Exit strategy.... day 8 - 24:52.455N 57:17.631W

Voyage of Wanderingstar
Ben Bonnick
Thu 19 Apr 2018 13:30
Hello blog friends,

One of my worst fears is a catastrophic failure of the boat at night. For instance hitting debris that might cause large fracture and rapid sinking, so I decided yesterday to plan for such an event.

My strategy would be to focus on exit from boat and entry into life-raft. I wouldn’t waste time calling emergency services until I was clear of the boat. I keep all emergency equipment to hand when asleep. My procedure would be:

1. Grap head torch
2. Put on life jacket
3. Grab grab bag (contents already inside)

Contents of grab bag: (torch, selection of flares, vhf radio, sat phone, one bottle water, EPIRB, passport insurance docs)

4. Exit cabin, strap on and make for life-raft
5. Cut life-raft free (holding ropes) and dispatch. If boat is sinking very quickly let life-raft lift from boat from existing position
6. Get inside life raft - cut life-raft free
7. Connect EPIRB to life-raft, set off EPIRB - contact emergency services - Falmouth pre dialled into sat phone.   

I decided last night to do a drill and at 3am my alarm went off and I practised my procedure. I can say it all went very well and I’m now floating in my life-raft, waiting for pick up. 

No I only did up to item 4 but it was useful as I realised the knife I keep for cutting life-raft holding ropes was held to tight and couldn’t be released so I’ve now attached knife to life-jacket. 

Time taken from bed to item 5 - 1min 15secs - thats through the rear-hatch, if I had to go through top hatch probably and extra 30 seconds. Allowing for cutting life-raft holding ropes another 45 seconds. So from initial impact to escape I think I could do within 2 to 2min 30 sec. of course weather conditions will affect but last night it was easily a force 5. From Azores I would need to add probably an extra 1min 30 sec to put on emersion suit.

I'm comfortable then that even such a catastrophic event is survivable. Plan for the worst, hope for best!

Having a practise at astro navigation - Mike C, remind me, which way up does this thing go :-)