Sea Anchors are used to reduce drift and keep the life raft as close as possible to the most likely reported position of the stricken parent vessel. This vastly improves the chances of rescue and thus the sea anchor(s) should be streamed continuously. Frequent inspections of the sea anchor, the line and the attachment point(s) are necessary.
Buoyancy tubes of the liferaft will need to be adjusted to allow for the different temperatures between night and day. If the life raft is fitted with relief valves they will allow air to escape during the heat of the day. Consequently at night they need to be re-inflated.
Marker Dye should be used according to instructions only when an aircraft is seen or the noise of an aircraft is heard.
Grab Bags can be either individual or crew based. Their purpose is to supplement and / or personalise an emergency kit. The contents will probably vary depending on the likely conditions. Care must be taken in deciding the contents and consideration should be made of the bag's weight, size and accessibility in an emergency. Likely items for inclusion are Spectacles, Medication, Water and / or Solar Still, Waterproof Matches, Magnifying Glass, Space Blanket, Fishing Tackle, Plastic Bags and Rope.
The next method is to heave to which is a method of using a minimum amount of sail to slow and / or maintain a constant side pressure on the boat. Usually the headsail is backed to counteract the pressure of a reefed mainsail, trisail and / or mizzen. If chafing of the headsail against the weather shrouds can't be avoided it will have to be lowered. The only consequence is likely to be that the vessel will sit with the bow a little closer to the wind. The tiller will usually be lashed to leeward.
The angle of the boat to the wind will vary but something around 50-60 degrees is about right. The aim is to get the boat to drift slowly downwind. All angles of sailing can be quickly resumed and the crew can rest safely below. The use of a properly streamed drogue or sea anchor can further reduce the downwind drift. Boats using this technique have suffered knockdowns and lost gear from the deck but they have survived. To prepare for such an eventuality the prudent cruisers will have their mainsail strengthened above the highest reefing points.
Asprin / Panadol / Panadeine UV Filter Cream Antiseptic Creams / Solutions
Crepe Bandages (75-150mm) Cotton Wool Swabs & Dressings
Seasickness Tablets Torniquet Bandaids & Sticking Plaster
Burns Ointment Scissors Safety Pins
Diarrhoea Pills Forceps Sutures / Butterfly Clips
Thermometer Eye Pads / Patches First Aid Book
There is also a range of prescription medicines that should be carried on extended voyages - and for these there will be regulations for their storage and / or use. The amount and quantities carried for each item depends of the extent of the voyage and the life of the item. All first aid items should be stored in waterproof containers with the contents listed on the outside.
When working on the deck of a boat particularly
in rough conditions, at night or poor visibility there are a number of precautions
to be taken to reduce the risk of falling overboard and especially to be unnoticed
doing so. The following advice is useful
Wear
a lifejacket or other suitable flotation device.
Have safety lines rigged and
wear a harness whenever possible.
Let someone know if you go
on deck.
Be alert on deck - watch for
potential hazards such as coils of rope, loose untied rope, loose fittings
etc.
Keep hands out of pockets
- free to grab for a rail if you fall.
If possible work on deck in
pairs.
Be selective in clothing -
woollen garments and waterproof outer layer increase survival chances if you
do
fall
overboard.
Having left the mother vessel the survivors should do all in their power to stay with it until it actually sinks. This advice applies to any stricken craft whether a long way from shore or in a situation where help is much closer. Staying with the parent craft makes the task of the rescuers infinitely easier. The bigger the target for rescuers the easier it is to find both visually and electronically. Even a semi-submerged craft provides a more sustainable life support system than a liferaft. In addition the drift of a disabled boat is much easier to predict than that of a liferaft - thus making a search less complicated. This means that once detached from the mother vessel the sea anchor or drogue should always be streamed and a careful check made to ensure there is no resultant chafing.
STAY WITH THE VESSEL FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE
Although cumbersome waterproof boots which give extra ankle support will be best then down the scale are various waterproof shoes and when the boat will be "dry" any other shoes. Naturally any footwear needs to be both anti-slip on a wet deck and non marking. An excellent dry shoe is the Dunlop Volley SS sandshoes - which grip like glue, dry fairly quickly and make excellent reef walkers - good for going to a rocky shore in the dinghy too! They are cheap and the only vice they have is to bring back lots of sand and / or dirt back on board.
