Safety on the DS37

About this section

This section deals with Safety information which is specific to the DS37 only. Be sure to also familiarize yourself with:

• In Case of Injury
• General Safety Information

Secure footing and staying onboard

Staying onboard and preventing falls is critical on any yacht, and the DS37 is no different. Always follow "one hand for the boat, one hand for yourself" as you move around on the yacht. Stay low, move methodically, and avoid rushing, running, or jumping. Being an older yacht the non-skid on the deck is not as aggressive and "grippy" as on a newer vessel, so take care. Quality sailing boots or shoes that provide adequate grip are important, but need not be expensive. Avoid stepping on lines or sails, as both are common causes of slips or falls. Bad enough if you fall and hurt yourself, but worse to fall overboard.

Note

The majority of man overboard incidents happen in the harbor. Stay vigilant.

The boom

The boom on the DS37 is not particularly low, but it always presents a potential danger as it comes across the deck of the yacht. Make sure to always keep your head low and clear of the boom during any tacking or gybing manoeuvres. Calling out "HEADS!" is a good way to remind anyone not paying attention during a manoeuvre to keep low, so duck your head low if you hear it.

A common mistake on the DS37 is that the helmsman stands too far forward when on the tiller which can result in being struck by the end of the boom as it comes across. Use the tiller while seated just aft of the mainsheet on the windward side. If you must stand while on the helm, be sure to stand far aft enough to avoid being hit by the boom end.

The tiller

The rudder on the DS37 is massively oversized for manoeuvrability, which means that the yacht is quite nimble. One side effect of this is that the lower portion of the tiller which connects the rudder shaft to the tiller extension can exert extreme forces and is the perfect height to take out ankles. Take care not to stand within the swinging path of this lever, as it can easily break an ankle or foot if the rudder swings violently.

Mass and momentum

The DS37 is a relatively heavy vessel with tremendous momentum. It should go without saying that a collision with any significant speed on can and will cause serious damage to persons or property.

During berthing of the vessel, lines will be taken aboard from the pilings and used to slow the vessel's forward progress. You cannot stop the vessel in an instant (and attempting to do so will likely result in injury), so walk along the deck with the line to slowly absorb the momentum of the yacht ("bend, don't break").