Sailing without safety cover

Safety .... Rescue ..... it's all people playing with English and probably wouldn't make a shred of difference if something actually ended up going to court.

In my mind, both terms "Safety" and "Rescue" imply that the club is taking on part of the responsibility for the sailors who are using its facilities. All sailing instructions have the "responsibility of helm for his boats safety etc." in them to cover this.

A much better term is "Patrol" boat, which is the one used by the two clubs I am a member of. The purpose of a "Patrol Boat" is:

1. To assist the race officer with setting the course and other race management duties

2. If required, carry a Jury to perform on the water judging.

3. Attend capsized boats, and if possible provide assistance with recovery of boats or crew in the event of damage or injury.

There should be no expectation on the part of the sailor to expect a Patrol boat to attend to mitigate risks where time is a major factor in saving lives - for example entrapments, man overboard etc. Here the primary responsibility lies with the crew of the boat to self-rescue by carrying the correct equipment eg knives, and knowing the correct techniques eg holding on to the mainsheet if you fall out of a singlehander, or both crew members capable of sailing the boat singlehanded in a doublehander.

Note that 1,2 and 3 are the purpose of the patrol boat from the sailor's viewpoint, those operating the boats should still attempt to attend every capsize as soon as possible, prioritizing highest risk boats first etc. etc.

I do think that people have become far too reliant on "rescue boats" and sail in conditions or boats which are outside their ability / fitness levels. For example, if you are sailing at something like a national championships and cannot right a capsized boat without assistance, there should be no expectation that the "rescue boat" will help you get the boat up, only prevent you dying of hypothermia.

Obviously, a sailing school or other training situation where the aim is to push the boundaries of peoples' ability, the "rescue boat" will be expected to do much more, and this is reflected in the much smaller ratios between "rescue boats" and sailing boats.