Abandon Boat Process, Our Plan, What do others think? Asking for feedback.

Abandon Boat Process, Our Plan, What do others think? Asking for feedback.

Background - My wife and I have sailed/motored about 25,000 nm on two Island Packets, a 350 and a 40. This has been a combination of ICD, near coastal, and Open Ocean with our longest trip 4 nights off shore. Thankfully our travels have been w/o serious incident for us. Last year a good size Westerly sailboat sank on a calm day at about noon off of Farmers Cay in Exhuma sound. Perfect conditions, bright daylight, all were rescued within 30 minutes. The Westerly is a well-built ocean going English boat – and like most mono hulls she sank in less than ten minutes.

The Westerly incident started a serious “what if discussion on Delicia….” between the Admiral and me. Basically, what would we really do in an emergency? What started as 20 min review turned into an all-day discussion which resulted in some changes and some realizations. Here are some of the issues and realizations that we touched on:

Relevant stuff concerning Delicia:
Raft in a valise – wt. 67#
Abandon boat bags with – Water maker, VHF, GPS, Sat Phone, 6 Parachute Flares, 6 HandheldFlares, 3 Smoke Flares, Flash Light, knife, batteries, first aid kit, 2qts water, + other crap – wt. 30#
EPIRB – bulk head mounted
RIB on Davits
SSB in salon
VHF at chart table – mast top antenna – good range
3700 gph bilge pump installed
3700 gph emergency bilge pump quick electrical connect & 15’ hose
VHF at nav station – short antenna poor range
Inflatable life vests with harnesses and strobes

Our Issues and Realizations:
1. This is complex, scenario dependent problem, way beyond platitudes like, “always step up into the life raft”. There isn’t one procedure; it all depends on the emergency. There may be some general principles.

2. We sometimes sail with volunteer crew, and we need to brief them carefully and integrate their efforts into our general plan. As an interesting aside, I have found that the more sea time a crew member has the more interested they are in understanding the plan and the equipment. They get the importance of it.

3. The 12v power will short out long before we sink. The main battery switches are close to the cabin sole so the bilge pumps and VHF/SSB radio communication is likely to stop when the flooding gets 3’’ above the sole – my guess?
4. The floor hatch boards will float away making the deep bilges a serious hazard. Yes I should fix this but haven’t.
5. Night makes everything more serious.
6. Fire a very real and serious problem and the response is different than flooding.
7. A buddy boat is nice, but it can’t provide much direct help unless their crew is big and strong and the seas are relatively calm. They can relay communications and direct rescue. They can’t fight fire and they shouldn’t try to take you off the boat. They may be able to rescue you from the water in ideal conditions.

Our Current Plan and Rationale

1. Before going off shore, we are now more rigorous in our preparations.
a. The abandon boat bags and the raft are staged close to the companion way. The EPRIB and Sat Phone (in its closed Pelican Case) are in the abandon boat bag. Tethers are attached to the abandon boat bags. It is obvious that these items need to be ready, but we had become sloppy and it would have taken a couple of extra minutes to arrange things and close the bags.
b. We verify that the chart table VHF is on and GPS position is displayed on its display.
c. Life jackets are out and ready. We use them often and are very serious about using our tethers even in the cockpit when alone.

2. In an Emergency our general principle is: broadcast our position, problem, and call for help and get ready to abandon boat FIRST, while most things are working. With life jackets on.
a. The Admiral’s Job - get the Distress or May Day call out. Position, Vessel Name, Nature of Distress, etc.
b. My Job - get the life raft and abandon boat bags in the cockpit and rigged to deploy.
3. Then try to save the boat
a. Admiral‘s job – continue to manage communications, VHF 16 and SSB 2182. Provide other help as possible.
b. My Job - Stop the flooding, Rig back up bilge pump, Cut away rigging, Fight fire only if it can be done safely. This is all emergency dependent obviously.

We haven’t thought too much about a serious medical emergency in conjunction with fire or sinking. I am sure there are some other issues I have missed, but I am really just focusing on situations where we might have to abandon the boat in less than ten minutes. A slowly developing emergency give you a lot more options.

Thanks
George
S/V Delicia IP40

Thought alot about this as well while traveling on Contented Turtle with my wife and young son.
Over a month accumulated overnight coastal/near offshore sails, up to 4 days also. Same setup - valise raft,
bulkhead EPIRB. Life vests go on at first sign of trouble, raft ready to hand deploy. Hand held vhf in pocket with flashlights. Send position, Fight the good fight, then off with family, raft, EPIRB. Gotta keep it simple. This is a near coastal trip (200 nm from shore by CG definition) and you are planning on EPIRB results within a day so prepack a days worth stuff inside the raft. Sure we had a 'abandon ship bag' with other
stuff but too much other 'precious cargo' that needed attention first. And like you said, too many
variables. I tried to visualize worst conditions first, nightime scenario with poor sea conditions.
I really don't think anyone is 'stepping off' the boat in a hurry with more than what they can carry in one hand. Looking back now on this setup, it could be improved by providing EPIRB
preattached to raft - so the two items you need to survive are already in one place - and in fact, I will do this next time I do 'near coastal' trip. I believe that is a point in your plan to be reconsidered. I wonder how many abandon ship bags actually make it into rafts.

Your point about fire well taken - this probobly the most dangerous/rapid source of abandon ship,
perhaps a more comprehensive fire plan would augment your current protocols. Of course, when planning
offshore trip (again, greater than 200nm) the other items you have mentioned become much more important. Again, prepacking a watermaker IN your raft and making sure your EPIRB is along will
be priorities.

Regards
Jesse
Contented Turtle IP38-59
'Near Coastal' Master, 50 tons vessels

Hayden

Enjoy Georgetown!!!! When you get a 2-3 day weather window
you have to PROMISE me to run out to Conception Island.
TRUST me on this! Also, please try to take your time in
the Exumas when you do head north.

Just to let you know my philosophy about the valise raft...
(it is vacuum packed and the size of small suitcase, also approx
60 lbs like George's)
Worst case scenario where boarding seas sweep away everything
on deck, the valise is stowed accessably down below ready to
carry overboard if needed. Now assuming none of us are going
to leave port into a major storm, the two most likely places this can
happen in coastal trip to Bahamas are in the Gulf Stream, and
if ones vessel is caught in a dreaded 'rage' when transiting
a cut between offshore and the banks.

Regards

Jesse