The notes written by Teoman Arsay, former President of the Amateur Maritime Federation, distilled from years of experience are a gem for boat enthusiasts. So much so that even someone who has never been on a boat can read these notes and visualize boat life in all its reality. While Arsay lists life-saving details about boating, he also manages to make his warnings about sea and boat manners with subtlety.

When going out on a voyage;

1. Check the engine oil and water.
2. Is your fuel and potable water enough for your voyage?
3. Do you have enough fuel for the engine of your service boat?
4. Is the trail rope of the service boat properly tied?
5. Do you have your rations?
6. Is your radio working?
7. Do you have all your safety equipment?
8. Do you have maps for the area you will be navigating?
9. Have you set your route?
10. Are your navigation lights working?
11. Put on your boat shoes.
12. Open your logbook, make your first entries.
13. Do you have guests?
14. Are your guests sailors, do they know your boat?
15. If they are not sailors, introduce them to your boat.
16. Introduce them to the safety equipment, show where they are stored.
17. Give them a simple "boat book" or brochure for them to look at while sailing, if you have one.
18. If your guests are elderly, be very careful and show them where to hold on in case of lurching.
19. If there are kids among your guests, they will be asking many questions, answer their questions, motivate them, make them learn about maritime.
20. Tell your guests who will be staying with you on the boat for a while to bring their personal belongings in a soft bag, not a hard suitcase, with reasons why.
21. You can ask your guests to bring rubber-soled sneakers that will not slip on the deck, they will be comfortable during the voyage.
22. Remove the sail covers, if you have them.
23. Get your sheets on the hoists.
24. Secure the items inside the boat with sailor's knots so that they will not move when the boat is rocked.
25. Turn on the navigational aids.
26. Divide tasks among your guests or crew.
27. If your guests are unfamiliar with the sea, tell them what to
do without frightening them, do not give them tasks.
28. If you have GPS, show everyone where the MOB button is in advance.
29. If you do not have a GPS, teach them that in the case of a MOB (Man Overboard), the only task of the first person to see the incident is to follow the person overboard visually and only visually, without doing anything else. They will be the one to guide, the one to save lives.
30. Learn and teach MOB maneuvers.

On your way out;

1. Do not navigate with sails within the harbor.
2. Turn on the engine, check the water discharge from the exhaust, check other readings if available, and take a slow course out of the harbor.
3. Coil your ropes, clear your deck.
4. Keep your fenders inside, and do not carry them around like a donkey's saddlebag. Do not let people think of your boat as a "fender-yacht", do not let them make fun of it.
5. Outside the harbor, turn the boat's head into the wind, hoist the sails.
6. Stop the engine.
7. Get on course, give way.
8. If your voyage is a long one, arrange the shifts.
9. It is particularly a task for the night shifter to prepare the tea for the next person to hop on the shift, remind them.
10. When handing over the shift, set the position and mark it on your map, tell your friend taking the shift your course, speed, what happened during the shift according to their importance, show the surrounding ships, lighthouses and anything related to navigation.
11. Even if you have all kinds of electronic navigational aids, do not sail without a map, mark your positions on your map, use a 0.5 fine lead pencil, work neatly, write legibly so that the next person on shift after you can read it,
12. When working on a map, space constraints may prevent you from using a parallel. Try working with two squares, you will feel more comfortable.
13. One of the most practical tools you can use for the same purpose is the "compass rose with string".
14. You can designate shifts of 3 hours at night and 4 hours during the day for voyages of more than twenty-four hours, so that no one's shift coincides with the same hours.

During navigation;

