Rabbit Waves

By memorizing the rising and setting positions of many stars sailors can find out where they are in the world.
They act as a compass.
List of stars and their constellations: Caph II (Cassiopeia), Merak (Ursa Major), Capella (Auriga), Deneb (Cygnus), Vega (Lyra), Castor (Gemini), Polluz (Gemini), Alcyone (Taurus), Arcturus (Bootes), Alderbaran (Taurus), Regulus (Lego), Altair (Aquila), Betelgeuse (Orion), Procyon (Canis Minor), Mintaka (Orion), Rigel (Orion), Spica (Virgo), Sirius (Canis Major), Minkar (Corvus), Formalhaul (Piscis Austrinus), Shaula (Scorpio), Canopus (Capina), Becrux (Southern Cross), and Acrux (Southern Cross).

Finding Polaris Without a Compass

For those in the northern hemisphere, the most important star is Polaris(North Star). It burns bright in the sky and sits directly in the north (within 1 degree of the celestial north pole).
If you can find Polaris in the sky, then you know where north is. Polaris stays where it is while the rest of the stars move overhead. If you look north following a compass you'll find Polaris.
How do you find Polaris without a compass?
1. Find the Big Dipper (part of Ursa Major) 2. Use the Big Dipper's pointer stars to find the Little Dipper (part of Ursa Minor). 3. Polaris sits on the tail end of the Little Dipper.

Finding the Big Dipper first is easier because it is bright and big. The Little Dipper is somewhat dim and more difficult to locate.
Polaris is part of a group of stars named The Little Dipper, shaped like a bent laddle.
If you follow Merak and Dubhe, the 2 stars making up the farthest edge of the Big Dipper's bowl in a straight line, you'll find the Little Dipper.

The Big Dipper's position in the sky varies throughout the seasons.

Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia, shaped like a squished W, is a neighboring constellation which can further help ensure that you have correctly identified Polaris.

Cassiopeia appears as a right side up W when below Polaris on northern spring and summer nights, but in the winter, and when observed from southern latitudes, it is above Polaris and appears as an inverted W.

Orion

Orion's 7 brightest stars form an hourglass in the sky. The ones that stand out the most are Rigel and Betelgeuse.
Orion sits near the celestial equator, in the northern hemisphere it is located in the southerwestern sky, and in the northwestern sky if in the southern hemisphere.
Near the equator, Orion appear around midnight(dec-feb). It is most useful there for navigation to find west and east.

Aligning some of Orion's stars will help find neighboring stars in the sky. In the northern hemisphere, Orion is most visible during the winter(jan-apr), which means it is most visible in the southern hemisphere summer.
In the north hemisohere summer (and south hemisphere winter), Orion is out in the day time, therefore not useful for navigation. Although, in Antarctica Orion is visible at twilight for a few hours near local noon, appearing low near the horizon in the north sky.

The Southern Cross

In the southern hemisphere sailors look to the southern cross(crux) to find the north.
Unlike Polaris, it isn't as near to the pole, but it is a useful marker to help locate it. It is visible any time of the year, even near the horizon near the tropical portion of the northern hemisphere.
Drawing a line from the star gacrux to acrux, about 4 1/2 times the length of that same line, leads to a point near the horizon near the southern celestial pole (south).
It is possible to use the southern pointers(alpha and beta centauri) to help find that point.

If the star(or constellation) you are looking for is covered by clouds, knowing the positions of other celestial bodies will help fill in the blanks.

There are many more groups of stars in the sky, useful for navigation, with most arranged in ptterns recognizable by the human eye(asterisms). The sky was divided into 88 constellations, and some asterisms are made up of stars from more than one constellation.

The Summer Triangle

The summer triangle is a noticeable pattern of starsm, made up of 3 stars: Deneb, Vega and Altair. It spans 3 constellations: Aquila, Cygnus and Lyra.

In the northern hemisphere it is visible for most of the year but it is particularly evident in the summer, where it sits overhead around midnight.
In the spring it sits in the east early in the morning, and lies west in fall evenings.
In the southern hemisphere, it is visible near the horizon in the north during winter, where it appears inverted.
Other asterisms include: The spring triangle, the winter hexagon and the northern cross.

