To counter this, The NI has announced the publication of ‘Launch and Recovery of Boats from Ships’.
Launching, operating and recovering small boats is often outside the expertise of crew and can require considerable skill and seamanship. Practice drills rarely provide a realistic simulation of emergencies. An increasing lack of experience and some well-publicised accidents during practice have undermined crews’ confidence in using the equipment. Reluctance to take part in practice launches serves to further erode safety.
In ‘Launch and Recovery of Boats from Ships’, author Dag Pike sets out good practice and explains in clear language the techniques and systems that can improve manoeuvres. The book reviews the equipment available and assesses both its benefits and its potential drawbacks.
At the launch held at the UK’s Warsash Maritime Academy, Capt John Lloyd, NI CEO, commented: “For generations, seafarers have been faced with the challenge of the maintenance and testing of lifesaving appliances to ensure their readiness for use in emergencies. At the same time crews have to recognise that their deployment, even in controlled circumstances, is never risk-free. This book guides the mariner towards best and safest practice in the management and operation of launching and recovering boats at sea.”
Having experienced his first shipwreck at the age of 18, Capt Pike has the experience to lend weight to his valuable insights into the best use of existing systems and the potential for their improvement. After serving as Captain of Trinity House lighthouse tenders, he went on to become an Inspector of Lifeboats with the UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and was responsible for some 50 lifeboat stations.
Capt Lloyd added: “The Nautical Institute hopes this book will become a key source of reference for those seeking to improve the safety of their personnel on board and will result in better understanding of how to launch and recover boats safely.”
During January, 2018, this publication is The Nautical Institute’s Book of The Month, available at a discounted price of £15.