Module 20 - Special Situations Afloat
Medical Emergencies
What you will learn
Support trained first aid with vessel control, early Coastguard contact, clear casualty information and a route or recovery decision.
At sea, the medical response and the navigation response are inseparable. The skipper must protect the casualty while keeping enough people, communications and vessel control to reach or receive effective help.
Use current first-aid training for the immediate assessment and treatment; this lesson does not prescribe a clinical sequence. Stop the mechanism of injury, protect the casualty from further harm and make the vessel stable enough for care. Do not assign the only competent helm or radio operator to a task that leaves the yacht uncontrolled.
Contact HM Coastguard early for a serious or uncertain medical incident. MCA telemedical guidance says the first contact for UK TMAS is HM Coastguard, which connects the designated medical provider and coordinates response. Report position, vessel, communications, casualty age if known, conscious/breathing state, symptoms or injury, onset, treatment, relevant history/medication and sea conditions as accurately as possible.
Record times, observations, treatment and advice. Repeat back critical instructions and report changes rather than editing the earlier story. The command decision may be to divert, rendezvous, prepare helicopter or lifeboat transfer, continue under monitoring or request immediate rescue; distance alone does not decide because weather, access, crew, casualty trajectory and receiving care differ.
Recovery from water must be planned for the actual freeboard, casualty state, equipment and conditions. MCA guidance emphasises ship-specific arrangements and the ability to recover an incapacitated person. Follow trained medical advice for positioning and handling; do not turn 'keep horizontal' or any other mnemonic into a universal lifting method that the yacht cannot perform safely.
| Report block | Useful content | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Position, course, speed and conditions | Coordinates the response |
| What | Conscious/breathing state, injury or symptoms and onset | Supports medical triage |
| Change | Trend and treatment already given | Shows urgency and avoids duplication |
| Capability | Crew, equipment, access and communications | Shapes rendezvous or evacuation |
| Plan | Current route and alternatives | Lets Coastguard coordinate the handover |
Give Coastguard a usable medical picture
A crew member has a head injury and becomes increasingly confused. The nearest harbour is not automatically the safest receiving point.
1. Stabilise both systems
Apply trained first aid and reduce vessel workload with clear helm, lookout and radio roles.
2. Call early
Contact Coastguard with position, casualty state, trend, treatment and communications.
3. Record and repeat
Write times and advice, read back critical instructions and report deterioration.
4. Choose the handover
Compare diversion, rendezvous and rescue against weather, route, casualty trend and receiving care.
Sense check: A short route to a berth is not automatically the quickest route to appropriate medical care.
Common mistake or limitation
- Waiting for certainty before contacting Coastguard about a serious or deteriorating casualty.
- Giving a diagnosis while omitting observations, onset, treatment and change over time.
- Letting casualty care consume helm, lookout and communications until the yacht creates a second emergency.
- Choosing the nearest harbour without checking access, weather and the medical handover route.
Recap
- Use trained first aid while maintaining a stable vessel and clear roles.
- HM Coastguard is the first contact for UK telemedical advice at sea.
- Position, observed state, trend, treatment and capability make advice actionable.
- Diversion and recovery methods depend on the casualty, yacht, conditions and receiving care.
Optional quick check
Section 9 of 12
A casualty with a head injury is becoming more confused. What is the strongest skipper response?
Sources and factual review
Reviewed 20 August 2026 - Compass Revision editorial review.
- RYA Yachtmaster Offshore examination scope
- RYA Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore Theory course
- RYA equipment for UK pleasure vessels
- MCA MGN 599 Amendment 1 — pleasure-vessel safety guidance
- RYA first aid afloat
- MCA MGN 623 — telemedical advice service at sea
- MCA MGN 544 Amendment 1 — recovery of persons from the water
- MCA GMDSS VHF DSC procedures for small-boat users
Continue studying Special Situations Afloat
This public lesson is part of Revision Module 20. Full revision access adds the guided Learn, Practise and Test flow, flashcards and revision progress.