Pan Pan

Pan Pan, Pan Pan, Pan Pan . . . The U.S. Coast Guard has received a report of a person overboard somewhere between the North Carolina Coast and the Bahamas! Wouldn’t all of your sailing friends be surprised if it turned out to be you? How could such a thing happen? Especially - to you!

Ending up in the water during an offshore sailing voyage can happen to anyone. However, you can reduce the chances drastically by observing a few recommended safe practices. First of all, the captain of the vessel needs to establish “standing orders.” That is, a policy to be followed by all watch-standers, at all times, whether the captain is present or not.

The Navy, Coast Guard, and all merchant vessels make use of “standing orders” in the normal course of managing the activity of their underway operations. For a tugboat company, a shipping company, or the military, one such standing order may specify the closest distance that you are permitted to get to another vessel while on the high seas.

As for the captain of a recreational sailing vessel, one “standing order” might be that a “lone watch stander” shall not leave the cockpit unless another member of the crew is present. This policy virtually eliminates the scenario that a fall overboard by a watch stander can go unnoticed. This is especially important after dark.

Speaking of after dark, depending on the experience of the crew or the waters that you are transiting, requiring two watch standers at night may be prudent. The sea conditions may be another reason for requiring two watch standers. The “rule of thumb” should be that as the risk to the crew increases, the precautions increase as well.

Many late model sailing vessels are fully operational from the cockpit (or so they claim). In clear weather and a calm sea state, there can be a lot of “single handing” going on. However, it is still wise to require more than one crew member to participate in tack and jibe maneuvers, especially at night.

Heavy weather is another consideration. In addition to precautions involving two crew members on watch instead of one, there are weather conditions that call for a safety harness. The value of a safety harness is that you become attached to the vessel. In the event that you fall or begin to slide while out on deck, the safety harness keeps you from going overboard.

There are a few basic recommendations for situations requiring a safety harness. One is that you should don the harness below deck before going topside. The risk of donning it once you are outside is that you may go overboard before your harness is in place and protecting you.

Another effective practice is to keep your “center of gravity” low. That is, crouching, kneeling or crawling (where appropriate) is safer than standing upright in rough weather. The tendency to lose your balance is greater as your height above the deck increases.

Lastly, don’t forget that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Attach your harness to strong fittings (through-bolted). And finally, only go swimming where they are serving drinks with little umbrellas in them!

Until next time, I wish you clear skies, fair winds, and calm seas!