Yachting Safety How To Stay Safe In The Sea

Yachting Safety:
How to Stay Safe in the Sea


The yacht's hull cuts a slice through the clear waters as the sun beats down on you. The wind is in your hair and you are loving it. You are just where you want to be: on a yacht charter trip that you have been planning for a long time. Now it has come to its fruition.

But hold on just a minute. Have you thought about all the things that could go wrong during your trip? Have you thought about the million tiny mistakes you could make because you did not follow proper safety tips to avoid them?

No matter how long you have planned for this yacht charter trip and no matter how much you have paid for it, things are bound to go wrong. Without proper planning and prevention strategies, there is every chance your "dream" yacht charter trip might turn out to be not so dream-laden after all.

So here are some tips to help ensure your safety while on your trip as well as enjoyment from the once in a lifetime experience of chartering your own yacht and sailing the high seas.


Tip #1: Alcohol and boating don't go together.

Statistics says it all: over 1,000 people die in yachting or boating accidents every year. What's more, nine out of ten of these people die by drowning, and about 50% of those deaths involve alcohol.

An experienced sailor would tell you that it is tough trying to stay alert in the heat and sun. When you add alcohol to the equation, you are just making things worse for you. Drinking alcohol while working at the till serves only to intensify the effects of exposure. Sometimes, even a couple of beers can be too many.

So to be on the safe side, forget about alcohol during your trip. Save the bottle for another day. Statistically speaking, when you drink while you sail, you are much more likely to fall overboard.

In addition to increasing the effects of exposure, alcohol can also lower your body's ability to resist cold water. This could be disastrous as within minutes of being in icy waters, you may not be able to call for help or even swim to safety.

Moreover, intoxication can increase the likelihood of confusion. For instance, a drunken person could easily confuse swimming down to sure death for swimming up to safety.


Tip #2: Wear a personal flotation device.

The real skinny about Personal Flotation Devices (PFD) is that people do not wear them. And to think that the number one cause of death in a boating accident is drowning.

Do not make the same mistake that other people make. If you want your yachting charter trip to be as enjoyable and as safe as can be, you have to be prepared for tiny inconveniences like wearing PFDs. If not, then at least be prepared to do the following things:

* Make sure that there are enough personal flotation devices for everyone on board the yacht.

* Before cast off from shore, ask each person in your trip to pick a personal flotation device and try it on. Be sure to cinch the straps in order to determine whether the PFD fits. (NOTE: The PFD should fit the person wearing it.)

* Stow the PFD in a place that is easy to find and easily accessible. Have each person commit the location to his or her memory as this important in case a mishap should occur while you are out in the sea.

* While you are underway, never keep the personal flotation devices under lock and key. That is going to pose a problem in case of an emergency. To repeat, PFDs must be placed in easily accessible areas.

* The personal flotation devices should be in good working order. If you are not the owner of the yacht, be sure to ask if the owner performs periodic safety checks of all PFDs. Especially, look for any torn straps or weak fasteners. Molds and mildews may form on the personal flotation devices which could cause damage, so watch out for those also.


Tip #3: Don't fall overboard.

It happens all the time. When you are on a yacht and even when the waters are calm, falling overboard can still happen. There are many reasons why you could fall overboard, from a simple accident that is truly out of your hands to a mistake made somewhere along the way. In fact, if you haven't fallen overboard yet, then either of these two things could be true:

* You follow all the rules that most people ignore so that they end up falling overboard

* You are extremely lucky for not falling overboard…yet

Even so, falling overboard does not have to be a fact of life on your yachting charter trip. If you follow the following simple tips of how not to fall overboard:

* Observe the three-contact points rule.

It is simple really. At all times, keep contact with the boat in at least three points of your body – e.g., two legs and one hand, or two hands and one leg. Do not even try moving around the yacht in rough water without holding on to anything, because you can get easily off balanced no matter how experienced you may be.

* Avoid alcohol.

This brings us right back to tip #1. Just remember: alcohol and sailing don't mix together.

* Watch out for vulnerable places to sit on.

There are only two places where you can sit on and increase the risk of falling overboard and those are the gunwhales and seat backs. So as much as possible, avoid those places and you should be fine.

* Listen to the skipper's warning.

Skippers should give their passengers warning before they make any kind of maneuver. This way, passengers will not be surprised by a sudden turn or change in speed, which could make one quickly become unstable on one's feet.

If skippers have the duty to warn you, you on the other hand have the duty to listen for these warnings. You have to do your part, too in order to maintain safety at all times during your yachting charter trip.

* Wear the right footwear.

Of course. This one is a no-brainer. Remember that when you are on a yacht and under way, the deck is bound to get splashed with water and the surface is going to be all slippery and wet. Add to that all the swaying and flowing that the boat does in the water and you are bound to fall overboard if you do not have a proper foothold. Wearing the right footwear should help with that.


Tip #4: Self-Rescue

If for some reason, even after observing the above-mentioned tips, someone still falls overboard during your yachting charter trip, here are some ways for you to rescue him or her:

* The first thing you need to do is to consider these factors:

Ø Ability of the person to swim

Ø Is the person injured or not

Ø Weather condition

Ø Water condition

* After determining all the above factors, the next step is to stop the boat and throw out a flotation device to the fallen victim. Virtually anything that floats and can support the person's weight will do. You can even use a PFD (that is, if the person is not wearing one).

The basic rule of thumb to follow is: if it's nearby and it floats, get it to him quick!

* Once the person is able to grab on to the flotation device you sent him, you will want to turn the yacht around to get to the swimmer. However, you can't take your eyes off him or else, you will lose sight of him.

Thus, you will need to pick a spotter who will be your extra eyes out there in the water. The pointer will keep you posted on the swimmer's exact location so you can get to him faster.

* The approach should be slow and deliberate. At this point, it is important to move slightly, following the wind's direction.

* And finally, assist the swimmer into the boat.


Tip #4: What to do When Your Boat Capsizes or Swamps

There is a difference between a capsized boat and a swamped one. The former means the boat gets turned over, due to a wave crashing against the side of hull for instance. The latter, on the other hand, involves filling your boat with water. A swamped boat would sometimes result in it capsizing, but it is certain that a capsized boat would result in a swamped boat.

There are many reasons why your yacht may swamp. Your yacht may have been running with its bow up. Quickly decelerating from this speed could result in the wake overtaking the stern. Or, it could also be that the boat is heavily loaded, with passengers for instance. In order to prevent this from happening, you will benefit from practicing how to slow down gradually.

The good news is that most small boats do not sink when capsized or swamped. So the important thing to consider is to stay calm and consider the following tips:

* If you are the skipper of your yacht, take care of yourself first. Do not even attempt to save your crew or your passengers unless you have your own situation under control.

* Stay with the boat. As mentioned, small boats do not sink easily. That's because they are usually made of light materials, such as wood, that will float in water. If you stay by the boat, you have something to hold onto when you get tired of swimming.

The only time you should leave your boat's side is if there is a greater danger of staying by it – e.g. a waterfall or damn intakes. Also, if the water is cold, consider the risk of hypothermia. In that case, you need to get yourself and everyone else out of the water.

* And lastly, you need to attract the attention of passing boats and yachts. Use anything you can to get the attention of the crew or passengers of these boats. For instance, you can use a bright clothing to wave around. You can also blow horns or whistles or even bells. Whatever is handy, just make a lot of noise.

However, do this only when someone is actually there to hear or see you. If there is no one to hear your cries of help, it is a much better idea to conserve energy.