Dinghy & Dayboat Crisis Management Plan

• View or download a Word copy of this document

1.0       Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide a Crisis Management Plan to cope with any serious emergency assistance required when Dinghy and Dayboat racing.

 

2.0       Scope

The scope of this document covers all Dinghy and Day Boat racing carried out by the Yealm Yacht Club in the Yealm River, Newton Creek and Wembury Bay starting from the Yealm Yacht Club Lines or from a Committee Boat.

 

3.0       Responsibility

The direct responsibility for the safety of participants in Dinghy and Day Boat racing lies with the participants themselves. However, the Yealm Yacht Club has a duty of care to ensure that the racing is carried out in a safe and organised manner and this includes a plan to meet any serious crisis or emergency.

 

Within the Club the responsibility for the production of the Crisis Management Plan and the provision of sufficiently qualified and experienced people and equipment to effectively respond to any serious emergency lies with the Club Officers, Sailing Committee and the individual Race Officers.

 

For each Race the Race Officer and his Race Management Team are responsible for the safety of the race and to carry out any actions required by the Crisis Management Plan should these be required. Unless the race officer decides the event is very low risk, assisting the Race Officer will be a Safety Officer, afloat in one of the Patrol Boats, who will direct and coordinate any emergency assistance to competitors who have a serious problem. The Patrol Boats shall carry a copy of the Crisis Management Plan.

 

4.0       Crisis Management Plan

 

4.1       Crisis Management Plan

This Crisis Management Plan sets out the actions to be taken by the Race Management Team to assist boats who have a serious emergency incident.

 

4.2       If there is a serious incident with the possibility of a drowning, injury or illness to boat crews or race management personnel then the Patrol Boat concerned is to identify this to the Safety Officer and/or the Race Officer. His report, proceeded with the words ‘Code   Red’ shall give the location and a brief description of the incident.

 

4.3       The other Patrol Boat, containing the Safety Officer if not in the Patrol Boat reporting the incident, is to proceed immediately to the incident to assist.

 

4.4       The Safety Officer is to make ongoing reports of the incident to the Race Officer and is to keep the Race Officer fully informed on the injuries to, or illness of, personnel. The Safety Officer should request additional assistance if he requires it and advise the Race Officer if he thinks the provision of medical assistance or an ambulance or is necessary. The Safety Officer is to concentrate on the initial assistance on the water. The Race Officer is to request and organise assistance from the emergency and support organisations stated in 4.7 below.

 

4.5       If the incident continues to remain serious the Race Officer is to abandon the Race and all Race management resources are to be directed to assist the serious emergency incident.

 

4.6     Radio communication may be poor in the Yealm Estuary.  Race officials should be equipped with mobile phones.

 

4.7       Contact Numbers:

 

Emergency Services	999
Yealm Harbour Office	01752 872533
Yealm Ferry Service	01752122757	VHF Ch 8
Falmouth Coastguard	01326 317575	VHF Ch 16
Longroom Port Control	01752 663225	VHF Ch 14
Yealm Yacht Club	01752 872232
YYC Rear Commodore Sailing	(Available in YYC)
YYC Commodore	(Available in YYC)

 

4.8       Injured or ill persons should be taken to the nearest of the following locations for disembarkation for first aid/medical assistance or to the ambulance.

 

• Yealm Steps
• The Patch
• Yacht Club Jetty

 

4.9       It should be noted that the only emergency rescue service in Plymouth Area is the RNLI Lifeboat and that is likely to take at some time to arrive in the Yealm sailing area. The Lifeboat is called out through Falmouth Coastguard. It is possible that the Plymouth Port Control at Longrooms may be able to assist with facilities, or as a communications link, but they are not a rescue service and if they have other duties this may not be possible. Therefore the Yealm Yacht Club must always be as self-supporting as possible in providing rescue facilities or organising support from local boats.

 

Originated:

April 2019

Reviewed:

January 2020 – Ian Kennedy, Rear Commodore Sail

January 2021 – Ian Kennedy, Rear Commodore Sail