At the main companion way, we kept printed and laminated emergency plans: Fire, flooding, capsize, severe injury, abandon ship etc. This gave us a check list, but also allowed guests to be ready for emergencies. At the same place, we had an EPRIB, large knife, and personal abandon ship items (wallets, credit cards, ships papers, passports etc in a small water proof bag (included the tools, small first aid hit, strobe light, hand held vhf etc) We did not have life rafts. On the Force 50 we had a 10 foot fiberglass dinghy with about 300 lbs of extra floatation, It was on davits over the stern and could be launched by one person in any condition. In this dinghy we had a cover with custom supports, 20 gallons of water, and our real abandon ship bag--the items I have noted in another post. The 20 gallons of water (weight would be about 120 lbs) is essential for prolonged survival--even with a manual watermaker. A man can live a long time without food, but not without water. The amount of water in a typical life raft is almost a joke. We also had lashed on deck a 13 foot inflatable, with a CO2 canister for rapid inflation. It could be cut free and inflated in about a minute. (we practice all of the emergency proceedures) It also had a canopy and supports. On the Cal 46, we had our RIB on the aft deck so fixed that either of us could launch it in about 30 seconds. ( Aft end on a roller, balanced so that the weight on the bow was about 30 lbs. Release the tie downs, just lift the bow, and a little push and it was in the water--we actually launched it underway a number of times to take our dogs ashore). The RIB with gear weighed about 350 lbs--no problem for Marie (120 lbs to launch it) This RIB also had a custom canopy, with supports, and a smaller inflatable was in it. (there are numberous reasons to have two dinghys--and one should be light and easy to take ashore thru surf). In this boat, the water and abandon ship grear was lashed in the RIB. Yes, it took up some deck space--but only at sea--and deck space was not that critical. Why no life raft? This was a question which we pondered and at our age today, we probably would have a raft or pod. A valise below has the advantage that it does not weather--and a deck mounted raft does need to have a good canaster and be protected--as noted before I have seen many of these worthless if not inspected each year. And in the tropics even with yearly inspections, some rafts only last a few years. I agree with Scott, that a 4 man raft is mighty small--as is the pod. But you can get 4 in both of these without lying on top of each other. Although there are some 4 man rafts which weigh only 40 lbs,I don't believe that these are satisfactory for offshore use. Most of these rafts weigh 60 to 80 lbs--more if a six man. Depending on where it is stored, it could be a real struggle to get it on deck and launched. Perhaps a good solution is a dedicated locker on the aft deck for a valise raft. I have never boarded a raft in heavy seas, but during heavy seas, I have thought it would be impossiable to board a raft. They are capsized, they are blown away, even with boarding ramps, they are difficult to board with motion and breaking seas. I wonder if it would be possiable to pull a raft with an inflated canopy to a boat in 60 knots of wind? If you read some of the reports from the Fastnet or Sydney to Hobart--it is very difficult to board the rafts. We all worry about different issues. Scott seems to be concerned about fire and injury. I am concerned about being run down (where a raft below deck would be useless) and a raft on the boat deck would be most likely to survive and self deploy. The hellicopter rescue issue: First on a passage, you would be unlikely to have a helicopter rescue (although some fishing boats, large yachts and military ships do carry them, they are not usually equipt for rescue). I have a pamphlet by the US Coast Guard titled: Guide to Helicopter Assistance and Evacuation at Sea. It states that the range of the Coast Guard Helicopters is 100 and 300 miles in ideal weather The pamphlet describes making sure that there is a clear area, flag staff, antennas cables etc be removed from this area. They request that communications antennas not be lowered. If the weather and patient's condition permit he/she should be brought on deck, but under cover near the hoist area. The patient must have a PFD and if wraped in blankets, these must be securely tied. The lift occures with the wind 30 degrees off the port bow (or as indicated) The boat is not stopped. The best control for the hoist is a boat speed of 10 to 15 knots. There is no mention of use of a dinghy or life raft for evacuation pick up. I have seen what a chopper wash does to a life raft, or inflatable. You do not want to be in the down wash of a chopper in a small inflatable. As a physician, I would be extremely leary of placing an injured patient in an inflatable dinghy for a hoist. As for injuries at sea--they certainly do occur and I have treated a number by radio and in person, both in races and when I was cruising. Generally they are trauma or infection. Very rare that an evacuation is necessary. There are risks in an evacuation and one has to balance those with the risk of the injury or infection. Most common injuries are broken ribs, fingers, infected wounds (like coral cuts or splinters), minor fractures of an ankle etc. Many of these can be avoided with situational awareness. As Scott says, be very careful when on deck. when I go on a boat I look for sharp corners, steep slippery stair cases (which many of the cruising boats have), adequate hand holds, toe grabbers on the deck etc. A boat can be made much safer. Also jack lines and safety harnesses must be available for all crew. If I hear of anyone going onto a weather deck or boat deck in any sort of weather, without safety harness and jacklines rigged, I cringe. When you have a safety harness, you need to have a secure point of attatchment right at the door, so you can hook on before you leave the safety of the cabin or cockpit. The jackline should be accessable there--and there should be a 3 foot tether and a 6 foot tether (or two six foot tethers for some boats)--one tether should be attatched at all times. You should not be able to be thrown off the boat if attatched properly. The important issue is that you have a plan, have practiced the deployment in real life conditions, make the boat as safe as possiable and stick with your plans. Regards, Bob Austin