Emergency Procedures

Immediate Actions — Everyone on Deck

1. Shout "MAN OVERBOARD!" loudly and repeatedly until the whole crew responds
2. Point at the person — one person is assigned solely to watching. Arm extended, pointing constantly. Never look away for any reason.
3. Press the MOB button on the chartplotter — this saves the GPS position of where they entered the water
4. Throw the life ring / dan buoy from the stern — throw it as close to the person as possible, even if they are a strong swimmer. Throw as many floatables as available.
5. Engine on — put in neutral. Do not engage the prop near the person in the water.
6. Call to the skipper if not already on deck

Maintaining Visual Contact

• The person pointing does nothing else — they do not trim sails, handle lines, help with anything. One job: keep pointing, keep watching.
• In rough seas or poor light, a person in the water disappears between waves. Keep eyes moving rhythmically — don't stare at one point, scan the area.
• Never jump in to help unless as a final last resort, with explicit skipper instruction, wearing a life jacket and tethered to the boat. Two people in the water doubles the problem.

Quick Stop Recovery — What the Skipper Will Do

1. Immediately put the helm hard over to windward — the boat tacks toward the wind
2. Leave the headsail backed (don't release it) — this helps the boat spin quickly
3. The boat gybes around and comes up on the other tack, now heading back toward the MOB position
4. Bear away slightly to position the boat 2–3 boat-lengths upwind of the person
5. Head up into wind on the final approach, using engine in neutral to bleed off speed
6. Stop the boat so they are close to leeward — the wind will drift the boat down toward them

Approach and Recovery

1. Always approach from downwind / leeward — so the boat drifts toward the person, not over them
2. Keep the propeller away from the person — put engine in neutral when within 10 metres
3. Throw a line as soon as they are within reach — ensure they can grab it and hang on
4. Deploy the stern boarding ladder
5. If the person is too exhausted to climb: use a halyard looped under their arms as a sling, and winch them up. Or use a horse collar rescue strop if available in the grab bag.
6. On a larger boat: a looped line under their foot (mast step method) to give them a leg up

After Recovery

• Bring the person below immediately — get them out of wet clothing
• Wrap in blankets and sleeping bags — treat for hypothermia even if the water felt warm (see First Aid)
• Monitor for shock: pale/clammy skin, rapid weak pulse, confusion, loss of consciousness
• Keep them lying down, warm and still
• Consider medical evacuation if person was in the water for a long time, shows hypothermia, or is in shock
• Log the incident — time, position, conditions, duration in water

When to Declare Mayday

Mayday is for immediate threat to life: the boat is sinking, there is an uncontrolled fire, someone overboard and missing, or a life-threatening medical emergency requiring evacuation. Use it when you need help urgently and lives are at stake. Don't hesitate — coast guards would rather respond to a Mayday that resolves itself than hear about one that wasn't called.

Mayday Call — Transmit This Word for Word on Channel 16

• Transmit on Channel 16, full power (25W)
• If no response within 1 minute, repeat the full call
• After a response: switch to a working channel as instructed by coast guard, but keep one radio on Ch16
• Speak slowly and clearly — stress makes people rush and slur
• GPS coordinates from the chartplotter: press and hold the position display to read off lat/long

Pan Pan Call — Urgent But Not Life-Threatening

Use Pan Pan when you need urgent assistance but lives are not immediately at risk: engine failure near a shipping lane, medical problem that needs advice, person injured but stable, vessel disabled in poor weather.

