Life on boardthe human factor is safety equipment too
Physically and mentally
Safety is not only about equipment, and it does not stop at skills either. There are also the human factors — and that is exactly the part most often overlooked.
Fit to sail?
Certainly as the years mount up, it is a good idea to visit the gym a little more often in the run-up to a bigger effort. Do you have physical limitations? Share them, so everyone knows what to expect of each other.
Medication
Tell the skipper, and preferably the whole crew, what you take and what for. As skipper, share it with everyone. This is not curiosity: if someone becomes unwell, you want to know what is involved.
Mentally
A few days at sea and you get to know each other. Do you handle pressure well, or not? Do you struggle with people, with small spaces or with large ones? Say so beforehand. It makes things much easier at sea.
Know where things are
Make sure everyone knows where the items on the safety plan are stowed. And also: how the VHF works, how to make a distress call, where the fire extinguisher is and how to close the seacock on the heads.
Divide the roles
Sailing with people you have not sailed with often? Discuss beforehand who can do what. Who cooks, who navigates, who keeps the log, who is good with the engine.
Look after each other
Watch out for each other: is everyone eating, drinking and sleeping enough? Keep an eye on sunscreen and sunglasses, and on the first signs of illness or hypothermia. Someone who goes quiet is not always just tired.
Being clear costs nothing
Make very clear agreements about the things you really care about. Think of the use of lifelines, wearing shoes on deck, long hair near blocks.
Communicate clearly
Confirm that something has been understood, and actively seek that confirmation — especially in the dark. “Yes” is not a confirmation; repeating what you are about to do is.
Hand over responsibility explicitly
Who is responsible, and when? For keeping a lookout, for instance. Explicitly handing over that responsibility prevents misunderstandings — and the unpleasant situation in which nobody thinks it is their turn.
Keep it pleasant
That sounds like a side issue, and it is a central one. A crew that is enjoying itself finds it easier to talk about what is not going well. And that means a small problem gets reported while it is still small.
Clothing and gear
Clothing in layers
Take clothing for warm, cold and wet weather. At this latitude the nights at sea really are chilly. Spare base layers and socks, a warm sleeping bag, perhaps a pillow. And: shoes, boots, gloves, a scarf and a hat.
Glasses and other aids
Do you depend on your glasses, your lenses or another aid? Then look after it: cloths to clean with, and a spare pair of glasses or lenses.
Electronics and salt water
Salt water is fatal to electrical contacts. Keep equipment inside and dry as much as you can. Bring spare charging cables and a power bank.
Lightning
Use a metal case to protect essential electronics: distress alerting, backup navigation, satellite communication, phone, tablet, cables and power bank. A closed metal box works as a Faraday cage.