Module 4 - Safety
Personal Safety Equipment
What you will learn
Set a personal-safety policy for a coastal passage that combines correct lifejacket fit, a boat-specific clipping route and disciplined kill-cord use.
Personal equipment works as a system. Buoyancy rating, fit, clothing, tether length, attachment route, crew behaviour and maintenance all affect whether it protects somebody in the real emergency.
Level 150 lifejackets are intended for coastal and offshore use and are designed to help turn an unconscious wearer face-up. That performance still depends on the right size and buoyancy for the activity, a snug fit over the clothing actually worn, correctly adjusted crotch straps, serviceable condition and the maker's servicing schedule. Level 275 is aimed at extreme offshore conditions or heavy, air-retaining clothing; it is not automatically the safer choice for every passage.
A safety line connects a correctly fitted harness to a purpose-made strong point or jackstay. Agree the route before conditions worsen, clip on before leaving the protected area and use the shortest suitable tether. Guardrails are not harness attachment points, and jackstays should be kept close to the centreline where practicable. Remaining attached does not make immersion safe: a person dragged alongside can drown, so stop the vessel if a tethered person enters the water.
Where a kill cord is fitted, the driver wears it whenever the engine is running and tests it at the start of the day or session. Stop the engine before changing driver; attach the cord to the new driver before restarting. Do not lengthen it beyond the engine maker's arrangement or clip it to loose clothing that can pull free.
The skipper sets observable triggers rather than relying on 'clip on when it feels rough'. Darkness, reduced visibility, an exposed deck task, a reefing evolution, fatigue, a rising sea or a short-handed watch can all justify an earlier lifejacket and tether policy. Brief the route, strong points and response if somebody is left suspended or enters the water.
Set the policy before the exposed leg
A two-person watch will round a headland after dark in a building sea. One person may need to reef while the other remains at the helm.
1. Fit
Check each lifejacket over the clothing being worn, including crotch straps, firing-head indicators, cylinder condition and service state.
2. Route
Choose purpose-made strong points and a jackstay route that reduces the chance of reaching the water; agree tether changes before anyone leaves the cockpit.
3. Brief
Name the trigger to clip on, the helm response to a fall, the recovery equipment and how one person will raise the alarm while controlling the yacht.
Sense check: A crew member should be able to explain where they will clip, why that tether length is suitable and what the helm will do if prevention fails.
Common mistake or limitation
- A higher Newton rating does not compensate for poor fit, loose crotch straps, unsuitable clothing interaction or overdue servicing.
- A long tether clipped to a guardrail can still put the wearer in the water and load an unsuitable fitting; the attachment plan must be specific to the yacht.
- Waiting until conditions are already severe makes fitting, clipping and briefing harder at exactly the wrong time.
Recap
- Select and fit flotation for the person, clothing, activity and conditions rather than relying on the Newton number alone.
- Clip early to a suitable route that aims to keep the wearer aboard; stop the yacht if a tethered casualty enters the water.
- Use explicit passage triggers, test the kill cord where fitted and brief the response before the risk increases.
Optional quick check
Section 1 of 14
Which briefing best reduces risk before a crew member leaves the cockpit at night?
Sources and factual review
Reviewed 2 September 2026 - Compass Revision editorial review.
Continue studying Safety
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