Staying alive

Safety specialist Genevieve White takes a detailed look at preparation for offshore sailing.

As I write this article, my mind keeps tripping back to the events in October which led to the deaths of two extremely experienced offshore sailors. It makes me assess and re-assess the safety preparation we undertake for offshore sailing and racing and the decisions that we make at sea.

And while we have very specific hoops to jump through in the racing world to comply with the safety regulations, there are also a myriad of extra things we can do and add which improve our safety at sea. Accidents are often related to human fallibility in a certain set of circumstances, but our aim is to minimise their effect and prevent them if possible.

“Safety” can be summarised along the following lines: “The quality or condition of being safe; freedom from danger, risk of injury or damage; any of certain devices for preventing an accident or an undesirable effect”. Other words synonymous with safety include security, protection, safeguards, and precautions.

For me, safety is an attitude, an approach to preparation and also an ongoing attention to detail on the water which goes hand-in-hand with seamanship.

So how do we prepare?

There are four areas to address:

1. The yacht itself including construction and fixed safety equipment.

2. The portable safety equipment, both yacht and personal.

3. The procedures planned and put into place.

4. The crew based on experience, specific skills and physical capabilities.

All four components must be complementary and be appropriate for the planned area of operation or type of race. Once these areas have been addressed, then the real work begins - ongoing training, specific drills, and practice.

YACHT PREPARATION

The first step in safety preparation is a risk assessment which goes right back to determining that the boat is soundly constructed and suitable for the type of sailing it will be undertaking. This may require some expert opinion from surveyors, designers, boatbuilders and riggers to assess stability, hull and keel construction and rig design and also to determine the suitability of hatches, companionways, cockpit drains, and through hull openings.

This assessment should also address the suitability and maintenance of fixed safety equipment including bilge pumps which require permanently fitted discharge pipes, lifelines and guardrails, galley cooking systems, compasses, navigation lights, batteries, and radios. It includes the servicing, checks and maintenance of the equipment which gets you from A to B – engine, electrical and electronic systems, and the rig, sails and deck equipment.

Throughout the risk assessment there should be the one important focus. How will the safety equipment work in an emergency? For example, are the batteries likely to get flooded? How easy is it to communicate from the navigation station to the deck? Is the Man Overboard ‘button’ easy to access and clearly marked? Are the emergency procedures written up? Is it worth considering a VHF handset on deck? Where are the engine controls? Can hatches be opened or shut easily? Are all heavy items or items which could fly around the cabin in the event of capsize or a roll-over tied down?

The point I am making here is that the more you can question and assess and address on land, the easier it will be in an emergency. This risk assessment should then continue on to the next three sections.

Yacht Safety Equipment

There are a great variety of products available on the market ranging from cheap-and-nasty to great-value-for-money items and also the top end all-bells-and-whistles equipment.

In choosing the equipment, do your research and ask the experts. Find out what equipment does break down versus that which has a long life and that which is used on boats which are similar to yours. Most importantly, you really want to be confident that the items you have onboard will work when you actually need them. This means reading the instruction booklets (yes, I really mean it), considering stowage and placement to ensure you can access equipment in a hurry, and actually practicing with as much of the equipment as you can.

Many items need regular servicing by agents including fire extinguishers, liferafts and danbuoys so it is worth setting up a schedule to ensure that this is completed.

Personal Safety Equipment

Personal safety equipment should be good quality and maintained by regular checks and servicing and stored in dry conditions when not in use. It needs to be comfortable enough to actually be worn, easy to use, and appropriate for the type of sailing you are undertaking. One of the best ways to find out how different types of personal gear performs is to try it in the water. The YA Safety and Sea Survival course is a great way to do this in a controlled environment with an instructor to provide feedback.

Personal gear includes personal flotation devices (PFDs) with crotch straps for offshore sailing, harnesses, tethers, whistles, lights or strobes and, for offshore sailing, personal locator beacons (PLBs). The big change in the Special Regulations is the addition of PLBs to Category 2 racing. When purchasing, make sure you look for manufacturing standards (note that the PFD and harness must have separate standards even if they are built into the same jacket).