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A bosun's whistle (or boatswain's call) is used on naval ships to pass commands to the crew. Its unique design makes it possible to vary the pitch and duration to convey a variety of information. The pitch penetrates the sound of the wind and of the sea.
A boatswain's call is a personal and treasured instrument. It is not shared with others.

Each sound produced by such a whistle is called a "pipe".
Some pipping requre a spoken order afterwards, while others are completely non-verbal.
It is possile to make many notes and tones with a boatswain's call. Variations are produced by changing the position of the fingers and by varying the breath blown into the moutn of the gun.

How to hold a boatswain's whistle

The thumb ought to be near the shackle, while the side of the buoy ought to lie against the palm of the hand with the last 3 fingers folded over the gun and buoy hole in a way that allows them to precisely control how the air comes out of the buoy.
Do not touch the edge of the hole in the buoy, or the one at the end of the gun(pee), as this will choke the sound.

There are 2 main notes:
Low Note: Produced by blowing steadily into the mouth piece while not blocking the buoy hole with the fingers.
High note: produced by controlling the air coming out of the buoy hole by closing fingers around the buoy.

And there are 3 tones:
Trill (rattled tone): Place tongue at the front of the mouth with the end curled behind the teeth, then roll your R's.
Warble (undulating note): Similar to a trill, but not as fast. Wiggle tongue up and down and side to side in your mouth while blowing.
Smooth (plain note): Produced the same way as when blowing in an ordinary whistle, with notes that are raised or lowered by blowing harder or lighter.

To learn how to pipe well, practice the aforementionned basic sounds, adopt a good posture, breathe well, and pay attention to timing.

Open hand (least pressure, produces a soft, clear note) => Clinched hand (most pressure, produces a shrill clear note).

Boatswain's Call Score

Straight line for a smooth(plain) note.
Dotted line for rattled (trill) note.
Broken line for an undulating(warble) note.
Full arrowheads for full breath.
Half arrowheads for gentle breath.

Some calls require a sharp finish, which is achieved by putting the tongue over the opening of the mouth piece. This is different than a break, where the person piping would pause to take a breath.

Breaks are marked by a "|" with the number of seconds written above it (if more than 1 second). If the break is less than 1 second the notes ought to be slurred smoothly.
The number of seconds for each pipe is marked above the bar.

Call Mates

Piped to assemble the crew(mates).
Clinched hand position throughout, followed by a Peep of 1 second duration, another peep of the same duration, a 1/2 second break, a 1 second long peep and a last peep blown with a hard breath.

Stand By

Note that the call for stand by is also piped before the following: set taut, stand by and lay in.
Start with a curved hand position and rapidly change to a clinch to produce a rising peep. Follow this with a short slurred peep with a hard finish.

Lay Up

Piped to ask crew to go aloft.
Start with a stand by call, follow the long peep by a series of 3 sharp peeps with a 1 second interval between each series of peeps. Slow down the last 3 peeps.

Walk Back, Veer, or Ease

Alternate Way of Displaying Call Scores:
Warble
Trill
Score for Veer, Walk Back or Ease.
The degree of slopes indicates the speed of ascent and descent of the notes.

General Call

The general call often preceeds other calls, to draw attention to the coming announcement (requires verbal

Below is an example of an advanced call. It is long and requires good breathing control.
Dinner or Supper call
This call is non-verbal, it is piped to announce meals.

It is possible to tune a new boatswain's call by removing some material to enlarge the wind edge of the buoy hole to ensure that the notes are sharp and clear. Others are sometimes too open at the pee and have to be flattened or soldered at the sides of the opening to fill the area between it and the buoy.

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Learn everything you can about first-aid. Knowing what to do in the event of severe bleeding, choking, or severe allergic reaction could save a life.

It may not be possible for EMS personnel to come to assist you in an emergency. You may need to contact a doctor and request advice on providing care, even if it is outside of your training. Document the doctor’s orders carefully.

