The New Bern High School Navy Jr. ROTC says THANK YOU to Twin Rivers YMCA !!
As sailors, we have to cope with all kinds of surprises. Generally, boats DON'T want to do what you want them to do. Tipping over is kind of fun on a hot summer day, but it can be dangerous (especially in cold water) and it usually happens as a surprise.
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After the cadets carry the boat into the YMCA pool, Coach Murphy guides them in rigging it up
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If your boat tips over, what do you do?
Well, it might be a good idea to keep in mind a couple of things to NOT do:
NEVER lose track of fellow crew members or your skipper..... check on everybody's safety
NEVER abandon the boat and attempt to swim to shore
NEVER rush to attempt righting the boat..... calmly take control of the situation
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The US Coast Guard statistics say that many boating capsizes result in fatalities (over 100 per year on average). This is tragic, because with good skills, capsizing is not dangerous.
This is why we have training!
Our Official Capsize Drill
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The Flying Junior, or "FJ," is a standard youth/junior and collegiate sailboat. They are simple, responsive, and a lot of fun. Because they can easily tip over, it is important to be able to handle a capsize before going out on the water.
Three sailors find themselves in the water, and their boat laying on it's side. The first thing to do is to make sure that all on board are safe ..... "YOU OK ?!?"
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When a boat has capsized, all kinds of bad things might happen. A person could get trapped under water. The boat could drift out of reach, in fact when the wind is strong, a capsized boat will blow away quite rapidly...... possibly faster than you can swim! Always keep a grip on some part of it!
Another DO NOT to remember- NEVER try to climb up the cockpit of a capsized boat. You will just pull it over on top of yourself. Also, don't try to stand on any part of the rigging or mast. If you are hiking and end up sitting on the high side of the boat, that's OK. But if caught by surprise, just let yourself into the water and float in your lifejacket.
The next thing to do is to get control of the situation, and take control of the boat. The skipper swims around the stern and grabs the centerboard, preventing the boat from "turtling" (when the mast is pointing straight down, the hull looks like the shell of a big turtle)
When all is ready, the skipper (or the crew, if they are the one holding the centerboard), pulls the boat rightside-up, and the other person "scoops" into the boat. This is part of keeping it under control.
You may have heard "Don't Ever Bounce On The Centerboard." This is good advice..... they are strong but you are exerting great leverage...... just pull steadily
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Here are two more beginners going over into the drink.
It is the job of the advanced sailors to manage the capsize drill, they are very good at it. Part of the fun is getting to pull the mast over and capsize the FJ on purpose!
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SPLASH !!!
... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King
