There is always a long list of jobs over the winter if you want to have the boat ready for the new season, and in the rush to get back afloat it’s easy to take your safety kit for granted. Just because it was fine at the end of the season, that doesn’t mean it’s still okay now.

A systematic approach should ensure you’re ready for whatever the season and the vagaries of the British weather may throw at you.

For the main items of safety kit on board, there are a few simple checks to make sure they are in good order.

Checklists can help, and once you’re afloat, it’s worth going over the basic safety drills to knock the rust off your own skills, and to get your crew up to speed.

To help sailors make their pre-season safety checks, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) have teamed up to launch a recreational boating safety campaign ‘Reduce the risk, boost your skills’ which includes the following pre-season checklist:

Are your skills, safety kit and procedures ready for the season? Photo: Richard Langdon

Skills shakedown

As all sailors know, your boat is your primary safety device. Looking after your vessel and doing things properly is the best way of keeping everyone safe.

Safety equipment and procedures will hopefully never be needed, but if things do go wrong, having them in place, in good condition and familiar to everyone on board, can make a huge difference to the severity of the situation and your chances of survival.

Engine failure is one of the primary reasons for lifeboats being called out, even for sailing boats, so get your engine properly serviced. If you haven’t done a diesel engine maintenance course recently, this is a great way to get familiar with how to troubleshoot the most likely issues with your engine.

If it’s a while since you did any kind of formal training, RYA courses such as Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster let you see how your skills shape up, and also bring your knowledge up to date with the latest methods and safety procedures. You could also ask an RYA cruising instructor on your own boat for some one-on-one tuition for a day to resolve any blind spots.

Other courses such as the marine radio course and exam, sea survival and first aid are all worth doing for you and your crew, either for the first time or as refreshers.

Service your lifejackets and check their condition. Photo: Richard Langdon

Safety equipment

The equipment you carry on board needs to be in good working order, so take the opportunity to make sure you have the right kit that is in date and properly serviced before you head out sailing.

Lifejackets

There should be at least one personal flotation device per person on board, plus safety tethers, spare gas canisters and trigger cartridges. Most yacht sailors will opt for a self-inflating lifejacket of at least 150N, which should really be equipped with a sprayhood and a light.

The latest lifejackets are designed to quickly roll an unconscious casualty onto their back and achieve maximum freeboard for their airway above the water. Not all lifejackets are created equal, so talk to a chandler about the options, remembering that what is inside is more important than aesthetics, although a comfortable fit should help ensure they are worn.

As a bare minimum, you should check and service your lifejacket every year (or have it serviced), by inflating it and leaving it inflated for 24 hours. If the lifejacket deflates, it needs further investigation. It may be possible to replace the gas canister and cartridge, ensuring they are tightly screwed in. Check the light battery is in date and that all of the straps, bladder and casing are clean with no abrasions or corrosion.

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions to rearm and repack the lifejacket correctly. The RNLI can provide free lifejacket advice if you are unsure.

PLBs hugely increase survivability in the event of a MOB. Photo: Richard Langdon

Distress beacons

PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons) and EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons) have significantly come down in size, weight and cost in recent years. Your boat should have an EPIRB, and you may wish to consider PLBs, which are small enough to fit inside lifejackets. The most advanced ones now include both satellite signalling and AIS beacons, to alert boats around you as well as the Coastguard.

You can also consider fitting cheaper MOB tags to your crew, which sound an alarm and record the position if someone goes overboard, but they won’t track the casualty in the water or alert other vessels.

Show the crew where to find the fire extinguishers and how to use them. Photo: Richard Langdon

Ready for sea

Having your boat in good working order is basic good seamanship. Servicing the engine, winches, anchoring gear and through-hull fittings, as well as checking the standing and running rigging should all be done every year.

Equipment that has longer service intervals such as fire extinguishers, liferafts and flares need to be kept in date and serviced or replaced when stipulated.

Keep spares on board for the engine and any other critical systems. If there are maintenance jobs that you haven’t got round to that could affect safety, it’s prudent to delay sailing until these have been done.

Briefings can be informal, as long as your crew is clear about what’s happening and what to do

Safety briefing

Most skippers are diligent in briefing their crew on safety, from using the gas hob for making a cup of tea, to how to use winches and move around on deck safely. Talk through and practise scenarios including man overboard and making a Mayday call.

You have to prepare for the eventuality that you as the skipper may be in the water or incapacitated, so your crew need to be well briefed and rehearsed. Simple things like making sure your crew know how to start and operate the engine and helm the boat all help increase your safety.

Take a few minutes to plan properly even in familiar waters. Photo: Richard Langdon

Make a plan

If you’re sailing in familiar waters, it is easy to get complacent. You may know the local waters and tides like the back of your hand, but it’s still worth noting tide times and streams and checking the weather forecast and inshore waters forecast before you head out – pleasant British summer days can rapidly turn unpleasant, as we all know.

Tell a shore contact where you are going, when you expect to be back, and how to raise the alarm if you don’t check in. In inshore waters, mobile phones make it generally very easy to keep contacts updated if plans change.

Make sure the Coastguard has your correct vessel and contact details to aid possible search and rescue; these can easily be updated through the RYA SafeTrx website or app, which replaces the old CG66 form, and can also let you log your plans and your shore contacts to check where you are.

Everyone on board should know how to make a Mayday and DSC distress call. Photo: Richard Langdon

Calling for help

Hopefully, you’ll never need to call for help. You can call the Coastguard on VHF Ch16 or 67 for non-urgent matters, but if you need to make a Mayday (imminent danger to life or vessel) or Pan Pan (needing assistance but no immediate threat to life or vessel), then do this over VHF Ch16, using both voice and your radio’s distress button.

The Coastguard can then task the relevant assets, including the RNLI as well as local lifeboats, Coastguard helicopters and other nearby vessels to assist. If you hear a distress call, write down the location and check how far it is from you, as you may be the closest vessel and best placed to assist.

For local problems, such as engine failure on the way into harbour, harbourmasters or marinas can often assist with a short tow into a safe berth, though there may be a fee.

Get your free checklists at: www.hmcoastguard.uk/boatingchecklists