The Local Weekly The heart and soul of our communities with news and information about the Sunshine Coast
As we say goodbye to the last long weekend of the summer, plans shift to preparing ourselves and vessels for the fall and winter months. Now is a good time to review your onboard safety procedures such as practicing person overboard, fire drills, and taking on water. Remember that emergencies happen anytime, and the more prepared you are, the more likely the outcome will be successful.
Water and air temperatures are falling, and cold-water survival is a hazard year-round in our waters. If you have never checked out Cold Water Bootcamp with Dr. Popsicle, search it out on YouTube, it’s an excellent resource. The 1-10-1 principle is used to highlight how to best survive cold water immersion. The best piece of safety gear you have is a PFD or lifejacket, wear it, and it can save your life. If wearing a PFD, in general, people have one minute to get their breathing under control, 10 minutes of purposeful movement, and one hour before hypothermia sets in. Studies have shown that simply being aware of how your body is going to react prepares people for the cold. A strong will to live has allowed people to surpass the one hour point until they were able to be rescued.
Other important safety measures include filing a trip or sail plan with a responsible person staying on land. It can be as simple as an email that covers who will be onboard, where you are going, how long you will be, and what to do if you are overdue on your return. There are also many online tools that you can use to file your sail plan.
The crew at RCMSAR Station 12 are looking forward to increasing training with COVID-19 protocols in place. The fall will look different for us as we will not be recruiting new members this year. We are focusing on developing the skills of our current crew, given that we lost many of our training opportunities this year. As with many organizations, we are adapting to the new protocols and are doing our best to navigate the uncertainty. Fundraising events have been placed on hold until it is safe to gather again. In the meantime, please consider donating to your local marine or land SAR crew. Head to rcmsar12.org and click on the Donate button to support Station 12, Halfmoon Bay. As always, stay safe and enjoy the beauty of our waters.