The word SAMPLE is a useful acrostic mnemonic to remember what to ask a patient prior to treating them:
Signs and symptoms (What hurts? How do you feel?)
Allergies (Do you have known allergies or allergic reactions? What happens? Was there a recent exposure?)
Medications (What medications are you taking? Are the medications over the counter, or prescription? What are the medications for? When did you last take them? Where do you keep your medications?)
Pertinent past medical history (Has this happened before? Are you currently under care for anything by a doctor? If a woman, are you pregnant?)
Last intake and output (When did you last eat/drink? Are you hungry, cold, or tired? When did you last urinate/defecate? Were they normal?)
Events leading up to the injury/illness (What caused the incident? When did it happen? Explain, in chronological order, how it happened)

Clearly mark the first-aid kit with a red cross, and make sure those sharing the space with you know where it is. Keep a list inside of the items you use, and be sure to top off the kit every year or so.

By choosing to build your own first-aid and med kit you'll save money, while having that are tailored to your needs.
What you need deends on your situation:
How far are you from help? (Sailor)
Do you have weight constraints? (Mountaineer)
What sorts of injuries or ailments are you likely to treat?
What is your budget? Skill level?
Make a plan, do research.
View the .txt file version of the items listed on this page, and of their intended usage.

Basic First-Aid Kit

Sterile gauze pads (dressings) in small and large squares to place over wounds, medical tape, surgical tape, roller and triangular bandages to hold dressings in place or to make an arm sling, adhesive bandages in assorted sizes, medical scissors, tweezers, safety pins, Instant ice packs, disposable non-latex gloves(such as surgical or examination gloves), flashlight(with extra batteries in a separate bag), antiseptic wipes or soap, pencil (and permanent marker) and pad, emergency blanket, eye patch, thermometer, a first aid manual, burn dressings(with gel), hydration tablets/powder, surgical tape, petrolatum gauze, and hot water bottle.

Basic Medicine Kit

Always read about a medicine before using it. If administering medicine to another person, ask about their allergies, and past medical history, last oral intake etc. Some medicines can cause severe allergic reactions, or may interact with other medicine.

Never administer anything to anyone without their consent.

Ibuprofen, aspirin, antihistamines, anti-nausea meds, ear drops, eye wash, bug spray, hand sanitizer, topical anesthetic, antiobiotic(oral), acetaminophen(paracetamol), sunscreen (SPF 30), aloe vera gel with lidocaine, topical antibiotic(powder & ointment), hydrogen peroxide, anti-diarrheals, laxative, codeine, anti-chafing cream, and antifungal cream.

Advanced add-ons to a medical kit

Staple gun, epinephrine, tourniquet, compression bandage, reinforced sterile skin closures, CPR pocket mask, povidone iodine surgical scrubs, sterile sutures thread with needle, an emergency(Israeli) bandage, an emergency dental kit, and hemostatic dressings(with coagulant)

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Triangular bandages are used to make slings and to make broad bandages to keep splints in place.
There are two ways to tur a triangular bandage into a sling:

Arm Sling

An arm sling is horizontal (or slightly raised), it is used to treat upper arm injuries, wrist injuries, rib fractures, etc.

Pass around the back of the neck towards the injured side. Make a reef knot(keep knot above the clavicle). Keep corner away from the elbow. Twist end of corner, and tuck(or secure with a safety pin).

Elevation Sling

An elevation sling helps to control hand and arm bleeding, and helps to reduce swelling.

Reef knot & tuck ends around knot.

How to tie a reef knot

How to tie a reef knot (square knot).

Triangular bandages are used to make slings and to make broad bandages to keep splints in place.

How to fold a triangular bandage into a broad or narrow bandage

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An emergency bag, ditch bag(specific to boats), or "go-bag", contains emergency supplies for when it is necessary to leave the home/vessel in a hurry in the event of a disaster.
The bag ought to contain the minimum essentials. What is essential varies per person, and so it is important to pack what you need yourself, considering each item carefully, instead of following a list.
Plan for a minimum of 3 days' worth of supplies.
How long you need to plan for depends on where you live, if there are evacuation centers nearby, or other dependable places where it is possible to re-supply. (On a boat, planning for longer is necessary).

