Knowledge Check: Chapter 7

When broadcasting a safety message, such as MAYDAY for grave in imminent danger, we repeat the keyword three times to really get the attention of rescue services and other vessels. Repetition increases the ability for others to understand and clarify important details about a situation.

Q: Which radio message would you use to advise that your vessel is in grave and imminent danger?

In times of distress, there are many ways to attract attention. To do this, you have a wide variety of safety equipment such as a marine radio, v sheet, torch, red/orange flares etc. In the worst case scenario, we have safety gear that can assist us in getting out of a dilemma.

Two of the most common methods of attracting attention is using orange flares (during daytime) and red flares (during the night), and physically waving your arms. Both methods signal that assistance is required.

Q: Which of the following is NOT a distress signal?

Something’s gone very wrong to have yourself or a passenger be winched away to safety. In these scenarios, it’s important to attach the winch only to the the rescue sled or person requiring assistance. Never attach a winch cable to your boat.

Q: A seriously injured passenger is about to be winched from your vessel by helicopter. To prevent the winch cable from swinging away from your vessel while you make final preparations, would you attach the cable to a part of your vessel?

In this chapter we learnt about marine radios and how they are an important part of your vessels safety equipment. With marine radios, the 3 key broadcasts you need to know will contain the words SECURITE, PAN PAN or MAYDAY.

SECURITE is a safety message such as a weather warning. It can be broadcast by yourself or from others boaters and shore stations.

PAN PAN is a urgent safety message that is not life-threatening, such a broken leg.

MAYDAY is also an urgent safety message, however it is for grave and immediate danger such as a capsize.

Whichever of the above is being broadcast, it must be repeated three times (i.e., MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY). These words we will get the attention of emergency services, other vessels and shore stations. You must not clog up the radio frequency with other messages whilst one of these situations is being broadcast.

Q: A radio message beginning with ‘SECURITE, SECURITE, SECURITE’ indicates which of the following?

Flares don’t burn for long, so there’s no point setting one off if no one is around to see it. It’s highly advisable to wait until you can see the shore, a plane overhead or another vessel before activating a flare.

Q: In an emergency situation the best time to set off distress flares to maximise the chance they will be seen is:

When capsizing occurs, it presents a life-threatening situation. The best method to deal with this is through prevention. This can be done through pre-departure checks such as vessel maintenance and weather forecasts, specifically the wind strength and the resulting chop and swell waves. Capsizing can also be prevented by simply not overloading your vessel and planning your trip to avoid open areas where waves and wind can suddenly increase.

Should the worst occur and you capsize, stay with the vessel is possible, and stay together in the HELP or HUDDLE positions. This will slow the onset of hypothermia and provide rescue with a larger ‘object’ to spot. Making yourself easy to sport is your best chance of survival. You should also raise the alarm by activating your EPIRB or PLB. And if you don’t have either, well, it’s been good knowing you.

Don’t rely on luck, be a responsible skipper. Plan for the worst, and hope for the best.

Q: Your vessel has capsized and remains partially submerged. As the Master / operator of the vessel, which of the following would be the correct course of action for you to take?

Having a phone is a great way to communicate when close to the shore or a phone tower. If you have decent service, it’s usually best to call triple-zero (000) in the event of an emergency. We recommend purchasing a waterproof pocket for your phone (i.e., a buoyant air-sealing bag) and a lanyard which can wrap around your neck.

Q: You are out on your vessel when an incident occurs that puts you in immediate need of assistance. Your only form of communication is a mobile telephone. Who should you call for assistance?

A man overboard situation is serious . In conditions of heightened risk, such as night time boating, boating alone, operating in coastal waters etc. it’s advisable to tether yourself and your passengers to the vessel, particularly when underway. In the event that someone does end up ‘in the drink’, you should stop the propellor immediately, find the person in the water, throw a flotation device to them (such as a life ring), keep them in sight at all times, then drift towards them to get them back onboard. An often overlooked consideration here is does your vessel have steps or a ladder, if not how would you get them back onboard? Pulling someone up is harder than you think and there is a risk that you both end up in the water. Regardless, have a plan and do some man overboard drills to ensure you and your passengers are ready for the worst.

Q: Which of the following sets of actions best describes the immediate action you should take when a person goes overboard?

You must know the meaning of these marine radio calls. Click and drag the following radio call signs to match them up with their definition.