Lesson routeSurvival Mindset0/4 read
Lesson 1 of 4
Survival Mindset
Sea survival is about buying time and making yourself easier to rescue. Training, briefing, and equipment checks before departure decide how well the crew can react when stress, cold, darkness, and motion remove thinking time.
The strongest survival decision is often to avoid getting into the liferaft at all. A damaged yacht, if still floating and not on fire or sinking, is usually larger, easier to see, and better equipped than a liferaft.
- Prevent the emergency where possible.
- Raise the alarm early and accurately.
- Stay with the vessel unless it is clearly unsafe.
- Keep the crew together, warm, visible, and organised.
| Priority | Question | Survival action |
|---|---|---|
| Alarm | Has anyone outside the boat been told? | Mayday, DSC, EPIRB, PLB, or other agreed alert |
| Float | Can we stay afloat and together? | Lifejackets, liferaft readiness, reduce water ingress if possible |
| Warmth | Are people wet, cold, or exhausted? | Insulate, shelter, minimise water exposure |
| Location | Can rescuers find us? | Lights, beacons, flares when appropriate, visual signals |
Lesson 2 of 4
Call for Help First
A survival situation can develop faster than expected. A Mayday, DSC distress alert, EPIRB activation, PLB, AIS beacon, phone call, or flare may be needed before the crew becomes too cold or busy to communicate.
Give position, nature of distress, number of people, assistance required, and what survival equipment is deployed or ready. Update rescuers if the situation changes.
- Distress communication is a survival action, not an admin task.
- Position is the most important detail.
- Use plain language if formal wording breaks down.
- Do not delay alerting while trying to fix an escalating emergency alone.
Lesson 3 of 4
Crew Control
Survival is harder when the crew scatter, shout, or duplicate tasks. The skipper or most capable person should give short commands: lifejackets on, harnesses if appropriate, grab bag, radio, liferaft, count heads, keep warm.
Assign roles but keep redundancy. One person fetches the grab bag, one communicates, one prepares the liferaft, one checks people, one keeps the boat under control if possible.
- Use names and short commands.
- Count people repeatedly.
- Keep everyone clipped on or contained when appropriate.
- Tell the crew what is happening and what the next action is.
Lesson 4 of 4
Avoiding Abandonment
Abandoning into a liferaft is a last resort. Fire, sinking, uncontrollable flooding, or a vessel that is about to become more dangerous than the raft may force the decision, but early abandonment can make survival worse.
Prepare the raft and grab bag before the final moment. If you have time, make the vessel more visible, keep distress alerts active, collect water, medication, thermal protection, and handheld communications.
- Step up into a liferaft if possible; avoid entering the water.
- Take distress beacons and communications if safe.
- Do not cut away too early unless the vessel is dangerous.
- Stay together and keep a headcount.