Cold-Water Abandonment Decision
A 14 m charter fishing vessel is taking water aft after striking a submerged object 6 nm off a exposed coast. The pump is losing ground; the skipper estimates 20–30 minutes before freeboard is lost. Sea temperature is 13°C, air 11°C, wind 20 knots, swell 2 m. There are six people on board: the skipper, two crew and three clients. The vessel has a 6-person liferaft in a canister, six immersion suits stowed in a locker, a DSC VHF with a distress button, an EPIRB, and two life rings. The nearest rescue asset is a helicopter 25 minutes away and a patrol vessel 40 minutes away. One client is seasick and panicking; one immersion suit is missing its zip.
1. Set out the sequence of actions from the moment the skipper decides to abandon, and justify the order.
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First: make the distress call before anything else. Press the DSC distress button, then speak on channel 16 with position, nature of distress, number of persons, and intention to abandon. Activate the EPIRB and keep it with the raft. A distress alert sent while still afloat with power is worth far more than one sent from a raft.
Second: prepare to abandon, not abandon. Don immersion suits - all six, with the damaged one given to the least exposed person or repaired with tape. Brief everyone: stay with the vessel while it floats, step up into the raft, do not jump unless forced.
Third: secure the raft and equipment. Rig the painter, prepare the canister for manual deployment, and take the grab bag, EPIRB, water, and a light. Life rings go over the side as flotation for anyone in the water.
Fourth: account for people. Assign each crew member a client. The seasick client is a known risk and must be paired with the strongest crew member, kept warm and given a task to focus on.
Fifth: abandon only when the deck is awash. Step up into the raft, cut the painter only when everyone is clear, and stay tethered near the vessel's last position.
Justification. The order reflects irreversibility: a radio call is cheap and must not be delayed; abandoning is the last act. The vessel is the best liferaft until it sinks, and it is easier for rescuers to see.
2. Assess the survival prospects in 13°C water and decide whether to stay with the vessel or head for shore.
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Water temperature. At 13°C, survival time for an unprotected person is measured in hours, not minutes, but cold shock and swim failure are immediate risks. Immersion suits change the picture substantially; without them, the panicking client is at serious risk within 30 minutes.
Stay or go. The shore is 6 nm away. Swimming or drifting there in 2 m swell and 20 knots of wind would take many hours and is not a realistic option. The vessel's last position is known to rescuers via DSC and EPIRB. Staying is correct.
Rescue timeline. Helicopter at 25 minutes and patrol vessel at 40 minutes mean help is close by comparison with survival times. The priority is to be findable and to stay warm until then.
Raft considerations. A 6-person raft for six people is at its limit; adding a wet, seasick client makes crowding and hypothermia worse. If the vessel remains afloat, staying aboard in the lee of the superstructure, in suits, is warmer and more visible than a crowded raft.
Decision. Stay with the vessel while it floats. Move people to the highest dry point, out of the wind. Keep the EPIRB on and the VHF on channel 16. Deploy the raft only when the deck is awash. Head for shore only if rescue is not coming and the vessel is gone - and then only as a drift plan, not a swim.
The weak point. The missing zip is a genuine failure. Tape it, or give that suit to someone who will be in the water least. The panicking client needs a designated carer, not a general instruction to stay calm.