Sailing In Dublin Club

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Sailing In Dublin Club

• Safety seminar 2000

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Why Safety and Rescue cover 1

• Things do go wrong!!!
• 2 experienced crew dead after boat washed up off
  Meath coast 4/6/00
• Up to 17 masts and other damage during Saturday
  racing, IMES rescue helicopter called out. Black
  Saturday
• Death of rescue crew falling overboard and hit by
  engine Viking report
• Serious injuries caused by propeller.

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Why rescue safety cover 2

• Not always bad weather
• On a warm day with little wind rescue crew
  decided to return to inner harbor with first
  boat. As the rescue was taken out of the water a
  tailender capsized dunking the helmsman and crew
  in the water. The helmsman, nose broken by the
  boom and dazed, still managed to duck under the
  hull and surfaced clear his crew, trapped face
  down in a tangle of rope and wire did not.

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Responsibility of captains

• Assess weather and conditions and make
  appropriate decision
• Know the crews abilities and decide appropriate
  sailing plan
• Plan, lead and direct the session
• Recognise and avoid any potentially dangerous
  situations
• Responsible for safety on the night
• Fill out log book before and after sailing
• Fix any damage if possible

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Preparation for sailing 1

• Check the weather forecast
• Weathercall (Dublin) 1550 122112
• Radio 1 at 6.00, 12.53, 18.34 (Sat, Sun, Public
  Holidays), 19.02 (Mon-Fri), 23.55
• www.rte.ie/aertel/p160.htm
• www.onlineweather.com
• Aertel Page 160
• TV weather reports
• IMES weather forecast on VHF
• Eircell Eirtext WTHR to 1745

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Preparation for sailing 2

• Access weather conditions and make appropriate
  decision
• Other factors wind, rain, weather
  improving/worsening, way sailors are clothed,
  experience of crew, amount of other sailors out,
  other rescue boats about etc.
• Tides
• Ensure boats are in safe condition and properly
  rigged
• Properly clothed and all wearing life jackets

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Responsibility of Rescue/Safety crews 1

• Responsibility towards others
• AND responsibility towards themselves
• RESCUE urgent, possibly immediate, action where
  there is risk to life.
• SAFETY support to prevent or minimise injury or
  damage.
• Hopefully most time is spent on Safety duty.

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Responsibility of Rescue/Safety crew 2

• Ensure that the instructions of the Captain are
  carried out
• Attend every capsize
• Priority are
• 1. Safety of crews being rescued
• 2. Safety of other crews
• 3. Prevention of damage to boats
• Life before property

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Rescue boat crew

• Minimum of 2 in rescue boat ALWAYS
• 2 needed for certain rescue situations
• Impossible for one person to keep a lookout when
  dealing with an incident
• At least one crew should be ready to enter the
  water if required
• Be properly attired (cold in rescue boat) and
  wearing buoyancy.

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Rescue boat 1

• All Fenders attached
• 2 Oars (secured in boat) and oar locks
• Rescue bag
• Anchor and warp
• Towing, heaving line and warps stored neatly
• Bridle at stern for towing line
• Engine secured correctly to boat
• Full fuel tank
• Follow Operating procedures checklist

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Rescue Boat 2

• Always use Kill cord
• Kill engine when approaching someone in water
• Ensure no-one is in way when starting engine

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Rescue operation checklist

• Preperation
• Starting
• Engine Running
• Control your speed
• Storage
• Ensure fuel line etc is kept clean and dry.

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Safety Boat Handling

• Sit opposite side to tiller
• When moving astern it is best to stand up and
  face astern with tiller in one hand and the other
  hand free for the gear shift.
• High speed maneuvers are only required to reach a
  incident or bring injured sailors ashore.

