Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 Module 6
Emergencies on the water are not like those on land. For example, if your car is involved in a collision with another car it will not sink.
Information that you must know for the exam is highlighted in bold print throughout all six modules in this course (i.e. exam questions are drawn only from the topics indicated in bold print in each module). Module 6 contains the following sections:
The operator of a pleasure craft should check and maintain his or her pleasure craft as well as all personal and boat safety equipment on a regular basis to ensure that they are capable of functioning properly at all times and, thus, reduce the probability of breakdowns occurring. A good rule of thumb is to check all personal and boat safety equipment at the beginning of every boating season and monthly thereafter until the end of the season.
The following actions should be taken in the event of any malfunction during the operation of a pleasure craft:
1. Alter the speed of the craft as appropriate to the circumstances – this means that you should slow down enough to investigate the problem. If your engine is acting up, stop completely unless you are in danger and must maintain headway.
2. Anchor the craft as appropriate to the circumstances – if you have lost power and are drifting into a dangerous area, drop your anchor as soon as possible to maintain your position. If you are in a busy waterway, use paddles or oars to leave the channel and then either set an anchor or pull the boat up on shore;
3. Investigate the problem – if there is a problem with the engine, refer to the trouble-shooting section of the engine’s owners manual;
4. Correct the problem if possible using your onboard tool kit – the Boater Training Network recommends that all pleasure craft should carry a tool kit which should contain at least fuses, bulbs, a spare propeller and shear pin, nuts and bolts, penetrating oil, duct tape, and spark plugs); and
5. Use or exhibit signals to indicate distress and need of assistance if necessary.
To retrieve persons in the water, you should use a lifebuoy, a buoyant heaving line, or a ladder or other device for re-boarding the vessel.
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The manoeuvre shown here can be used to return to the position where the person fell overboard. When recovering a person overboard, always manoeuvre to a position downwind of the person in the water so that the wind cannot push your boat over them (pushing them under your boat). Thus, you will recover the person over your windward side.
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The following procedure should be used if someone falls overboard:
1. Sound the alarm immediately;
2. Slow down, stop if possible, and throw the person something buoyant to help stay afloat (it will serve as a marker if they become submerged);
3. Assign one person to keep sight of the person overboard and to continuously point to the victim’s location; and
4. Carefully manoeuvre to a position on the downwind side to recover the person (so that the person drifts toward the rescue vessel).
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As soon as you are close enough, throw the victim a buoyant heaving line or a lifebuoy secured to your boat with a line. As shown here, always recover the person over the windward side of the boat.
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A line attached by both ends to the vessel and draped over the side, almost touching the water, provides a good makeshift step to help a person overboard climb back up to the deck.
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The technique for recovering a person overboard should be practised to familiarise you and your crew with emergency procedures and verify that all safety equipment is on board and in proper working order. If someone falls overboard, you must be able to locate and retrieve them quickly, even at night or in rough weather, and especially in cold water. Practice by “rescuing” an object such as a stick of wood.
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Prolonged exposure to low temperatures (such as by immersion in cold water) will lead to hypothermia. Hypothermia is a drop in core body temperature to below the normal level (37° C or 98.6° F). Hypothermia weakens a person’s muscles, reduces co-ordination, and slows mental functions. A person suffering from hypothermia will exhibit the following progressive signs and symptoms:
 Early Stage – Shivering and slurred speech. Victim is conscious but withdrawn.
Intermediate Stage – Slow and weak pulse, slow respiration, lack of co-ordination, shivering is reduced or absent. Victim may be irrational, confused, and sleepy.
Final Stage – Weak, irregular or absent pulse or respiration. In the final stage, the victim will lose consciousness.
To extend your survival time in water, you must conserve energy and body heat. An average person, wearing light clothing and a PFD or lifejacket may survive 2.5 to 3 hours in 10° C (50° F) water by remaining still. This survival time can be increased considerably by getting as far out of the water as possible and covering the head. The following are ways to delay the onset of hypothermia:
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Wear your PFD or lifejacket. The PFD helps insulate the body. In addition, energy is lost trying to stay afloat without it. Boaters can protect themselves further by wearing their PFD in conjunction with multiple light layers of clothing, a water- or wind-proof outer layer of clothing, or survival clothing (such as a dry suit, wet suit, immersion suit, or exposure coverall). Keep your clothing on when in cold water.
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Hypothermia will eventually cause the body’s normal functions to stop altogether (i.e. the victim will pass out, go into shock, and die) unless the following steps are taken to reverse the effects of hypothermia:
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remove the victim from the source of the cold or exposure;
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provide dry shelter such as in a boat cabin, tent, or cottage;
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if possible, prevent a further decrease in body temperature and warm the person’s body gradually by:
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replacing wet clothing with dry clothing (only remove wet clothing if you can provide a warm dry covering such as a sleeping bag or a warm environment).
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wrapping the person in blankets.
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placing dry coverings over the person.
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covering the person’s head (such as with a hat) and cover the neck.
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covering the person with an insulating device and vapour barrier.
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applying warm dry objects at a temperature between 40°C and 45°C. Direct body to body contact is an effective way to provide heat.
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if asked for, offer warm milk, water, or juice but do not give alcohol or hot stimulants (such as tea, coffee, or cocoa) to the person;
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do not rub or massage the surface of the victim’s body or extremities as this can send cool blood to the body’s core and can damage nerve endings at the skin; and
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use or exhibit signals to indicate distress and need of assistance if necessary.
