Good sailors are not fearless, they are prepared. Learn the gear that keeps you on the boat, gets you back on it, calls for help and fights fire and water. Then drill the one emergency every crew must know: a person in the water.
The order that matters
Safety at sea has an order. First, stay on the boat: lifejackets, harnesses and good habits. Second, if someone does go in, get them back fast: things to throw, a plan, practice. Third, if things go wrong, call for help early. Fire and flooding are the other two big emergencies, and both are easier to stop in the first minute than in the tenth.
A first look, not a certificate
This lesson names the gear and the steps. Before you sail offshore, take a practical safety course, test your gear and practise the man overboard drill on the water with a skilled skipper. Carrying a lifejacket is not the same as wearing one.
Man overboard drill
Someone has gone over the side. Tap the steps in the order you would do them. Each right tap locks in; a wrong tap gives you a hint.
Stay on the boat
Get them back
Call for help
Fire and flood
A recovery, seen from above
Study sheet
All the words in one place, by level.
Level 1: Stay on board
Lifejacket
A vest that keeps you afloat and, in the best kinds, turns an unconscious person face up. Wear it, do not just carry it. Check the gas cylinder and the straps now and then.
Safety harness
Webbing worn over the lifejacket, with a strong ring on the chest. You clip the tether to it so you stay attached to the boat.
Tether
A short, strong line with a hook at each end. One end clips to your harness, the other to a strong point on the boat. At night, in rough weather or alone, clip on.
Whistle
A loud signal you carry on your lifejacket. A shout fades in wind and waves, a whistle carries much further.
Headtorch
A light you wear on your head so both hands are free. At night it lets you work and lets people find you. Keep spare batteries.
Level 2: Get them back
Lifebuoy
A ring that floats, with a line. You throw it to the person in the water. Keep it where it can be grabbed fast, and make sure it can be thrown, not tied down.
Danbuoy
A tall floating pole with a flag, thrown over the side after a person falls in. It marks the place in the waves, where a head is almost impossible to see.
Heaving line
A light rope with a weighted bag on the end that you can throw a long way. It gets a line to a person or another boat.
Lifesling
A floating horseshoe collar on a long line. You throw it out and sail circles around the person. When the line reaches them, they put it on and you pull them in.
Boarding ladder
A ladder that hangs over the side or the back, so a person can climb out of the water. Without one, climbing aboard from the sea is nearly impossible.
Level 3: Call for help
Red hand flare
A bright red light that you hold up. Use it at night or in fog to show other boats and rescuers exactly where you are. It is hot, so hold it away from you.
Parachute rocket
A red flare shot high into the sky, seen from many miles away. For distress, when someone far away needs to notice you. Fire it downwind and pointing up.
Orange smoke
A canister that gives off thick orange smoke. It works by day, not at night. It also shows aircraft the wind direction.
EPIRB
An emergency beacon. You activate it and it sends your position to rescue services by satellite. It must be registered, and it is the best call you can make far from land.
Handheld VHF
A waterproof handheld radio that works if the boat loses power or the main radio. In an emergency you call Mayday on channel 16.
Level 4: Fire and flood
Fire extinguisher
For small fires. Point at the base of the flames, squeeze and sweep. Know where each one is, and have one near the galley and one near the engine.
Fire blanket
A fabric sheet you pull from a pouch and lay over a small fire to cut off the air. Ideal for a pan fire in the galley. Keep it near the stove.
Bilge pump
A pump that removes water that gets into the boat. Every boat needs a manual one that works without power, because power fails exactly when you need it.
Bucket
The simplest and often the best tool against flooding, and useful for small fires too. A strong bucket with a lanyard bails more than a pump if you are quick.
First aid kit
A waterproof box of bandages, dressings, painkillers and more, with a guide. Check it every season and replace what is used or out of date.
Level 5: Man overboard
Person overboard
The spot where the person went in. Once the boat moves on, the water carries them, and a head in waves is very hard to see. Mark the spot at once and never lose sight.
Sail away
Keep sailing away in a straight line for a few boat lengths. It gives you room to turn and line up your approach. Do not turn right away or you may sail over them.
Turn back
Turn the boat around, by tacking or gybing, whichever is easier at the time. Keep one person pointing at the casualty the whole time.
Slow approach
Come back slowly toward the person, and aim to arrive with almost no speed. Too fast and you run them down or shoot past. Sails loose or lowered help you stop.
Stop alongside
Stop with the person right next to the boat, close to the cockpit where it is easiest to reach them. Get a line on them first, then lift them aboard.