Types of life-saving appliances
Governing: STCW Table A-VI/1-1 (LSA normally carried, location of personal LSA); REG Yacht Code Part A, Chapter 13; LSA Code. Builds on: L1.2.
What a Code yacht carries
REG Yacht Code Part A, Table 13.1, sets the life-saving appliances by vessel size. An extract:
| Item | Short range | 24 m and over | 500 GT and over | 85 m and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifeboats | – | – | – | Yes |
| Liferafts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rescue boat | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lifejackets, immersion suits | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lifebuoys (total) | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| Rocket parachute flares | 6 | 6 | 12 | 12 |
| Two-way radiotelephones | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| EPIRB | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| SART | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
The same table requires a general alarm, emergency lighting, operating posters, a training manual and the SOLAS No 1 life-saving signals poster in the wheelhouse. The rescue boat is covered in PSCRB and FRB; this lesson concentrates on what you, as a survivor, rely on.
Liferafts
Most yachts abandon by liferaft. The Code (13.3) requires:
- stowage in GRP containers, with an emergency pack: SOLAS B pack for short range yachts or those within 60 miles of a safe haven, SOLAS A pack otherwise;
- the painter permanently attached to the ship as the manufacturer instructs;
- enough capacity on each side for everyone on board with one raft lost, either by fixed stowage or by transferring rafts under 185 kg across a single open deck within 5 minutes: 2 persons to carry a 6 to 15 person raft, 4 persons for a larger one;
- rafts that float free clear of obstructions with the vessel upright, and at 500 GT and over, float free at up to 10° trim and 20° list for 100% of persons.
The LSA Code builds the raft to survive 30 days afloat and a drop into the water from 18 m.
Float-free: how it works
| Component | Job |
|---|---|
| Cradle and lashing | Holds the canister in place at sea |
| Hydrostatic release unit (HRU) | Cuts the lashing automatically at a depth of not more than 4 m |
| Painter | Connects raft to ship; pulling it fires the gas cylinder |
| Weak link | Breaks once the raft is inflated and the ship keeps sinking, freeing the raft |
As the ship sinks, the HRU frees the canister, it floats up, the painter pays out and inflates the raft, and the weak link parts. Every piece has to be right for that to happen with nobody touching it.
WARNING — Do not "improve" the rigging Painters tied to rails, lashings padlocked against theft, or rafts boxed in by tender chocks defeat the float-free arrangement. Report it; do not assume the engineer knows.
Personal LSA
You will be shown where your lifejacket and immersion suit are. The Code requires an immersion suit of appropriate size for each person (13.6), unless the Administration decides they are unnecessary for the trade. Guest lifejackets are in cabins; crew lifejackets usually are too, with spares at muster stations. Lesson L2.2 covers them.
TIP — Servicing dates Inflatable lifejackets, liferafts and HRUs have service intervals. Liferaft labels and HRU expiry dates are visible on deck. Checking them takes a minute on rounds.