It does not happen often, but on the rare occasion it does, water can become your worst enemy if your boat capsizes. And when you are sailing with family, it becomes ten times more difficult to ensure the safety of your passengers.
If such an emergency occurs, you need to be prepared in advance so that you can handle the situation calmly.
Reasons Behind a Boat Capsizing
Boats usually capsize when they become unstable. The instability is caused by three reasons: an unbalanced crew, excess weight due to leaking water or extra equipment, and bad weather. The number of people that can board a boat is determined by the PWC’s length, width and horsepower.
Boats that often capsize are small in size. Around 10% of capsizing accidents occur with boats 8 feet long, including dinghies. If a dinghy capsizes, it does not cause much damage. Next up in line are 15 to 19-footers involved in 41% of the capsizing accidents. These are usually fishing boats with cockpits that are hard to drain, and in bad weather, even a small increase in weight can cause the boat to capsize.
Boats in the 20 to 24 feet range are involved in 25% of the capsizing accidents, and boats above this range are involved in 18% of the capsizing incidents.
Tips on How to Survive When Your Boat Has Capsized
The first thing you need to do after your boat capsizes is to keep yourself calm. The more you struggle in the water, the more you’ll tire and lose energy.
Here are some tips on what to do:
- Do a headcount to make sure that everyone is above water
- If you weren’t wearing a life jacket when the boat capsized, look for one and then help others
- If there is no life jacket in sight, grab on to the capsized boat and wait until help arrives (The closer you will stay to the boat, the easier it will be for the lifeguards to find you)
- Once you have gotten a hold on yourself, retrieve any supplies you might find in the water, such as distress signals and flares. If you can tether something to the boat, then do it immediately. This will make the target visible and increase the chances of your being rescued
- If the boat floats away, grab anything you can get your hands on, such as a water cooler, paddles, dry bags or a seat to stay afloat
- If there’s nothing in the water and the water flow is fast, float on your back. Make sure your feet are pointed downstream
- If you can somehow signal the coast guard that your boat capsized, then do it immediately
- Staying in the water for long is not recommended, so if you can see the shore, hold onto an object with one arm and paddle with the other
The most important thing to remember is to keep a clear head. The more you will panic, the harder it will be for you to come up with a survival plan.
Visit the website EZ Dock and browse their products section for floating docks or do it yourself docks. They even offer dock floats and other accessories to modify your fixed dock. For more information, call on (800) 654-8168.
