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MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY, this is My-yacht, My-yacht, My-yacht, MAYDAY, this is My-yacht, over..

The call that no-one who heads to sea wishes to make, or hear, but the meaning of which everyone needs to know.

Before setting out to sea in any vessel, everyone undertaking such an activity must be aware of where they are heading. You are heading onto the water, which is not a natural place for a human being, and if something goes wrong, you cannot simply walk away.

It is therefore vital that every person heading to sea is fully aware of the necessary safety requirements. If you are going to step onto a vessel, you need to be confident that the vessel is sound, is suited for the area where you are going to venture and the prevailing weather conditions. You must know the vessel, or at least have full trust and confidence in those who are controlling the vessel.

While being aware of safety when taking a boat onto inland waters or close to shore are important, when heading off-shore, which I regards as being "at sea", the needs are magnified. Off-shore is generally considered to be more than two nautical miles from the coast. Under current Australian legislation, there are a number of items of safety equipment that must be on every vessel; however, the requirements can vary depending on the vessel's size. Type 1 lifejackets must be carried for everyone aboard the vessel, with the correct sizes available for each person. It is also vital that everyone aboard knows the location of the lifejackets and how to fit them. If the lifejackets aboard the vessel are of the inflatable type, everyone aboard must know how to inflate them. Just imagine the consequences if the skipper of a vessel is injured and unconscious and no other person aboard can locate or use the lifejackets.

Should a vessel be in trouble at sea, it is vital that messages be transmitted seeking help. There is a range of equipment that is required and it is important that a number of people aboard the boat know how they operate. I believe the most vital of these is the Marine radio. Depending on where you are heading, this could be either a 27meg, VHF or HF radio. Some say that a mobile phone, know in some countries as a cell phone, is acceptable. In addition to the fact that a mobile phone does not comply with the legal requirement, I believe they are simply not satisfactory. On the assumption that you are within range to use your mobile, whom do you call? That one person then has the responsibility to transfer

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