At minimum: a lifejacket for everyone, two waterproof ways of calling for help (such as a VHF and a phone), an anchor, a bilge pump or bailer, a fire extinguisher, a first-aid kit, a torch and man overboard gear. Further offshore add flares, an EPIRB and a liferaft.
What you carry depends on how far you go, but a yacht sailing in harbours and along the coast should have:
- Lifejackets of the right size for everyone on board, and harnesses with tethers for rough weather and night.
- Two ways of calling for help that work when wet, such as a VHF radio (fixed or a waterproof handheld) and a mobile phone in a waterproof bag.
- Man overboard gear: a lifebuoy, a dan buoy, and a throwing line, ready to throw from the cockpit.
- An anchor with enough chain and rope for the depths you will sail in. It can keep you off the rocks if the engine fails.
- Bilge pumps, manual as well as electric, and a bucket or bailer.
- Fire extinguishers and a fire blanket near the galley.
- A first-aid kit, and someone who knows how to use it.
- A torch, and working navigation lights.
- Charts for the area, paper or electronic, and a compass.
- Basic tools and spares, and a knife that can cut rope quickly.
Going further from shore, add:
- Flares, kept in date, for signalling your position to rescuers.
- An EPIRB (a distress beacon for the boat) or PLBs (personal beacons). In New Zealand, beacons must be registered with the Rescue Coordination Centre, so rescuers know who you are.
- A liferaft, serviced as the maker requires, and a grab bag of essentials.
Equipment only helps if people know where it is and how to use it. Before you leave, give everyone a safety briefing: where the lifejackets, extinguishers, flares, first-aid kit and MOB gear are, how to use the VHF to make a distress call, how to start and stop the engine, and how to turn off the gas and close the seacocks.
Check the gear regularly: lifejacket cylinders, flare expiry dates, beacon batteries and extinguisher gauges. Racing and offshore events set their own minimum equipment lists, which are worth reading even if you only cruise.
More in the book: Chapter 11, Safety on board