Survival craft
Governing: STCW Code Table A-VI/2-1; REG Yacht Code Part A chapter 13, Part B section 7.19. Builds on: Personal Survival Techniques (PST).
PST taught you to survive in a craft. PSCRB is about taking charge of one. That starts with knowing what you have and what it is certified to do.
The types
| Craft | Launch | Where you find it on yachts |
|---|---|---|
| Throw-over liferaft | Manual or float-free with HRU | Most yachts under 85 m |
| Davit-launched liferaft | Single-arm davit, boarded at deck level | Larger yachts, passenger yachts |
| Enclosed lifeboat | Davit, on-load release hooks | Yachts of 85 m and over, some Part B yachts |
| Rescue boat | Crane or davit, usually a RIB | All yachts of 24 m and over |
| Marine evacuation system | Chute or slide to rafts | Some large yachts |
What the REG Yacht Code requires
Part A (up to 12 passengers) sets carriage by size in its LSA table:
| Short range | 24 m and over | 500 GT and over | 85 m and over | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifeboats | - | - | - | Yes |
| Liferafts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rescue boat | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Where lifeboats would be required, Part A 13.2(3) allows alternatives: liferafts where the yacht meets a SOLAS two-compartment subdivision standard; davit-launched liferafts sized so that losing any one leaves capacity for everyone on either side, plus one approved rescue boat each side; or marine evacuation systems with the same rescue boat condition. A lifeboat may count as a rescue boat if it also meets the LSA Code requirements for one.
Part B passenger yachts that need lifeboats carry, on each side, lifeboats for not less than 50% of persons on board, which the Administration may reduce by substituting liferafts provided lifeboats on each side still take 37.5%. Additional liferafts cover at least 25%, or enough that losing any one craft leaves 50% each side. Where davit-launched liferafts are the sole means, each side must take 100%, with 100% remaining after losing any one craft. At least one rescue boat each side is carried.
Reading the markings
Table A-VI/2-1 requires you to interpret the markings on survival craft as to the number of persons they are intended to carry. Check each raft container and lifeboat for:
- Capacity (persons).
- Service date and servicing station.
- Type: davit-launched or throw-over, and pack type.
- Yacht name and port of registry where marked.
CAUTION - Guests change the count Capacity is checked against the maximum persons on board, including guests, day workers and contractors. Before a large party at anchor, confirm the numbers on board against certified capacity.
Righting an inverted liferaft
Assessed in the practical course: while wearing a lifejacket, you stand on the gas cylinder, hold the righting straps, lean back and pull the raft over, then swim clear from under the canopy. Do it once in the pool and you will remember it.
TIP - Walk the boat deck On joining, find every raft, check its capacity, HRU date and painter attachment, and match it against the muster list. It takes twenty minutes and is the best introduction to the yacht's LSA you will get.