Journal

Whether as the result of a collision, grounding, material failure, a loose screw or simply your own negligence – if water is coming into the vessel, haste is required. And almost any item can be used to plug the leak, or at least to reduce the amount of water coming in: an oven cloth, a sleeping bag, even a carrot if nothing else is to hand. Because fighting leaks is your top priority.

Conducting a pre-departure safety brief is always a good idea, regardless of if you are leaving the dock for an afternoon on the water or an outright voyage of weeks or months. You have a responsibility as captain to ensure passengers and crew are familiar with the basics of your vessel, from the location of safety equipment to what they should do in an emergency. Here’s how to ensure those onboard are safe, comfortable and able to assist should the need arise.

You fall overboard, what happens next? If you’re cruising around some warm tropical islands with pristine clear water, no swell and water temperatures above 20 degrees then it will be a while before you’ll face serious harm. If it’s however winter and the water temperature combined with a gusty sea breeze sends shivers down your spine… we’ll you could be in some tremendous trouble.

Chatting with friends and colleagues in the boating industry it was agreed that a liferaft should be renamed. The name implies it will save our life. And it may. But making the decision to deploy the ‘liferaft’ prematurely could mean disaster. A disaster with no return.

Have you ever heard of "Micturition syncope"? This is a fainting spell that can occur during or, more commonly, immediately after urination due to a severe drop in blood pressure.

The Pantaenius experts will explain how to tow properly or have your vessel towed without the spontaneous help having a more negative effect.

A grounding can commonly be the result of incorrect use of digital charts (wrong scale usually), insufficient paper chart backup, poor route planning, fatigue, and lack of appropriate look-out.

Providing first aid in an emergency is a civic duty incumbent on us all. When the situation arises, however, many people are unable to help.