LOOR News: Safety at Sea Training Information

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing - Safety at Sea Training Information

LOOR will be at the Toronto International Boat Show, January 19 to 28, 2024 in Booth 1628, just across from our long-term sponsor, North Sails. Drop by and say hello!

For more information or to ask questions on items discussed in this newsletter, on.

The actual Personal Survival Courses – email megan@ontariosailing.ca
LOOR Phase-in of training requirements – email safety@loor.ca

For details on Sail Canada’s support of Offshore Racing, CLICK HERE.

For more information on LOOR and the dates for Lake Ontario 300 Challenge Race (LO300), Susan Hood Trophy Race (SHTR), and Lake Ontario Shorthanded Racing Series (LOSHRS), CLICK HERE.

Ontario Sailing has posted its initial schedule of required Personal Survival Courses for the first half of 2024 on its web site. One is in early January. To see the list, click HERE and select Offshore and Coastal Personal Survival Courses from the pull-down menu under “Please select the category” for “Course Level”. Even if a particular course is denoted as having a waiting list, it is good to register as:

There may be dropouts. If a place opens up, it is filled first-in-order from the waiting list.
Provides Ontario Sailing a gauge on pent-up demand so they can start planning possible additional courses immediately.

Over the next several years, LOOR is phasing in the Sail Canada Prescription to the World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) for Category 3, both monohull and multihull. The Prescription is:

SECTION 6 - TRAINING

6.01.2 Sail Canada prescribes that, starting January 1, 2023, at least 30% but not fewer than two crewmembers, including the Person in Charge, shall have undertaken a one-day Sail Canada accredited (or equivalent) coastal personal survival course within the five years before the start of the race.

6.01.3 When there are only two crewmembers, at least one shall have undertaken training within the five years before the start of the race in OSR 6.02 Training Topics

Sail Canada prescribes that undertaking a one-day Sail Canada accredited (or equivalent) coastal personal survival training course will meet the requirements of OSR 6.01.3 above.

For 2024 LOOR amends the requirements of the Prescription to be:

At least 15% of the crew, minimum of one crew, shall have undertaken a one-day Sail Canada accredited (or equivalent) coastal personal survival course within the five years before the start of the race.

The following provides the number of the crew that must meet the 2024 requirement based on the number in the crew:

To be acceptable the course had to be taken after:

Susan Hood Trophy Race (SHTR)

May 30, 2019

LO300

July 12, 2019

LOSHRS Race 4

September 13, 2019

The requirement of a Personal Survival Course is over and above the requirement on first aid in the Offshore Special Regulations for Category 3.

6.05.3 At least one member of the crew shall be familiar with First Aid procedures, hypothermia, drowning, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and relevant communications systems.

Canadian residents contemplating taking a course need to understand the differences between the two Sail Canada Personal Survival Courses.

COURSE, DURATION, and DETAILS.

Coastal

One Day

Meets requirements for Sail Canada OSR Prescription for OSR Category 3
Meets requirements for LOOR OSR Category 3 Events
Does not meet training requirements for World Sailing OSR, usually for Category 0, 1, or 2.

Offshore

Two Day

Meets requirements for Sail Canada OSR Prescription for OSR Category 0, 1, 2 or 3.
Meets requirements for LOOR OSR Category 3 Events
Meets training requirements for World Sailing OSR, usually for Category 0, 1, or 2.

More details on the differences between the two courses is available in the LOOR Blog article, Safety at Sea Requirements Phase-In, HERE.

The question of equivalents for the Personal Survival Courses has arisen. LOOR will be reviewing requests for equivalency on a case-by-case basis. This includes safety-at-sea courses offered to non-Canadian residents by their Member National Authority (MNA)/National Federation that belongs to World Sailing. This is especially true for residents of the USA as their sailing’s National Authority, US Sailing, has a Safety at Sea training program that is structured substantially differently than that of World Sailing/Sail Canada. Hence the need to submit details of the courses and units taken so it can be determined if the objectives and goals of the Sail Canada in-person Coastal Personal Survival Course have been met.

We would appreciate receiving individual requests for equivalencies as early as possible so.

LOOR has enough lead time to review.
Submitters have time to take a course if LOOR determines that the requested qualification is not equivalent.

Requests for equivalency include submitting details on courses taken outside Canada by Canadians that meet the World Sailing Offshore Personal Survival syllabus and the course is an international recognized qualification.

To submit a request for equivalency, please email the details to safety@loor.ca.

While only the Sail Canada Offshore Personal Survival Course (Two-day) provides qualification to the World Sailing Training Standards, the following from World Sailing’s web site on equivalencies for that standard helps with guidance on equivalencies.

STCW Courses.

A frequently asked question is whether an STCW sea survival training is a permitted alternative. Ultimately what is acceptable is up to the race organizer. However, World Sailing standard advice is NOT to accept STCW courses (however first aid course are accepted). The reason for this is that the STCW course is a commercial ship qualification and therefore does not contain sailing related items and recreational safety equipment.

STCW is the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.

For more information or to ask questions on.