(Q) Whilst on a voyage, you have spotted a red distress flare, what are you going to do?
(i) Take a Compass Bearing of the flare and not it down (Convert this to a True Bearing)
(ii) Take the Lat/Long of the ships position
(iii) Sound the General alarm of 7 short blasts followed 1 prolonged blast on the ships whistle
(iv) Alter course Towards the flare
(v) Inform the Skipper/Captain and relate all the information to him
(vi) Make sure all your radios are on the distress frequencies (they should always be left on distress frequencies)
(vii) If no Mayday then it's up to you to Relay a Mayday (Mayday Relay - Mayday Relay - Mayday relay)
(viii) Inform the crew at the muster station to get all lifesaving/fire-fighting and portable pumps made ready
(ix) Post look-outs around the vessel
(x) The mate should now observe the radar looking for a target

(Q) What information would you expect from the Coastguard?
(a) A S.I.T.R.E.P. (Situation Report) and any information about the E.P.I.R.B. or any S.A.R.T.'s

(Q) You arrived in the area, what would you expect to see?
(a) A vessel or at least a liferaft(s) / E.P.I.R.B / Life rings / debris and oil

(Q) The vessel has went down but why did the E.P.I.R.B. manage to launch itself?
(a) Because of the hydrostatic release

(Q) How many hydrostatic releases do you have in your vessel?
(a) One on each liferaft and one on the E.P.I.R.B.

(Q) There's no liferaft's there what will you do now?
(a) Inform the Coastguard and then stop the vessel alongside the E.P.I.R.B. and switch on the video plotter and make an event mark an the screen and start to plot, after 5 minutes you'll see the way the wind/tide is taking your vessel, this is the first section of your search

(Q) What types of searches can you do?
(a) There are many searches including

(i) An Expanding Square Search

(ii) A sector Search

(iii) A Parallel search with one or more vessels

(iv) A 90^o parallel search with one vessel (Used by oilrig's and is very effective)

You'll be asked to do searches (i) (ii) & (iii)

(Q) A Parallel search how can this be done with one vessel?
(a)

(Q) How do you do a Parallel search with two boats?
(a)

If asked to do a search with 3 or more vessels, the extra vessel(s) will take the next berth while doing a parallel search and all vessels must go in the same direction initially

(Q) How do you do an Expanding Square Search?
(a)

(Q) How do you do a Sector Search Pattern?
(a)

(Q) How do you do the 90^o search pattern?
(a)

(Q) What advantage is there with a 90^o search pattern?
(a) You cover the expected area of a search quicker

Check the animation on how to fire a distress rocket