CHAPTER 11


A number of proprietary products exist on the market to cope with such a contingency, and at least some of these can be taken seriously. The old sailing ship method of ‘fothering’ a leak by passing a spare sail under the boat and covering the hole has been known to work well enough to see a yacht home. If, however, the boat has been constructed so that the whole hull is accessible from within (as it should be), then there is precedent for contriving a bung by stuffing bedding wrapped in plastic into the gap, or shoring things up with plywood and wedges. Ingenuity and a cool head must be assisted by a plentiful supply of mastics, old pieces of plywood and, in particular, fast-acting underwater epoxy or putty.


Fire


there may be many skin fittings. Perhaps a pipe has let go that can be cured simply by shutting off a seacock. If the boat has been properly constructed these outlets will be accessible. They should all have been visited long before a problem develops and the skipper should know where they are. The engine is a good place to start. If it proves impossible to close the aperture with a seacock, drive in a softwood bung with a big hammer. Ideally, one of these should be hung from the fitting. As a second best, a selection must be stowed accessibly in a dedicated place. They aren’t needed often, but when they are, there is not a moment to be lost.


An extreme case of skin-fitting failure occurs when a spade rudder is lost. The open gland aperture may lie on or just below the surface and be too large to bung. As always, this possibility should be considered early, ensuring that the kit necessary to shore up some sort of cover inside the hole is on board to save the ship. The result might not be watertight, but it can bring the leak within the capacity of the pumps.


Hull failure - If the watertight integrity of the hull itself is breached then, no matter what material the boat is built of, you have a major problem. With the hole anywhere near the waterline, the first job is to trim the boat to keep the damage as close to the surface as possible. This is easily arranged for a sailing boat with damage around amidships by ‘tacking’ the hole onto the windward side. More initiative will be required on a motor vessel, perhaps involving moving heavy weights all to one side - to windward if this can be contrived.


In 2004, the RNLI statistics showed that of 1,711 launches to sailing craft, only a dozen were for fire. Motor boats have a higher level of call-outs, but even so, the danger lies low down the list. The statistics do not tell the whole story, however, because boats also suffer fire damage or total loss from fire in harbour. Whatever the figures, however, fire at sea is a terrible experience which debilitates the mind. This is therefore a case where training, or at least a planned series of actions, can give a crew their best chance of surviving and perhaps saving their vessel as well.


Guidelines when fire is discovered • Advise all crew of the situation and get them on deck in life jackets. On larger vessels it may be necessary to shout, ‘Fire!’, but raised voices are best avoided in small craft as it winds up stress levels unnecessarily.


paper


Water Foam


DRY POWDER ABC types BC types


CO2


✔ ✔


chemical


✖ ✔


electrical


✖ ✖


✔ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✔ ✔


✖ ✔ ✔


Note: Halon subsitute extinguishers are available. For clarification on use consult manufacturers or suppliers.


MANUAL OF SEAMANSHIP | 113


Emergencies


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