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Coming alongside

• Get dinghy to heave to
• Rescue boat comes along on windward side

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Attending a capsize 1

• First task at a capsize is to make an assessment
• 1. Immediate rescue is needed
• 2. No immediate danger but safety boat should
  stand by until crew are in safe condition
• 3. No danger to life or safety or crew and safety
  boat can depart

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Attending a capsize 2

• People cannot always be relied on to provide
  self-help.
• Dont try to shout from a moving boat
• Reduce actual number of instructions to a minimum
• Always look for acknowledgement
• Dont leave crew in water too long

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Attending a capsize 3

• If boat is capsized to 90 degrees best to
  approach towards forestay
• Alternative is to approach capsized hull so crew
  can right boat by levering down on centerboard
• When approaching a fully inverted boat best to
  approach alongside with both bows in same
  direction
• AND always keep a good lookout for other
  incidents which may take priority !

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Lee shore Rescue

• Best method to rescue boat from a lee shore is to
  anchor off and then veer down on your anchor
  until a heaving line can be thrown
• Tow line is passed with heaving line to dinghy
• Once towing line is secure the safety boat can
  haul in on its anchor until both boats are in
  deep water.

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Rescue of people in the water

• Final approach is made from downwind at a slow
  speed
• Kill engine 2 boat lengths if person in water
• Use oars for close maneuvering
• Person picked up on either side
• Keep airway open if person unconscious
• Avoid further injury

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After rescue

• When dinghy crew and boat safe
• if crew can continue sailing safety boat can
  depart
• If the crew want to return ashore (or if the
  safety crew make that decision) the simplest
  option is to lower the mainsail and return on jib
  alone, or tow boat home if required.

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Towing/Being towed

• Use painter
• Alternatively use tow rope and get dinghy crew to
  make two turns around the mast
• Tug should start off slowly
• Slow down before stopping
• When being towed
• Lower mainsail especially if windy
• Raise centerboard
• Sit well aft and steer to follow rescue boat

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Multiple capsizes

• Access situation and see who needs rescue boat
  most
• May be necessary to tell one (or more ) crews to
  sit on upturned boat until rescue can attend
• With Repeated capsizes crew will be tired and
  cold
• Take appropriate action!

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Abandoning dinghies

• People over boats and equipment
• Priority may be to get cold or injured crew
  ashore as quickly as possible
• Capsised 420s will not drift far. A buoy should
  be attached to the mast head to prevent full
  inversion and to indicate to others that a rescue
  has been made.
• Advise emergency services if boats abandoned.

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Rescue boat positioning during session

• Brain damage occurs when a person is deprived of
  oxygen for more than 3 minutes
• SO rescue boat should be within 3 minutes of any
  boat - close sailing by all boats and tactical
  positioning of safety boat is required
• In heavy winds and seas safety boat is best
  positioned upwind

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Anchoring

• Go head to wind
• Drop Anchor
• Let out warp slowly
• Check if anchor has gripped by taking a transit
• Length of chain/rope

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RYA Safety recommendations for clubs

• All safety boat crew should have level 3 of the
  powerboat scheme
• Boat handling skills of rescue should be second
  nature

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SID and safety

• ALL members are responsible for safety
• SID is not a teaching establishment
• crews should take appropriate courses to be
  competent sailors/rescue crews
• Courses can be organised especially for SID
  members
• Power boat course
• VHF courses
• First Aid course

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SID and safety Issues

• Falling numbers
• Less experienced members
• Visitor fees (not insured if no visitor fee
  paid!!)
• Where do we go from here ??

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First aid

• Skills most likely required
• Resuscitation
• Treatment of Hypothermia
• Control of bleeding
• Blows to head concussion
• A person hit on head by boom could suffer
  concussion and should be taken to hospital

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Other topics to consider

• Flares (video and have flares at meeting)
• Ruffian safety (recommended reading I.e. free
  books Good Crew book)
• use of launch
• harnesses
• emergency equipment
• storm jib
• MOB equipment
• engine failure (engine notes from last years
  course)
• VHF radio procedures ( certification and audio
  tape)
• Rights of way e.g. HSS Sailing rules