Module 20 - Special Situations Afloat
Abandon Ship and Liferaft Use
What you will learn
Separate early survival preparation from the final decision to leave, then apply the actual liferaft procedure without relying on a universal launch side.
A liferaft preserves life after the yacht no longer does. Preparing it early creates an option; leaving too early can exchange a visible, equipped platform for a smaller and more exposed one.
The familiar 'step up into the liferaft' phrase captures a useful bias: a damaged yacht may remain more visible, sheltered and equipped than a raft. It is not an exact trigger. Fire, toxic atmosphere, capsize, structural failure, sinking rate, weather and rescue instructions can make staying aboard the greater danger before the deck is literally below the raft.
Prepare early: account for people, lifejackets and thermal protection; send the appropriate distress communication; make the raft accessible; ready the grab bag, portable communications, beacon and essential medication; and brief launch, boarding and headcount. Check what the raft already carries and follow its service and manufacturer instructions.
The launch side is condition-specific. Wind, fire, rigging, wreckage, hull damage, sea and rescue approach can make windward or leeward unsuitable. Secure the painter to the correct strong point before deployment as required by the raft procedure, keep control until boarding is committed and do not cut or release merely because the canopy inflated.
Board as dry and directly as the situation permits, complete a headcount and maintain communication. After separation, use the raft's own instructions for painter, drogue, openings and equipment. This lesson cannot demonstrate raft deployment, water entry, righting, boarding or survival competence; those need practical sea-survival training and the exact raft pack.
| State | Decision | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare | Make survival systems immediately usable | Casualty may worsen or access may be lost |
| Stand by | Keep yacht and raft options open | Yacht remains the safer controlled platform |
| Leave | Transfer people under the actual raft procedure | Staying has become more dangerous |
| Maintain | Headcount, communicate, stabilise and survive | Raft clear and all people accounted for |
Prepare without crossing the leave threshold
Flooding is being contained but the level is not yet stable. The raft is accessible and rescue services have been contacted.
1. Build the option
Ready people, raft, grab bag, beacon and portable communications now.
2. State the leave evidence
Brief which change in fire, flooding, stability, structure or rescue instruction makes the yacht less safe.
3. Choose the side at the time
Compare wind, fire, debris, rig and sea rather than applying one remembered side.
4. Control boarding
Follow the raft procedure, maintain attachment until the boarding decision and complete a headcount.
Sense check: Early preparation is valuable precisely because it does not require the skipper to abandon early.
Common mistake or limitation
- Using 'step up' as a literal waterline rule rather than comparing the two survival platforms.
- Waiting until the final leave decision to find the raft, grab bag, painter or medication.
- Launching automatically to leeward without checking fire, debris, rigging, sea and rescue approach.
- Releasing the painter or losing attachment before the transfer and headcount are controlled.
Recap
- Prepare the raft and survival equipment early while the yacht may still be the safer platform.
- The leave threshold is evidence-based, not one universal phrase or waterline.
- Launch side and attachment follow the actual casualty, raft and manufacturer procedure.
- Practical sea-survival competence cannot be proved in a written lesson.
Optional quick check
Section 8 of 12
Flooding is worsening but the yacht remains stable and rescue services are in contact. What is the strongest use of the liferaft now?
Sources and factual review
Reviewed 20 August 2026 - Compass Revision editorial review.
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