PFDs need annual checks and or services so add that to the schedule. PLBs will need to be registered with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and you will receive a sticker to attach to the beacon. Note that PLBs need to be Australian coded in order to be registered in Australia, so be wary of purchasing items overseas.

As I’ve mentioned for the yacht equipment, it is really important that you know how your personal equipment works. How do you inflate your PFD if it is inflatable? Is it automatic activation or only manual? Is the strobe automatic or manual? Is it stowed in the PFD or elsewhere on the body? Should I have an extra strobe? How do I turn on a PLB? Does it float? Where am I going to put it if I’m in the water? Will I lose any personal gear if I go in the water? And most importantly, personal equipment is only useful if it is on the person.

Stowage

One of the key jobs in safety equipment preparation is to consider stowage with relation to whether you will be able to access emergency equipment quickly. This will include flares, liferafts, EPIRB, handheld VHF, handheld GPS, emergency steering, and man overboard equipment along with fixed items on the boat. Then make up a stowage chart so that everyone can find the equipment easily. Include all items of portable safety equipment onboard, and also add some of the fixed items like seacocks, fuel shut off and gas shut off. It is also worth creating a list in alphabetical order to assist in quick reference.

Extras

For the finishing touches, it is worth considering some extras. Personal extras may include ‘bum bags’ with a personal knife, swim cap for head protection, personal dye markers and cyalume glow sticks. Yacht extras could include dye markers, grab bags, cyalume sticks, spares, sea anchors, search lights, swimming fins and mask, harnesses and rescue lines.

While not necessarily on the required list of equipment, they may prove to be invaluable in an emergency situation. Feedback in recent emergency events highlighted the value of these items. Spend the time considering these items before you hit the water (literally).

Crew Experience and Training

In combination with preparing the yacht, a skipper will need to balance the crew for offshore sailing based on a number of things – experience; size, fitness, physical capabilities; specific skills which might enhance the safety of the yacht including engineering, navigation, radio, first aid, sailmaking, rigging and the like. And, while nothing will replace actual quality time on the water and the experience of actual offshore sailing, all of these skills and qualities can be enhanced by courses, drills, practice and training.

The racing rules require specific qualifications for a number of crew including Safety and Sea Survival, First Aid and Radio. In particular, the Safety and Sea Survival course highlights both personal and yacht preparation and helps to enhance personal responsibility for onboard safety practices.

Safety and Emergency Procedures

The final step is to spend time planning safety procedures on board. What is your man overboard procedure? What are your standard safety procedures underway when using the stove, or the head, or the engine? What is the boat policy on wearing harnesses and PFDs? What would you do if you broke your steering system or if you lost your rudder? What is your abandon ship procedure? Who does what in an emergency?

This should all be considered and put into writing to create a boat safety manual. Consider the Chain of Command, an Emergency Station List and specific procedures for emergency situations including fire, man overboard, severe damage, and abandon ship. Also add equipment instruction booklets, copies of service certificates and registration details for radios and beacons, and your servicing schedule to make this a valuable working document.

The skipper often has too many issues on his or her plate. Consider appointing a Safety Officer from among the crew, whose responsibility it is to take care of every aspect covered in this article.

Safety Briefing

A safety briefing provides a culmination to all of the preparation above. It is an important opportunity to ensure that all crew know what preparation has been undertaken, where equipment is kept, how it is used, what the standard operating procedures are and the emergency procedures in place.

Personal equipment should also be issued and fitted for each crew member. It is also the perfect time to go out on the water and practice – man overboard drills, fitting the storm sails, set up and trial of emergency steering systems and more. The most important feature is to get the crew mindset regarding safety onto the same page – to reinforce the safety attitude.

The ultimate aim is prevention, however in the case of an emergency, the old saying of “Prior planning prevents… poor performance” has a lot of strength to it.

Genevieve White runs a marine safety business which focuses on yacht safety preparation for all categories and provides training in Safety and Sea Survival, Marine First Aid, Marine Radio and onboard procedures. She has developed manuals including the Marine SafetyWorks Safety Briefing Guide, and East Coast Radio Frequency Guide. For more information phone (02) 9362 4690 or email info@marinesafetyworks.com.au.