skipper practices man-overboard drills and is pre- or hose fails.

The hose to the seacock should be fas-

pared for emergencies. The Life Sling, developed in tened with two stainless steel hose clamps.
the Northwest, is a very useful piece of equipment for Fuel fills and tank vents need attention on the
getting a crewman back aboard. Videotapes demon- bluewater cruiser as well. I once spent seven days get-
strating its use are available at many marine chand- ting to Bermuda because salt water had entered the
leries. fuel-tank vents, knocked out the engine with its

attendant electrical supply, and left us dependent on

wind and sun sights (in cloudy weather) to complete
the trip. The deck fills can have their threads coated
Safety Below
with waterproof grease (but only if there is a can of
Below decks it is necessary to have adequate waterproof grease aboard), and the vents can be fitted

handrails, leeboards, and safety straps so that crew with covers or sealed off with plastic food wrap in an
members are not injured m a fall. Fore-and-aft emergency Since powerboats must have their fuel-

handrails should be through-bolted to the cabin tank vents open, careful installation is essential to

overhead —one on the centerline in small craft, and ensure they are out of reach of the seas and protected
two rails a few feet apart in larger vessels. Strong fid- from rain and spray.

dles, through-bolted, can act as handrails in an emer- Self-bailing cockpits are now fitted to almost all

gency as well. We have mentioned leeboards on the sailing yachts except the very smallest. The compan-
berths, but a seldom-seen and very useful safety fea- ionway door should be able to be blocked up to the

ture is a waist-high handrail within easy reach of the height of the cockpit seats, with removable shdes if a

toilet. permanent bridge deck is not fitted, so water does

The galley should be fitted with a rail so the cook not rush below before it can drain. In the event it

cannot fall into the stove. A waist belt, or straps, add takes on water, the cockpit should be small enough
security smce the cook often needs both hands to that the weight of the water does not trim down the

work. Also, a safe skipper insists that the cook wear stern so far that seas climb aboard faster than the

foul-weather gear if the sea is rough, since this can drains it them out. Overly large cockpits can be filled

prevent bad burns in case of a scalding spill. in as necessary with Styrofoam blocking, firmly held
in place.

If it does enter, water must be pumped out as

quickly as possible. An adequate hand pump is
Keeping Water Out no matter how many electric or engine-
essential,

The windows and ports of offshore cruisers operated pumps are aboard, and it must be one that

should have adequate shutters that can be bolted in can suck trash without clogging. Although it has been

place in an emergency Hatches require covers, shut- said that the best pump is a frightened man wnth a

ters, or other means of closing off the large area in an bucket, I like the big diaphragm pumps, like those

emergency and ventilators need plugs or other means made by Edson in the United States and Whale and

to close off the opening. Seacocks must be fitted on Henderson in England. These pumps should be

all through-hull openings. They should be seated on mounted so they can be operated from the helm in
heavy reinforcement, be kept in good working order, case the skipper is alone. A second pump, operable

and have a soft pine plug nearby in case the seacock from below decks, is advisable on larger craft.

SAFETY AT SEA

79