Introduction

The most appropriate time to carry out the safety briefing on a sailing boat is during the preparation for sailing, and sufficiently in advance of departure, i.e. when we are still in port or at anchor, and preferably when the entire crew is on board.

If there is not enough time to carry out or complete the briefing before setting sail (which is often the case), it is advisable for the skipper to schedule a period of time to do so, during the first day of sailing or, in any case, before we get too far from the coast to begin deep-sea sailing.

The length and level of detail of the briefing will depend a lot on the type of sailing we are going to do, and the previous knowledge of the boat and its equipment that the crew already has. Obviously, short coastal sailing is not the same as ocean sailing, and briefing an experienced crew is different to briefing a new crew who are not familiar with the boat and its equipment.

Below, we will look at the most relevant aspects covered in the safety briefing for a sailing yacht.