How to manage safety boat cover
6 min read · Updated 6 October 2026 · Written for Principals, Chief Instructors and centre managers
The short answer
Decide the cover each type of session needs in your operating procedures and risk assessment. On most teaching sessions the instructor drives the safety boat, so cover comes from rostering enough instructors who hold the powerboat qualification your procedures need. Make sure each boat is only booked once, check the boats, fuel and kit before anyone goes afloat, and review the cover on the day against the forecast.
What decides how much cover you need
There's no single number. The cover a session needs depends on the boats on the water, the students' age and ability, the sailing area, the weather and how far from shore you go. The RYA publishes guidance, and your operating procedures and risk assessment set the rule for your centre. Write it down per type of session so it's applied the same way every time.
Who can drive
- On most teaching sessions the instructors drive: a Dinghy Instructor needs Powerboat Level 2 to qualify. Check what your operating procedures require; some sessions call for the RYA Safety Boat certificate.
- Track the expiry of each instructor's first aid as well as their boat qualification.
- Decide whether a boat needs crew, and whether the crew needs a qualification too.
Cover comes from the instructors on the roster
Because the instructors drive the safety boats, cover follows from having enough qualified instructors on each session and a Senior Instructor on duty. Plan it into the ratio rather than as an extra person, and keep each instructor's powerboat qualification on record so you can see at a glance who can take a boat out.
Boats, not just people
- Book each safety boat to a session so two groups don't plan to use the same one.
- Take boats out of use when they're in maintenance, and say when they'll be back.
- Check fuel, kill cords, radio, first aid kit and towing gear before launching.
On the day
- Review the forecast against the sessions planned.
- Brief the instructors together: area, signals, recall, who covers whom.
- Adjust cover or the session if conditions need it, and record what you changed.
Tip: Keep a printed sheet of who is on duty and their emergency contacts with the duty officer, in case the internet or a phone fails.