Safe Sailing

Properly training boat operators is key to peace of mind

By Kevin Gunn
Photos: Kevin Gunn

Sailing-related injuries at camp—and in junior sailing in general—are rare; however, when accidents do occur, the results can be serious and even deadly. Too often, camps invest heavily in lifeguard training for sailing staff members, but neglect the type of training needed to prepare instructors to operate powerboats in close quarters to kids in sailboats. Few jobs for junior sailing instructors at yacht clubs and community sailing centers require lifeguard certification, but almost all require some type of boating certification, such as the U.S. Sailing Small Boat Level 1 Instructor. In the United States in 2019, 70 percent of deaths occurred on boats where the operator did not receive boating-safety instruction. The camping industry needs to follow the lead of the experts to ensure proper safety for campers on sailboats.

The Risk Of Drowning

The leading cause of boating deaths in the United States in 2019 was drowning. It is worth noting that, in 86 percent of drowning incidents, victims were not wearing life jackets. Considering the emphasis that the camping industry rightfully places on proper life-jacket use, the focus here should be on how a camper could drown while wearing a life jacket. One of the most feared scenarios for sailing instructors is a boat capsizing and the sailor becoming entangled in the rigging under the water. Although rare, it does happen, as was the case in 2011 involving a competitive junior sailor in Maryland. Small sailboats are designed to be capsized and safely recovered; however, a trained instructor can assess when capsizing may lead to danger and quickly respond to complications that arise in recovering a sailboat when problems occur.

The Risk Of Being Struck By A Propeller

Sailing instructors are required to operate powerboats in close proximity to campers when assisting in recovering capsized boats or in recovering campers who have fallen off of their sailboats. In the United States in 2019, there were 171 accidents where at least one person was struck by a propeller, which resulted in 35 deaths and 155 injuries. In 2017, a junior sailor was tragically run over by his instructor at a junior sailing program in Connecticut. Sailing instructors must be adequately trained to operate the camp’s powerboats in tight spaces to avoid being another statistic.

Aside from proper instructor training, one of the best ways to mitigate the risk of a propeller strike is to install a prop guard on powerboats. Prop guards provide a physical barrier to prevent large objects, such as a person, from touching the spinning prop. Prop guards are quickly becoming an industry standard in junior sailing instruction.

Boating Competency

No matter how much training campers receive on-shore before heading out on their own, they need to be supervised—and often rescued—by instructors. This is how kids learn. A knowledgeable sailing instructor knows how to perform a rescue quickly in order to get back to supervising the other kids on the water. Consider a common scenario: two instructors in a powerboat are supervising four small sailboats with campers; some sailboats even may even have instructors onboard. The wind quickly builds and the boats start capsizing faster than the instructors on the powerboat can rescue the campers. Camp is upwind, so it is difficult for the campers to sail the boats on their own. The best solution is for the powerboat to begin towing the sailboats. The instructors start with the boat farthest downwind. The shorter time it takes to come alongside the sailboat, tie the appropriate knots, and prepare the rigging for the tow, the better chance the instructors have of bringing the campers in without incident. If the instructors are not properly trained, setting up the tow may take too long, which means the other boats may start washing up along the leeward shore, or kids may become separated from their boats and get lost. The boats may capsize while on the towline, causing even more serious issues.

Solutions

While having lifeguards on a sailing staff should not be discredited, it is still essential to have properly trained boat operators. Lifeguard training does not address the additional risks in sailing, such as preventing entanglement and propeller strikes. Every camp should have an experienced sailing instructor who is highly competent in powerboat operation, and on-site training before campers arrive. This person should continue to supervise and train sailing instructors throughout the summer. Although serious incidents at sailing programs are rare, we cannot afford to let our guard down.

Kevin Gunn is a sailing director at Camp Vega in Fayette, Maine, and a high school teacher and varsity high school sailing coach at Ursuline Academy in New Orleans, La. Reach him at kgunn@uanola.org.

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Work Cited

2019 Recreational Boating Statistics

https://www.uscgboating.org/library/accident-statistics/Recreational-Boating-Statistics-2019.pdf