Sailing to the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean 1500

Night Heron's Emergency Procedures

These procedures were printed out and made available to the crew. Click on the links:

• Abandon Ship Procedure
• Firefighting Procedure
• Flooding Procedure
• Man Overboard Procedure
• Steering Failure Procedure
• Rigging Failure Procedure

Abandon Ship Procedure

• The boat should only be abandoned due to an out-of-control fire or when it is about to sink beneath the waves. A damaged but floating boat is a safer place to be than a life raft.
• Notify all crew, make sure everyone is accounted for.
• If time permits, dress appropriately for exposure to weather and seas.
• Take with you: EPIRB, flares, handheld VHF, emergency water, ditch kit, medical kit, emergency knife (to cut life raft painter after everyone is aboard).
• If time permits, activate distress signals on VHF and HF radios by holding down "Distress" button (this requires DC power and location information from GPS).
• If time permits, attempt two-way communication on VHF or HF radios to notify others (press and hold POS key on VHF radio to get current position).
• If time permits, take extra items: food, money, credit cards, ship's papers, other useful gear and supplies like extra batteries for VHF, handheld spotlight, etc.
• Crew assembles on-deck with all items, next to life raft.
• On heavy-duty life raft strap, depress pelican hook, slide up retaining ring, and remove heavy-duty strap (do not tamper with light-duty strap).
• Two crew lift and carry life raft canister to leeward side of boat then heave it over lifelines, DO NOT untie rope.
• Yank smartly on rope to inflate life raft, canister pops open automatically (if boat sinks before life raft can be deployed, life rafe deploys automatically underwater and floats to surface).
• Crew enters life raft one at a time using life raft boarding ladder by entryway, pass items into life raft, help other crew enter.
• Once all crew are aboard, cut life raft painter with emergency knife to release life raft from boat.
• Activate EPIRB by turning switch on all the way, leave switch on continuously, strobe will flash.
• Fire one parachute flare.
• Make Mayday call on VHF radio and monitor for response, if no response, turn off radio to conserve battery power.
• Establish watchstanding schedule to watch for ships or aircraft.
• If ship or airplane sighted, make Mayday call on VHF radio, if contact is established, fire another flare when ship/aircraft is known to be looking for your location.
• If no ship or airplane sighted, periodically make brief Mayday call and monitor for response, then turn off radio if no response.

Firefighting Procedure

• Notify all crew, crew assists immediately.
• Small wood/paper/fabric fire should be drenched with water, use pot and water from galley sink.
• Galley stove fire - turn off propane gas by turning off propane DC breaker and closing tank valve in propane locker, then use fire extinguisher or water as required.
• Engine room fire - stop engine/genset, turn off fuel manifold valves, turn off all four master battery switches. Use fire extinguisher rated for burning liquids.
• Electrical fire - stop engine/genset, turn off all four master battery switches, use fire extinguisher rated for electrical fires.
• Discharge fire extinguisher at base of flames.
• You may be able to fight some small fires with water-soaked towels or blankets.
• You may be able to rig the washdown hose and run it through a hatch to fight a fire (this requires DC power).
• Obtain seawater with bucket on a lanyard.
• Emergency exits, fore and aft - overhead hatches in forward and aft cabins.
• If fire spreads out of control, prepare to abandon ship, make sure all crew are accounted for, go on deck and close all hatches and portlights.

