HOW TO STAY SAFE WHEN YOUR BOAT IS IN DANGER

Albert Bargués, the captain ofs/y Sterna, an Open 85, carries outsailing expeditionsto polar regions and has more than 30 years of experience in ocean navigation. His key principle is always the safety of his crew and his advise are as straightforward as they are practical:

1. Keep your safety equipment in good working order regardless where you sail. Before the voyage you must check that you have all the necessary material onboard to keep you safe.

2. Keep calm whatever happens, in order to be able to think clearly and make the appropriate decisions.

3. Keep your life jacket on. It will be a critical element to keep you afloat in case you fall in the sea.

4. Learn beforehand how to use the life raft so you know how to go about it in an emergency: remove the raft from the stowage and attach the painter of the raft to a fixed point on the boat. Throw the raft leeward into the sea and pull the painter with a hard jerk to release the gas bottle which inflates the raft. Board the life raft one by one and after a head count cut the painter with a knife to release the raft from the boat.

5. Give out an alert with all localizable equipment at hand (radio beacon, transponder…).

6. Wait to be rescued. Keep your nerves under control, open the emergency pack of the life raft and wait for the rescue party to reach you.

S/y Sterna is equipped with a variety ofsafety gear:several life rafts of the brand Duarry, a life jacket for each crew member, survival suits, security harnesses… All this equipment, indispensable to keep the crew safe in an emergency, has been supplied by Ausmar, a company specialized in maritime safety.

Dahlberg is an Oficial service station in Majorca and Minorca. We are authorized, with the exclusive category M1, by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport to install, repair and maintain any type of radio communication and radio navigation equipment on boats navigating in Zones A1-A4.

If you need any of these services, please contact us.