Radio, sextant, navigation tables(for sextant), current almanac(for sextant), pencil, notepad, stitching awl(and or) needle and thread, polarized sunglasses, flares, fish line and hooks, watch, personal location beacon (and or epirb), sunscreen, toothbrush, toothpaste, first-aid kit, spoon, multi-tool, bug spray, waterproof matches, paracord, emergency blanket, toilet paper, lighter, medicine, compass, mirror, hand sanitizer(or soap), batteries, tarp(or tent), multivitamins, candles, towel, whistle, gloves, rain jacket, duct tape, cup, water(3L per person), map(physical), blanket(or sleeping bag), knife, serrated knife, flashlight, rope, high-calorie foods, bowl, portable cooking stove(and fuel), ID, money, photos of family/friends.

Some items ought to be shared by a group, carried in additional bags (ex: cooking stove, bucket toilet etc).
A good bag design:
1) Keeps your hands free. 2) Distributes the weight in the bag well (on the hips). 3) Is waterproof.
Pack the items away, and place the bag near an entrance so that it is possible to grab it quickly when leaving.
Store critical items on your person rather than in the bag (identity documents, money, prescription medicine, etc), in case the bag goes missing, or is stolen.

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Ground to air signals

When one needs to communicate with an aircraft from the ground, it is easier to draw one symbol than to spell out an entire sentence.

The below symbols are understood by all aircraft pilots.

The main symbols to remember are V, X, N, Y and up arrow.

Draw the symbols on the ground, form them using objects (branches, logs, leaves) or by trampling down into snow, soil, or sand, or by bending crops or tall grass.

Write or form the symbols in a way that they contrast with the natural background (ex: dark branches, or leaves, on white sand).
Make the symbols at least 4 m (13 ft) tall and 6 m (20 ft) long to ensure that they are visible from the air.

Body signals.
When the aircraft is near enough and that the pilot can see you clearly, it then becomes possible to use your body to communicate.

How an aircraft responds

Message received and understood.

Aircraft will rock from side to side to indicate that the message on the ground was understood.

Message received but not understood.

Aircraft will make a full right-hand circle to indicate that the message on the ground was not understood.

At night, the aircraft will make green flashes with a signal lamp to communicate that the message was received and understood. It will produce red flashes if it isn't understood.

Panel signals.

Whether on a boat, or on land, it is possible to signal to passing aircraft by folding a tarp, blanket, or some other fabric, in a specific way to form symbols.

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Morse Signaling by Hand Flags or Arms

Allow for enough time between dots and dashes, and between letters, groups or words.

"Oh! I'm going to repeat the signals," the rabbit says.

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The International Morse Code is a way to communicate that consists of short and long sounds that penetrate interference with greater quality than spoken words.
The sounds are encoded are and expressed as: Dots, or Dits and Dashes, or Dahs.

There are... 1)26 basic latin letters (a-z) 2) One accented latin letter 3) Arabic numerals (0-9) 4) Some punctuation & prosigns.
Prosigns, or procedural signals, are shorthand signals used in radio. For example, "SOS", which is run as one word rather than as separate letters.

Morse Code Encoding for Letters and Numbers Cut Numbers

Most numerals have a short form(not official), that temporarily borrows some of the encoding used for letters to communicate faster. The sender & receiver both have to understand that numbers are sent prior to transmitting.
A table of cut numbers begins: 1 = Dit dah(which is usually the code for A), 2 = Dit dit dah (code for U), 3 = Dit dit dit dah (code for V), 4 = (no short form), 5 = Dit (code for E), 6 = (no short form), 7 = Dah dit dit dit (code for B), 8 = Dah dit dit (code for D), 9 = Dah dit (code for N) and 0 = Dah (code for T).
A side note for the number 5 reads as follows: Some people send the uncit number for 5, because it is easy to mistake one dit for another signal.

When listening to combinations of Dits & Dahs, it is essential to learn to hear the particular character as a whole sound with a distinct rhythm.

Learn to recognize them by their sound patterns, not as separate elements. Think in code when reading, spare time practice will commit the melodies to the brain.

Basic Rules for Morse Code

Rule 1: When sending Morse Code, these are no capital letters. Rule 2: The duration of a "dit" is the basic unit of time in Morse Code. Rule 3: A "dah" is 3 times the duration of a "dit". Rule 4: A period with no signal acts as a "Space" lasting 1 "dit" long. Rule 5: Each letter of a word is separated by a "Space" that is 3 "dits" long. Rule 6: Each word is separated by a "Space" lasting 7 "dits."

