All sailors who go out on the water, no matter how large or small their boats, are required by law to carry minimum safety equipment. These requirements can be enforced by the Coast Guard, should you be boarded for a random safety inspection, or by state boating safety officers or by a locality's marine police. Should you fail to carry the minimum safety equipment, you can be cited by the boarding officers and given either a warning or, in the worst cases, you can be fined.

While carrying the minimum safety equipment is the law, the standards set by the Coast Guard for the general boating population are no more than common sense. In fact, complying with the law is only the very first step in the process of preparing a boat and its crew to sail any distance along the coast or offshore.

Life Preservers: Until l988, the ordinary life preserver was known in Coast Guard parlance as the "personal flotation device." These were then defined into four types. Since 1988, the names of the various types have changed, but the basic requirements for the vests have remained the same.

Every vessel over 16 feet in length is required to carry a "wearable" life jacket for every person on board plus one "throwable" flotation device. Boats under 16 feet may carry either a "wearable" or a "throwable" flotation device for each person — throwable meaning the old Type IV devices which include cockpit cushions and life rings.

Wearable flotation devices are not all alike. The Coast Guard has arrived at three difference classifications, each designed to describe a life jacket suitable for various uses.

The Offshore Life Jacket (Type I): For serious sailors, those who will be heading offshore or making long coastal runs, the Offshore Life Jacket must have at least 22 pounds of buoyancy. The jacket is designed to hold an unconscious person upright in the water in a position that should keep his head free of the water and able to breath. Although bulky, the offshore jacket provides the best protection for most sailors.

However, both the Navy and the Coast Guard have determined that their sailors need more protection. Both services mandate that the life jackets worn on deck must have at least 32 pounds of flotation and must have a collar which will turn an unconscious person face-up in the water. If you are determined to carry the ultimate in gear, then Navy grade, 32-pound flotation jackets will be the flotation devices of choice.

The Nearshore Buoyancy Vest (Type II): The most popular style of life jackets for inshore and coastal uses, the nearshore vest must have a minimum buoyancy of 15.5 pounds. The design of the vest will turn most people face up in the water, although in some cases an unconscious person may not be turned face up by the vest. The vest will be easy to stow aboard your boat but will be uncomfortable to wear and will get in your way while trying to sail.

The Flotation Aid (Type III): Usually a trim vest or float-coat, the flotation aid must provide a minimum of 15.5 pounds of buoyancy. However, the aid will not hold your head clear of the water, nor will it turn face up an unconscious person. Undoubtedly the most comfortable of the three types of life jackets, the flotation aid may be the most likely to be worn but will also offer the least amount of protection for a person in the water.

Throwable Device (Type IV): This horseshoe ring, or life ring or cockpit flotation cushion will be located in your cockpit and is designed to be thrown the instant a person goes over the side. The device must provide a minimum of 16.5 to 18 pounds of buoyancy. A throwable device should not be considered a life preserver or life jacket. However, as an emergency buoyancy device for a person suddenly in need of one, this is the aid those left onboard will want handy. The ring or cushion should not be worn in the water for any length of time for it will force the wearer to float face down.

Hybrid Devices (Type V): In recent years a new category of flotation devices has appeared that has also found a ready audience in offshore sailors. The hybrid devices are most commonly life preservers of the May West type — CO2 inflated — coupled with a stout safety harness or float-coat. When deflated, these devices must offer a minimum of 7.5 pounds of buoyancy; when inflated, they must offer the wearer at least 22 pounds of buoyancy. Although somewhat bulky for everyday wear, the hybrid devices can be worn comfortably over foul-weather jackets and serve double duty for those on watch. Each device will be rated either Type I, II or III and clearly marked on the label. It is essential to maintain the cartridges on these devices and to inspect the flotation chambers periodically for wear or pinholes.

Sounding Device: In poor visibility, whether at night or in the fog, it is essential that a boat and its crew have a way of identifying itself with some sort of sounding device. The Coast Guard mandates the following minimum devices:

— Boats Under 16 Feet: No sounding device require.
— Boats 16 to 25 Feet: Must carry a horn or whistle (mouth, hand or power operated) that can be heard for at least half a mile.
— Boats 26 to 39 Feet: Must carry one bell; must carry a horn or whistle (mouth,hand or power operated) that can be heard for at least one mile.
— Boats 40 to 65 Feet: Must carry one bell; must carry a power operated horn or whistle that can be heard for at least one mile.

The requirement to carry horns and bells is mandated not only by the Coast Guard but also by the International and Inland Rules of the Road. While a horn will be thought of as a reasonable requirement by most sailors as a device to signal maneuvers to other vessels in close quarters, a bell is often regarded as a vestigial noisemaker from the Day's of Capt. James Cook. It is wise to remember that the bell is used primarily to signal one's positioned at anchor in poor visibility and when aground — both instances when you will be glad another vessel can hear you clearly.

