Quote from Shadowfax on February 14, 2025, 11:55 pm

Pre-sail Safety Briefing Checklist

Below Deck

• First aid kit location
• Fire extinguishers / fire blanket locations
  • pull pin, point at base of fire, squeeze handle
• Location of wooden plugs
• Seacock locations, how to tell if a seacock is open or closed
• What to do if the boat is taking on water
• Flares location and how to use flares safely
• Airhorn – when and how to use
• VHF radio location, how to use, when to call securité, pan-pan, or mayday
  • Securité: to inform other mariners of hazards to navigation, such as large debris floating in the water, or a disabled vessel anchored in a channel
  • Pan-pan (pronounced "pahn-pahn”): to inform other vessels, the Coast Guard, and/or Vessel Assist of urgent situations that are not immediately life-threatening, such as your vessel is disabled, or you are lost in fog
  • Mayday: for life-threatening emergencies only, such as fire aboard or imminent sinking of the vessel
• Batteries – switch location(s) and power management
• Lifejackets
  • The US Coast Guard requires that children under the age of 13 must wear lifejackets on boats
  • The Pacific Ocean is cold – hypothermia can quickly disable even strong swimmers
• Head
  • Operation
  • Do not flush anything unless you’ve eaten it first
  • Dispose of tissue paper and sanitary products in waste basket
  • Electric heads - use a minimal amount of water when flushing, holding tanks can fill quickly
• Hatches
  • Locations
  • How to open and close
  • Close hatches before leaving the dock
  • Always keep hatches closed when under way
  • Safety risks (slips, trips, and snags)
• Propane Stove
  • Propane tank location and valve
  • LPG solenoid switch
  • Risks, precautions
  • How to light and extinguish
• Boat Papers
  • Boat’s white binder (ship’s papers)
• • Boat Inventory on cover of binder
  • SeaTow membership card
  • Insurance documents
• Alcohol consumption
  • Okay to consume but do so responsibly - do not get intoxicated
• Moving around the boat safely below deck
  • “One hand for you, one hand for the boat.”
  • Handhold locations: overhead rails and fiddles on galley counters, salon table, etc.
• Where to stow gear down below

On Deck

• IMPORTANT! Manage dock lines carefully to avoid “prop wrap”
  • Pull lines aboard quickly when leaving the dock slip
  • Stow all dock lines in lockers, do not tie in larksheads on the lifeline or pulpit
• Engine controls
  • How to start and stop engine
  • How to shift into forward, reverse, neutral
• Instruments
• Cockpit lockers and their contents
• Emergency tiller location
  • Demonstrate how to attach
• Anchor and windlass
  • Safe operation
  • Ensure bitter end of rode is connected to a strong attachment point in the anchor locker
  • Always start engine before operating windlass
• Crew overboard recovery equipment – throwable PFDs, ie, Type IV square, LifeSling, horseshoe buoy, ring buoy
• Mainsail - understanding proper use
  • Lazy Jacks
  • Reefing and unreefing the mainsail
• Sail care / sail damage prevention
  • Noisy sails are angry sails!  No flogging.
• Coast Guard Rule # 5 - crew must always be on watch

Crew Health

• Injury Prevention
  • “One hand for you, one hand for the boat!”
  • Boom – “jibe ho!” = watch your head
  • Slips/trips prevention
  • Winches and clutches – safe use (thumbs to the heart, do not wrap lines around hands)
  • Stay on the windward side when moving forward on deck
• Seasickness – how to avoid, what to do when feeling queasy
• Food and drink
  • Eat small, frequent meals or snacks
  • Drink plenty of water to remain hydrated
  • Alcohol and caffeine will increase the risk of dehydration

--

Bridge Randall

2003 Beneteau 393 Shadowfax131

707-296-3165

https://www.youtube.com/@svshadowfax

Instagram: sv_shadowfax131