What happens in an emergency at sea?

You call for help on VHF radio, and on a bareboat the first call is normally to the operator's base. They know the boat, they know where you are, and they can reach you faster than anyone else. For anything life-threatening, you go straight to the emergency channel and the authorities.

This is not left to improvisation. Your handover briefing covers it, and the vessel is certified to carry equipment for the area it operates in.

What is aboard

Required safety equipment scales with the operating area and includes lifejackets for everyone aboard, in-date flares, an EPIRB, fire extinguishers and appropriate communications. Charter boats carry VHF radio. At handover, find out where each of those items lives and how the EPIRB is activated, before you need to know. Safety and commercial vessel rules explains how the requirements are set.

The daily radio schedule

Most bareboat operators run a scheduled radio call with the base each day. You report your position and plans, they give weather and advice. It means someone always knows roughly where you are, which is the difference between a search and a pickup. Do not skip it because the day is calm.

Who is responsible

On a Class 4 hire and drive bareboat, you operate the vessel, so the immediate decisions are yours and the operator supports you. On a Class 1 skippered charter, a professional master is responsible and handles it. Either way the operator holds a Certificate of Operation covering its safety management system, which is the plan behind their response. See charter types.

Practical preparation

• Make sure at least two people aboard can work the radio and start the engine.
• Know your own position well enough to say it out loud.
• Nominate who does what if someone goes overboard, and talk it through on day one.
• Take medical conditions and medication seriously at booking. Evacuation from a remote anchorage takes time.

The bareboat guide covers handover briefings in detail, and the booking and contract checklist lists the safety questions to ask before you pay.