If your liferaft is to leeward of a fire on...

🔍 Key Concepts

• Leeward vs. windward – which way is the wind blowing the flames and burning fuel on the water? • How a sea anchor (drogue) affects a raft’s movement in wind and current • Basic survival priorities in a raft fire situation: avoid flames/heat, stay with the raft if at all safe, don’t enter burning/contaminated water

💭 Think About

• In a fire on the water, how does the wind direction affect where the burning fuel and flames move relative to your raft? • What keeps a liferaft roughly facing into the wind, and how would changing that affect your ability to move away from the danger? • Which action could make you lose control of the raft’s position, and which action could expose you directly to fire or burning fuel in the water?

✅ Before You Answer

• Confirm which side is leeward of the fire and whether that means the burning fuel is drifting toward or away from you • Consider which option might cause you to lose the stabilizing effect of the sea anchor and risk swinging into the fire • Eliminate any option that requires entering potentially burning or contaminated water unless there is absolutely no other possible action

If your liferaft is to leeward of a fire on the water, you should first __________.

cut the line to the sea anchor

paddle away from the fire

splash water over the liferaft to cool it

get out of the raft and swim to safety

🔍 Key Concepts

💭 Think About

✅ Before You Answer