Flooding Procedure

• Notify all crew, crew assists immediately.
• Activate electric bilge pumps.
• One crew operates manual bilge pump in cockpit.
• If engine/genset in use, turn off engine/genset to avoid overheating since all through-hulls will be closed.
• If A/C or refrigeration in use, turn off A/C-refrigeration pump breaker on AC panel, turn off all A/C breakers on AC panel, turn off refrigeration breaker on DC panel. This is to keep units from overheating since all through-hulls will be closed.
• Close all through-hull seacocks (locations marked with pink flagging tape).
• Also check for leaks at propeller shaft stuffing box, rudder post, through-hull transducers, engine and genset exhaust hoses (which do not have seacocks).
• If a seacock can't be closed and it is the source of leak, remove hose and plug seacock with wooden plug located near each through hull.
• Check all hatches and portlights to make sure they are intact and dogged.
• Check all lockers on-deck, especially at bow, to make sure lids are intact and dogged.
• If leak continues, try to determine where water is coming from as it enters bilge. Examine hull in suspected leak area to check for damage.
• If hull damage, go on deck and deploy tarp with rope attached to all corners. Work it over outside of hull to cover damaged area. Secure ropes to stanchions. If damaged hull is accessible from inside boat, try staunching flow with pillows or cushions wedged into place. You can also use a spare sail as an exterior cover.
• If deck or saloon coachroof is damaged, obtain plywood from under berth mattress and use plywood to cover damaged area. Attach plywood firmly by screwing it to boat using self-tapping screws and battery-powered drill.
• If water level continues rising, form bucket brigade to bail out boat. Make emergency radio call to Coast Guard or nearby boats to request assistance (dewatering pumps).
• If boat clearly is sinking, prepare to abandon ship.

Man Overboard Procedure

• Shout "Man Overboard", crew comes on deck immediately.
• Throw cockpit cushion overboard to MOB.
• Press and hold MOB button on Navnet to mark MOB position then "go to" position.
• Turn into the wind to stop boat.
• Throw MOB pole overboard.
• One crew watches MOB to keep MOB in sight.
• Furl jib and main.
• Start engine.
• Keeping MOB in sight at all times, motor towards MOB location.
• When close to MOB, deploy rescue ring (yank line to break stopper).
• Slowly and carefully travel around MOB to "lasso" MOB with rescue ring rope.
• When MOB has rope or ring in-hand stop boat, make sure transmission is in neutral.
• When MOB is in ring, pull on rope to retrieve MOB.
• If rescue ring is ineffective, throw heaving line to MOB.
• Deploy stern ladder or side ladder.
• Crew assists MOB to reboard boat, crew must wear harness and be clipped to boat.
• If MOB unable to reboard boat, hoist MOB aboard with outboard motor crane using MOB's harness, bosun's chair, or rope sling. This may require rescue swimmer to assist MOB, swimmer must wear PFD and be tied to boat.
• Recover rescue ring, recover MOB pole, recover cockpit cushion.
• Provide First Aid to MOB if necessary.

Steering Failure Procedure

• If steering failure due to rudder failure or striking object, make sure boat is not taking on water through the rudderpost area.
• If wheel steering system fails, boat may still be steerable using autopilot.
• If autopilot unable to steer, obtain emergency steering shaft and tiller from beneath aft bunk.
• Remove deck plate on aft deck and install emergency steering shaft and tiller. Tie lines to end of tiller, route to port and starboard through aft turning blocks, and then to cockpit sheet winches. Use sheet winches to operate tiller.
• If emergency steering unable to steer, create backup steering system using spinnaker pole and piece of plywood from under a berth mattress. Lash and screw plywood to one end of pole, then lower end with plywood overboard at stern of boat. Lash pole to dinghy davit post, leaving several feet of pole extending upwards and forward, to make a steering oar. Tie ropes to upper end of pole and route to port and starboard through aft turning blocks, and then to cockpit sheet winches. Use sheet winches to operate steering oar.
• If steering oar unable to steer, trail warps to port or to starboard to turn boat, use cockpit sheet winch to retrieve warps. Trim sails and/or alter course to make boat easier to steer.

Rigging Failure Procedure

• If a shroud or stay fails, immediately cast off all sheets to relieve pressure on sails, steer boat to relieve pressure on sails and especially on shroud/stay that has failed. Run a spare halliard in place of the failed shroud/stay, tighten halliard, then sail gently to a place where repairs can be made.
• If the mast fails and does not immediately threaten to severely damage the hull, attempt to recover portions of the rigging and sails, then jury-rig a temporary sail plan as best as possible.
• If the mast fails and threatens to severely damage the hull (by pounding into the side and cracking the hull or making a hole), if possible, attempt to secure the broken mast/rigging so it no longer endangers the hull. If this is not possible, cast off the old mast/rigging by removing clevis pins and/or by cutting rigging wires with bolt cutters (under the aft berth mattress), also cut running rigging as required. Be very careful that crew are not injured or dragged overboard by a suddenly released piece of rigging.
• Attempt to jury-rig a temporary sail plan as best as possible.

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