When you leave for the summer cruise or even just for a simple weekend outing with a crew of beginners on board, it is necessary before even setting out to sea, to convey to them some basic information essential for their and our safety and explain why these can help us in the most common operations. This briefing will help our guests feel safer and more involved and we will have an extra chance in case of need.

These are essential elements, such as wearing a life west or avoiding stopping the boat with legs during mooring or knowing how to pull a rope, start the engine and call for help. Small gestures and operations that everyone on board must know.

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Men overboard

The most serious accident that can happen to us when we sail with a crew of beginners is falling overboard. The crew that sails aboard a pleasure boat will have many opportunities to fall into the sea: you can be thrown into the water from a boom stroke or slip on the deck when the hull leaned or simply leaning along the edge to retrieve a sheet. If a crew member falls into the sea and you are sailing on a beautiful summer day, the skipper can retrieve him without major problems. But if the skipper falls overboard, who will take him out of water? The basic instructions to the crew on how to retrive a man from the water, among other things, are used to ensure that they can help the skipper in case he is the one who falls overboard.

Life belts

For the safety of everyone on board, the sailors use belts similar to those used by mountaineers, very robust and able to support the weight of a man. It is very important that the safety belt is also equipped with an indispensable accessory, that is the crotch strap that passes between the legs and prevents the belt from slipping off, an event that unfortunately often happens, especially during the lifting of the man overboard with consequences also severe. The first thing to do when you get on board the boat is to give everyone his life belt and then, later, explain to him how to wear it and how to use it. Everyone will have to store the jacket in an easily accessible place. When we go on to explain how to use it, we will start with how it is worn, and then illustrate, depending on what life belt it is, how it is activated.

 

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Vhf

When the skipper falls overboard, is seriously injured or is unable to ask for help – the crew must do it. For this reason, at least one other person must also be briefed on the use of the VHF. It’s simple, just explain to him or her that the main channel is 16; to talk you have to push the button, to listen to release it. If you are navigating away from the coast, it is useless to explain how the GPS coordinates are given: probably, if needed, no one will remember where to read them or how to do it. The important thing is that you know where you are navigating. In the event of need to request for help, it will be sufficient to say that you are sailing for example from Scarlino to Elba, from Nettuno to Ponza, between La Spezia and Livorno. The type of boat for example: a sailing boat about 14 meters long with 6 people on board. This is essential information to allow rescuers to trace us.

Winch

Using a winch correctly and without getting hurt is a prerogative on board, but a beginner can make some mistakes if no one explains this to him. Those who turn the handle must always put themselves in a position that is as stable as possible to focus only on the movements of the torso and arms without thinking about having to stay in balance. Another important thing is to always look towards the bow to see what you are doing and avoid teasing the genoa by making it touch the shrouds or spreaders or stop if there is any hitch. The movements and the position of the hands on the handle are also important. If we have a classic handle, one hand will have to grip the vertical cylinder and the other rest on the upper part usually equipped with a rotating knob. To avoid the formation of sheet overlaps on the bell, which are then difficult to untangle, it is important not to overdo the turns. Furthermore, it is always better not to put the handle during the fast recovery phase and insert it after adding the necessary turns for the fine adjustment. Leaving the sail is also an operation that requires some precautions. The correct operation is to hold the sail with one hand and place the other around the drum to accompany the sliding and avoid the formation of lumps.

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Engine

A key element for safety is that one of the crew members knows how to start the engine and how to use the gears. Also in this case it is useless to give many explanations. Just show which button activates the ignition, the one that starts the engine or how to turn the key, how to put it in neutral and how to change the gears. Teaching everyone, including children, to use the jacket, wear it and activate it if it is one of those with manual activation, is also essential. Important note: for the serenity of the crew member who has to learn these notions, it should be explained to him that in modern boats with S-Drive the propeller is under the hull in a position not reachable by legs of a person who swims, therefore one shouldn’t be afraid to approach whoever is at sea.

 

Mooring assistance

Given the basic safety instructions, newbies can be taught how to help the skipper in the mooring phase. At least two crew members need to know the following: how to gather and how to throw a rope. When mooring, having someone able to throw a rope without it tangling and falling into the water is already a great help. It is also essential to make the crew aware of the risks involved in trying to stop the boat by placing their legs between one hull and the other. Unfortunately, trying to stop the boat with outstretched arms or with a straight leg is something that is instinctive but also it is very dangerous.

 

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