[davidpm]

This question is inspired by SmackDaddy's when to get off thread.

The following is what I come up with off the top of my head.
What did I miss.

Location and/or operation of:

Life jackets
Throw-able.
Anchor
Bilge pump and manual switch
Manual pump and handle.
spotlight
fuel shutoff
battery switch
boat hook
Engine, start, stop gears and throttle.
Disconnect reconnect auto-helm
Raise and lower sails
Radio
Chart plotter
Fenders
Dock lines
Depth Transducer
Through-hulls
Tool-box
Flares
Horn


I'm thinking of a situation where I get a call from and experienced captain who wants my help moving his boat just a hundred or two miles.

I hop on the boat he takes off, I'm just crew. He knows all their is about the boat.
I can think of several scenarios where if something even relatively minor goes wrong it would be really important for me to know the location and operation of one or more of the above list.

 

[paikea]

EPIRBs
Extinguishers

I also read about this already made and prepared "abandon-bags".

 

[rockDAWG]

It is nice to get on a boat the night before and check out the boat before departure. But it is often difficult. Like you said, the captain takes off soon after you come aboard. This is common, happened to me all the time. The good news is there is always a 15 to 20 min free time that I can check around and open all floor boards and take a good look. Thereafter, I will ask a few questions and continue to walk around the deck and kick the tires, check the life raft and make sure it is not locked. I am done and happy, then let's raise the sails and start sailing.

I will continue to learn more about the boat and captain along the way, so there is no surprise.

 

[nolatom]

Mine is short and simple, since on an outboard-auxiliary keel sport boat, typically with sailing students as passengers:

Lifesaving--jackets, cushion, MOB procedure

Fire--extinguisher, where, how use, who to tell

Bilge--where to look, who to tell

Motor--how to run, stop (including deadman's lanyard) and not spill gasoline

Distress--how to summon if it's me (da skippah) who got bonked. VHF, cell phone, other..

Anchor--where, how to use, remember to tie it off *before* anchors aweigh... ;-)

Winch use, safety, preservation of fingers..


this comes naturally since I'm teaching anyway. But I agree it's a good idea to do each time you go out with whomever. Just keep it short enough that you don't hit "MEGO"**




** "My Eyes Glaze Over" ;-)

 

[aa3jy]

How the head works....:laugher

 

[paikea]

The sad part is that most ( and thats probably including me as well) wouldn't have the discipline to actually go over the "what can go wrong" and be prepared to know where is what etc. The boat owner might very well be unconscious, and then you search in the dark. For many people unless they had a few close situations to give them a long term wake up call, they would just skip this step.

 

[JonEisberg]

The following is what I come up with off the top of my head.
What did I miss.

Well, one of the most critical of all, potentially:

Emergency tiller

Nah, doesn't really matter, 99% of the time they're completely useless, anyway...

 

[newhaul]

Emergency plugs for thru hulls and mallet/ hammer to set them

 

[davidpm]

Like RockDawg said there is seldom time to go over the whole list.

I think I will actually combine all these items into a physical list and make it my business to work through it while I'm taking shifts.

I'm already the odd guy out and often made fun of as I always wear a life jacket and sleep with my feet to the bulkhead.

So having a list can't make it any worse.

 

[davidpm]

How the head works....:laugher

That is actually something I do check out as I don't want to deal with hidden valves or some other odd setup in the middle of the night.

 

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Didn't see anything mentioned for knowing where the First Aid Kit is located. Not only that, going through it and seeing what it contains. Some kits could be small and only be a few bandages or more complex with trauma kit, splints, and more. But also knowing how to use everything in the kits could be very useful.

Being familiar with it will also help you know where to go quickly to grab what you need when you need it without wasting time looking for a certain piece.

 

[capecodda]

When helping on a delivery, I'm asking lots of questions.

First the experience of my crew mates. A long discussion.

Second the condition of the boat. A long discussion followed by an inspection.

This includes when helping out friends. I let people know in advance that this is the way I work. If they don't like it, get someone else.

I know delivery captains that bring their own portable navigation equipment, even know a guy who brings a compass he can mount in the cockpit wedged between the cockpit lockers on a 2x4. But you cannot bring your own rudder, hull, standing rigging, sails, and engine

If the boat's a mess and/or the crew is bad on a trip where watches are required, don't go. If a guy wants to meet me and throw the lines, unless we are going day sailing and he's got a sea tow membership, don't go.

 

[SVAuspicious]

The location of the anchor windlass circuit breaker can be an issue, especially if it was added after the boat left the factory. The darn thing can be anywhere.

Just about anything can be a safety issue depending on what goes wrong. There is rarely time to go over everything.

Didn't see anything mentioned for knowing where the First Aid Kit is located. Not only that, going through it and seeing what it contains. Some kits could be small and only be a few bandages or more complex with trauma kit, splints, and more. But also knowing how to use everything in the kits could be very useful.

We carry a small convenience first aid kit and a separate big kit. This is a fairly common practice.

 

[svHyLyte]

We have a "you need to know" hand-out list of all of the important information about the boat that we send or give to visitors a day or so before their scheduled visit. On the day of the visit we review head operations, safety procedures, life jacket locations (although we fit most with inflatable PFD's before departure), fire blanket and extinguishers location/operation etc. We also have and point out a chart listing all of the through-hull fittings that is posted at the Nav table. Plugs are attached to each fitting and we have rubber mallets (which are quite inexpensive) in several of the lockers.

 

[MarkofSeaLife]

Risk assessments are VITAL! You must access the risk of your 3 hour sail around the harbour with friends who don't know a thing about safety to the risk of looking like a complete and utter meglomaniac making your friends don life vests, MOB prac and 20 push-ups on the foredeck.


And when getting on someone elses boat and pulling out a pencil and drawing a schematic of their fire extinguisher layout will never lead to another invitation... Unless its to a bar 1,000 miles from the closest H2O.


This also goes for some boats printed briefing sent to guests to be read and signed in triplicate... One I scanned through was over 20 pages! Visa Cards TOS are shorter!

 

[gamayun]

I've given this a lot of thought over the short time I've been sailing. Most of the time when I go out it's just me and a friend who's often not an experienced sailor; in fact, it is more than likely their first time on a boat. I would overwhelm them if I threw out a list like this. The main thing I tell them is what to do if I should go overboard (how to make an emergency VHF call, how to drop the sails, how to turn on the engine, how to deploy the life ring). Everything else we can deal with on the fly if the emergency presents itself. For offshore and longer transits, I do go through the whole list including what is in the ditch bag and where it is located. Mostly I tell them how THEY can be safe on my boat.