Instruction manual

PROFICIENCY IN SURVIVAL CRAFT AND RESCUE BOATS OTHER THAN
FAST RESCUE BOATS
3 13
d) Wearing a lifejacket and possibly an immersion suit or thermal
protective aid and certainly wearing heavy clothing. It may be easier when
swimming to a survival craft, to swim on your back. Do not swim or tread water
unnecessarily; It wastes valuable body heat and energy.
Stay out of the water as long as possible! Try to minimize the shock of sudden cold
immersion. A sudden plunge into cold water can cause rapid death, or an uncontrollable
rise in breathing rate may result in an intake of water into the lungs.
If jumping into the water is unavoidable, you should try to keep your elbows to
your side and cover your nose and mouth with one hand while holding the wrist or elbow
firmly with the other hand. Avoid jumping onto the liferaft canopy or
jumping into the water astern of a liferaft, in case the ship has some remaining
headway
Jumping into the raft will likely break either one or both of your legs, or
break the legs or other vital body parts of those already in the raft. If you have to
jump, aim for the water - better to be wet and freezing than unable to swim or
walk.
3.1.8 Importance to keep dry when boarding survival craft
In a survival craft wearing clothes that are wet with salt water, you will be
much more prone to the debilitating effects of salt water boils and bed sores, all
of which will quickly turn into open wounds.
Woollen clothing next to the skin will aggravate the condition. While wool is
probably the best type of warm clothing you can wear.
A long sleeved cotton shirt and cotton underpants next to the skin will
reduce the aggravation.
Do not urinate in your clothes, it will quickly cause a most painful nappy
rash.
Provided you have been castaway in a temperate zone and encounter a
heavy rainstorm and you are not suffering badly from hypothermia.
Undress, wash the salt and sweat from your body and the salt out of your
clothing.
Having wrung out your clothing, put it on again.
Clean wet clothes and a clean body will be far more comfortable than dry
salt laden clothes and body heat will dry your clothes.
Unfortunately, sitting for long periods in a survival craft is bound to cause
the formation of bed sores on the back, buttocks and heels, the presence of salt
in your clothes adds to the inflammation and increases the resulting pain.
If your clothing is wet, remove it, wring it out as dry as possible and put it
back on.
In general, clothing should be shared among survivors, but take special
care of the sick and injured. Waterproof or windproof clothing should be made
available to those on lookout duty in the open.
3.1.9 Life boat in-board engine