Communications and safety at sea
- Understand the GMDSS sea areas (A1-A4): they define the radio equipment required, and beyond VHF range the boat relies on MF/HF (SSB) or satellite.
- Set a reporting and weather schedule using NAVTEX where in range, weatherfax or GRIB downloads, and SSB or satellite for forecasts and position reports.
- Maintain distress capability — EPIRB, liferaft, grab bag — and a clear emergency and abandonment plan the crew knows.
- Prepare for medical self-sufficiency, with a comprehensive first-aid kit and a means to get radio-medical advice.
Heavy weather on the ocean
Ocean heavy weather is met with the same principles as offshore but sustained for far longer, so the emphasis is on the boat and crew being able to keep going. The skipper anticipates from the forecasts and the barometer, prepares early, and chooses a tactic — heaving-to, running off under a scrap of sail, or lying to a drogue or sea anchor — that suits the boat and the sea state, then manages the crew's fatigue and morale through what may be days rather than hours. The aim throughout is to keep the boat under control and the crew safe and functioning.
WARNING — Beyond VHF you are on your own for hours Outside GMDSS sea area A1 there is no coastguard a short VHF call away. Distress and weather come by MF/HF or satellite, and rescue may be far off, which is why self-sufficiency and an EPIRB matter so much.
TIP — Manage the crew as carefully as the boat In sustained heavy weather the crew's fatigue and morale become the limiting factor. Feed them, rest them in rotation, and keep them informed; a functioning crew is what gets the boat through a long blow.