Good seamanship means a sailboat skipper is prepared for a crisis when underway. Many things can and do go wrong, and a problem or emergency is almost inevitable when you sail often. The engine will die while you’re in a tricky channel or crowded harbor, the mainsail will jam or a halyard break just as the wind comes up, or someone will fall overboard. As the skipper of your boat, you have to know what to do - and often immediately!
Most sailing accidents and fatalities actually occur at times when trouble is least expected. Learn about when most sailing fatalities actually occur and what you can do to prevent them.
When a problem or crisis suddenly happens, you may have only seconds to react. It’s essential to be prepared in advance. The best way to be prepared is to follow three steps for every possibility:
1. Imagine Possible Scenarios
Whenever you’re underway on your boat, be thinking of what could go wrong right now. For example:
- You’re motoring out of your harbor through a busy channel. What would you do right now if your engine dies?
- You’re sailing along on a strong breeze and a guest comes up from the cabin and tells you there’s water sloshing over your floorboards. What would you do right now?
- You’re entering an unfamiliar harbor under power with your mainsail still up. What would you do right now if you suddenly went aground on a sandbar?
- You’re sailing anywhere, anytime, and a crew member on the side deck suddenly falls overboard. What would you do right now?
You don’t have to get neurotic thinking of such things - you can be having fun while still knowing you’re prepared just in case it does happen. But if you don’t ever consider the possibility that it might, then chances are you won’t be ready if it does.
2. Have the Right Gear Ready
In most problems and emergencies, you need some kind of gear or equipment to solve the problem. Not only should it be on the boat, but it should be accessible and ready to use. By the time you dig it out from some locker below, the passing time may have made the crisis much worse. But if you’re thinking about these “What if” scenarios, you’ll also think to make the equipment accessible – or bring it onto the boat on your next trip if you don’t have it already.
3. Have a Plan in Mind
Finally, you have to have a plan in mind. This should follow from consideration of the “What if” scenarios. But there’s a world of difference between thinking clearly about a possible crisis when you’re calm and everything is going well, and trying to think once a crisis has struck and adrenalin is pumping and people are shouting. Again, make your plan for what to do right now - not a vague general plan.
For example, if your engine dies while you’re moving through a busy channel, your first impulse will likely be to hit the starter button - and by the time you give up after a minute or two of grinding, you may really be in trouble. Maybe you should have quickly raised a sail for maneuverability (depending on the wind direction, currents, etc.)? Maybe you should have used the boat’s last momentum to move to the edge of the channel where it’s safe to anchor? Maybe conditions are such that you can let the boat coast to a stop while you call on the radio for assistance and alert other traffic to your status?
You always have choices, but if you haven’t thought through the “What if” scenario first, readied needed equipment in advance, and made a plan, then chances are you’ll make the wrong decision or allow the situation to worsen while trying to think it through in crisis mode.
Here are some ways to be prepared for a crisis:
What if the engine dies at a bad time?
What if someone falls overboard?
What to do if your prop gets tangled
Use a float plan to alert rescuers in an emergency.
