Dances with Waves: Safety Briefing

Stay with the boat!

Dances with Waves is a safe boat. She is inherently bouyant, and has fourteen separate watertight compartments. She will not sink. Even if very seriously damaged she will continue to float and to support you. She draws only eighteen inches, and if stranded will provide a safe platform until you can step ashore dryshod. If capsized (no boat of her design has ever capsized) she will continue to float and the underside of the cockpit will provide a safe platform probably above water level. You should not abandon ship unless

• The boat is uncontrollably on fire and you cannot put it out.
• You can step onto shore without getting your feet wet.
• You are instructed to do so by a lifeboat crew or coastguard.

If you stay with the boat you will be safe.

Fire

Fire is the one serious safety risk on the boat. There is a fire extinguisher immediately to the right of each companionway as you enter. There is a fire blanket in the port hull, next to the fire extinguisher. Buckets are stored in the warp locker, forward in the starboard hull. Get any fire out as quickly as possible, even at risk of injury. The boat will keep you alive provided you put the fire out.

First Aid

The first aid kit is mounted on the rear bulkhead of the starboard cabin.

Going out of the cockpit

Always wear a harness when leaving the cockpit at sea. Both foul weather jackets (stowed in the net in the starboard cabin) have built in harnesses. An additional harness and two lifelines are stowed in the starboard hull close to the companionway. A strong rope - the tramline - extends forward from the winch pillar on each side of the cockpit to the forebeam. Clip your harness lifeline to a tramline before leaving the cockpit, and do not unclip until you are back in the cockpit. Do not stand up if you are in any doubt about your balance or footing.

Man overboard

It is extremely difficult either to find or to recover someone who has fallen overboard. Try if at all possible not to let anyone fall overboard! If someone does, immediately

1. Press the RED button on the GPS unit THREE TIMES.
2. If there is more than one person still aboard one person should keep their eyes on the casualty at all times - once you've lost sight of someone you are unlikely to find them again.
3. Stop and turn the boat as quickly as possible. Return to the casualty.
4. Wear a harness - the worst thing that could happen is for the casualty in the water to drag you in too.
5. Get a harness on the casualty as quickly as possible and get it clipped on to something secure on the boat, before attempting to get them out of the water.
6. Attempt to bring the casualty on board on the lee side foredeck. You probably won't succeed unless you are very strong or the casualty is very light.
7. If you cannot find the casualty, or cannot get them aboard, go to signalling for help

Anchoring in emergency

The main anchor has six metres of chain and forty metres of warp permanently attached. In water up to 10 metres deep (see echosounder, immediately forward of the companionway, starboard hull) you can safely anchor just by untying the anchor from its stowage position and dropping it over the forebeam. Ideally you should ensure that the anchor line is clear of the tramlines and the jib furling line

Signalling for help

There is no VHF radio transmitter aboard the boat. If you are in distress and cannot resolve the problem without help

• Send up a red rocket (from flare pack under the cabin sole, starboard hull, immediately under the companionway).
• If there is a mobile phone aboard (and you are in range), dial 112 and ask for COASTGUARD.
• Report your position (GPS unit by starboard companionway). If the GPS does not show the position on the display, press the 'PAGE' button repeatedly until it does.
• If no help appears, wait at least thrity minutes (preferably longer) before sending up the another rocket.
• When help appears, mark your position by letting off an orange smoke (in daylight) or a red flare (at night or in poor visibility). These will also be found in the flare pack. Do not waste flares or smokes by letting them off when there's no boat in sight - no-one will see them.

Getting sail off

To get rid of the jib (front sail), pull the blue line which runs back into the cockpit from the drum at the bottom of the sail. The jib will roll up like a blind. The blue line should make itself fast automatically, keeping the sail rolled. If it does not, make it fast on one of the cleats on the mainbeam.

The two mainsail halyards are stowed coiled loosely in the middle box at the front of the cockpit. From the box follow the halyards up and you will find a clamcleat (a shaped plastic block) on the starboard side of the mast. Pull the halyards sideways out of the block to release them. You will then need to pull the sail down the mast.

If the spinnaker is hoisted, find a yellow flecked rope hanging in a loop from the top of the sail. Pull one side of this rope. A black sock should come down squeezing the air out of the spinnaker. If it does not, pull the other side of this rope.