1. As amateur sailors, we cannot address each other as Captain, so let us not.
2. Captaincy is a professional degree, we cannot emulate and imitate it.
3. As amateur sailors, we should address each other either by name or as Sailor. Sailor is not just a professional designation.
4. Always keep your mind and eyes on the route.
5. Guide your shift mate on the same matter.
6. Be aware of your surroundings, of clouds and
changes in the sky, of other vessels at sea, and if encounters are likely, remember the rules of navigation correctly to avoid collisions, do not make mistakes.
7. Even if the vessel on the collision course is obliged by the rules to give way to you, you should always be ready to give way.
8. If the wind speed increases and reaches or exceeds 5 Beauforts (17-21 knots), take the necessary safety precautions.
9. Put on the chest harness, also known as a chest strap.
10. Lay safety ropes from bow to stern on the side decks.
11. If you need to go on the deck, you should walk by attaching the spring lock of the chest strap to the safety ropes you have laid on the deck.
12. The correct way of laying the safety rope on the deck is to have one rope each on the starboard and
port, two side decks (orphan decks) instead of a single rope going from the middle of the boat from bow to stern, over the cabin.
13. Do not use steel wire ropes as safety ropes.
14. If you are tied to a rope that goes through the middle of the boat in really heavy weather and you have to fly out of control, it is very possible for you to hit from broadside to broadside and get injured. But if your ropes and straps are strong, you will only fall on the side deck, either on top of the cabin or outside of the rail, and you will be hanging on the broadside.
15. If any items are left around you or in the cabin that could slip, fall or break, remove them immediately, place them in a safe place and tie them with sailor's knots.
16. If you are to take a break and rest in a bay or harbor, be respectful of the sea and the sailors who were there before you, do your maneuvers without worrying anyone, anchor and/or moor.
17. The sailors on the boats around you are mostly resting just like you, so do not make too much noise during your maneuvers.
18. If you are to run a generator, you must also ensure that the exhaust noise is so low that it does not disturb anyone around you.
19. You might consider installing a water separator and then a silencer on the exhaust of the generator before the start of the season.
20. You should connect the water separated from the mixture of water and exhaust gas to underwater outlets on your boat and the exhaust gas to surface outlets.
21. Please remember that everyone needs peace and tranquility to rest, whether in their own mooring harbor
or in anchorages and harbors along the route.
22. Therefore, please, please, always adjust the volume of your device to a level that will not disturb anyone when you want to listen to music.
23. They say "music heals the soul", but this healing is only for those who want to hear it, and you cannot force
others to listen to it.
24. Some irresponsible captains of charter boats may organize entertainment for their passengers and/or tourists with loudspeakers turned up full blast, with no regard for their surroundings. Do not refrain from warning such irresponsible people.
25. Navigating at sea brings one immense happiness when one knowingly obeys a set of rules.
26. Accordingly, if you are anchored during a night voyage or in the wilderness in a bay, you should know very well what lights to use.
27. Keep in mind that you cannot equip your boat with colored or white or multicolored strobe lights that have nothing to do with any rules, neither during navigation or when anchored.
28. These so-called accessories do nothing but endanger others. Any behavior to the contrary portrays the person as ignorant, uncivilized and ill-intentioned.
29. Remember that the term 'sea-goers', or rather 'seafarers', encompasses many groups of people with different views of the sea. These can be listed as;
30. Amateur sailors and sea sportspeople,
31. Seaman, i.e. professional seafarers,
32. Members of the Naval Forces, i.e. marines,
33. Amateur and professional fisherman and divers,
34. Local and foreign tourists and day-trippers.
35. .
36. Among all these groups, those who approach the sea and seafaring with the sensitivity of a professional are primarily those belonging to groups b) and c).
37. However, when we adjust the angles from which we look at the subject according to ourselves, we suddenly find that we are not only sea lovers, but also lovers of maritime ourselves.
38. Accordingly, what all these notes are intended to convey is the existence of a love/knowledge of the sea/maritime, which we all should have, and which has a more or less continuous level, as well as the sensitivity and respect that this love brings to us.
39. Do not forget that the Mediterranean and the Aegean are "Special Protection Areas" under the UNEP United Nations Environment Program and MARPOL International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships.
40. You cannot throw garbage into the sea, you cannot pour dishwater, toilet water, bath water, cooking oil into the sea in this whole area.
41. You can only dump food waste (beans, rice, etc.) 12 nautical miles offshore.
42. Do not pour cooking oil into the sea, there is a procedure for collecting it and bringing it ashore.
43. Do not dump your dirty water (black and gray) into the sea.
44. You should always have a portable suction pump and a long hose on board for your wastewater.
45. The Blue Card practice and the newly introduced DAU (Maritime Waste Practice) were actually created because we live in the Mediterranean, but it is also our duty to inform the relevant authorities about the mistakes in their implementation. Maritime also requires that this information is shared with
those concerned.
46. Consider and embrace the motto "Do not throw into the sea what does not come from the sea" as a principle.

Returning from the voyage;

1. Do not sail into the harbor.
2. Turn on the engine 0.5-1 mile off the harbor.
3. Turn to the wind, douse your sails, roll them up, but do not put on the covers yet.
4. Keep your booms centered and your sheets on the hoists.
5. Prepare the mooring lines.
6. Equip your fenders.
7. Radio the harbor, and if entry is allowed, slow ahead.
8. If you are entering an unfamiliar harbor, try to gather as much information as possible in advance.
9. Divide tasks among your guests and crew.
10. Explain your maneuver to them in advance.
11. If you have to abort your maneuver at the last moment, do not be persistent, just reset your maneuver.
12. Aborting and resetting maneuvers is an experience, not a shame.
13. Approach the mooring site, make sure your commands are clear and understandable, do not shout.
14. If you are going to berth in the harbor, try to moor with the bow of the boat facing the exit, if you need to leave suddenly, it will be easier to maneuver.
15. Those who came on the voyage with you trusted you, do not break their trust by yelling and screaming, stay calm, you are the one who knows the boat best.
16. Stop the engine once you have your boat moored.
17. Gather your sheets.
18. Put on the sail covers.
19. Clear your deck.
20. If the inside of the boat is a mess, clean it up.
21. Turn off your radio.
22. Make your last entries on the logbook and close it.
23. Now you can take off your shoes.
24. Review your voyage with your guests or crew, identify incompatibilities.
25. Have a seat and enjoy yourself.

