Yacht Racing – Crisis Management Plan
1.0 Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide a Crisis Management Plan to cope with any serious emergency assistance required when Yacht Racing.
2.0 Scope
The scope of this document covers all Yacht racing carried out by the Yealm Yacht Club in Wembury Bay, along the coast and cross Channel.
3.0 Responsibility
3.1 The direct responsibility for the safety of participants in Yacht 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.
3.2 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.
3.3 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.
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 an serious incident with the possibility of a drowning, injury or illness to boat crews or race management personnel then the Yacht concerned should identify this to the Coastguard and a Club Official and/or the Race Officer.
4.3 Normally, the Coastguard will coordinate a major incident afloat that threatens the safety of the vessel or those onboard, although other boats in the vicinity will normally assistant where safe and practical.
4.4 The Coastguard and Race Officer will liaise over actions and details of the incident with the Commodore or delegated representative over the situation and any injuries, or illness of, personnel. The Race Officer should request additional assistance from the Club Officials if he requires it and advise the Coastguard over details of the entrant (e.g. RYA SafeTrx, Entry Form Details containing Emergency Contacts). The Race Officer is to concentrate on the assistance required to the Coastguard and the family ashore.
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 Communications for assistance afloat are most likely to be via VHF although mobile phone contact numbers may be used to coordinate activities ashore.
4.7 Contact Numbers:
| Emergency Services | 999 | |
| Falmouth Coastguard | 01326 317575 | VHF Ch 16 |
| Longroom Port Control | 01752 663225 | VHF Ch 14 |
| Yealm Harbour Office | 01752 872533 | |
| Yealm Ferry Service | 01752 122757 | VHF Ch 8 |
| Yealm First Responder | 07445 933226 | |
| Yealmpton Medical Centre | 01752 880392 | |
| Yealm Yacht Club | 01752 872232 | |
| YYC Rear Commodore Sailing | (Available from YYC Clubhouse) | |
| YYC Commodore | (Available from YYC Clubhouse) | |
| NHS 111 | 111 | |
| Derriford Hospital | 01752 202082 / 0845 1558155 | |
| Police (Non Emergency) | 101 |
4.8 If in the vicinity of the River Yealm, injured or ill persons should be taken to the nearest of the following three locations for disembarkation for first aid/medical assistance or to the ambulance.
Harbour Pontoon
The Patch
Yealm Yacht Club
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.
Originator:
June 2019 Ian Kennedy Rear Commodore Sail
Assessed:
January 2021 Ian Kennedy Rear Commodore Sail