We all hope that we will never need some of the procedures we prepare for; however, there may come a time when you have had an incident leading to a search and rescue response involving a helicopter. It is important that you are already aware of the procedure for a Hi-Line transfer. The individual circumstances may lead to an adaptation to this process, but this is the procedure.
We have assumed that the initial contact with search and rescue has been made, and the decision for a (helicopter rescue) Hi-Line Transfer has been made and initiated.
We have all heard of an aircraft well before seeing it; this will likely be when the helicopter is closing in on your position. Using the VHF on channel 16, you should contact the helicopter pilot once it has been heard. You will then be able to direct the pilot to your position. Based on a clock face, you can describe your location compared to the helicopters. This works by assuming that the helicopter is in the centre of the clock and you are positioned at one of the numbers relative to the helicopter. The conversation with the pilot may lead to them requesting a flare to assist the helicopter pilot in locating you and your craft. Orange smoke will provide a larger target for the pilot to see, and the colour will also make this more manageable. A red hand-held flare could also assist in identifying your location and the one to use if it is at night. A parachute flare IS NOT the flare of choice when a helicopter is within your vicinity.
Before the helicopter is too close, the pilot will confirm the plan with you. The plan must be finalised before the helicopter gets too close. Once the helicopter is within your vicinity, the noise will be too loud to allow further conversations via the VHF radio. It may be that the helicopter finds you while you are busy looking after the vessel or a crew member. In this case, the helicopter may fly by while a crew member holds a sign with the VHF channel on which they want to communicate. They will then distance themselves so that communications can be heard. If required, ask the pilot to “say again” to ensure you know all the details.
The fly-by will also enable the pilot and crew to asses any potential obstructions on your vessel. It will sound obvious when you think about it, but part of the plan given by the helicopter pilot and crew will be to remove anything from the vessel that may be disturbed on deck or even sucked up into the mechanics of the helicopter. These items will include:
Cushions, covers, bimini’s, clothing, horse shore buoys, throw lines, sheets, halyards Danbuoy’s, flags, rigging……………………
You will be asked to go on a heading somewhere between directly into the wind and 30 to 40 degrees off the wind. The wind will be coming over your port side. This will allow the helicopter to gain more control while hovering. The helicopter will be in position on your port side. The helicopter pilot is sat on the starboard side of the helicopter. This will then give the pilot the best view. The Hi-Line (a weighted line designed for releasing static and guiding the winch line to the boat) will be lowered and released when the line hits the water. If the opportunity presents itself, do not catch the line before the static has been released into the water.
The line then needs to be pulled into the vessel and coiled. The helicopter may need to suddenly abort, so the line needs to be free to run and not secured to a point on the deck. It is possible to coil the line into a bucket. However, you wouldn’t want the down draft or suction to displace the bucket and pull it up into the rotas or air intakes of the helicopter. If the line gets stuck in some rigging, the Hi-Line and the winch line are designed to part at a weak link.
Once the Hi-Line has been positioned on the deck and the coiling has started, the winch line will start to descend with the winch man. As the winch man is lowered, he will give hand signals to the pilot. The person onboard will need to let the line in and out as required. Eventually, they will pull the winch man in towards and onto the boat.
Once the winch man is on board, he is in control of the vessel. All winch men are qualified paramedics, and they can assess any injured crew members.
Potentially, after a briefing, a lifting strop could be lowered without a winch man being lowered to evacuate a person via Hi-Line Transfer. This would only be if the weather and the speed of evacuation required it.
In certain circumstances, you may be asked to enter the water or a life raft to be evacuated.
The Key Points Are:
1. Briefing, via VHF with the pilot to be given the plan
2. Prepare the boat, remove any items that could be sucked into the air intakes or rotas
3. On correct course and speed, stay on the agreed bearing and speed throughout
4. Release the static, Hi-Line and weight are dipped into the water
5. Control the Hi-Line and winch man; pull the winch man into the boat
6. Winch man takes control; once on board, the winch man makes decisions