Hat Overboard!
by Chef Carole CastleSo there I was, racing toward the little red dot bobbing in the waves between Hans Lollick Island and St. Thomas, USVI. The captain sent me off in the dinghy while he idled the 42’ catamaran with our charter guests all diligently pointing at the treasured object, so as not to lose sight of it.
Emergency procedures recently learned in my STCW class flooded my brain. I could still hear the Sea School instructor, Capt. Len, saying "Treat every hat flying off the heads of unsuspecting passengers as a ‘Man Overboard’ drill!" Capt. Len said once somebody is overboard, you might as well be looking for a coconut floating in the water.
Being new to the boating world in general, and to the chef/crew position in particular, I was a veritable sponge in STCW class. I was such an eager beaver, our CPR/First Aid instructor, Capt. Amy, good naturedly called me "Teacher’s Pet"! Once class ended and I had my hard earned certificate in hand, I became quite the safety monitor on board the boat I was working on at the time. I was even calling myself "Miss Goody 2-Shoes"! I insisted on having a laminated briefing card to be used as a checklist when new charter guests boarded. I pulled out the life jackets and fire extinguishers to be sure they were current and operable.
So many seasoned charter captains become complacent after years of sailing without incident. As annoying as the newbies can be, it is, of course, better to be safe than sorry.
As it turns out, it was a very good thing Capt. Len and I did our man overboard drills. I learned in class that the most common person overboard is actually the captain himself! We would do the occasional "Pop Quiz" where he would yell: "Man overboard!" I would then shout off my procedures:
- Throw a life preserver or floatable seat cushion
- Instruct the guests to point at the victim, never taking their eyes off for a second
- Throw the garbage over board (This was my favorite. On first hearing it I pictured gobs of trash just haphazardly strewn about the water, until I realized they meant tied off white garbage bags that would drift as a visible float following the same current as the victim.)
- Put the boat in neutral, take a heading, make a 180-degree turn
- Put the swim ladder down
- Pick up the victim. Sheesh!
I snapped back to reality as I scooped up the red Boston Red Sox baseball hat. The 19-year old boy was waiting and watching to see if I made it to his favorite hat before it sank to the bottom of the sea. Eureka! Got it!
I returned to the boat amidst cheers of the delighted group on board. It was only day two of their 10-day charter. The captain and I made a good impression that set the tone for the rest of their Caribbean vacation.
The things we do to entertain our guests…O.K. it was only a hat, but it could have been the captain. Thanks to my training, I would have known what to do. Would you? Hat overboard drills are good! Be prepared, be current, have fun!