The Duty to Assist
The starting point is not procedure — it is obligation. SOLAS V/33 places the duty to render assistance squarely on the master, not the company, not the watch officer. On receiving information from any source that persons are in distress at sea, the master is required to proceed with all speed to render assistance. This is also reflected in international law under UNCLOS and domestic statute. The obligation is personal and immediate.
The only recognised grounds for not complying are that doing so would place the ship, crew or passengers in serious danger, or that the master learns the assistance is no longer required. Critically, any decision not to proceed must be recorded in the Official Log Book, with the reasons stated. As master of a yacht, you cannot delegate this decision or shelter behind company instructions.
Coordination — Where the Master Fits
Once you have altered course toward the casualty, contact the Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC) and report your position, speed, ETA, and the resources you carry. In UK waters the RCC is HMCG; abroad it will be the responsible coastal state RCC. You do not wait to be tasked — you proceed and report. The RCC may then appoint an On-Scene Co-ordinator (OSC) if multiple vessels respond; you may be directed to take that role yourself.
IAMSAR Volume III must be carried on board under SOLAS V/21. As master you should be familiar with the OSC section: establishing communications, controlling search patterns, managing resources, and the survivor reception plan.
Practical Actions on a Yacht
- Broadcast the distress relay on Ch 16 / 2182 kHz if you receive a distress not yet acknowledged by the coast station
- Rig scrambling nets, boarding ladder, or recover persons via the stern platform — plan this before arrival
- Designate crew roles: first aid, communications, helm, recovery
- Brief the crew — do not arrive with untasked people near the rail
- If assisting a ditched aircraft: approach from downwind and up-sea of the wreckage to drift toward survivors; beware of fuel, submerged structure and rotor hazards
- Record all times, positions, communications and actions in the deck log
The Command Decision
The examiner will press you on the tension between your duty to survivors and your duty to your own crew. The test is proportionality: genuine serious danger to your vessel justifies not proceeding; inconvenience, commercial pressure, or passage schedule do not. If in doubt, proceed and reassess. The log entry is your professional record of that judgement.