Timing for Morse Code

Below is a visualization of the actual timing of Morse Code, again, with each symbol lasting 1 "dit." Following is a graphic showing the timing using "Rabbit Waves" as an example. The graphic follows the timing rules outlined in Rules 1-6 outlined above.

Brevity Codes

Brevity codes are designed to communicate complex information quickly, with greater accuracy, with a few words or code:
Rule 1: Q codes ranging from QOA to QQZ are reserved for use at sea. Rule 2: When using the letter C after certain abbreviations, the message takes on a negative sense. Rule 3: When using the letters N O after certain abbreviations, the message takes on a negative sense. Rule 4: Appending other groups, place names, numbers to abbreviations provides more detail.

Examples of abbreviations: QOD "Can you communicate with me in..." 0. Dutch, 1. English, 2. French, 3. German, 4. Greek, 5. Italian, 6. Japanese, 7. Norwegian, 8. Russian 9. Spanish.
QRD "Where are you bound for and where are you from?" QUA "Have you news of ... (name/call sign)?" QSQ "Have you a doctor on board?" QUX "Do you have any navigational warnings or gale warnings in force?"

Morse Code in other languages Morse code was initially designed for latin characters, but have since been adapted to languages like Russian & Arabic. An example shows the Prosign WAIT in Russian, Arabic and in Morse Code(dit dah dit dit dit).
Languages with more characters, like Chinese, weren't as easy to transpose to Morse.
Instead of dots & dashes being assigned to characters directly, they assigned them to numbers instead. Characters were each assigned a 4-digit code ranging from 0000-9999, arranged & numbered in dictionary order according to their radicals & strokes.
An example shows the Morse numbers assigned to the Chinese characters used to spell out "wait"(等待). 等 was assigned 4583, and 待 was assigned 1769.
Because Chinese doesn't use non-digit characters, it is possible to simplify the morse code for digits(numbers can be quite long).

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Day Shapes are signals raised during daylight hours to indicate their status to other vessels. The signals consist of geometric shapes, like a sphere, a cylinder, a diamond and a cone. When combined together, the shapes communicate different messages: A single ball means "at anchor". An inverted cone means "Under sail & power". A diamond means "towing vessel", or "vessel towed". Two cones with their points touching in the middle means "Fishing with limited maneuvrability", when paired with a single cone it means that there is outlying gear more than 150 M from the vessel. Two balls over one another means "not under command". 3 balls laid horizontally, with the middle ball raised higher, means "minesweeping". 3 balls over each other means "aground". A diamond sitting between two balls vertically means "restricted maneuvrability", it is paired with: 1) 2 diamonds laid vertically over one another, which indicates the safe side to pass the vessel 2) 2 spheres over one another vertically, which indicates the side where the obstruction exists. A vertical cylinder means "constrained by draft". A square over a sphere means "in distress".

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Flag semaphore is a way of communicating at a distance by using hand flags. Information - such as the letters of the alphabet, numerals, etc - are encoded by the position of the flags. At sea, the Oscar flag acts as a signaling flag (on land, it's the Papa flag). To start signaling letters, signal J. To start signaling numerals, signal the hand flag position for numerals. To request permission to start a transmission, signal the "attention" signal(which doubles as the error signal). The one receiving the signal uses the "ready to receive a signal" flag position, which consists of raising the two flags overhead, then to drop them to the rest position (only once). The one receiving the signals ends the transmission with the same "ready to receive" flag signal. The one receiving the signal can then reply with the "attention" signal to make a reply. At night lighted wants replace the hand flags. It's also possible to signal using your arms only, but signals are easier to read with flags.

The Japanese devised their own semaphore system adapted to fit their writing system which has way more characters than the Latin alphabet. Most characters require two flag positions to complete(an image of the two flag signals for the Japanese character A)... some require three(an image of the three flag signals for the Japanese character HO). When signaling the motion describes the angles of the brush strokes used when writing, it also takes the order of the strokes into account. Below the text is a graphic of an example of stroke order for the Japanese characters A and HO.