Visual Distress Signals: All boats on the water must be equipped with some sort of day and night visual distress signaling derive. In boats under 16 feet, these can be one and the same, namely a flashlight that can be operated to send a flashing Morse SOS, as well as find your anchored boat after Happy Hour ashore. There are exceptions to this regulation. You need not carry a day signalling device aboard boats in a race or marine parade, if you are in an open sailboat under 26 feet or if you are in a boat propelled solely by oars. After sunset, however, you must carry a night signaling device.

— Boats between 16 and 65 feet must carry the following:
— By day: An orange flag bearing a black square and a black circle; or three floating, orange smoke signals; or, three hand-held, orange smoke signals.
— By night (only): An electric distress light capable of signalling in Morse, such as a flashlight with an on-off button.
— By day and night (combination signals): Three red parachute flares; or, three red meteor (pyrotechnic) flares; or, three hand-held red flares; or, three red pistol fired flares. Note: Flares must be dated by the manufacturer. Flares more than three years old will be considered by inspecting safety officers as being out-of date.

Fire Extinguishers: To combat fires aboard, the Coast Guard mandates that all vessels with inboard engines, and all powered vessels over 26-feet, carry fire extinguishers. Vessels under 26-feet with enclosed compartments, built-in fuel tanks or other integral areas in which fumes and fuel could collect, must also carry fire extinguishers.

Fire extinguishers are delineated by the types of fires they are intended to suppress. "A" types fight combustible solids; "B" types fight combustible fuels and other flammable fluids; and, "C" types are designed for electrical fires. All extinguishers required by the Coast Guard are of the "B" type. The Roman numerals I and II delineate the throw weight of the extinguishers. Type "I" contains either four pounds of carbon dioxide; or, two pounds of dry chemical; or two and half pounds of Halon; or one and a half gallons of foam. Type "II" contains either fifteen pounds of Carbon dioxide; or, ten pounds of dry chemical; or, ten pounds of Halon; or, two and a half gallons of foam.

The requirements are:

— Boats 26 to 39 feet: Two B-I; or, one B-I and one B-II; or, if a fixed engine-room system is in place, one additional B-I.
— Boats 39 to 65 feet: Three B-I; or one B-I and one B-II; or, with a fixed system in place, two additional B-I and one additional B-II.

Ventilation: The ability to quickly and safely evacuate flammable gasses from the bilge or engine room of a boat is a key ingredient in the safety of the vessel. The Coast Guard requires all in-board gasoline powered vessels to be equipped with appropriate systems to ventilate the engine room. The minimum vent duct should be two inches in diameter and should vent through a cowl that is at least three square inches in area. Boats built after 1980 must also be equipped with an electrical blower in the duct system.

Fewer and fewer sailboats are equipped with gas-powered auxiliaries. However, many do have propane stoves aboard, hence the common sense regulations in place to combat gasoline fires should be adopted voluntarily by all who carry flammables within the hulls of their vessels.

Backfire Flame Arrestor: All inboard gasoline engines must be equipped with a backfire flame arrestor, which will prevent ignited gasoline from escaping from the carburetor and creating an explosion in the engine room.

Oil Discharge Plaques: It is illegal to pump or otherwise discharge oil, or petroleum products into the sea. All boats over 26 feet with inboard engines must purchase and display in the engine a plaque that informs all aboard of the law.

Navigation Lights: The COLREGS, International and Inland Rules of the Road, mandate a standardized system of navigation lights for all vessels operating at night. It is not only necessary to equip your boat with the appropriate running, steaming and anchor lights, but every member of the crew should be familiar with the standards used by commercial vessels in order to avoid collision while underway.

— Under power: All boats under power must carry sidelights, a stern light and a white steaming light shines forward describing the same arc as the sidelights. Boats under 39 feet must show sidelights visible for one mile and a steaming light visible for two miles. Boats between 39 and 65 feet must carry sidelights and a stern light visible for two miles and a steaming light visible for three miles.

— Under sail: Boats under 23 feet must carry a white light (flashlight) that can be shown if necessary. Boats between 26 and 39 feet must show sidelights visible for one mile and a stern light visible for two miles. On larger sailing vessels, all three lights must be visible for two miles.

— At anchor, all vessels must show a 360 degree anchor light between sunrise and sunset, except in anchorages in which anchor lights have been designated as optional.

The Coast Guard requirements for all boats on the water should be considered a beginning point when equipping your boat for the sea. These are the minimum standards any seafarer should meet. Yet, the prudent skipper will go a great deal further to equip himself and his craft with equipment designed to provide for the safety of the crew.