exponentially increase your chances of survival if a tsunami should happen.
2. If you are anchored in a bay during an earthquake, immediately raise your anchor and head out to sea.
3. If a tsunami warning sounds, raise your anchor and head out into deep water.
4. If you are on shore or on a dock, and the water level starts to rapidly fall in the harbor drawing away from the beach, immediately run for higher ground. A tsunami wave will soon be heading your way, and if you can get to higher ground, you may survive.
5. If a massive earthquake happens even a thousand miles away, take tsunami warnings seriously. More than 100,000 people died from the tsunami in Sri Lanka. The massive loss of life was preventable to a great extent. There was plenty of time for them to evacuate the waterfront if they had a tsunami warning system in place.
6. When motoring through tsunami debris, watch the temperature gage on your engine, and make sure cooling water is flowing out of your exhaust. Tsunami debris can easily clog and block the flow of cooling water through your engine.
7. When sailing through massive tsunami debris, (giant logs south of Sri Lanka) stop your boat and heave to at night. You cannot afford to collide with a giant log in the dark. One steel yacht sailed on through the night off Sri Lanka and struck a log in the dark. He sailed over the log without sustaining hull damage, but his wind vane self-steering was severely damaged when it struck the log. Sailing over logs in the dark is dangerous. It's a good way to hole a yacht, bend and break rudders, and destroy wind vane self-steering.
8. When sailing through tsunami debris, it's a good idea to have a person on the bow scanning the water for partially submerged tsunami debris.
9. Anything that you can do to protect your bow from tsunami debris is a good idea. We lashed oars on the bows of Exit Only to distribute the forces in the event of an impact with tsunami debris.
The odds you will ever encounter a life threatening tsunami are relatively low. Fortunately, a few simple precautions greatly increase the odds of survival.
Common sense and prudent behavior get you through most of the challenges you face as you sail on the ocean of your dreams.
Awesome music video that captures the essence of what it's like to sail offshore in a catamaran around the world when conditions are less than perfect. David Abbott from Too Many Drummers sings the vocals, and he also edited the footage from our Red Sea adventures. This is the theme song from the Red Sea Chronicles.
Sailing up the Red Sea is not for the faint of heart. From the Bab al Mandeb to the Suez Canal, adventures and adversity are in abundance. If you take things too seriously, you just might get the Red Sea Blues.
If you like drum beats, and you like adventure, then have a listen to the Red Sea Chronicles Trailer.
Flying fish assault Exit Only in the middle of the night as we sail through the Arabian Gulf from the Maldives to Oman. And so begins our Red Sea adventures.
Sailing through Pirate Alley between Yemen and Somalia involves calculated risk. It may not be Russian Roulette, but it is a bit of a worry. Follow Team Maxing Out as they navigate through Pirate Alley.
Stopping in Yemen was just what the doctor ordered. We refueled, repaired our alternator, and we made friends with our gracious Yemeni hosts. We also went to Baskins Robbins as a reward for surviving Pirate Alley.
After you survive Pirate Alley, you must sail through the Gate of Sorrows (Bab Al Mandab) at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The Gate of Sorrows lived up to its name with fifty knots of wind and a sandstorm that pummeled Exit Only for two days. Life is good.
Captain Dave and his family spent eleven years sailing around the world on their Privilege 39 catamaran, Exit Only. During the trip, the crew shot 200 hours of video with professional cameras to show people what it's like to sail on a small boat around the world.
The Red Sea Chronicles is a one hour and twenty-two minute feature film showing their adventures as Exit Only sails through Pirate Alley in the Gulf of Aden and up the Red Sea. The professional footage documents their experiences in Oman, Yemen, Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt, and the Suez Canal. It chronicles the rigors of traveling in a remote section of the world rarely visited by cruisers. Exit Only dodges Yemeni pirates, fights a gale and sand storms in the Bab al Mandeb at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The crew explores deserted islands on the western shores of the Red Sea, and learns to check the cruising guides for land mines before venturing ashore.
The Red Sea Chronicles also has outstanding Special Features including an Instructional Video on Storm Management that tells sailors how to deal with storms at sea.
And don't forget the two Music Videos: "The Red Sea Blues", and "Captain - Save Our Souls".
The Red Sea Chronicles is a first class adventure that stokes the sailing dreams of both experienced and wannabe sailors alike.
Join Team Maxingout as they sail through Pirate Alley and up the Red Sea
See what it's like to cruise on a catamaran before you spend a bazillion dollars purchasing one
After watching the Red Sea Chronicles you will be able to see yourself sailing on the ocean of your dreams
Although I like the feel of a paper book in my hand, I love trees even more. When people purchase an eBook, they actually save trees and save money as well. Ebooks are less expensive and have no negative impact on the environment. All of Dr. Dave's books are available at Save A Tree Bookstore. Visit the bookstore today and start putting good things into your mind. It's easy to fill your mind with positive things using eBooks. No matter where you are or what you are doing, you can pull out your smart phone or tablet and start reading. You can even use electronic highlighters and make annotations in your eBooks just like paper books.
