These guidelines are intended to remind Patrol Boat Crews of their main responsibilities and to supplement the initial training provided through Tudor Sailing Club.

Please remember, the patrol boat must be on the water 30 minutes before the start of the race. If you cannot do a duty you must arrange for a replacement. A list of telephone numbers is posted with the master roster on the dinghy notice board. Copies of the list are available and contained in a folder on the dinghy notice board. Please notify Ian Silk on 01730 269698 / 07711399756 of any duty changes.

Before duties:
· Committee duty officer will ring Helm, crew and Race Officer to ensure they will turn up or there will be cover.
· Arrive at the clubhouse in time to ensure the boat is on the water at least half an hour before the start of the race or cruise.
· All competitors must sign on before a race, this includes Helms who doing a Patrol boat duty and are claiming compensation, they must sign on with their boat details and must write ‘OOD’ in the Finish Time/DNF column.

Before launching:
· Check fuel, including extra fuel for longer journeys and emergency fuel.
· Check oil level in engine (RIB only)
· Pick up canister, radio, bucket and throwing line from Race Box
· Check equipment inventory

Before race:
· Be aware of state of tide
· Check with race officer location of any buoys required
· Make sure you know the course
· Check steerage on boat (fig. 8 exercises)
· Check outward water tell-tale
· Radio check with Race Officer (Channel 37)

Before Cruises:
· Check you know the route
· Make sure you know which boats are going
· Make sure you are carrying any additional equipment required (e.g. compass is advisable and should be in the equipment canister)
· It is advisable to have an idea of the level of competence of the dinghy crews.

During races:
· Overall -your priority is to the safety of the crew – not the boats
· You have a responsibility to all crews– do not remain with one crew just because they appear less competent than others. If you have real concerns about a crew’s competence it may be advisable to suggest they return to the slip.
· Count number of boats starting race and continue to do boat count throughout race
· Keep an eye on all boats in the race as far as possible, moving between first and end boats
· Keep a particular eye on potential ‘trouble spots’ e.g. gybe marks; gusty spots etc.
· In case of capsize, approach boat but do not get so close that you may hinder recovery. Check helm and crew are OK and then observe from a distance unless they ask for help. If crew appear exhausted/injured and unable to continue self-rescue you may need to take the decision to intervene.
· Patrol boats may now provide help to a boat or person in danger without the boat having to retire, as long as no advantage is deemed to have been accrued from the help provided.
· Keep race officer informed of any problems or rule or course infringement.
· If you need to rescue a crew and abandon dinghy, tie ‘pick-up buoy’ onto boat mast or shrouds to prevent it inverting and to ensure that any other rescue craft is aware that crew have been rescued.
· Do not return to slip until you have checked all boats are back.

After race:
· Log any maintenance issues in maintenance log book in the race box.
· Please rinse the radio in fresh water, paying particular attention to the charging contacts at the bottom. Dry the radio, make sure it is switched off and replace it in its charger, preferably moving it around in the charger to ensure that it makes good contact. Failure to rinse the radios will cause the contacts to corrode and they will not charge.
· Leave your Maintenance log sheet on the clip for Sailing Sec to sign off.

Please also ensure that the other gear is returned to the Race Box.

Finally

If you see someone in difficulties who is not a participant in the event which you are patrolling, then you must offer assistance.

In an emergency, you can call the Coastguard on Channel 16. To do this, unlock the radio by pressing the button that says ‘lock’ for a few seconds (the ‘key’ on the LCD will go out) and press ‘16’ to select the Channel; call ‘Solent Coastguard’ and explain the situation to them.