After Calling Mayday

1. Keep watch on Channel 16 — maintain a radio on Ch16 at all times while distress is active
2. If a vessel is sighted: fire parachute flares to attract their attention
3. Activate the EPIRB if the situation is life-threatening and evacuation may be needed
4. Prepare the life raft and grab bag — but don't deploy until necessary
5. Keep all crew in life jackets
6. Provide position updates to coast guard — you may be drifting

Immediate Actions

1. Shout "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!" — everyone on deck immediately
2. Identify the location — is it on deck or below? Electrical, galley, or engine?
3. Turn off the engine — red stop button at helm panel
4. Close the gas valve — starboard cockpit locker, red valve labelled GAS. Turn clockwise to close.
5. Do not open any hatch toward a below-deck fire — opening a hatch introduces oxygen and can cause explosive flame growth
6. Grab the fire extinguisher — aim at the base of the flames, not the top, not the smoke. Sweep side to side.
7. Head the boat upwind — position the vessel so the fire is downwind, reducing spread

What Not to Do

• Never use water on an electrical fire — conducts electricity, risk of electrocution, can spread burning fluid
• Never use water on a fuel or gas fire — spreads the burning fuel across the boat
• Do not open the engine bay hatch if there is fire below in the engine compartment — the engine bay has a fixed extinguisher that needs a sealed space to work

Below-Deck Fire (Cannot Be Reached Safely)

1. Seal the companionway hatch and all ports — deprive the fire of oxygen
2. All crew in life jackets on deck
3. Transmit Mayday on Channel 16
4. Activate EPIRB
5. Deploy life raft — over the leeward side
6. Grab the grab bag
7. Abandon ship — only when fire is clearly uncontrollable and staying aboard is more dangerous than the raft

After Fire Is Extinguished

• Do not re-enter an area with any smouldering — it can reignite
• Ventilate thoroughly before going below
• Identify and isolate the cause before using that system again
• Contact coast guard even if fire is out — advise of your status and position
• Consider heading to the nearest port for inspection

Grounding — running aground on a sandbank, rocky shoal, or reef — is more common than most sailors admit. In the Ionian, the main risks are uncharted shallow patches, shoaling entrances, and navigating close to shore in poor light. Most groundings are recoverable without major damage if you act calmly and methodically.

Immediate Actions

1. Don't panic. The boat is probably not about to sink — take a breath and assess before acting.
2. Engine off — if you are on rocks, a running propeller can be severely damaged or wreck the engine. Turn it off immediately if you hear or feel grounding on hard material.
3. Check for flooding — go below, lift the sole boards, check the bilge. Is water coming in? If yes, skip to Flooding procedure.
4. Note the tide — is it rising (wait and you may float off) or falling (you must act now before you dry out)? Check the tide app or ask the skipper.
5. Do not try to motor off hard immediately — first understand what you're on and which way is deeper water

Attempting to Refloat

1. Heel the boat — move all crew to one side (usually toward deeper water). Heeling reduces the draft by 20–40cm, which is often enough to float free on sand.
2. Motor astern (if on sand/mud) while heeled — use engine carefully to try to back out the way you came
3. Kedging: take the anchor in the dinghy (or swim it on a line) to deeper water. Drop it and use the anchor winch to pull the boat off. This takes time but works.
4. Redistribute weight — move heavy items (water, fuel cans, anchors) to the lighter side
5. Wait for a wave or wash from a passing vessel — this can briefly lift the keel

Calling for Assistance

• If unable to free the boat after 30–60 minutes of effort: call a Pan Pan on Channel 16
• A nearby vessel or coast guard inflatable may be able to pull you off with a tow line
• Commercial towing services operate in most Greek island areas — the skipper has contact numbers
• If tide is falling and you are on rocks with possible hull damage: Mayday may be appropriate

A yacht can take on water for several reasons: grounding damage, a failed through-hull fitting or sea cock, a split hose, or a broken rudder gland. Finding the source quickly is critical.

Immediate Actions

1. Shout to the skipper. Do not investigate alone — get all hands.
2. Find the source. Systematically check all through-hull fittings (engine cooling, cockpit drains, toilet inlet/outlet, depth transducer). Feel along hoses for wetness. Check around the base of the mast (deck collar). Check the keel bolts.
3. Start the manual bilge pump immediately to slow the rise — red T-handle in the cockpit sole. One person pumps while others search for the source.
4. Close the relevant sea cock if the source is a through-hull fitting — turn the lever 90° to close it (lever across the pipe = closed). The skipper will have shown you each sea cock location during the walk-around.

