Safety Equipment
VSA Required Safety Equipment for Sailboats Aug. 2007 rev.
1. USCG approved life preserver for each person aboard
2. Throwable floating cushion*
3. 2 paddles*
4. Bailing bucket* Tie bucket with a length of line to the boat so it will be available when needed.
5. 20 ft. sturdy
painter attached to structure adequate for towing. On most boats
this is the bow.
6. Anchor with 100 ft. of line* (Shorter lines are not adequate on the river.)
7. Preventer
on centerboard to insure that board cannot disappear in centerboard trunk
when it is needed for righting the boat, and also to aid in fully extending
centerboard for righting.
8. Whistle or other sound signaling device
9. Rudders should be secured so they do not come of in case of a capsize.
10. Every boat
needs a knotted line securely attached near the centerboard to use
for additional leverage when standing on the centerboard after a capsize.
Recommended Safety Equipment
11. This can easily make the difference between righting and the mast staying in the water. Two lines, one on either side near the centerboard, also work well.
12. Another
safety modification to consider is sewing some flotation in the
top of the main sail to keep the mast and thus the boat from turtling.
* except board
boats
Valley Sailing Association is an amateur
organization and frequently the
Club motor boats are not manned or are
manned by somewhat inexperienced
persons and that Valley Sailing Association
can not guarantee that help will
be available.
Everyone should develop his/her own
plan for safety on the water and
practice what they will need to do if an
emergency arises. The first step
in doing this is to have all of the required
safety equipment on board,
know how to use it and be prepared to act
before it becomes necessary.