Powerboat, PW and Inland Waterways


Man Overboard! Emergency situation?


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omeone entering the water when they weren’t expecting to could be either funny


(walking off the end of a pontoon in a marina whilst distracted) or extremely serious (being flung out of a powerboat when the boat hooks). Funny or serious, the life- threatening implications are the same. The very real possibility of cold shock exists. Cold shock happens within the first 2-3 minutes of immersion. The casualty breathes uncontrollably and is likely to inhale water. The most important thing for them to do is to rest in the water, protect their airways and wait for their breathing to regulate. At this stage, the risk of a heart attack is really high as the body works overtime to cope with the sudden temperature change. Assuming the casualty is wearing personal buoyancy, they don’t need to tread water and put extra strain on their already busy heart. According to Mike Tipton


and Frank Golden in their book Essentials of Sea Survival, the gasp reflex (uncontrollable rapid breathing and reduced breath- hold time) can occur in water up to 15ºC. There is an impact on breathing rate in water as warm as 25ºC, but not as extreme as under


that 15ºC, so cold shock is a risk almost everywhere. We are all well aware of the


steps to take to ensure the recovery of a casualty, but are we accidentally playing down (by omission or brushing over it in favour of the boat positioning aspect) the point that a distress call should be made as a priority? It is obviously of utmost


importance that the person in the water is recovered in a safe and timely manner, but sometimes that recovery is not as straightforward as it may at first have seemed. It’s actually quite difficult to recover an adult wearing waterproofs onto a small powerboat. Every second that the person is in the water counts as they lose body heat 20 times quicker in water than in air, so it is a race against time as they lose dexterity and start to fatigue. When we are teaching


powerboating it is important that our students recognise that falling overboard is a life-threatening emergency situation. Making a distress call on VHF ensures that help is on its way. It is easy to downgrade the call by letting the Coastguard know you have recovered the casualty, they are unhurt and you are returning to port as a precaution. It is not so


Rachel Andrews Chief Instructor, Motor Cruising & Power


E-mail: rachel.andrews@rya.org.uk Tel: 023 8060 4187


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easy to upgrade the call once you’ve been trying for some time to recover the casualty and are struggling to get them on board as they start to lose consciousness. The rescue services would much rather come out and be turned around when the casualty is recovered, than turn up when the casualty is in grave danger with the crew trying in vain to recover them as they lose consciousness and become unable to help themselves. Whenever we are teaching


man overboard recovery, we must discuss cold shock. Crucially, we must incorporate the distress call into the drill: » Shout » Point » Make a distress call (could be delegated to a crew member)


» Work out wind direction » Begin approach to casualty » Contact » Engine off » Recover casualty Please remember that on all


Powerboat courses except Safety Boat, we use a dummy of perhaps a small fender with a little bit of chain to simulate the casualty. We do not use a person in the water. When looking at the various


recovery methods in the Safety Boat course, the boat should be at anchor, moored up or tied up alongside with the engine off. The person being recovered from the water must be in appropriate clothing.


Revalidating your Trainer appointment


rom January 2017 there will be a new requirement for Powerboat Trainers when their appointment is due for revalidation. As well as the existing


requirement for practical revalidation every five years and the delivery of at least one instructor course, Powerboat and Personal Watercraft Trainers will also be required to attend the RYA National Training Conference whilst Inland Waterways Trainers will be required to attend a relevant conference at least once in the five year period. See page 3 for the Training


Notice issued earlier this month.


RYA Powerboat Handbook –


3rd Edition Available in both print and digital. Bundle discount applies for personal members when buying via the webshop. Order code: G13 or e-G13 RRP: £16.49


Discounts apply for RYA members and training centres.


SAVE THE DATE RYA Training Conference


Supported by Arthur J Gallagher 21-22 January 2017


Alexandra House, Swindon www.rya.org.uk


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