Safety briefing on a sailing yacht
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On the first morning, before the lines come off: the whole crew in the cockpit, a good half hour, phones away. This list follows the order in which a skipper gives the briefing on the boat, from the life jacket to the distress call. At the end, everyone signs.
How the briefing works
The briefing comes before you first cast off, not on the first tack. In the marina everyone listens; at 20 knots and heeled over, nobody does. For a crew of eight, 30 to 45 minutes are enough if every point is shown on the boat.
- Show, don't tell: every life jacket is tried on, every valve touched, the fire extinguisher taken out of its bracket once.
- Name a deputy who can handle the boat and the radio without the skipper. If the skipper goes overboard, the deputy sails the manoeuvre.
- Ask first: who can't swim, who has allergies, who takes medication, who gets seasick quickly?
- On the first sailing day, sail the man-overboard manoeuvre once, with a fender as the person in the water.
- Anyone who joins later gets the briefing before the boat leaves with them on board.
The briefing, point by point
In this order: start in the cockpit, carry on below, finish on deck.
01
Life jackets and harnesses
- Everyone gets their own life jacket, adjusts it to fit and keeps it all week. Write the name on it with tape.
- Putting it on: close the jacket, pull the crotch straps through and tighten them. Without crotch straps an inflated jacket slides over your head.
- Inflating: automatic jackets inflate by themselves on contact with water. By hand it works with the pull toggle; top up by mouth through the valve.
- Harness: the tether is clipped on in the cockpit before you go out, and to the jackline on deck. When re-clipping, one hook always stays clipped in.
- The skipper says now, not once the wind is up, when life jackets are mandatory. A proven rule: at night, as soon as a reef is in, in a seaway, alone on deck and in the dinghy after dark. Non-swimmers and children always.
02
Man overboard
- Whoever sees it shouts “Man overboard!” and the side the person is on.
- One person points at the person in the water without a break and does nothing else. In waves, a head disappears after a few boat lengths.
- Press the MOB button on the plotter. It stores the position where the person went in.
- Throw the lifebuoy or rescue sling at once, even if it doesn't land close. It drifts like the person and marks the spot.
- Back to the person: under sail with a figure-of-eight or quick-stop, or sails down and under engine. Near the person, put the engine in neutral: the propeller is the biggest danger to someone in the water.
- Back on board: the bathing ladder only in calm water, otherwise in the rescue sling on the main halyard or a tackle. Getting the person up is the hardest part; show how it works on this boat.
- If the person is not quickly back in sight: DSC distress alert and MAYDAY on channel 16, without hesitating.
03
Fire extinguishers and fire blanket
- Where are the extinguishers, where is the fire blanket? Everyone points at one.
- Using one: pull the safety pin, extinguish in short bursts aimed low at the base of the fire, not into the flames above it.
- Fat burning in the pan: fire blanket over it, gas off, never water.
- Fire in the engine bay: engine off, open the hatch only a crack and discharge through the gap. Opened fully, the fire gets air.
- If the fire can't be put out: everyone on deck, life jackets on, distress call, life raft ready.
04
Gas
- Where is the gas locker with the bottle valve, where is the shut-off valve in the galley?
- After cooking: main valve off, let the flame burn the line empty, then turn off the hob knob. Every time, even for a quick coffee.
- Gas is heavier than air and collects in the bilge. If you smell gas: bottle off, don't touch a switch, no flame, hatches open.
- Never leave the hob or oven unattended and never use them as a heater
05
Seacocks and toilet
- Show every seacock: heads, basins, engine cooling, galley sink. Lever across the pipe means closed.
- The toilet seacocks stay closed when nobody is using it. When heeled, seawater can otherwise rise into the bowl.
- Only what has been eaten goes into the toilet, plus a little paper. Wet wipes, sanitary pads, tampons and too much paper cause most blockages.
- After flushing, pump ten to fifteen more strokes so the hose is empty
- When the holding tank stays closed and when it is emptied, the skipper decides according to the rules of the area.
- Wooden plugs are tied to or next to the seacocks. If a hose bursts, the plug goes into the hole.