Plugging the Leak

• Wooden bungs — we carry softwood bungs taped to each through-hull fitting. In an emergency, drive the bung into the fitting with a mallet or your palm to stop the flow.
• Rags, clothing, or cushion foam can be stuffed into a breach to slow water ingress while you work on a proper plug
• Underwater epoxy putty (in the first aid/emergency kit) can seal small splits in the hull as a temporary measure

Pumping

• Manual bilge pump: cockpit, red T-handle. Efficient for moderate water — one person can move 20–30 litres per minute.
• Engine-driven bilge pump: when the engine is running, a larger bilge pump runs automatically. Start the engine if it is safe to do so.
• Bucket brigade — do not dismiss this. Two or three people with large buckets can remove water faster than the manual pump in an emergency.

When to Call Mayday

A medical emergency at sea ranges from a bad cut that needs stitches to a cardiac event requiring immediate evacuation. The first question is always: can this wait until we reach port, or does this person need to be off this boat urgently?

Assessment

• Immediate evacuation needed: chest pain with arm/jaw radiation (possible heart attack), stroke symptoms (face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty — act FAST), unconscious and unresponsive, uncontrolled severe bleeding, suspected spinal injury, severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), symptoms rapidly worsening
• Can wait for port (urgent but stable): broken limb with no circulation compromise, severe but stable laceration, fever without deteriorating consciousness, possible appendicitis presenting early

Making the Call

• If in doubt, call Pan Pan on Channel 16 and ask coast guard for medical advice — they have medical officers available 24/7
• Greece: coast guard via Channel 16 or call 108 (Limenarehio / Port Police) or 166 (EKAV first aid)
• For life-threatening emergencies: Mayday with "medical emergency" as the nature of distress

Helicopter Evacuation — How to Assist

1. Maintain radio contact with coast guard — they will give specific instructions
2. Clear the deck of all loose items — cushions, fenders, halyards, anything that can be blown aloft by rotor wash
3. Drop or furl all sails completely — no loose canvas anywhere
4. Head into wind or as directed — reduce speed to minimum or heave-to
5. Keep engine running to maintain position, but be ready to put it in neutral if instructed
6. The helicopter will lower a rescue swimmer or a winch wire — do not touch the wire until it has touched the water or deck (discharges static electricity)
7. Follow the rescue swimmer's instructions exactly — they are in command of the rescue
8. Maintain heading and speed as instructed — do not make sudden manoeuvres during the lift

Emergency Numbers — Greece

When to Abandon Ship

• Fire below that is uncontrolled and spreading despite efforts
• Flooding that cannot be controlled and the boat is visibly sinking
• The skipper gives the order — do not abandon ship on individual initiative

Abandon Ship Procedure

1. Everyone dons life jackets — this happens first, before anything else is touched
2. Transmit Mayday on Channel 16 if not already done — include GPS position and "abandoning ship"
3. Activate EPIRB — hold the antenna upright and take it with you into the raft
4. Grab the grab bag — it is pre-packed and clipped near the companionway for this reason
5. Deploy the life raft — throw it over the leeward side, pull the painter hard until inflation begins
6. Wait for full inflation (15–30 seconds) — do not try to board a partially inflated raft
7. Board the raft — assist weakest/injured crew first. Do not jump onto the raft from height.
8. Do not cut the painter until all crew are aboard — the painter keeps you alongside
9. Cut the painter and push clear of the boat (use the paddle or hands)
10. Stay together and with the raft — do not attempt to swim to shore unless it is extremely close and conditions are calm

Grab Bag Contents — Know This List

In the Life Raft

• Stay with the capsized or sinking vessel as long as it is safe to do so — it is vastly easier to spot from the air than a raft
• Keep EPIRB with antenna upright — leave it activated
• Transmit your position on the handheld VHF every 30 minutes
• Only fire flares when a vessel or aircraft is within visual range — conserve them
• Ration water from the first moment — minimum 0.5L per person per day, more if active or hot
• Treat any hypothermia immediately — share body warmth, use thermal blankets