Types of emergency    

• Capsize
• Sinking
• Grounding
• Breakdown
• Fire

Capsize

Capsizes have caused more boating deaths than any other type of accident. These are among the commonest capsizing factors:

• gross overloading, or poor distribution of load;
   
• broaching when running with a following sea. This is made more likely by the boat not having the bow trimmed up;
   
• free surface effect due to water in the boat or shifting load;
   
• poor driving technique;
   
• caught by breakers on the seaward side of a reef (usually on days of bigger than normal swell); and
   
• caught by wind and waves with the occupants on one side pulling pots. 

Stay with vessel if possible

As always, safety of your passengers is the first priority.  If the boat capsizes, make sure they are all there and make sure they stay with the boat. Most trailable-sized boats have enough flotation to keep afloat if upturned.

If you can, turn the boat upright and bail it out. This is difficult with a dinghy – it may well be impossible with a larger boat. If you cannot right the boat and get inside it you should try to get as much of yourselves as possible onto the hull – you will lose less body heat.

Consider getting the best swimmer to dive and remove lifejackets and safety gear. Keeping the small items in a watertight container will have made this easier. Once you have your safety gear, consider the appropriate means to use to get help. Never swim away from a capsized boat.

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Sinking

Most trailer boats have flotation to cope with flooding, and seldom sink. Larger boats without flotation usually take some time to sink. Having life jackets quickly accessible, safety items and emergency provisions in a watertight drum, and water in a floating container should allow enough time to take these essentials with you.

Before abandoning the boat, attempt to send a Mayday message. Do not remove any clothing – if there is time, it is better to put more on. Once in the water activate the EPIRB. To keep everybody together, and to conserve body heat, adopt the huddle position described under hypothermia in the first aid section.

Grounding

• Grounding is very common, with results ranging from minor scratching to sinking, injuries and environmental damage. Speed and type of bottom hit are often all that cause the difference. If you do run aground, look after your passengers.
   
• Coming to a sudden stop can cause injuries. You may need to call for medical assistance.
   
• Assess the damage. Is the boat leaking? If you are outboard or sterndrive powered, raise the leg and check for propeller damage.
   
• If the boat appears serviceable, check for depth around the boat by probing with a boat hook or even getting over the side. Pushing off may be the best option for getting the boat clear, although you may need to wait for the tide to rise.
   
• If the boat is unseaworthy or hard aground call for assistance.

Prevention

This is a thoroughly preventable type of emergency:

• Knowing where you should be and where you actually are, and keeping a good lookout are the keys.
   
• Plan your trips using a chart, and take the chart along. Ensure you will have enough water depth throughout.
   
• Make sure you can identify all the navigation marks, and bear in mind that not all of them have lights at night.
   
• Whenever in doubt about your position or the identity of a navigation aid, slow down.

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Breakdown

Well-maintained motors are unlikely to break down, and most breakdowns consist of the motor refusing to start rather than simply stopping.

Outboard not starting

Not everything in this list applies to every outboard motor, but it is the basis of a simple troubleshooting routine.

• does tank have fuel?
   
• is air vent clear?
   
• is fuel line unkinked and connected?
   
• is the fuel bulb hard? If not, squeeze continually
   
• does choke close fully?
   
• check the carburettor air intake
   
• is the motor cranking fast enough?  Check battery connections
   
• wait five minutes and try again
   
• battery flat?  Start with rope around flywheel
   
• broken starter cord?  Start with rope around flywheel
   
• change spark plugs
   
• change fuses 
   
• ensure kill switch is attached.

If you are unable to restart the motor, you should, if possible, anchor to hold your position. Unless your boat is drifting into danger or has other problems, breakdown is not a reason for making a Pan Pan or Mayday call. You should call Sea Rescue for assistance.

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Fire

Fire prevention is preferable to fire fighting. Fires involving LP gas are invariably catastrophic, and petrol fires usually so – essentially, they are explosions rather than fires. Besides these, boats are prone to the same types and causes of fires as you get ashore.

Some causes of fires:

• overheated oil on galley stove;
   
• overloaded or incorrectly wired electrical system;
   
• poor engine room housekeeping – rags in contact with turbocharger or exhaust system;
   
• leaking fuel or gas lines; or
   
• poor refuelling technique.

Correct installation, good housekeeping, regular maintenance and good fire prevention technique can prevent most of these.

Engine

There are boats on the water powered by petrol engines with substandard conversions to marine use. They may have inadequate means of preventing stray sparks, have second-rate fuel systems, and be in compartments with poor ventilation.

When buying a used boat with an inboard or sterndrive motor, have the motor and installation checked by a marine mechanic.

Fuel vapour is heavier than air, and will not leave a compartment without assistance. Consider having power ventilation installed.

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LPG

LPG systems, a prime candidate for fires, must be correctly installed by a qualified person. As with petrol, the vapour is heavier than air, so the cylinder must be stowed above deck in a place where vapour spills will run over the side.
When you have finished cooking with an LPG stove, turn off the gas at the cylinder and let the gas jets keep burning until they go out. Then turn them off.

Housekeeping

• Locate your extinguishers where they are most accessible – not near the source of a potential fire – and check and maintain them.
   
• Keep the bilge and engine room clean.
   
• Have the installation and maintenance of all electrical, gas, diesel and petrol equipment carried out by qualified tradesmen.
   
• Frequently make your own checks for leaks in fuel and gas systems.

Technique Develop a consistent routine for starting your engine. For inboards and sterndrives this should always include entering the engine room or opening the motor box, checking for leaks and sniffing as low in the bilge as you can reach. The human nose is good at detecting minute concentrations of flammable vapour.

Refuelling Refuelling is the most likely time for fuel spills.

When refuelling:

• turn off everything that uses electricity, gas or liquid fuel;
   
• send passengers ashore;
   
• take portable fuel tanks out of the boat;
   
• have a fire extinguisher near the refuelling point;
   
• know how much fuel you need to take and so reduce the chance of overfilling (leave space to allow for expansion of the fuel);
   
• if your fuel tank is metal, there must be electrical continuity between the mouth of the fuel filler pipe and the tank. The hose nozzle must stay in contact with the filler mouth while the fuel is flowing; and
   
• check the bilge for spillage and for the smell of fuel. Do not start the engine until all fuel smell has gone.

Fighting a fire

The most important consideration is human life, the boat is secondary. 

• Raise the alarm and make a head count.
   
• Get someone to make a Pan Pan radio call.
   
• Get someone to take charge of the safety gear and move the passengers as far as possible from the fire.
   
• If the fire is within an enclosed space, close all openings to reduce air supply to the fire.
   
• Close off fuel lines and gas lines. 
   
• Try to put out the fire with extinguishers, fire blanket, water buckets or whatever is appropriate.
   
• The best way to deal with burning items may be simply to throw them over the side.
   
• When the fire is apparently out, still keep an eye on it and on adjoining spaces; fires can restart.
   
• Chemical extinguishers do not cool fires – consider using water to cool after the flames are extinguished.

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