General warnings

1. Never walk on deck while sailing and as much as possible inside without shoes.
2. Do not walk on the beach in the same shoes you wear on the yacht, wear other shoes.
3. If you have just one pair, be sure to wipe the soles or even wash them when you come back from the beach.
4. Make sure the upper material of the shoes is resistant to sea water.
5. The profiles of the rubber in the sole of the shoe must be non-slippery on a wet deck.
6. Do not run on the deck while sailing.
7. When moving around inside or on deck, hold on to a solid spot with one hand, this is known as "one hand on yourself and one hand on the boat".
8. Get used to wearing the chest strap when sailing, make sure you wear it when sailing at night.
9. If there is no one in the cockpit when sailing at night, do not go on deck alone.
10. If you need to go on the deck, you should walk by attaching the spring lock of the chest strap to the life line you have laid on the deck.
11. If the deck is covered with teak do not varnish and do not oil it, as its slipperiness when wet poses a serious danger.
12. Do not wash your teak deck with a pressure washer, you will ruin the wood. It is best to wash it with clean sea water, the wood retains its moisture.
13. Never wipe, brush, sand your teak deck in the fibrous direction of the wood; it will accelerate its wear.
14. Keep your medicine cabinet stocked and write expiration dates on medicine containers in large letters visible for all to see.
15. Have a list of what medicine works for what.
16. Keep the directions for use of the medication on your boat in an organized manner.
17. Try having a folding stretcher, sphygmomanometer, cervical collar and syringe on your boat.
18. You can fold the cloth of the stretcher, you can use the hooked posts as a carrying handle.
19. Do not use cotton waste for cleaning the engine, use combed cotton.
20. Cotton waste soaked in diesel oil may spontaneously ignite in a hot environment.
21. Do not even keep paper soaked in diesel oil in the engine compartment.
22. The flash point of diesel oil is below 60° centigrade.
23. Check the fuel filters of the engine after every rocky voyage, there may be debris in them.
24. Try to learn marine English, there are translated and copyrighted books on this subject.
25. Remember the rules well when you meet big ships on a voyage, but act according to your logic, try to stay out of their way, their movements are
not as agile as yours.
26. Always keep your radio on channel 16 when passing through areas with heavy maritime traffic.
27. Always be on the look out and aware of your surroundings so that you do not suddenly get scared or panic.
28. Be very careful when approaching the coast in rainy weather, when sailing in sprinkles, particularly when sailing
at night.
29. If your cockpit is covered by a glazed doghouse, do not use colored glass, as it may cause you to experience disasters during wet night voyages.
30. learn how to use binoculars properly. 7x50 is the binocular that fully meets the light value of the human eye, is less sensitive to vibration, and is reliable at night.
31. Make sure to approach any unfamiliar beach at a right angle.
32. If you have GPS, set it to the datum (reference value) of the map you are navigating with, otherwise your position will be off.
33. If you have GPS, make sure to have a position on the WPT bank that you can easily reach in case of necessity.
34. Navigate slowly in foggy weather, do not make noise, listen to your surroundings.
35. If your boat is a sailboat, remember that the engine is the assurance of the sail, and the sail is the assurance of everything, so take good care of them.
36. Keep the coordinates of a place where you can take shelter or ask for help on the way to each passage during the voyage in your GPS or autopilot, it will always come
in handy in case of an unexpected change in your route
37. If your boat is a motor yacht, two engines are better than one.
38. If you have two engines, you should know that engines never perform identically, or at least feel like it, so do not look for unnecessary failures for small differences.
39. No electronic navigational aid is superior to your feelings, senses, knowledge and experience, so make use of them but do not completely rely on them.
40. Make sure to keep a logbook, get used to it, it will be legally valid if it ever becomes necessary, and you will also enjoy it, love the thing you are doing more, and collect memories.
41. If you do not want the inside of your toilets and hoses to collect dirt and odor from seawater, pour fabric softener into them periodically, pump them out and
leave them to rest.
42. You can also pour fabric softener into the septic tanks of toilets.
43. There should be separate shower and tap water and toilet wastewater tanks, do not mix two types of waste water together, one is called grey water and the other is called black water.
44. Do not smoke or drink while navigating, especially on shift.
45. Medications taken for headaches can also make you sleepy.
46. There are no phantom failures, the flickering of a gauge, the wink of a light, the engine speed going up and down from time to time, an unusual noise that comes
