Hunter H18 - Page 43

Hu
nt
e
r 1
8
• Boatin
g
Safet
y
4.1
1
U
nless
y
our boat is well equipped with charts, head
f
or shore at the
f
irst si
g
n o
f
f
o
g
and wait until conditions
improve. If
y
ou have charts on board, take bearin
g
s as
f
o
g
sets in, mark
y
our position, and continue to lo
g
y
our
c
ourse and speed.
M
ake sure all persons on board are wearin
g
their per-
sonal
f
lotation devices
(
PFDs
)
. I
f
y
our boat has sound-
i
n
g
equ
i
pment, ta
k
e soun
di
n
g
s re
g
u
l
ar
ly
an
d
matc
h
them with known depths on
y
our charts.
S
tation a
p
erson forward in the boat as a lookout
.
R
educe
y
our speed. From time to time, stop en
g
ines
and listen for other fo
g
si
g
nals
.
S
ound the horn or bell at approximatel
y
2 minute
i
nt
e
rv
als
.
I
f
there is an
y
doubt about continuin
g
y
our excursion,
anchor. Listen for other fo
g
si
g
nals while continuin
g
to
sound
y
our
f
o
g
horn
.
4
.3.4 Dru
g
s and Alcoho
l
D
ru
g
s and alcohol a
ff
ect a person’s abilit
y
to make sound
j
ud
g
ments and react quickl
y
. As a responsible boater,
y
ou
will refrain from usin
g
dru
g
s or alcohol
(
sin
g
l
y
or com-
bined
)
while operatin
g
y
our boat.
O
peration o
f
motorized
vessels while under the in
f
luence carries a si
g
ni
f
icant
pena
l
t
y
.
D
ru
g
s an
d
a
l
co
h
o
l
d
ecrease
y
our react
i
on t
i
me,
impair
y
our
j
ud
g
ment, and inhibit
y
our abilit
y
to sa
f
el
y
o
perate
y
our boat.
4
.3.5 Collision
If a serious collision occurs, first check the persons on
board
f
or in
j
uries. Then inspect the boat to determine the
e
xtent o
f
the dama
g
e.
P
repare to help the other cra
f
t unless
y
our boat or its pas-
sen
g
ers are in dan
g
er.
P
repare to help the other cra
f
t i
f
y
our bow penetrated the
o
ther boat or its passen
g
ers are in dan
g
er.
I
f
the bow o
f
the other boat penetrated
y
our boat’s hull,
prepare to plu
g
the
f
racture once the boats are sepa-
r
a
t
e
.
4
.3.6 Runnin
g
A
g
round
•
•
•
•
•
•
I
f
y
our boat runs a
g
round, check ever
y
one
f
or in
j
ur
y
and inspect dama
g
e to the boat or propellers. I
f
li
g
htl
y
g
rounded, shift wei
g
ht of passen
g
ers or
g
ear to heel the
boat while reversin
g
en
g
ines. I
f
towin
g
becomes neces-
sar
y
, we recommend usin
g
a commercial towin
g
service.
4
.3.7 Swam
p
ed or Ca
p
sized Boa
t
If
y
our boat becomes swamped or capsized, put on a
P
FD immediatel
y
and set o
ff
a distress si
g
nal. Your boat
has
f
lotation
f
oam installed to keep it a
f
loat should it cap-
s
i
ze.
F
or t
hi
s reason, sta
y
w
i
t
h
t
h
e
b
oat.
D
o not
l
eave t
h
e
boat or tr
y
to swim to shore except under extreme condi-
tions. A capsized boat is easier to see than a swimmer,
and shore ma
y
be further awa
y
than it appears.
4
.3.8 Fallin
g
Overboard
O
ne o
f
the most
f
ri
g
htenin
g
emer
g
encies that can occur
aboard a boat is a crew member or
y
oursel
f
f
allin
g
over-
board. Althou
g
h “man overboard” or “M
O
B” drills have
been a part o
f
boatin
g
sa
f
et
y
f
or decades, the
y
have been
lar
g
el
y
overlooked b
y
man
y
responsible boat owners.
J
ust as important as acquirin
g
the knowled
g
e to rescue a
person is the abilit
y
to help
y
oursel
f
i
f
y
ou are the person
o
verboard. Be sure and refer to
y
our “Chapman Pilotin
g
”,
“S
eamanship and Boat Handlin
g
” manual supplied with
y
our new boat. It is packed with use
f
ul and essential
safet
y
and emer
g
enc
y
procedures to ensure
y
ou have a
sa
f
e and happ
y
boatin
g
experience.
4
.3.9 H
y
pothermi
a
If a person falls overboard, h
y
pothermia ma
y
be an
immediate concern. H
y
pothermia means a person
’
s bod
y
loses heat to the water
f
aster than the bod
y
can replace
it. If not rescued, the person will become exhausted and
likel
y
drown. In
g
eneral, the colder the water, the shorter
th
e
tim
e
fo
r
su
rviv
a
l. PFD
s
will in
c
r
ease
su
rviv
a
l tim
e
b
ecause t
h
e
y
prov
id
e
i
nsu
l
at
i
on.