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The International Code of Signals is a system of signals and codes designed to communicate important safety and navigational messages when speaking is difficult (because of language barriers, distance, etc). A standardized alphabet was created (see below image), along with a spoken word form for each one, designed to set apart similar-sounding letters like B, V and D. Each letter/numeral was assigned a flag:

Phonetic Alphabet. Alfa : Al fah, Bravo : Brah voh, Charlie : Char Lee, Delta : Dell tah, Echo : Eck oh, Foxtrot : Foks trot, Golf, Hotel : Hoh tel, India : In dee ah, Juliet : Jee lee ett, Kilo : Key loh, Lima : Lee mah, Mike, November : Novem ber, Oscar : Oss cah, Papa: Pah pah, Quebec : Keh Beck, Romeo : Row me oh, Sierra : See air rah, Tango : Tan go, Uniform : Oo nee form, Victor : Vik tah, Whiskey : Wiss key, X-ray : Ecks ray, Yankee : Yang kee, Zulu : Zoo loo, 1st substitute, 2nd substitute, 3rd substitute, Answering penant or decimal point, 1 : Unaone : Oo nah wun, 2 : Bissotwo : Bee soh too, 3 : Terratree : Tay rah tree, 4 : Kartefour : Kar tay fower, 5 : Pantafive : Pan tah five, 6 : Soxisix : Sok see six, 7 : Setteseven : Say tay seven, 8 : Oktoeight : Ok toh ait, 9 : Novenine : No vay niner, 0 : Nadazero : Nah dah zay roh

To save time when signaling, each flag has an assigned meaning to communicate very urgent or common messages. When used alone, the Oscar flag means "man overboard." When paired in twos, flags take on more specific meanings. For example, the Uniform and Whiskey flags used together in that order mean "I wish you a pleasant voyage." Numerals appended to two flags permit for more detailed messages, for example: The Quebec flag paired with the Romeo flags and the 1 number flag means "Can I come alongside?" Three letter signals that begin with Mike are reserved to communicate medical emergencies, for example: Mike followed by Alpha and then by a 2nd substitute flag is code for "I request urgent medical advice."

The title reads: Substitutes. To avoid having to carry multiple flags of the same signal, the ICS(international code of signals) uses 3 substitute flags. A substitute flag repeats the one at the indicated position. A drawing shows 3 flags for the 3 substitute flags. An example shows how to signal DD, which is to fly the flag signal Delta followed by the 1st substitute flag. DD means: "boats are not allowed to come alongside."

When in distress, signal using the N and C flags. Another visual way to communicate distress, say one is lacking signal flags, is to have a square flag above/below a ball shape (anything resembling a ball). This is known as a day shape.

Single letter flags, like Kilo, are used to spell out words. An example shows how to spell the boat named Pino, using the following flags: Papa, India, November and Oscar. A title reads "Spelling", followed by: To begin spelling, hoist the Yankee and Zulu flags, which means, "The words which follow are in plain language." An example spells out the name Nastya using the following flags: November, Alpha, Sierra, Tango, Yankee and the 2nd substitute flag.

One practical use of the International Code of Signals(ICS) is that all of the messages are standardized and come in 9 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Spanish, Norwegian, Russian and Greek. The signal flag Victor was assigned "I require assistance" as a coded meaning. Under this, is illustration featuring a conversation betweeo a spectacled guillemot and a herring gull. The spectacled guillemot speaks Japanese, while the herring gull speaks Russian. The guillemot is yelling "Tasukete!" but the herring gull does not understand. The guillemot then yells out the coded meaning for Victor, "ビクター! ビクター(Bikutaa! Bikutaa!)" The herring gull understood this, and says Я понимаю (Ya ponimayu, to mean "I understand").

The title reads, How to communicate with another vessel using flags. One: A murrelet raises a Kilo flag to mean "I wish to communicate with you." Two: The herring gull raises an answering pennant to mean that the signal was understood. Three: The murrelet raises a Romeo flag followed by a Foxtrot flag, to mean "Will you lead me to a safe anchorage?" Four: The herring gull raises an answering pennant to mean that the signal was understood. Five: The herring gull raises a Charlie flag to mean "Affirmative." Six: The murrelet raises an answering pennant to mean that the signalling is now over. Seven: The herring gull raises an answering pennant to mean that the signal was understood.

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