Safety

Safety Equipment Locations

Item	Location
Lifejackets	Aft cabin locker (port side)
Harnesses & tethers	Same locker as lifejackets
EPIRB	Nav station (bracket on bulkhead)
Flares (handheld + parachute)	Nav station flare kit
Fire extinguisher (dry powder)	Galley — under chart table
Fire extinguisher (engine)	Engine bay — automatic Fireboy
First aid kit	Nav station cabinet
Manual bilge pump	Cockpit — dedicated handle in locker
Emergency tiller	Under aft cabin berth
Life raft	(Confirm location with skipper)
Emergency ladder	Transom / Outils Oceans bracket

Lifejackets

All crew should wear lifejackets:

Offshore — any time out of sight of land
At night — always
In rough conditions — any time the skipper calls it
Children — whenever on deck

Lifejackets are inflatable (auto or manual — check the type). Inspect the CO2 cylinder and arming capsule annually. Re-arm after any inflation.

Harnesses & Jacklines

Use harnesses and clip on to the jacklines when:

Sail handling in rough weather
On deck at night
Any time the skipper requests it

Jacklines run the length of the side decks and clip to the bow. Always clip on before leaving the cockpit in any significant sea state.

One hand for the ship, one for yourself — always maintain three points of contact in rough conditions.

Man Overboard (MOB)

If someone goes over the side:

Shout "MAN OVERBOARD" — loudly, immediately
Press MOB on the Zeus3S plotter (logs position, starts timer)
Deploy the life ring (stern rail)
Keep the person in sight — assign one crew member to do nothing but watch them
Start engine immediately
Radio MAYDAY on Ch 16 if you cannot recover quickly
Approach from downwind, engine in neutral before they reach the boat

Never leave the person behind. Do not go below for anything.

Fire

Galley fire (small):

Turn off gas at the cockpit seacock immediately
Use the dry powder extinguisher (under chart table)
Do not use water on gas or electrical fires

Engine fire:

The Fireboy automatic system in the engine bay will discharge if a fire reaches threshold temperature. If it discharges, do not open the engine bay hatch — starve the fire of oxygen. Radio for assistance.

Abandon ship:

MAYDAY on VHF Ch 16
Activate EPIRB
Launch life raft (in lee of the vessel)
Grab grab-bag (EPIRB, water, flares, VHF, documents)
Board life raft — never let go of it until everyone is aboard

MAYDAY Procedure

On VHF Channel 16:

"MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY This is Whistler, Whistler, Whistler MAYDAY Whistler My position is [GPS position or bearing/distance from landmark] I am [nature of distress] I have [number] persons on board I require immediate assistance Over"

DSC distress: The B&G V60 has a red DSC distress button under a cover. Press and hold for 5 seconds to send an automated digital distress call including your GPS position.

PAN PAN (Urgency — not immediate danger)

"PAN PAN PAN PAN PAN PAN All stations / Coast Guard This is Whistler [Position] [Nature of urgency] Over"

Use PAN PAN for a medical emergency, mechanical failure, or other urgent but not immediately life-threatening situation.

Bilge Monitoring

Check the bilge before every departure. The electric bilge pump is on auto — if it is cycling more than once every hour at rest, investigate the water source.

Possible sources: - Propeller shaft seal (saildrive) - Seacocks (check all are fully closed when not in use) - Cockpit drains (blocked) - Forward hatch seal

Seacocks

Know where all through-hull seacocks are located, and how to close them. In an emergency you may need to close one immediately.

Seacock	Location
Engine raw water intake	Engine bay (must be open when engine running)
Head intake / discharge	Under each head
Galley sink drain	Under galley
Cockpit drain	Under cockpit soles
Black water	Under each head

All seacocks should be operated (cycled) at least every 6 months to prevent them seizing in the open position.

Certification

Whistler holds a CE Category A certificate (ocean) for up to 12 persons. This is the highest category — the boat is certified for offshore and ocean passages.