# Familiarise all crew with the operation
and procedures relating to the unit(s) on board.
# Make sure the beacon is satellite compatible.
# Use the test switch about once a month to
verify power.
# Ensure the EPIRB container is not damaged.
Batteries should be within their shelf life and changed at the manufacturer's
date.
# Place the EPIRB(s) in an accessible location
- either in the cockpit or close to the cockpit in the companionway.
When Activating
* Release the aerial and, if telescopic
extend it fully.
* Activate the ON switch in a positive
manner, making sure to override any blocking mechanism fitted.
* Use the water as a reflector and allow
the EPIRB to float free to the length of the attached line.
* Take the beacon with you if you leave
the raft.
* Once it is ON then
Leave It ON - until
rescue authorities advise you to turn it off.
* If accidentally turned on contact
the Rescue Co-ordination Centre ASAP.
A vital part of collision avoidance is in
seeing another vessel first before being able to decide what is to be done.
Road accident records are full of drivers who "did not see" the
other vehicle & on many occasions it will be perfectly true. Seeing another
object is by no means automatic and in some circumstances an object will not
be seen unless natural deficiencies of the brain and eye are actively compensated
for. Factors which stop an observer's brain from registering an object include
Tiredness
and lack of concentration by the observer,
Poor
eyesight of the observer not compensated with glasses,
No
relative motion between the observer and the object,
Poor
visibility at night, in rain, haze and strong wind,
Tendency
of the eye to focus on infinity in open spaces,
Poor
looking techniques at night when the capability of the eye's rods & cones
change.
An awareness of these limitations coupled with
some active measures to compensate is usually all that is needed. This certainly
means that the act of searching for a threat or other object needs to be an
active planned process especially when there is little that can be done about
tiredness. The following techniques are required
* Wear glasses
with a safety strap on watch - many people need distance glasses without realising
it,
* Have binoculars
handy and use them from time to time during an arduous watch,
* Force the
eyes to change focus by consciously looking at things at different distances,
* At night you
won't see a faint object by looking directly at it - look away by about 10
degrees or so,
* Scan to a pattern to cover the whole area with more time looking in the greatest threat zone - forward sector,
* Scan small
segments at a time, move the head, pause and scan again etc. Do NOT move the
head in
a continuous fashion while scanning around the horizon.
For more relevant information see the item on Vision and the Vision item in the Crew Fitness section.
The crew to be towed should make as many advance preparations as possible. Decide the best towing points. If the vessel is not fitted with a strong towing point forward a bridle from both main winches should be made ready; it should run forward to the bow to a position where the tow line can be attached. Prepare lines and fenders, determine how the tow line should be passed, get communication devices ready (radios, loud hailer, mobile phone), make a drogue ready, make tools ready (e.g. sharp knife, bolt cutters, pliers). Have writing materials handy - for taking down details of rescue vessel such as mobile phone number. Prepare and don emergency gear (life jackets and harnesses) when the tow is to be in difficult conditions - such as in rough weather, at night or when a bar has to be crossed.
When the tow arrives make sure you & your crew understand any requirements of the rescuing vessel. Make sure the rescue crew are aware of your draft - especially when it is more than their own. When the tow line is secured do not allow any crew to stand in a direct line with the tow line under tension. Have one crew designated as the tow watch being prepared to dump / cut the tow if a dangerous situation arises on either vessel. All other crew should be positioned as far aft as safely possible. Agreed communications should be monitored. Be prepared to steer if available to follow the towing vessel. - but usually taking the advice of an experienced towing crew in this regard. Where the tow is to be in conditions of significant swell rig a long tow line so that the two vessels are at least two waves apart - especially when crossing a bar.
Do not expect to be towed all the way to your optimum location. When nearing the tow drop site have anchor prepared or lines ready to take a mooring or tie up at a jetty. It will be common courtesy to reimburse the towing vessel for at least the fuel expended.
For other information see more about Towing.
Information required is Vessel Description, Intentions, Persons on Board (POB) & Estimated Time of Return (ETR). The pages below show the full range of useful information that should be left behind. Larger scale images of each page can be downloaded to make individual single sheets which can then be laminated back to back and kept on the frig. Details for each trip can then be inserted using a fine whiteboard marker.
