Crew & Vessel Safety
Most safety equipment on recreational vessels never gets used — which means most crews have never actually deployed a flare, operated a life raft, or run a man-overboard drill under pressure. The moment you need those skills is never a convenient training moment. SASCORPS crew and vessel safety training puts the procedures in your hands before an emergency, so the equipment works the way it's supposed to and the crew responds the way they need to.
Captain Mark Gervais holds current Safety at Sea, CPR, AED, and First Aid certifications, and has spent 35 years building the seamanship habits that keep small problems from becoming emergencies.
What the Training Covers
Training is tailored to your vessel, your crew, and your sailing goals, and can include:
Man overboard procedures — crew response, maneuvering drills, recovery techniques, and the communication and role assignments that make the difference under pressure
Safety equipment familiarity — hands-on orientation to your vessel's life jackets, harnesses, tethers, EPIRBs, PLBs, flares, and firefighting equipment, and how to inspect and maintain them
Heavy weather preparation — reefing strategy, sail plans, storm tactics, securing below, and the decisions to make before conditions deteriorate rather than during
Fire prevention and response — the common causes of onboard fires, the procedures for fighting them, and the decisions about when to fight and when to abandon
First aid at sea — managing medical situations offshore when professional help is hours or days away, including CPR and AED use
Distress procedures — VHF and DSC distress calls, flare deployment, EPIRB and SART activation, and coordinating with the Coast Guard
Watch systems and fatigue — offshore watch-keeping structure, fatigue management, and the crew habits that keep situational awareness high on long passages
Who It’s For
This training is for any crew preparing to go offshore, crews new to a vessel's safety systems, and owners who want to ensure everyone aboard can respond effectively — not just the captain. It's also well-suited to couples or small crews where every person needs to be genuinely capable in an emergency, not just a passenger. Safety training can be paired with bluewater or weather training as part of a complete passage-preparation program.
Trained to Respond, Not Just to Know
There's a difference between knowing where the life raft is and being able to deploy it. Captain Mark's certifications and experience reflect a commitment to the practical side of seamanship — the skills that hold up when conditions are bad and adrenaline is high. That's what this training is designed to build.
Get Your Crew Ready
Tell us about your vessel and your crew's experience level, and we'll put together a safety training plan that fits.