Offshore - Safety Briefing

Offshore Safety Briefing

Each boat is laid out differently, sails differently and is equipped differently. Before you go offshore with crew members who are not familiar with your boat, conduct a safety briefing to familiarize them with the boat and emergency gear.

It's a good idea to take new crew members on a daysail or overnight trip to familiarize them with your boat before starting a long offshore passage. .

Use the checklist below as you conduct the briefing to make sure all important points are covered.

	Item	Link to Detail
Abandon Ship - Crew knows location of the following items and how to operate:
	Ditch Bag
	Emergency food & water
	EPIRB or GPIRB
	Life Raft
Collision Avoidance
	Crew knows how to interpret ship's lights at night
	Crew knows how to operate radar and determine if a ship is closing on a collision course
	Crew knows location and operation of white anti-collision flares
	Crew knows how to turn on deck lights and shine them on sails
	Crew is familiar with rules of the road
Communication - Crew has been briefed on use of communications gear
	VHF radio procedures
	SSB radio procedures
	Crew warned about RF burns from SSB antenna
Crew Safety Rules
	Helmsman must be clipped in using harness and tether when he/she is on watch alone.
	Harness and jackline to be used at all times while on deck .
	No one leaves the cockpit and goes up on deck without a 2nd crew member at the helm .
	No peeing over the lifelines - use the head below.
Dewatering
	Crew knows location of all through-hulls
	Crew knows location and operation of emergency pumps
	Crew knows what the high-water alarm sounds like
Fire
	Crew knows location and operation of fire extinguishers
	Crew knows location and operation of 12v battery cutoff switch(es) in case of electrical fire
MOB Recovery
	Crew knows how to release the MOB pole and gear
	Crew knows how to mark a MOB position using the GPS
	Crew knows location and operation of MOB recovery gear (e.g. LifeSling)
Motoring
	Crew knows how to start and operate motor
Navigational Procedures - Crew has been briefed on:
	Using the GPS for heading , bearing, cross-track error and distance.
	How to update the log and chart
Self Steering
	Crew knows how to disengage the autopilot and perform a manual override to change course
	Crew knows how to engage the autopilot in order to hold a course
Weather Forecasting
	Crew knows how to tune the VHF for local weather forecasts
	Crew knows how to use the radar to find and track squalls when out on open ocean.

Links to Outside Resources

The following links provide links to further reading, manufacturers websites and more information on "how to"

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