Safety at Sea
UK Sailmakers is committed to helping you to improve your sailing skills and safety. On this website, we publish an ever-growing collection of Learn to Sail Videos, Articles, and Safety at Sea Videos.
New Thoughts on MOB Recovery
For years we have been taught how to pick up a MOB under sail. Watching students fail on 9 out of 10 attempts got me thinking of new ways to rescue sailors. Click to read my article.
LifeSling Recovery
The Life Sling is the safest and most secure way to bring a Man Overboard back aboard. This video shows two different ways to use this lifting harness at the end of a 150-foot line.
How To Set a Storm Jib
This video covers how to set a storm jib in stops. This system controls the sail until it’s broken-out so that the clew and its sheets won’t whip around and hurt the person trying to set the sail.
Drogue Steering
Losing the rudder is a common reason for boats to be abandoned at sea. This video shows a method for steering a boat under sail as well as under tow. While some methods meet the rules, they are not as robust.
Fighting Shipboard Fires
A shipboard fire can quickly become an abandon ship situation. This video teaches how to fight those fires to save your boat. It was filmed at a hands-on Safety at Sea seminar.
How to Deploy a Life Raft
Many sailors have carried life rafts on and off boats, but few have seen how launch, inflate or enter one. This video Winslo Life Raft’s Chalres Daneko shows how it is done.
Care of Inflatable Life Vests
Inflatable PFDs with built in harnesses are safe and comfortable. Most offshore sailors now carry them. But lives depend on annual checkouts and schedule maintenance.
Man-Over-Board Recovery
The hardest part of recovering a crew overboard is getting the person back aboard. This video looks at several different methods. The best method is to use the Life Sling and a winch.
How to use Storm Sails
Boats going to sea need to carry storm sails, but more importantly, the crew needs to have practiced ahead of time. In a storm you don’t want to be looking at the trysail for the first time.
Quick Stop Upwind
The key to a successful man-overboard recovery is to stay close to the victim in the water. Here is how to do a Quick Stop recovery when the person goes overboard while sailing upwind.
Quick Stop With Spinnaker
The key to a successful man-overboard recovery is to stay close to the victim in the water. Here is how to do a quick stop recovery when the person goes overboard while the spinnaker is flying.
Quick Stop With Spinnaker – Part 2
While video’d over a decade ago, this clip shows an unpracticed crew in heavy air. What they did right and not-so-right offers some good lessons in how to do a successful MOB recovery.
SOLAS-Grade Signaling Flares
This video shows you how much brighter SOLAS flares are compared to those that meet the recreational boating standards. When you need to be seen, SOLAS flares are the only choice.
Proper Reefing Procedures
When over powered, there are two options for reducing sail area: change to a smaller headsail or reduce the size of the main by reefing. Reefing is the fastest.