What Should You Do To Avoid Capsizing Or Swamping Your Boat in Rough Water?

What should you do to reduce the risk of capsizing or swamping your boat in rough water?

While being in water your safety comes at first priority. Serious issues like falling overboard, sinking, swamping, or capsizing should be prevented. Uncertainties can happen anywhere, and prevention is better than cure always.

We can always try to be safe and cautious as any accidental emergency can occur while we are onboard, on kayak or travelling the deep oceans on our pleasure craft. This article will help you know the methods and will serve as an appropriate guide to provide you with the best information that is extracted from the research and detailed study of experts and professionals.

Capsizing or swamping can happen anytime, due to any of the unavoidable reasons. We can try to avoid, control or prevent it with the right knowledge. Any kind of risky behaviour may lead to falls and put you or any other passenger in trouble. So read our article and stay safe and away from unexpected danger.

The Appropriate Steps:

Few easy steps and guidelines can help you to avoid these emergency situations. These circumstances can be very risky for you and awareness and alertness becomes a must.

1. When you are boarding your favorite pleasure craft then all the passengers who are boarding should wear PFDs (personal flotation devices) or like jackets.

2. Ensure a proper attachment of your PFD, wrist or life jacket with the engine shut-off line.

3. In case your craft is loaded with more stuff then instability will prevail and may be dangerous for you and the co-passengers. The water may tend to come out or over flow from sides, stern or bow.

4. The spaces that are supposed to be used to sit should be used and not the ones that should not be such as gunwale, seat backs, motor cover, bows and others. Speeding excites and this can be dangerous if any passenger is sitting on the pedestal seats.

5. It is always better to run the pleasure craft at an ideal speed.

6. The weight balance of the passengers should be balanced in order to avoid any kind of unevenness and boat may roll in case of higher weight on a single side.

7. If your boat is small in size then don’t let anyone lean beyond the areas of the boat like gunwale and no passenger should be allowed to go beyond that.

8. Some boats are small and are more unstable than the bigger ones. It is recommended to keep the centre of gravity of the boat low and people or passengers on board should not be allowed to move freely. In case they have to move then they should maintain contact with the boat with hands and feet all the time for their safety.

9. Understand your boat’s manoeuvrability, and manage it perfectly and appropriately on turns. The more familiar with your pleasure craft the more confident you will be.

10. Any kind of adverse or rough weather conditions should be avoided.

11. The anchor line should be secured to the bow while casting anchors and never from the stern for safety reasons.

Much has been written and explained through books, journals, newspapers and the safety measures if taken properly will surely keep you safe and secure in every way.

If You Capsize, Swamp Or Fall Overboard The Following Steps Can Be Taken:

In case if you fall, capsize or swamp from the pleasure craft then you can always signal visually, with whistle or a mirror. You can see the pleasure craft and can stay close to it. This way you can get back into it. 

A. It happens sometimes that one forgets to wear a life jacket, then a PFD or life jacket is required to put on. This should be followed by other passengers too.

B. You should try to put your body as close as possible to the pleasure craft if it remains afloat. The cold water may cause discomfort to you, so the faster you try to reach the boat the better it is. The pleasure craft’s support should be taken as the treading water tends to take away your body heat faster.

The Rescue Technique Can Also Be Applied If Required:

1. Reach:- This refers to reaching the victim when he or she falls accidentally and pulling the victim to safety. This can be done by extending a fishing rod, oar, towel, branch, or objects of any other type.

2. Throw:- It may happen sometimes that the victim is far away and in this case the lifejacket, PFD, lifebuoy, floating objects should be thrown for the victim’s safety.

3. Row:- While being on a row boat the victim can be reached by rowing towards him or her. Helping hands should be extended for safety and the victim should be helped to hold the stern. While you are paddling towards the shore the adequate help should be provided to the victim as he or she may feel weak and exhausted. Till any help arrives one should hold on to the victim While on a power boat the engine should be stopped and from the downside the glide to the victim can be done.

4. Go:- Whosoever is going to initiate and save the victim should be well trained in life saving. While going to the victim, life jackets or PDFs (personal diving devices) should be carried for safety measures.  The rule of the thumb is being safe, alert and aware always. The right decisions and the right steps can save one’s life and your presence of mind will make you face any danger with confidence.