During an emergency that suddenly occurs, before you are able to get your boat back to a marina, you may have to evacuate the boat. In case of evacuation due to severe weather conditions, make certain that the vessel is securely anchored in an 'all weather protected area' as instructed by your charter operator and increase your anchor chain ratio to at least 5:1 or 6:1. You may also be told to deploy your spare anchor for additional security. Refer to Doubling up: two anchors.

Ensure that all deck hatches are securely 'tied down', saloon windows and doors tightly shut/latched and that there is no loose material or equipment on a deck or fly bridge...If the tender is not used for the evacuation, remove the outboard engine and fuel tank and secure them safely on-board. Ensure the tender is securely attached to your vessel and the painter pulled up short.

An automatic bilge alarm is activated by float or pressure switch in each bilge...this emits a continuous high pitch to indicate that an abnormal amount of water is entering the bilge. To review the operation of your bilge pumps refer to Bilge Pump System

Action:

1. Check the bilge water level. If the water level is high and the bilge pump/s are not operating or not keeping up to the water flow... immediately prepare to operate the manual pump.
   
2. Taste the bilge water - is it salt or fresh? Try to determine where the water is coming from and then check for the following:

If salt water: Check toilet inlet and outlet seacocks, and seawater pump intake... Check the raw water inlet to any engines... Check the packing flange where the propeller shaft exits the hull.

If fresh water: Is the fresh water pump running continuously and pumping fresh water into the bilges?... Check for split water delivery lines from water tanks... to hot water tank... to galley... to inside shower and to swim platform shower (if one is installed).

If your quick inspection fails to locate the source of water entry and you are unable to remedy the fault, immediately contact your charter operator.

A seacock is turned on when it's handle is in line with the hose, and off when the handle is 90 degrees to the hose.

Grounding will only happen due to carelessness or negligence...and often on a warm sunny afternoon when you're not paying attention... When traveling through a possibly dangerous area or through areas of reef, motor slowly and always post a lookout on the bow...and wear polarised sunglasses.

If you do go aground

First, we look at the ways to free your boat from a nice soft bottom. Then, in the "Hull Damage" section, we tell you what you should do in the rare event that you hit rocks and sustain serious damage.

• If you hit softly, slow down and immediately turn the boat to deeper water. Hopefully, you will sail or motor free.
  
• Send someone below to check for damage. Look in the bilge... check for water leaking into the boat... check for any fracture, particularly where the keel attaches inside the hull.
  
• Notify your charter operator by radio immediately... a staff member of your charter operator will join you as quickly as possible... first set an anchor so the tide will not carry you further up the shoal... to do this, you may need to use your tender to take out your second anchor into deep water.
  
• Bring the tender up alongside the vessel after placing boat fenders to avoid damage.
  
• Do not attempt to motor off astern before you determine that the rudder and propellers are clear of hazards or you will damage the propellers. If your boat hits a narrow bar or shoal and a following wave picks it up and shoves it further ahead, putting it in the position shown (below)...haul it straight ahead across the bar, don't try to back it off.



• Heel the boat. Heeling works for all sailboats, except for those with a twin or winged keel, because it reduces the boat's draft. When you hit, immediately move all the crew weight to leeward.
• Consider using the engine, but only in combination with some of these other remedies. First, check that the rudder is not stuck - or you can break it by moving the boat. Depending on the situation, you may want to try forward or reverse gear. Watch the temperature gauge - silt can clog the water intake and cause overheating.
  
• Take the sails down if they're driving you further onto the shallow area.
• Try to make the boat less deep. Heeling works. Moving all the crew to the bow may also help.
  
  Obviously, the preceding procedures should be done as quickly as possible. If you're still not afloat after trying these tricks, try one of these more involved actions...This would not be attempted in a 'bareboat' situation unless under the direct supervision of your charter company and with their express permission as you could end up doing more damage unless done correctly.
  
  
• Really heel the boat. Drop and secure the mainsail, then release the mainsheet and push the main (supported at the outboard end by a halyard or other secure line) all the way out to the side the boat is heeling toward, and then have some crew climb up on it and slide as far outboard as they can. Have the crew put on life jackets first, and leave at least one person on board.
  
  You can try suspending your tender (filled with water if necessary) from the end of the boom to increase heel, as shown in the diagram. You can also overtrim the sails (if you're on a reaching heading) to generate heel from the wind.

When firmly grounded and layover becomes inevitable because of the dropping tide, follow these procedures:

1. Pump and sponge the bilge's dry...pump the head dry... close galley and any stern basin seacocks and close and lock all portholes.
   
   
2. If possible, get the vessel to heel with it's bottom into the swell, not it's decks -
   
   
3. Clear any coral or hard objects away from where your boat will lay over.






4. Use any fenders on the boat, boat cushions/mattresses, life jackets and life buoys to support your boat off the shoal/coral as it lays over. For obvious reasons (all of which are expensive) care must be taken to protect the hull.
   
   
5. Lay an anchor out in deep water to pull you off when she floats. This system called kedging or setting a kedge, requires sending a rowing dinghy (or other boat) out with an anchor to set. Put the anchor and sufficient anchor line in the boat and head toward deep water, making sure that the end of the anchor line is tied to your boat. When the anchor is set (the farther out it is the better chance the anchor will hold), start pulling yourself free. Use the winch if you have one. Meanwhile, keep heeling, powering with the engine or sails, and trying other measures.
   
   
6. Refloating procedure on the next high tide will be supervised by your charter operator. Even if you get stuck at high tide, you will eventually float free. Having an anchor set hopefully keeps you from getting pushed further aground as the tide comes in. Try to heel the boat toward shallow water so that the incoming tide doesn't swamp your boat.