Safety boat requirements.

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I'm sailing secretary of our local sailing club, I've trawled the net including the RYA site looking for info re. Safety Boats, but can't find what I am looking for.
Does anybody know what are the LEGAL requirements including H & S.
We have a 5 metre RIB with a 40 hp outboard which is insured as a Safety boat.
The sailing courses are at sea in sheltered waters, and the fleet consists of Picos, Wayfarers, GP14 etc.
At present we do not have a RYA qualified power boat driver.
Are there any issues with servicing by qualified personnel?
I'm concerned with bare legal requirements rather than best practice at the moment.
As sailing sec., do I have any legal responsibilities here?

Thanks in advance, Dave.
.
 
If your club is affiliated to the RYA, their Legal Department is very helpful indeed. I would not hesitate to ask their opinion.
 
I'm not aware of any legal requirements re safety boats; individuals, committees or clubs could have problems if they were shown to have been negligent. What, if anything, does the club's insurance policy say about it?

I'm sure from the question that you have started thinking in this direction, but how would whoever drives the RIB / you / the rest of the committee answer questions from relatives / police / MAIB etc if there was an incident? Questions like: are the boat and engine suitable for purpose? when were they last serviced and by whom? was 1 RIB sufficient for the participants (number / age / experience) in the conditions? was there sufficient crew aboard? what training or relevant experience did they have? what briefing were they given? what safety kit was carried? was it in good condition? did the crew know how to use it? etc etc.

Consciences will be much clearer all round if answers can be given which point to good practice in all areas.

It sounds as though you have correctly identified a potential problem and that you now need to work with your committee to put in place the policies, training and equipment to help prevent the potential problem becoming an actual one. Your local RYA contacts should be able to help with the practical aspects and, as already suggested the RYA legal department are also very helpful.

Have a good - and safe - season!
 
Many clubs use safety boat drivers who are competent but don't have certs. No problem at all.
 
I don't believe there is a legal requirement. The best starting point is the RYA & the RLSS.

There isn't even a general code for lifeboats. Obviously the various organisations certify their own boats and their operation. There is a draft code that's been draft for years that may become law. Once & if it does, boats may have to conform retrospecively.

There's a draft here

The code is way above anything a sailing club would put into service. It specifically states: This Code does not apply to safety boats which are used to support water-based activities and which are not for the general ‘public good’.

But it will give some pointers.
 
In the absence of any specific legal requirements, why not deal with the matter from a HSE perspective>

Risk Assessment - re: sailing dinghys, specifically chances of capsize/getting a boom around the ear and knocked overboard - medium/high?

Control Measure - safety boat with cox and 1 crew on patrol, Possibly phone or radio contact to shore ideal.
Type of boat - fit for purpose, i.e. stable when oiking wet sailor over side, inflatable good because won't cause further injuries/damage as hard hull might.
Serviced engine - must be reliable.
Kit on board - blanket/first aid etc, paddles of course. Rope for towing.

Risk Assessment on Safety boat and crew:

Engine fire
Puncture from sharp object on stranded dinghy etc
Injury to crew from oiking 14stone plus water aboard - MOB drill required?
Towing safety
Anything else you can think of

Once you've demonstrated you've thought about the problems with risk assessments and implemented control measures you should be safe from HSE.

Finally, Method Statement - how your cox/crew will operate, min/max distance off, aware of sailing procedures/race rules, demonstrate competance in swimming, 1st aid. MOB and boat/engine safe handling, i.e. not going to chop a swimmer with the prop, when they will be required to perform, specifying type of boat and engine you will use, skills of cox/crew etc.

Demonstrate you have thought the matter through (in writing) and you'll not go far wrong.

I know bog all about sailing, lots about boat handling, and HSE key principles feature largely in my work.
 
If you do not have someone who has completed the RYA Safety Boat course (or similar?) and who holds the appropriate "piece of paper" you have a problem, unless, perhaps, you can demonstrate that you have someone who has been formally trained by such a person.

You will of course have a copy of the RYA Safety Boat Handbook, G16, with which your proposed safety boat crew is familiar.

The sailing club must surely have considered this matter and have a written safety policy setting out the requirements?

If the club has no safety policy dealing with this, or you do not adhere to it if they do, and has no trained safety boat crew you could be in an unenviable position if anything were, God forbid, to go seriously wrong. As Sailing Secretary you may find that you are the one held responsible. If not you who else?

In the days long past you'd have stuck some volunteer in the safety boat, showed him which way to operate the throttle to go faster or slower and every one would have been happy. Things have changed!
 
I stirred up a right hornet's nest by writing my uni disertation on this very subject about 9 years ago before it was seen to be a big issue.

There is no legal requirement for anyone to hold a certificate. However it's worth checking what the club's insurance policy says. 9 times out of 10 club rules will state that individuals are responsible for their own personnal safety.

That aside, as mentioned, the issue will always become a 'what if' subject when something goes wrong. Having been a club training manager, chief instructor etc etc I would say that you should get some people trained. That way if something did go wrong the club can at least say that they have provided the training to the drivers involved.

I would say that the sensible option (and this is what my current club have done) is to send 1 or 2 members on an powerboat instructor's course - they can then teach the pbl2 or ideally the safetyboat course in house, especially if the club already does RYA training.

So ultimately it comes down to everything being fine until something goes wrong. Then questions might get asked. I would find it odd that you personally would be held responsible but who knows these days. I would say this is a very hot topic for the club to discuss!

Having said that, I have been at various clubs where the qualified drivers were so attrocious and dangerous that I politely requested them to keep back whilst I sorted the problem out - having been an instructor for many years I have been amazed at people motoring up to people in the water near the stern with the engine still running!
 
Just a few additional observations.

I think things have probably changed in 9 years. Even if there is no legal requirement for a safety boat crew to be qualified there are hoards of smart lawyers out there these days anxious to make their own fortunes by suing anyone they can in the event of an accident.

RYA Safety Boat Certificate would be the relevant "qualification" rather than a powerboat certificate although that may be a prerequisite of candidates for a safety boat course. Julie may be able to comment.

I assume these sailing courses are aimed at youngsters. What will be their parents' reactions to a situation in which the safety boat crew is neither qualified to handle a power boat or a safety boat? What would your reaction be as a parent?
 
This is about racing, not training courses, though it might not make much difference if juniors are involved. Hopefully it all goes well tomorrow and the RYA will advise next week.
 
We sail on a broad estuary and adopt the following policies...

1. We try to ensure all rib drivers are PB2 qualified - this is now at c. 98%+ of all people who drive either of our 2 ribs

2. We are training rib helms to RYA safety boat standard but have only got two course-loads through so far

3. It is up to individuals to decide if they sail - our boats are support boats, not "rescue" boats

4. The race officer decides whether he has sufficient support boat cover to race. There is a recognised minimum but weather conditions will affect his / her decision

Simon
Commodore - Marconi SC
 
In addition to PB2 quals, my club also organizes the RYA First Aid course for safety boat drivers - Not much point in rescuing them if they die on the way in.
 
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