preventing and handling emergencies 279
enters the water without a life jacket, he or she might quickly succumb to
hypothermia. Show all crewmembers the special technique for donning a
life jacket in the water (described later in this chapter).- Tow a grab line. Stream at least 150 feet of bright orange or yellow
polypropylene line astern. (Sometime earlier in the season, make up a large
3- to 4-foot eye splice in the bitter end of this line. Stow the line near the wheel
or tiller.) - Half infl ate the infl atable. If you are carrying an infl atable, partially infl ate
it and tie at least 100 feet of line to the towing eye. Th is makes it much easier
for a person in the water to crawl inside the infl atable, as opposed to getting
onboard with full air chambers. Tow it astern on a short scope but have the
line ready to pay out. Consider towing a rigid dinghy astern; if not, make
the dinghy ready for immediate deployment. - Mount a handheld GPS near the helm. Install a bracket for a handheld
GPS near the helm. Keep spare batteries in a waterproof container nearby.
Brief the crew on how to activate the MOB (man-overboard) function on
the GPS receiver to record your precise position at the time of the accident.
Personal locator EPIRBs (called personal locator beacons or PLBs), with GPS interface, are
another way to track the position of crew overboard. PLBs are small enough to clip to a life
jacket, batteries last up to 5 years, and the distress signal activates for up to 40 hours. PLBs
require manual activation by the person in the water. Th e GPS antenna on the PLB must
be held clear of the water for the best signal. (ACR Electronics, Inc.)