Monterey Sport Cruiser 260SCR, Owner'S Manual

Page: 38 / 212

Emergencies
Cruiser
4-3
a fire plan in advance to make that decision
quickly and without hesitation. Keep in mind the
following guidelines:
• Many fires are the result of gasoline and oil
accumulating in the bilge, careless fueling
practices and electrical problems. In the event
of a fire, try to stop your boat and turn off the
engine as quickly and safely as possible.
Immediately use a fire extinguisher at the base
of the flames in a sweeping motion to reduce or
extinguish the fire. Ensure that all passengers
are safe from immediate danger and are
wearing PFDs. If the fire is located in the engine
compartment (if equipped), make sure the bilge
blower (if equipped) is off and do not open the
engine cover.
• Once you have extinguished the fire, check for
other immediate fire threats and personal
injuries and call for assistance immediately.
• If you are unable to easily extinguish the fire, or
if the fire is uncontrollable, attempt to get
yourself and all passengers off your boat and
into the water. If possible, ensure that all
passengers are wearing PFDs or have access
to one by the time they are in the water. Before
leaving the boat, if possible, verify that there is
no immediate danger of fuel sitting or burning
on the water’s surface where you and your
passengers will be floating. Immediately swim
to a safe position upwind from your boat and
use distress signals to get assistance.
MAN OVERBOARD
If someone falls into the water unexpectedly, use
the following guidelines. Every second counts
toward preventing injury or death.
At the first sign that a person has fallen
overboard, loudly yell “Man overboard!” and state
the position of the person in relation to the boat
(Example: “Man overboard - port!”).
Set the engine(s) throttles at idle and place the
gear controls in the NEUTRAL position
immediately.
Throw a Type IV PFD to the victim immediately if
the PFD will be within reach of the victim. If the
victim is too far away to throw a PFD to, navigate
back and throw the PFD from a safe distance. If a
Type IV PFD is not readily available, any life
jacket or floating device will suffice.
Someone in your boat must keep the victim in
sight at all times. It is the captain’s responsibility
to assign one person to watch the victim.
Carefully navigate back to the victim, staying at a
safe distance and position to safely retrieve the
victim.
Avoid going into the water to assist the victim
unless there is absolutely no way to retrieve the
victim safely from your boat and there is no
chance of endangering others.
CAPSIZING AND
FLOODING
A boat may capsize or flood when you least
expect it. Formulate a plan in advance in case of
capsizing or flooding. Review the following
guidelines:
• If your boat capsizes, locate all passengers and
guide them to a safe flotation device or the
forward hull if your boat is floating upside down.
• If possible, provide life jackets to all persons in
the water and assess them for alertness and
injuries.
• STAY WITH THE BOAT! Climb up on the hull
and try to get assistance.
• Do not try to swim to shore as it can be farther
than it appears.
If your boat starts to flood, slow the boat to a safe
speed and stop as quickly as possible. Activate
the bilge pump(s) immediately. Try to locate the
cause of the flooding. If the cause is not readily
apparent or not easily corrected, head for shore
or shallow water as quickly as possible and call
for help.