Abandon Ship

You have only about 3 minutes to abandon ship if you have a major leak and can't stop it. That includes the time spent assessing the damage and trying to plug or correct the problem. If the boat is definitely going to sink then it is time to go through the Abandon Ship routine. Note this must be the very last resort, the safest place to be is on the boat even if it is badly damaged!!

1. All crew put on their Life Jackets.
2. One transmits May Day on the VHF and the SSB while we still have power.
3. Others assemble the following items in the cockpit:
    
   • EPIRB's;
   • Yellow Bottles containing flares;
   • Grab Bag;
   • Emergency dribag of warm clothes
   • Leatherman knife;
   • Ship's Log, Handheld VHF, and GPS (if not in Grab Bag);
   • Seat cushions (floatable);
   • Ziplock bag with wallets, passports, tickets, and boat papers;
   • First Aid kit ; and
   • Navigation Computer
4. One person releases water jerrycan (with line) from its deck tiedowns
5. Other person puts Leatherman knife in pocket and small grabbed items in Grab Bag
6. One person passes the items from the cockpit to the person on the deck
7. All inspect the life raft tether attachment to the boat to make sure it is secure
8. Deploy the life raft on leeward side of the boat (so it stays close to the boat and is shielded from the weather)
9. Tie the yellow bottles and water jug to a rope
10. One climbs into the life raft. Make every effort to climb into life raft from Enchantress. It's incredibly difficult to haul yourself into a life raft from the water.
11. Others hand the Grab Bag, cushions, clothing and rope for water jug and yellow bottles into the life raft and immediately climb in
12. Haul on the tether to retrieve Yellow Bottles and water jug
13. Activate one of the EPIRB's and leave it activated
14. Let the tether out as far as possible and prepare to cut it--but only when Enchantress is clearly sinking. Note however, that a liferaft cannot be towed or held alongside for long without suffering damage.
15. Take seasick pills out of Grab Bag, and swallow