Safety duty introduction
Safety cover is an integral part of the activities at Swanage Sailing Club.
All Members are required to take part in safety duty for races, and races generally happen on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings with odd Saturdays for special races. See the club Yearbook for details of how many duties you need to sign up for.
All members should read the club's Operating Procedures (on the members' Portal) for detailed information of running activities on the water, including the Emergency Procedure Guide.
Why do safety?
Members are encouraged to join safety teams for a number of reasons. The most obvious is that it lets us run races which is fun for everybody but there are other benefits too:
- It's a chance to meet other members
- It's a pleasurable thing to be on a boat in or out of Swanage bay in itself
- You can be trained up to become RIB drivers: more experience, more fun, more opportunities to join in, e.g. to help out with junior or adult training
- Learn more about racing by watching and being actively involved in running them
- Learn more about sailing by watching races close up
What is involved with safety duty?
Safety cover for races has a few roles: there's the Race Officer, RIB driver, crew, race scorer and beachmaster.
The Race Officer runs the race, the RIB team is responsible for laying and collecting marks and ensuring race safety.
Scorers sit on the committee boat taking boat times, and operate the race flags and the beachmaster remains on the clubhouse balcony monitoring and assisting from the shore as needed.
The race results are entered into the computer in the training room after races.
What will I have to do?
If you are completely new to safety cover then you will be 'crew' being either on a RIB or helping to score the race from the committee boat. Don't worry, RIB drivers and Race Officers will give you full instructions and get you going.
If you have the RYA Powerboat level 2 certificate, you can contact one of the powerboat instructors to get signed off as a Rib helm. We run PB2 courses regularly throughout the year, so you can train up if you haven't done this before (see the Calendar for dates and to book).
Safety boat helms for any Training sessions at SSC must have the RYA Safety Boat certificate. These courses are also run regularly if you would like to train up.
All team members help prep the RIBs for the race and also put everything way again afterwards. Also have a look at the safety training video to see what is involved.
What gear do I need?
For all roles other than Beachmaster, you will need either wetsuit & base layers as appropriate or a drysuit, and buoyancy aid. Early in the season, it can be cold so dress warmly. Beachmasters will need appropriate clothing so they can help launch/ recover launch trolleys.
What is involved timewise?
See details in the club Yearbook for how many duties you'll need to sign up for. Depending on the day, each session lasts around 3-4 hours.
What if I am not so agile or strong?
Don't worry, the committee boat and Beachmaster roles are non physical and suitable for anybody.
What if I can't make a day?
Log in to the website and access the Volunteering section from the dropdown menu in the top right corner. You can manage your duties here: if you can't make a day or evening, simply request a swap to transfer your duty to another day.
Useful safety downloads
Text for safety training video
Checklist for completion of safety duty
Checklist for safety boat crew
Last updated 18:41 on 10 May 2026