and goes, is usually a sign of an impending failure, so be alert, watch out.
47. Take care with your electrical equipment, never connect miscellaneous electronic devices to a common fuse.
48. Cables must be connected to junction boxes from the bottom, if they are connected from the top, the moisture and water formed on their outer surfaces will flow into the junction box.
49. The cross-section of the supply cable for direct current devices and engines is determined by multiplying the length of the cable path measured between the battery and the device by 2; this is often not described in the installation and operating manual of the device.
50. The direct current supply cables (+) and (-) of windlasses, hoists and similar devices that require
high amperage must be laid at least 5 centimeters, better yet 10 centimeters, apart from each other.
51. You know that the diameters of the boat turning full circle to starboard and port are not the same, but do you know the difference between them in meters?
52. The steersman must be able to see the sea surface at the closest distance to the sternpost. This distance can be at most 1.5 times the length of the boat.
This is very important in maneuvers.
53. Stainless steel will rust.
54. Stainless steel can corrode in a matter of hours if it comes into contact with seawater with a temperature exceeding 30°C, unless the right grade is chosen.
55. There are very good brand plastic versions of water traps and exhaust water separators and silencers.
56. Ropes are used at sea, not strings.
57. Ropes are knotted, not tied.
58. There are generally 6-7 types of knots used on a boat, do you know them?
59. You can always hold and untie a knot, while you may not be able to untie the tie, or it may not hold.
60. The longer end of the rope you hold in your hand is called the running end and the shorter end is called the bitter end.
61. You cannot use figure eight knots for the bitter ends of sheets.
62. You can use figure eight knots for the bitter ends of the halyards passing through the pole.
63. Fasten the mooring ropes to the anchor rings with an anchor knot instead of a bowline knot, use the anchor knot on the bollards, so that you can untie them both more easily and your ropes will wear less.
64. The angles of the sailing yachts' tacks generally vary depending on their courses (the tacks they are on relative to the wind).
65. Try to walk around in white socks on the boat in the harbor, how long it takes for the color to change is an indicator of dirtiness.
66. If you soak a stale bread under the tap and put it in a preheated oven, it will be as fresh as new.
67. When building or buying a new boat, ensure that the deck is not made of teak, look for other materials that
are easy to maintain, durable and cheap, help nature to regenerate itself, and try to avoid wasting teak.
68. Do not run engines and generators more than necessary on your vacation, in bays and shallow waters.
69. If you know the amount of seawater your engine or generator draws in per hour, you can calculate how much unburned fuel you are dumping into the sea.
70. Do not dump even organic matter into the sea, especially when staying in shallow waters.
71. Try not to throw into the sea what did not come from the sea.
72. Do not boast about the size of your septic tanks, your boat is not a sewage truck.
73. Septic tanks should have a volume for 3-5 days of use.
74. Toilets with electric pumps that run on seawater fill the tanks more quickly.
75. Make sure to read the manual of every new device before installing and using.
76. It is not desirable for the temperature of both engine and hydraulic oil to remain below 80°C while sailing.
77. If you have a diesel-generator, it should generally run under a load of at least 60% of its rated power, to ensure
this, you can use a dummy load, which can be a resistor.
78. Do not buy a generator bigger than required by thinking that it will run smoothly, will not struggle, will not heat up, as it is a waste of your money, if the load is low, it will wear out early, and you will also pollute the environment even more.
79. There are 4-5 kW shaft generators available for sale in the market, consisting of a medium-sized alternator and a flat electronic box about 40 cm long.
The alternator is connected to the machine. If you look into it, you may not need to buy a generator.
80. A diesel engine is like a strong athlete, the more it warms up, the more it opens up, the more it achieves.
81. Do not refrain from reporting illegal behavior and anomalies you encounter at the sea to the Coast Guard and ask for the outcome, there is always a boat
nearby along our coasts, even if you do not see it.
82. Always have your flag in the right place, do not carry it on the cross-tree, do not let it wear out, and learn how to fold it correctly when you take it down.
83. You certainly know the things mentioned above, these notes are just an occasional reminder. Some may have been written twice, let it not bother you.
84. Enjoy the seas and sailing... Remember; the sea is the only environment where you can reach every corner of the world.

Photographs: Unsplash – Waldemar, Samuel Schwendener, Micaela Parente, Mael Balland