When all of your boating goes according to plan, your flares and life jackets are of no use to you, your EPIRB and life raft just take up space aboard the boat. But life and our pursuits within it have a way of diverting from the plan, so experience tells us the emergency equipment we keep on our boats is worth carrying. Yet when most boaters free their lines and head for open water, they do so in a mild state of denial, an innocent but dangerous unwillingness to admit something could go wrong. They may believe they are heading out as a safe boater but planning to have a safe day on the water and having a plan to survive the unexpected are two very different things.
My course at TrawlerFest-Stuart is called Survival at Sea. My goal is to convince you that an emergency plan has to be more than just having the latest safety equipment; it’s a state of mind, a willingness to ask “what if” and an unwillingness to become a statistic. Join me and our emergency equipment specialists as we review the latest in safety equipment and how to use it correctly.
SURVIVAL-AT-SEA TAKE-AWAYS
- Most effective methods of communication in rescue situations.
- Differences in units of latitude & longitude, and how to communicate them accurately.
- Understanding the differences in signal flares (SOLAS – Safety of Life at Sea).
- Complete understanding of electronic rescue signal devices like EPIRB, PLB’s, personal AIS transmitters and satellite devices.
- Differences in and use of storm drogues and sea anchors.
- Ditch bag set up.
- Description and use of emergency dewatering pumps.
- Liferaft styles, placement and use
