RYA safety boat presentation

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RYA safety boat presentation

• Suggested methods for dealing with small craft in
  a sheltered environment

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Guiding principles

• Count heads!
• Ask if help is required, and if so, what.
• Recover and return students to shore if the
  situation is becoming serious.
• Leave the craft tagged to let other crews know
  it has been dealt with.
• Dont become another casualty yourself .

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Guiding principles

• If students are in the water near to your boat,
  turn the engine off.
• Even if they are not, consider turning the engine
  off.
• Involve the casualties in their rescue.
• Holding or raising the tip of the mast may be all
  that is required if sailors are tired.
• Whilst dealing with a rescue, the rest of the
  fleet may be without cover. Remain alert for them.

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High performance dinghies

• In a training context prevention is better than
  a cure, therefore..
• Use a mast-head float.
• Prevents inversion.
• Doesnt affect performance much.

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They can be squash containers or in this case, a
canoe air-bag.
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Just fasten it to the halyard.
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High performance dinghies

• In the case of entrapment, the priority is to
  bring the casualty to the surface.
• Either lift the spinnaker pole, or the stern to
  create an air gap.

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It will allow you to see under the hull.
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High performance dinghies

• Resist cutting lines, the sails will be easier to
  manage if you dont.
• Use wire cutters as a last resort and only then
  on the trapeze system.

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High performance dinghies

• If its a standard rescue..
• Get the spinnaker down first.
• Ask the dinghy crew to do this.
• If they cant, ask them how and do it yourself.

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High performance dinghies

• Drop other sails if possible.
• Roll jib if it has that system.
• Put wing/rack over RIB sponson and ask crew to
  sit on it.
• Remove dagger board.
• Pass line around mast.
• Consider spring towline to take strain.

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Single handers.
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Lay mast across safety boat, helm or sailor sits
on mast, drive away.
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Open hulled boats (and open canoes)
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Retrieve crew in normal way, then..
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If inverted and no dagger board, use paddle
gently to right.
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Once on its side, draw hull across..
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Until high and dry on safety boat.
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Turn upright, replace rudder, place boat and
student back onto water.
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Double handed dinghies

• Used on the more traditional dinghy.
• By definition, heavier.
• Harder to right, especially if the crew is light.
• Can also be used if the mast has become stuck in
  mud on the bottom, and if so
• take care to pull it out the way it went in.

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Attach a line from your painter to the top jib
sheet.
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and reverse gently away, keeping at right angles
to the dinghy.
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Maintain an even pressure on the tow-line

• and as the dinghy comes up, the crew get in as
  normal and balance the boat.

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If the dinghy needs towing, consider towing it
backwards.
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Once the stern is clear, it will follow the
towing vessel nicely.