Sailing Safety - Hypothermia

• Symptoms
  Common warning signs of Hypothermia include shivering, drowsiness, bluish lips and fingernails, slurred speech, and blurred vision. The victim may also be unconscious or may even result to coma or death.


• Treatment
  Seek medical assistance as soon as possible. If the victim has Hypothermia due to cold water, get him out of the water. Remove his wet clothing and wrap him in warm blankets. The body loses most of its heat from the head, so make sure that the victim's head is also wrapped or covered. Prevent further heat loss and do not warm the victim up too rapidly. Make sure that air passages are open. In severe cases, the victim should be taken to the hospital.


• Prevention
  Dress properly. Wear clothes that can keep you warm and dry. As said earlier, the body loses most of its heat from the head, so make sure you have something to cover your head. Do not forget to wear your PFD.
  
  In the event that you find yourself in water because you fell overboard or the Sailboat is capsized, stay with the boat. Try to get back to the Sailboat and get as much of your body as possible out of the water.

• For an individual
  Lessen your movement. Draw your knees to your chest and your arms to your sides. This posture will lessen heat loss while you are on the water.


• If there are other people in the water
  Another posture is huddling with other people. Group together and put your arms around their shoulders. This lessens loss of body heat. It is also a more visible indicator for rescuers.