Health & Safety

Safety comes first at NBYC. This page summarises how we keep sailors, parents and helpers safe on the water and around the club. It is a summary of the club’s safety procedures; where the two differ, the full procedures apply.

Sailing safety

  • The Officer of the Day, usually the Sailing Director, Club Captain or Head Coach. They decide whether conditions are safe for the sailors on the day, and cancel if in doubt. A Ramp Master escorts sailors to the ramp and checks safety before launch. Coaches check rigging, watch their sailors, and one stays on the water until every boat is ashore.

  • Every sailor signs in before going on the water and signs out when they come back. That is how we know everyone is ashore at the end of the session.

  • Everyone on the water wears a lifejacket at all times. That includes skippers, crew and patrol boat crews.

  • A patrol boat is on the water for every club sailing session. For Learn to Sail and Blue Fleet there is at least one patrol boat for every six boats; for other sessions, one for every ten. Patrol boats are never anchored, so they can respond at once.

  • Club-approved skippers aged 15 or over. They wear the kill cord, follow Maritime NZ rules and the 5-knot limits, carry a VHF radio and a phone, and have no alcohol or drugs for 10 hours before driving.

  • Patrol boats and the Ramp Master carry VHF radios. NBYC works on channel 77, with a radio check at the start of every session. If only one safety boat is out, a waterproof phone is carried as well.

  • Skippers rig their boat correctly, make sure everyone aboard wears a lifejacket, sail safely, and follow instructions from coaches and club officials. Crew wear lifejackets and follow the skipper.

  • Members at Blue Fleet level or above may sail outside scheduled sessions. They must tell a committee member first and be supervised by an authorised supervisor in a patrol boat. Sailors aged 17 or over with written permission may sail without a patrol boat, but never alone, and at least one sailor carries a VHF.

Hazards and how we manage them

  • The rigging area, road and ramp are public spaces used by buses and cars. For Learn to Sail and larger sessions we put barriers on the ferry-terminal corner of the rigging area. Younger children are supervised crossing the road.

  • For Learn to Sail and sessions with children, we place barriers along the wharf edge next to the rigging area.

  • The ramp is slippery, especially at low tide, and has oysters. Wear closed-in shoes at all times. The Ramp Master and helpers assist with launching and retrieving; watch for other ramp users.

  • Rocks can fall from the cliff. Spend as little time there as possible, and avoid it after heavy rain.

  • Carry spars carefully, rig boats head to wind, and take care moving around rigged boats. Protective headgear is recommended on the water.

  • If in doubt, we don’t go out. Stay with your boat if you capsize. Keep clear of ferries, shipping channels and moored boats, and remember yachts do not always have right of way, even when racing.

  • Wear warm, windproof clothing and a hat, use sunscreen, and drink water. Cold sailors are brought ashore and warmed up quickly.

  • Patrol boats approach swimmers and capsized boats slowly, usually from upwind, and put the motor in neutral or switch it off near anyone in the water.

  • No smoking or naked flames near fuel. Clubroom users are shown the fire alarms, extinguishers and exits, and how to use the gas oven and hot water safely. Young children are supervised on the stairs.