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…

This looks like an excellent two-channel AIS receiver, especially for users who want to plug it into a computer. My only concern is the price: For $699, or just a little more, you might pick up a genuine Class B transceiver.

Coast Guard statistics tell us that more than two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drown, and of those, 90 percent were not wearing a life jacket. That's just one reason I treat falls overboard as the top safety issue aboard my boat.

In such incidents, happy outcomes generally require successful execution in four key areas: Keeping the person afloat, bringing the boat alongside the victim safely, bringing the victim aboard safely, and providing warmth and first aid as needed.

Over the years here at Navagear, we've discussed all of these priorities. Some are relatively easy to address. For instance, on my boat everybody wears a PFD while the boat is underway, which goes a long way toward keeping a potential PIW (person in the water) afloat.

One of the more difficult tasks is to get the victim, exhausted and waterlogged, back into the boat without endangering the rest of the crew. In rough seas, this can be especially difficult. And while there are several solutions available for smaller and low-freeboard boats, where the crew can easily reach a PIW, there are fewer solutions appropriate for larger, high-sided power yachts.

Boat Bits has an excellent guest post on electrical auxiliary power by sailor Merrick White of S/V Rising Star. Here’s an excerpt:

Earlier this month, FLIR announced its new First Mate product: “The world’s first waterproof, hand held, high-performance maritime thermal night vision camera available for less than $3,000.

[It’s another press release from ACR.

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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.

[It’s a press release, of course. I keep warm in my little boat with a Wallas stove/heater, or just a plain old electric heater when I’m plugged into shore power.

Our friend Captain Richard Rodriguez has some screenshots on a new AIS ap