Collision.
First check the crew. Then check the bilge. A collision can be over in a second — but its consequences run on both.
Account for everyone. Then look for water.
The first thirty seconds of a collision sort everything else. Confirm the crew, then find the breach.
- 1
Account for all crew.
Visual + verbal headcount. Anyone overboard? Anyone struck? Free them first if trapped.
- 2
Check for injuries.
Especially head and chest. Crew bracing on impact often hit something. Quick triage before the procedure runs.
- 3
Identify the point of impact.
Where did you hit? Bow, beam, stern? Which side? Note the angle — it tells you where to look for damage.
- 4
Inspect the bilge for incoming water.
Now, before anything else. A clean bilge means time. A rising bilge means the procedure changes.
Manage the breach. Keep her afloat.
Initiate radio contact if Mayday conditions are developing.
Don't wait until you're certain. If the bilge is rising or hull integrity is in doubt, transmit a Pan-Pan now. You can upgrade to Mayday if it worsens.
↗14Emergency CommunicationsManeuver to keep the breach above the waterline.
Heel the boat away from the damaged side. Use sail trim or crew weight. Every degree the breach is above water is a degree less flooding.
Isolate the breach.
Close any water-tight doors and passages. Stop water from spreading from the impacted compartment to the rest of the hull.
Turn on bilge pumps and activate any emergency pumps.
Run everything you have. If the primary system can't keep up, close the engine seacock and redirect the engine raw-water intake to pump from inside the hull. The engine becomes a second pump.
Establish a benchmark for the water level.
Mark the current water line on the bulkhead with tape or pencil. You need to know if it's rising, falling, or holding. Guessing will cost you the next ten minutes.
Analyze the breach — size, form, location.
Clear the area to work. Block what you can — soft-wood plugs, towels rammed in, anything that slows the flow. For larger holes, back a plywood patch with screws and sealant from the outside if you can reach.
Maximize water-expelling efforts.
Manage crew resources across every available method:
- Use manual pumps
- Bail with buckets
- External pumps from other vessels if they're alongside
- Close the engine seacock and redirect engine raw-water intake to pump from inside the hull
If water continues to rise:
Gear for this moment.
The equipment we'd want aboard if this alarm went off right now. Each piece earns its place against a specific step above.
Tapered plugs for every through-hull, tied to its seacock. The fastest way to stop a known hole while you rig something better.
View gearFor a hole too big to plug — backing board, screws, and sealant to brace a patch over the breach from inside or out.
View gearA 5-gallon bucket on a lanyard moves more water than most manual pumps when the breach is winning.
View gearIf the impact takes out the fixed set or its antenna, a charged hand-held keeps your Pan-Pan and Mayday going.
View gearSeaWise may earn a small commission on these links — it helps keep the procedures free. We only list gear we'd carry ourselves.
Skipper notes.
No notes yet. If you've run this procedure for real, your note could be the one that helps the next skipper.
+Add a note