Boating Safety equipment
If there’s one thing you shouldn’t cut corners on while on a boat, it’s safety. At the start of each season, you must ensure that you have all the required equipment and that it is in good working order. Unfortunately, it can make the difference between life and death in a critical situation.
It is also necessary to ensure that all crew members, as well as passengers, know where the equipment is and how to use it if necessary.
At the start of the season, we also review the following procedures that we have established based on our boat (It will probably be a little different depending on your type of boat and its equipment):
- Man overboard
- Abandonment of ship (Ditch Bag)
- Fire on board
- Medical emergency
Doing a little safety briefing when passengers board may seem boring and a party-breaker, but it’s the best time to do it to make sure you don’t forget it and it shows your passengers that you care about their safety.
List of mandatory safety equipment
Depending on your navigation area, the list may vary from one country to another. It’s best to check the specific requirements for your craft for where you plan to sail.
In Canada, the requirements are specific according to the length of your boat. The Safe Boating Guide published by Transport Canada contains all the information you need to comply with Canadian safety requirements. This guide is also an excellent source of useful information for recreational boating.
Do not hesitate to contact the Coast Guard Auxiliary for a courtesy visit to ensure you are meeting your obligations.
Ditch Bag
It was following the fire on our friends’ boat that we realized that we needed to review our procedure for abandoning the boat and especially the importance of having certain essential items quickly on hand.
There are specific bags on the market for this use, but you can also create your own with a waterproof bag. For our part, we have two: one that we only open once a season to check the condition of the contents and replace what is expired and another which contains items that we are likely to use on a daily basis, but which are absolutely necessary in the bag. The latter is also often used by us during dinghy excursions. It’s up to you to organize your bag according to what suits you best and the space you have. What is important is that the bag is quickly accessible in the event of abandoning ship, because in these situations, many times you will not have time to go back inside to get what you need. Here’s the list of what’s in our bags:
Daily use bag:
- Prescription and over-the-counter medications with a copy of the dosage (we also include pain reliever, antibiotic cream, and motion sickness remedy)
- Passports and other identification documents
- Cash and credit card
- Boat registration and insurance
- Portable and waterproof VHF
- Portable and waterproof GPS
- Portable, waterproof, multi-use battery charger
- Whistles and strobe lights (we normally install these on our PFDs)
- Waterproof flashlight and spare battery
- Sunscreen
- Sharp folding knife
- Chew Pod (Lovers of coffee and energy drinks, you won’t be able to live without them!)
Permanent bag:
- First aid kit
- Flares
- Distress flag
- Safety light sticks
- Portable Air Horn
- Bandana
- Sunglasses
- Reading glasses
- Water and food (protein bars)
- Personal distress beacon (PLB or IPERB)
- Mirror
- Fishing kit
- Synthetic baits (Fishbites)
- Matches in a waterproof container
- Waterproof duct tape
- Polypropylene line
- Thermal blankets
- Garbage bags and Ziplocks
- Sponge
- Toilet paper in a waterproof bag
- Small bath towel
Although these items are not essential, we add a hard drive with a backup of our laptops as well as charging cables of different models to be able to recharge our electronic devices (phones, VHF, GPS).
Life jackets (PFD)
I am taking the liberty here of using a video that we filmed during the last season of our store Neptune Marine, because it is still relevant today and Laurent did an excellent job of explaining the different types of PFDs. (Available only in French)
The Wedding Saver
I was wondering if I should present this accessory in the section of our favorite products or here and I finally decided that it was undoubtedly the equipment necessary for the safety of your boat and that of your couple!
After several years of sailing, shouting during maneuvers to drown out the sound of the wind and the engines, we opted for a wireless communication system and we then understood the nickname given to these devices! It makes a difference to speak to each other in a calm tone and to be able to clarify instructions in real time.
There are several wireless communication systems on the market. We opted for this one after several recommendations and we are very happy with it. It is easy to use, is waterproof and can be paired with several devices. We always have a 3rd in case one breaks down or if we have a guest who wants to participate in the maneuvers.
We couldn’t do without it anymore!
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