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Always carry an emergency kit on board your vessel. At a minimum, it should include a flashlight, whistle, knife, first aid kit, emergency rations, drinking water, and dry clothing.
During the operation of a pleasure craft, you may strike a submerged object hard enough to cause your hull of to leak. Sometimes leaks occur because the gasket around a through-hull fitting has failed.
The following are actions that you should take in response to a hull leak or flooding:
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If your boat is moving, bring it to a complete stop – this will reduce water pressure against the hull and, thus, the amount of water entering through the leak;
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Start bailing out the water – water can be removed from the hold or other compartments of the pleasure craft by using either hand bailers, manual pumps, or bilge pumping systems as appropriate to the circumstances and the craft;
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Locate the source of the hull leak or flooding – while maintaining bailing, if possible;
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Stop the leakage or the source of flooding if possible – some items that can be used to stop or to slow a leak include tapered soft wooden plugs, rags, foam sponges, towels, or some other soft material; and
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Use or exhibit signals to indicate distress and need of assistance.
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The following actions should always be taken in the event that your craft should capsize, swamp, run aground, or sink:
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Immediately ensure that everyone on board is wearing a PFD or a lifejacket;
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Stay with the craft when it is appropriate to do so;
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Check that all on board are accounted for and safe; and
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Use or exhibit signals to indicate distress and need of assistance.
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If your boat capsizes but is in no danger of sinking, climb onto the overturned hull and signal for assistance. Removing yourself from the water will prolong your survival time in cold water as well as make you more visible to potential rescuers. Do not leave a floating vessel to swim ashore; the shore is always more difficult to reach than it appears.
ABANDONING SHIP
The method you should use to abandon ship depends on how much time is available. If, for instance, your boat is on fire and sinking, then grab a PFD and go over the side as quickly as possible. If you have the presence of mind, be sure to jump over the windward side; so that your sinking or burning boat will drift away from you once you are in the water. When jumping from your boat, jump feet first, with your legs together and mouth closed. Once you are in the water, move clear of the boat and check to make sure that all crew members are accounted for. If the hull stays afloat, stay nearby or climb back aboard; the hull is large and easy to spot and hypothermia can be avoided longer by getting out of the water.
If serious injury does not seem to be imminent, you can take more time in abandoning ship. Instruct all on board to put on their PFDs. If you have a radio, send a distress call. If you are in sight of land, launch a distress flare or use some other method to signal for help. If you have a raft or dinghy, launch it and put everybody on board.
Knowing how to send a distress message and to request help can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency. The midst of an emergency (such as trying to keep your boat from swamping or trying to recover a person overboard) is not the time to sit down and figure out how to signal for help. On the water, you may only get one chance to call for help.
Regulated marine distress and safety equipment (such as radios and position-indicating beacons) work together to form the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). Although recreational vessels are not required to have equipment that is GMDSS-compatible, it is recommended. If you do use compatible equipment, you should connect is to a global positioning system (GPS) receiver so that your position is transmitted automatically during a distress call.
If you are using a regular VHF radio and you are in grave and imminent danger and immediate assistance is required (for example, you are taking on water and in danger of capsizing), then use channel 16 and repeat “MAYDAY” three times. Then, state the name of your vessel, its position, the nature of your emergency, and the type of assistance needed.
If you need assistance but you are not in immediate danger (for example your motor has quit and you are adrift), then use channel 16 and repeat “PAN PAN” three times. Then, give the name of your vessel, its position, the nature of your problem, and the type of assistance needed.
Distress signals can also be sent via a device called an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). An EPIRB is a buoyant radio distress beacon that transmits a signal to satellite receivers that, in turn, relay the signal to rescue co-ordination centres. Recreational boats are not required to carry an EPIRB. However, if you are boating offshore or in a remote location (such as the Labrador cost where VHF radio coverage is limited), then it is highly recommended. An EPIRB must be registered with the National Beacon registry at 1-800-727-9414.
The Criminal Code of Canada requires all boaters to assist those in distress if it can be done without endangering your own life or the safety of your vessel. If you have an operating radio or mobile phone, you must also contact the nearest Rescue Co-ordination Centre and inform them of the type and location of the distress signal you saw or heard. It is also an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada to make or report a false distress signal. False alarms can cause search and rescue personnel to be unavailable for a real emergency.
The Collision Regulations require that as a pleasure craft operator, you must recognise, use, or exhibit the following signals (presented in the following table) to indicate distress and need of assistance. Knowing these standard distress signals will enable you to recognise when other boaters need help as well as be able to signal for help yourself should it ever be required.
Flames showing onboard the vessel |
A signal consisting of the word “Mayday” broadcast by radiotelephone |
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A signal consisting of the word “Pan-Pan” broadcast by radiotelephone |
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A high-intensity white light flashing 50 to 70 times per minute |
It is a good idea to always carry more than one type of pyrotechnic distress signal on your vessel. If an emergency requires you to use a flare or rocket, first familiarise yourself with the operation of your flares to ensure that you use them safely and effectively (i.e. read the manufacturer’s instructions before using a flare). Each type of flare has specific characteristics and uses:
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This free online course is solely for the use of boaters preparing to write a freecourse.ca Operator Proficiency Exam on the Internet or at a freecourse.ca testing centre. Please see our list of Testing Centres for a location near you.
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Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 Module 6
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