Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

What emergency equipment you really need to carry on board but were afraid to ask.

I would like to start if I may. About 15 years ago probably at the time of writing, I was handing over a small overnighter, about 28 feet long, nice boat. The new owner had the paperwork in his hand, it showed the boat was assigned the 12 mile category, meaning it can navigate up to 12 nautical miles from shore. The owner was most insistent that as I was explaining all about the boat, switches, lights etc. we should most definitely head to the maximum distance possible allowable.

I agreed, the weather was absolutely perfect, so as we left the port, I told the client to head due south. We were navigating at about 15 knots, this kept the noise down to allow me to carry on explaining and also allowed us to enjoy the morning. We were about 15 minutes into our journey when, the owner asked how far we were from shore, I said I would imagine about 3 nautical miles, "how many?", "three" I repeated.

The owner could not believe just how far 3 nautical miles actually is. Some rather fruity language was used which translates to "my gosh, that´s a long way, I will not be coming out this far again!"

The point of this tale is, there are too many boats that are laden down with kit they will not need and never use. In this instance it was not too much of a problem as the walkaround style with a cabin and a lot of exterior storage made things easier but, I have seen smaller less roomy boats where the life rings were on the cockpit floor, lifejackets were either side of the engine and the flares and first aid kit were pushed right behind the coolbox.

In this post I would like to concentrate on what is truly essential, things you would not go boating without. Please, please, please know where the safety kit is, know how to use it, regularly inspect all items, replace or service as necessary.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, so much depends on the type of boat and the experience of the people using it. I find it is easier to have fewer items on board but, have them well placed and be very practiced in their use.

This list is really aimed at probably the largest portion of recreational boaters, dayboating, near to shore in smaller vessels. If you have a large vessel and venture far away then you are probably or at least should be, very well versed in emergency procedures and preparation for longer distance from assistance.

Manage expectations

Comply with regulations, be aware that certain items will probably need to be carried by law to comply with safety regulations and insurance requirements, if there is an incident and an insurance investigation and you are not covered simply because of lack of equipment you could be open to liabilities.

Be realistic, apart from having seen too many people buy a first boat that is far too big for what they will use it for (and the have buyers remorse), I have also seen a lot of small boats, like six metres small that are equipped for a 12 nautical mile limit, then they have no room for guests or skis or towables or much else really. Then comes the safety inspection and the boat does not pass because something is out of its test date, so more money is spent. The owner then realizes they have spent a fortune on safety kit, never gone even remotely near the navigation limit of their boat and start to think seriously about changing to the lower limit.

Practice makes perfect

When was the last time you thought about an emergency drill? Man overboard or location of fire extinguishers for example? Another example let´s assume the principal VHF operator cannot make an emergency call for some reason, can anybody else on board? One thing I always do, if there is a man overboard switch, I will test that it works and connect the cord, too many accidents occur just by not using this basic safety device.

Notable by their absence on the essential list (for small boats), liferings and liferafts

Liferings, why not considered essential? Well, for sure they have their uses, but have you ever tried throwing one? They are quite heavy and have a really hard outer shell, they are also very difficult to store on smaller boats, if you have a really large boat, then you have no excuses to not have them well placed for use. For a smaller boat, I would recommend a weighted line, these are compact, light and easy to store.

Liferafts, this is controversial, before buying a liferaft, answer these questions.

• Have you space?

• Do you know how to use one?

• Are you strong enough to launch one?

Life rafts take up a lot of room, they come either in a bag a hard shelled case. The smallest ones I have seen are 4 persons and were in a bag. Life rafts have a protocol of how to use them, my best advice would be to attend a survival at sea course for a real understanding of life raft use.

Launching or deploying a life raft comes in one of two ways,  automatically or manually. Automatic launch is via two possibilities, position or hydrostatic release. Position means, the raft is in a place where is can simply be pushed into the water, no real strength required, such as house in a cage on a rail. Hydrostatic release means that as the raft (in it´s case), sinks, such as being dragged down by a sinking boat, the line holding the raft to the boat (called a painter) will be cut, freeing the raft.

The video below is a good, short demonstration of a life raft launch from a small boat, most videos will show them being launched from merchant ships.

I would consider life rafts more the preserve of much larger boats, more applicable to mile covering yachts than day boaters.

Lifejackets

Let’s get one thing clear, lifejackets and buoyancy aids are different, buoyancy aids like you would use for water skiing are not lifejackets, they do not have the same amount of buoyancy (lift) as a lifejacket and do not guarantee face up floatation.

For a proper look and demonstration of lifejackets, liferafts and their use I strongly recommend taking a survival at sea course, if you take no other courses, do this one, not only for safety but for fun, it was one day course and I learned more about abandoning ship than I thought possible.

One thing I would recommend, remove your lifejackets from the boat for long term storage, if the jackets have zips (almost exclusively the foam type jackets), move them up and down to prevent them sticking, lubricate as necessary, you cannot imagine the number of jackets I have seen that are basically non usable because the zips are seized.

