Are you prepared for an emergency?

[Daveinet]

I watched a video today of a discussion about what goes through one's mind in an emergency. Even though the video is about flying, I think there are very useful points common to both sports in how your mind interacts with an emergency. Probably the most important point is what happens to your brain focus, and how your hearing is the first thing that goes away, as your brain concentrates on solving the problem. Toward the end of the video, they discuss about putting the monkey back in the cage. Additional things to think about, what do you need to have memorized in your mental checklist? What are the things you go through before you cast off?
So often we have discussions here about specific emergencies and what the captain did wrong. Something we have not ever developed is a master list of possible emergencies, with a breakdown of what should be done with each one.
So here is the video. The first part is the emergency. The second part is the discussion about how your mind interacts with the emergency. Hopefully it can spawn a parallel discussion about handling emergencies while sailing.

 

[leo310]

When I used to fly I always did the what if and where would I land if the cooling fan stopped. While sailing I do the same thing only now its what if the weather turns from 25 knots to 45 where do I hide from the blow or what if we hit deadhead (log) doing this when something dose happen you wont pan neck in an emergency.

 

[Michael Davis]

where would I land if the cooling fan stopped.

So true! Seems we did more PFL's then touch and go's and that seems to carry over to whatever we do. Always looking for a "what if".

 

[RussC]

Airspeed, altitude, and brains. you need to always have at least two.

 

[DArcy]

For most of us that don't fly airplanes the consequences tend to be a little less dire. Although sailing (or boating) can present some challenging situations at times, we tend to have a bit more time to think about it. This wasn't really an emergency, more like trying to avoid an emergency... Last fall I was flying the spinnaker in a long distance race, in an area that most of the crew was not familiar with. I had my hands full so I called out that we needed to leave K10 to port. Several minutes later it didn't seem like we were in the channel so I reminded the helm we needed to leave K10 to port. Shortly after I said it again and he said he was on it. I looked over my right shoulder and said "then what is that" pointing to a red can a few hundred yards off to starboard. That's when he realized he was looking at the wrong mark on the chart plotter. He started to turn towards the channel but I told him to hold his course, handed off the spinnaker sheet, pulled out my phone chart plotter so I could direct him through deep water. I had been studying this part of the chart because the channel was fairly narrow even though it appeared to be quite wide so I had some idea of where the hard bits were. The shoal was between us and the channel and we had to go around it. In the video, they were talking about air speed of 150 knots, we were only at 7 knots so would probably not result in personal injury but would ruin everyone's day.

 

[LeslieTroyer]

I flew planes in my youth. The decisions com much faster when traveling 120kts than at 6 kts.

 

[jssailem]

Oh I don't know that you are slowing any.. Last year when we were cruising and the motor did not start. You did not skip a beat @LeslieTroyer ... I sailed and you dove into the cabin and just replaced the starter with a spare you had aboard. As we sailed through arguably some of the prettiest islands in the world on a bright sunny day in March.

I'd say you were prepared...

 

[Daveinet]

I flew planes in my youth. The decisions com much faster when traveling 120kts than at 6 kts.

MOBs can be pretty immediate, especially if it was caused by a dismasting. How about motoring near a rocky shoreline and the engine dies.

 

[LeslieTroyer]

I didn’t say reaction could or should be slow. Just that things tend to arise that need decisions right now occurs at a faster pace.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Anticipating an emergency:


Sir Francis Chichester: “Any damn fool can navigate the world sober. It takes a really good sailor to do it drunk.”

 

[JamesG161]

Yes!
Jim...

 

[Kings Gambit]

The kinds of “emergencies” that I wish to be prepared for, not counting medical emergencies, are the prompt and successful rescue of a MOB, recovering from a loss of ability to maneuver the vessel in imminent danger of grounding or striking something, which would include preventing it from sinking if holed, and fire. To the first, a way to physically recover a MOB onto the vessel. This probably means, in addition to other equipment, some tackle quickly available to clamp onto the victim and hoist him/her back aboard. The passage of minutes, even seconds, can matter here. The second means at minimum the ability to quickly deploy your bow anchor, and to quickly radio for rescue if deemed necessary (Vessel Assist, etc.). The third, of course, is to have extinguishers in working condition at proper locations. Again, seconds can matter here.

So, not all emergencies on a boat transpire in “slow motion”, unless we’re talking seconds versus milliseconds here.

 

[Roland5048]

I flew planes in my youth. The decisions com much faster when traveling 120kts than at 6 kts.

Depends on the situation. I once had a galley fire. You don't think about what to do, you just do. Given that, I'd rather be at X thousand feet feet going 120 kts. Unless in a death spiral or an on-board fire you might have enough time to go through your checklist and look for a place to land. Different situations, different levels of stress, (panic?). Be prepared, have a plan.

 

[CaptKimble]

Always have a plan B!

 

[Will Gilmore]

We try not to have emergencies. Being prepared means never knowing you subverted an emergency.
Of course, that's not always possible. That's why spare parts, extra line, duct tape, batteries, life jackets, life boats, flares, extra radio, repair kits, knotted drag line off the stern, extra water, paddles, oars or yulohs were invented. I'm getting old enough that an automatic defibrillator might make a good addition, considering my family history.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Knot Stressin']

I didnt watch the video and I am not a pilot. I do work in Emergency Services. At a Fire Dept. to be exact. And developing Pre Incident Plans is not a bad idea. In fact we do this all the time at work.
While in an emergency, is not exactly the time to start thinking about what to do if you have an emergency.
The more time and effort you put into being prepared for the unexpected...the better equipped you will be to mitigate that emergency without undue stress or added injury.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Reaction drills work.
As a woodworker with all my fingers, I spend every instant thinking, "where is the sharp spinny part in relation to my hand, my sleeves, anything that's hanging, poking or sticking out? What direction are we going in, what direction can we go in and what do I need to do to be sure sharp spinning parts stay clear of tender fleshy parts, because in my emergencies, there is no thinking before the damage is done. I've lost control of my work, I've had saw blades come off, I've had bits and tools go flying. Occasionally, I get lucky, but most of the time, nearly all of the time, I was simply not in the way because that's not where I let myself stand.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

@Daveinet
Great thread making others thinking what to do in a crisis