So that if you do not come back on time, someone knows to raise the alarm and where to start looking. Tell a reliable person where you are going, who is aboard and when you will be back, or log a trip report with Coastguard.
One of the simplest precautions is letting someone know your plans. If something goes wrong and you can't call for help, perhaps because the radio is wet or the battery is flat, a search only starts when someone notices you are overdue. The sooner it starts, and the better the searchers know where to look, the better your chances.
Before you leave, tell a reliable person ashore:
- Where you are going, and your likely route.
- Who is on board.
- A description of the boat: name, type, size and colour.
- When you expect to be back, and when they should raise the alarm if they have not heard from you.
- What safety equipment you carry, such as a VHF, a phone, flares, a liferaft or an EPIRB.
Choose someone who will actually check, and tell them who to call if you are overdue: in New Zealand, the Police on 111, who coordinate search and rescue.
In New Zealand you can also log a trip report with Coastguard, on the VHF radio or with the Coastguard app, giving your details and your expected return time. Coastguard does not start a search just because a trip report has not been closed. The report is there so that if your contact ashore reports you overdue, the searchers know who you are and where to look. The app can also send a message to your shore contact if you don't close the report on time.
Two things make this work:
- Keep to the plan, or update it. If you change destination or decide to stay out longer, let your contact know.
- Tell your contact you are back, and close the trip report. Forgetting can start an unnecessary search.
This takes a couple of minutes. Combine it with checking the forecast and the boat, and carrying two ways of calling for help that still work when wet.
More in the book: Chapter 11, Safety on board