Vigor's Black Box Theory

Lt/C George Hatfield, AP

John Vigor's book, "The Practical Mariner's Book of Knowledge," contains over 400 "sea-test rules of thumb for almost every boating situation." It is arranged in alphabetical order and has short (normally a paragraph or two) explanations of topics ranging from anchor size to sacrificial zincs. It is one of those books one can pick up during a few spare minutes and learn something useful in the process. I highly recommend it.

One topic I have shared with the Boating Class on occasion is Mr. Vigor's "Black Box Theory." It states that there is no such thing as fortuitous luck at sea. The reason why some boaters survive storms or have fewer accidents than others is that they earn their "luck" by diligent and constant acts of seamanship. According to Vigor, aboard every boat there's an invisible black box. Every time a skipper takes the trouble to consult the chart, inspect the filters, go forward on a rainy night to check the running lights, or take any proper seamanship precaution, he or she earns a point that goes in the black box. Then, in times when human skill and effort can accomplish no more, the points are cashed in as protection. The skipper has no control over their withdrawal. They withdraw themselves, as appropriate. Those skippers with no points in the box are the ones later described as "unlucky." Those with points to spend avoid the mishap, but must start immediately to replenish their savings for the sea offers no credit. The point I'm trying to make to the members of the Boating Class as I cover safety requirements is that such measures as checking one's safety equipment at regular intervals or practicing safety drills earn points for the black box.

One Saturday I experienced the wonders of the black box. I went down to our boat (a Pearson 28 sailboat) on Friday night to do some maintenance work prior to a sail on the Neuse River with friends. I changed the primary and secondary fuel filters on the diesel inboard as well as the impeller on the engine's raw water pump. I bled the fuel system (using skills learned in the Engine Maintenance course) to remove any air trapped in the new filters and started the engine. It ran fine. Mission accomplished. The next morning, about an hour prior to my wife's arrival, I decided to run the engine some more, just to make sure everything was OK. It quit within 5 minutes! A check of the fuel system showed that it was leaking air somewhere, but I could not find where. So I called Matthews Point Marina's resident mechanic, Tom Dean, who generously agreed to come over and help me. After about 15 minutes diagnosing the problem, he found a loose inlet on the fuel pump which was causing the problem. I had not touched that part of the fuel system, so it must have been loose all the time and had been jostled enough during my maintenance work to create a significant leak. If this had to happen, it was very lucky to have it happen at the dock where Tom was available. If I had not done the maintenance, the inlet could have later sprung a leak from engine vibration in the middle of the Neuse or even worse. This thought came to me as we motored into the marina after a fine day of sailing. The winds were from the NE at about 25 knots, crab pots were everywhere and the depth of water under the keel was less than I liked. What if the engine had stopped then? I think I used up several units of "luck" from the box on that day. Moral of the story: don't ignore your "black box" and you'll be "luckier" because of it!