06
Bilge pump
- Where is the manual bilge pump, where is its handle? Everyone pumps once.
- Electric bilge pump: show the switch for automatic and manual mode
- Water coming in: find the source first, at seacocks, hoses, shaft seal and rudder stock, and pump while you look
07
Emergency tiller
- Where is the emergency tiller stowed, and where does it fit onto the rudder stock?
- Have it fitted once. If the steering fails, it has to take two minutes, not a read through the manual.
08
Radio and distress calls
- VHF radio: switch on, channel 16, volume, push-to-talk button
- Everyone on board must be able to send the distress call, not just the skipper and deputy. The one who goes overboard may be the one with the radio certificate.
- DSC distress alert: lift the cover over the red button, hold the button down until the radio sends the alert. It goes out with the yacht's position and ID to all stations in range.
- Then speak on channel 16: MAYDAY three times, “THIS IS”, the yacht's name three times, call sign and MMSI. Then MAYDAY once more with the name, position, what has happened, what help you need and how many people are on board. Finish with “OVER”.
- Write the yacht's name, call sign and MMSI on a note next to the radio. In an emergency nobody knows them by heart.
- MAYDAY only for grave and imminent danger to people or the boat. For urgent situations without imminent danger there is PAN PAN.
- By phone: the German sea rescue service in Bremen on +49 421 53 68 70, in Croatia 195, across the EU 112.
09
First aid
- Where is the first-aid kit? Who on board is a doctor or nurse, or has done a recent course?
- Emergency medication for allergies or asthma goes where others can find it, not at the bottom of a bag.
- Clean and cover cuts and grazes straight away
10
Life raft
- Where is the life raft, how is it secured, who puts it over the side?
- Launching: make the painter fast to the boat, put the raft over on the leeward side, pull the line until it inflates.
- Into the raft only when the yacht is lost. As long as she floats, she is the better lifesaving device.
- If there is time, take: handheld VHF, water, medication, phones in a waterproof pouch
11
Seasickness
- Take medication before casting off, not once you feel ill
- Stay on deck, look at the horizon, ideally take the helm. Below deck it gets worse.
- Anyone being sick does it to leeward and stays clipped on. Nobody hangs over the rail seasick and alone.
- Drink, eat small amounts, stay warm
- Anyone seasick drops out of the watch. The skipper plans for it.
12
Moving on deck
- One hand for the boat, one for yourself: on deck, one hand always holds on.
- Go forward on the high side, crouched, from handhold to handhold
- When tacking and even more when gybing: heads down, the boom comes across hard.
- Never put a hand or foot between boat and pontoon or between two boats. An eight-tonne yacht won't be stopped by a leg.
- When coming alongside, don't jump onto the pontoon; step off once the boat has stopped
- At night nobody goes on deck alone, without a harness and without telling someone.
13
Winches and lines
- Put the line round the winch clockwise, three to four turns. Fingers away from the drum.
- Take the handle out after winching. Otherwise a sheet catches on it or it goes overboard.
- Never wrap a loaded line round your hand or arm
- Cleating a line: one turn round, figure-of-eights, a locking hitch to finish. Everyone shows it once.
- Coil the line ends in the cockpit. A line in the water ends up round the propeller.
Record the briefing
At the end everyone writes their name and signs. That records who heard what, and after an accident it shows that a briefing took place. Whether your charter contract or your skipper insurance requires a documented briefing is in their terms; read them before you sail. Anyone who joins later signs below after their briefing.
- Yacht
- Date
- Skipper
- Deputy
| No. | Name | Signature |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||
| 2 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
| 6 | ||
| 7 | ||
| 8 | ||
| 9 | ||
| 10 |
A reminder 14 days before your trip
Two weeks before departure is the right time for provisions, packing and the check-in list. Enter when you cast off. 14 days before, an email arrives with the lists. One email, then the address is deleted.
The briefing in Crewsy
Scan the signed list as a PDF with your phone and upload it to the trip's documents, next to the charter contract and crew list. The personal packing list shows everyone what they bring themselves, such as their own life jacket or seasickness tablets.