Back to Basics Part 7: Dealing with Emergencies

Use a kill cord and use it correctly! Let’s start with some of the subjects that are covered on every powerboat course you could do – wearing the kill cord and keeping one hand on the throttle and one on the wheel at all times. So why do instructors bang on about these things?

The kill cord we all tend to see is the curly red cord that attaches to a switch near the throttle position. The idea is that the kill cord should be attached to the person driving, meaning that, in the event they leave the helm position, the engine is cut – whether this is through some violent manoeuvre or simply walking away from this position. It seems simple, doesn’t it? But many people don’t wear the kill cord and argue that they haven’t ever fallen from a boat and therefore this isn’t a real or likely risk. And yet, we buy insurance policies to insure against things that almost certainly will never happen. Wearing a kill cord is simply another insurance policy – you wear it, just in case, to protect those on board and other boaters from an out-of-control boat, even though, in all probability, nothing will ever happen. Wearing the kill cord may save a life or prevent injury and costs nothing.

The Mayday message sent after pressing and holding the Red DSC distress alert button: Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. This is RIB Evolution, call sign MTG6Y, MMSI 235899991 Mayday Evolution, call sign MTG6Y, MMSI 235899991. Position one mile south of Bournemouth Pier, man overboard. 2 persons on board, immediate assistance required. Over.

If it does go wrong, you and your crew should have allocated tasks. For example, if you have a person in the water unexpectedly (‘man overboard’ is the accepted terminology irrespective of their sex), you should divide up the tasks. Get one person pointing without stopping until there are hands on the casualty – even in calm conditions it’s easy to lose sight of the individual, especially if they are low in, or slightly under, the water. Get someone else to make a distress call (see below), while whoever is helming gets the boat into position ready to bring the casualty back on board.

Getting back to the person in the water is best achieved by approaching in one of two ways:

MOBv1 – Position boat six boat lengths directly downwind from the casualty. Go into/out of gear at minimum speed towards the person. Kill engine immediately when alongside.

MOBv2 – Position boat two boat lengths directly upwind from the casualty. Drift down towards person, adjust position to stay side on to the wind. Kill engine immediately when alongside.

Being effective at recovering a person from the water takes practice. Make sure that every few times you head out, you do a fun session with the rest of the family or your friends practising approaching and recovering a casualty. Use a weighted fender (a line coiled and tied to the fender works really well) and never a real person. Make sure too that you do a first-aid course. I have never heard anyone at the end of a one-day course say anything other than it was a really beneficial day, so get yourself, and even perhaps the kids, booked on one. Likewise, if you haven’t done the VHF Radio course, do that too.