Mainship 40 Trawler Single Operator's Manual - page 49
Mainship 40 Trawler Single & Twin • Boating Safety
4.13
react. Having a plan and, is possible, assigning respon-
sibilities to others results in quicker decisions and quicker
reactions.
Important: Everyone on board should know where a fire extin-
guisher is and how to operate it.
Any fire requires stopping the engines immediately.
If the fire is in the engine compartment, shut off the bilge
blower immediately. Do not open the hatch to the engine
compartment. The fire will flare up as the fresh air supply
increases suddenly.
Keep the fire downwind if possible. If the fire is aft, head
into the wind.
Have all persons on board put on their personal flotation
devices (PFDs).
If you can get at the fire, aim the fire extinguisher at the
base of the flames and use a sweeping action to put out
the fire.
If the fire gets out of control, make a distress signal and
call for help on the radio.
Deciding whether to stay with the boat or abandon ship
will be difficult. If the decision is to abandon ship, all per-
sons on board should jump overboard and swim a safe
distance away from the burning boat.
4.5 Distress Signals
4.5.1 Mayday
If you have a VHF radio, heed storm warnings and
answer any distress calls from other boats. The word
“MAYDAY” spoken three times is the international signal
of distress. Monitor marine radio channel 16, which is
reserved for emergency and safety messages. You can
also use this channel to contact the Coast Guard or other
boaters if you have trouble.
Never send a “MAYDAY” message unless there is a serious
emergency and you are in need of immediately assistance.
4.5.2 Visual Distress Signals
The U.S. Coast Guard requires that all boats operat-
ing on U.S. Coastal Waters have visual distress signal
equipment on board. In general, coastal waters include
all waters except rivers, streams, and inland lakes. The
Great Lakes are considered coastal waters, as is a river
mouth more than two miles wide. Boats owned in the
United States and operating on the high seas must also
carry visual distress signal equipment.
Visual distress equipment must be in serviceable con-
dition and stowed in a readily accessible location.
Equipment having a date showing useful service life must
be within the specified usage date shown. Both pyrotech-
nic and non-pyrotechnic equipment must be U.S. Coast
Guard approved.
Pyrotechnic U.S. Coast Guard approved visual distress
signals and associated equipment include: Red flares,
handheld or aerial Orange smoke, hand held or floating
Launchers for aerial red meteor or parachute flares. Non-
pyrotechnic equipment includes an orange distress flag,
dye markers, and an electric distress light.
No single signaling device is ideal under all conditions for
all purposes. Consider carrying various types of equip-
ment. Careful selection and proper stowage of visual
distress equipment is very important. If young children
are frequently aboard, you should select devices with
packages which children, but not adults, will find difficult
to open.
Other helpful publications available from the U. S. Coast
Guard include “Aids to Navigation” (U.S. Coast Guard
pamphlet #123), which explains the significance of
various lights and buoys, the “Boating Safety Training
Manual”, and “Federal Requirements for Recreational
Boats”. Check with your local Coast Guard Station, your
new dealer, or a local marina about navigational aids
unique to your area.
4.5.3 Running and Navigation Lights
Your boat must have running and navigation lights for
safe operation after dark. Observe all navigation rules
for meeting and passing. Do not run at high speeds
during night operation. Always use common sense and
good judgment.
Operating at night can present some special challenges.
Not only is your depth perception lessened, bright lights
on the shore can cast misleading reflections on the water
and if you wear glasses, or worse yet, bifocals, you sim-
ply don’t see as well at night as you do during the day.
It is not only important that you be able to identify other
vessels operating in your proximity, it is equally important