Whilst you have the jackets, take the opportunity to try swimming in one. The inability to swim on your front catches a few people off. Imagine if your were being pulled back into your boat, how you could manage it wearing a jacket.

Inflatable lifejackets

Two types, automatic inflation with manual activation and manual only inflation. They are similar to the ones you see demonstrated on an airplane during the safety drill, the difference being marine type jackets have a cover that rolls them up nicely to wear. They can have a harness for attaching yourself to a safety tether such as on a sailboat. They all have a method for adjusting the straps to fit the wearer and all have a cylinder to fill the bladder, the firing mechanisms need checking regularly.

Automatic jackets have a hydrostatic release to inflate the jacket, so when you fall in the water the jacket inflate automatically, if that should fail to work you have a manual pull to inflate the jacket, same as on a manual inflate type.

Minimum buoyancy is 150N, but 275N of lift are available for offshore work, such as transatlantic crossings with heavy wet weather gear on, 150N is usually sufficient for most boats. When you go to buy them, try a lot of different makes on until you find one that is comfortable, ignore price, I know easier said than done, but finding the right one for your body type, needs and taste is important.

Inflatable lifejackets do not occupy much space, so in a locker where you could only fit two foam type jackets, six inflatables will go.

Foam jackets

These are waistcoat shaped jackets with the big collar and the floatation in the front to stop you rolling onto your back if unconscious. You buy them according to how much the wearer weighs, so there are models for children, small adult, medium adult etc.

They are worn like a waistcoat, with a zip or Velcro in the front and a belt or adjusting strap around the middle. They are considered maintenance free, but do look after the zips, the number of jackets I see stuffed into lockers with corroded zips is incredible, effectively rendering the jacket useless. This type of jacket is preferred for non swimmers.

First aid kit

You can buy these off the shelf or like me make up your own, buying the items separately at the pharmacy and place them in a waterproof box, somewhere obvious preferably with a sticker so everyone knows where it is kept. Medications should be kept separate from the ships general first aid kit. The most common injuries I see around boats are minor cuts and burns.

Knife

What happens if you should get something caught around a prop? A knife is important, choose a stainless-steel one with a serrated blade, goes through ropes and nets much faster than a smooth blade, dive shops are a good source here, look at models where the blade goes right into the handle for greater strength, a coat of oil on the blade will stop the blade going rusty.

Fire extinguishers

Engine rooms and machinery spaces should have fixed fire extinguishers installed, part of the maintenance schedule of the boat should be an inspection and revision of extinguishers, the insurance probably requires it. If there is a remote activation for the extinguishers (very common), know where it is.

If you are in any doubt about the inspection date, type or suitability for use, please consult a specialist company, this is an area where you do not want to be lacking.

Two of the big names in fixed engine room extinguishing systems are Fireboy Xintex and Sea Fire

Torch (flashlight)

Get a good torch and some replacement batteries, check out a dive shop for the best selection of waterproof torches, the newest models have LED bulbs that are brighter and use less battery power, a lot are rechargeable.

A torch is so useful, even in bright daylight there is always a part on the boat that you will need more light. Some torches have a built in distress signal too.

Ropes

Seems obvious, when I equip a boat it always goes out with ropes, but for some reason people seem to lose them all the time. You want at least three ropes, each equal to the length of the boat, if you have space get an extra long rope to store on board, in case of towing. A bit ropey, what on earth happens to all the cordage on a boat?.

Water

Especially if you are warmer climes, you have to stay hydrated, one hour on the boat in the sun is like having three hours on the beach, it is a good idea to have sunscreen on board too.

Flares

Need to attract attention? a flare might just be what you will need, read the instructions, learn how to fire them properly, the important thing is to keep them away from where they could be played with but close enough to hand, do not fire them into the wind, when they are expired check local regulations on their proper disposal, do not put them in the bin.

There have been some changes in regulations in some parts of Europe. Flares are used as safety and lifesaving devices, due to the way in which they work, they ae being considered as a type of explosive or pyrotechnic, don´t be surprised if only certain outlets can sell flares and will require the boat documentation and a proof of identity to buy them. Often, the same place you buy the flares will also dispose of expired flares, there is usually a small fee for this service, some places wave this if you are buying replacements.

Types of flares

Smoke, these are for daytime use, there are floating type ones and handheld ones, they emit a high visibility orange smoke.

Handheld, emit an high visibility orange flame, for day and night use.

Parachute, fires a high visibility ball to a height of about 300 metres, the parachute opens and the light falls back to earth.

LED, these are much newer technology than the pyrotechnic type, the really important development is that certain models have been approved by the coastguard, this means that they can be used in lieu of the traditional type of flare.

VHF radio

For me this is an essential item. I will be writing an article on VHF radios separately so will not dwell too much on it here, fixed radio is best but on a very small boat or to keep the expenses down, a quality hand held will suffice when not going too far from shore or assistance.

The video for making the VHF Mayday call is very basic, but it outlines very quickly the basic procedure. Familiarize yourself in advance with your own VHF and have as many people as possible in board also know how to use it.

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