1. Instructors: George Crowl
QM-5
Quartermaster
Safety
This PowerPoint is provided for those who may not have appropriate training aids available in a ship or location. This generally follows a companion lesson plan available at I expect you to modify it to fit your situation and teaching style. I am more concerned that Scouts learn than this fit a specific style. I am, however, a fan of the Effective Teaching model. Teaching EDGE is somewhat simplistic in its approach, but that has some advantages.
Note: These lesson plans may also be used for teaching in the ship. For administrative convenience, they cover the entire specific numbered requirement (except one, where Galley is covered separately!). Individual Sea Scout Academy lessons may only cover part of the requirements. Similarly, ships may find that even just a portion of a subrequirement is all that can be done during a particular ship meeting. Adapt these lessons as needed to fit your youth and your situation. Share these plans with your youth who are teaching.
Philosophy: Sea Scout Academy’s primary purpose is to teach the material to the Sea Scout. If the Sea Scout demonstrates mastery of parts of the subject, then the instructor should annotate on the class roster what has been passed, in the instructor’s opinion. Skippers have the right to re-examine any Sea Scout in any requirement. (Knots are not a good subject to give a pass in.) SSA may schedule only portions of ORD-8.
Instructors: George Crowl

2. Course Outline
a. Know the heavy-weather precautions taken aboard power, sailing, and paddle vessels when dangerous weather approaches, and demonstrate these precautions aboard the vessel used by your ship.
b. Know the special precautions that should be taken when limited visibility is encountered.
c. Teach Apprentice Safety 5a and Ordinary Safety 5a, 5b, and 5c requirements to a crew.
Requirements:
Reference:

3. QM-5a
a. Know the heavy-weather precautions taken aboard power, sailing, and paddle vessels when dangerous weather approaches, and demonstrate these precautions aboard the vessel used by your ship.
The eight steps in the “Heavy Weather” section should be discussed and repeated by the Scouts. Insure they understand the reasons behind each of those steps. They should be able to discuss the specific steps to be taken on the ship's main vessel. They should be asked to rig the ship for heavy weather (if has never been done, it will take a while!). To have done so in real life means that a leader has misjudged the weather.
If a radar is available, show the students how to interpret the radar. Show them the vessels moving in the channels. Have them interpret which vessels are on a possible collision course (those whose bearing remains constant as they approach). A radar simulator may be able to actually simulate collision courses.
(The painting is of the James Caird approaching South Georgia Island at the end of Shackleton's journey.)

4. Heavy Weather
“The wise sailor avoids the storm he cannot weather, and weathers the storm he cannot avoid.”
1. Make sure the crew knows the location and use of all safety gear.
2. Make sure the VHF radio is on and working, and everyone onboard knows how to make an emergency call.
3. Get everyone in their foul weather gear and life jackets.
4. Assign tasks to the crew based on ability and experience. A
The eight steps in the “Heavy Weather” section should be discussed and repeated by the Scouts. Insure they understand the reasons behind each of those steps. They should be able to discuss the specific steps to be taken on the ship's main vessel. They should be asked to rig the ship for heavy weather (if has never been done, it will take a while!). To have done so in real life means that a leader has misjudged the weather.

5. Heavy Weather (2)
5. The navigator should record the ship’s position in the log and check the chart for nearby hazards.
6. Clear any unnecessary items from the cockpit and deck, and secure all gear and equipment below decks.
7. Rig jacklines from bow to stern on port and starboard. Everyone on deck needs to be in a harness and attached to a jackline.
8. Reduce your speed to steerage way and turn toward the wind if you are in a powerboat. If you are in a sailboat, reduce the sail to the minimum needed to maintain steerage and keep the ship’s head into the waves. Approach waves at about 45 degrees. A

6. Jack Lines The top illustration shows how to rig jack lines.
The lower illustration shows how a person attached to a jack line on the upwind side will be kept on the boat if he loses his footing.

7. How Can You Demonstrate?
Conduct a “heavy weather” drill
Make a simulated “Pan Pan” or “Mayday” distress call
Have everyone don raingear and life jackets
Make crew assignments
Determine position and best heading
Secure all gear
Rig jacklines
Point boat 45° to “swells”
The photo shows a sailboat with a very small storm jib, sailing at a 45° angle to the waves.

8. QM-5b
b. Know the special precautions that should be taken when limited visibility is encountered.
The steps in the Fog section are appropriate. If a radar set is available, it should be turned on immediately and monitored continuously. Operate at headway speed. Most Sea Scout boats without radar are at the mercy of vessels traveling faster in the fog using radar to clear their path, but fiberglass does not reflect well. Insure you have reflectors up. Stay out of channels where others may be traveling. Use your lookouts. Your horn is your friend.

9. Limited Visibility Primarily, but not exclusively, fog
1. Know where you are. Take fixes regularly to determine if you are still on a safe course.
2. Avoid collisions. Take every action to be seen and to see other vessels and hazards.
3. The speed of a vessel should be reduced to the point where it maintains full maneuverability and can stay on course.
4. Audible signals should be sounded to announce the vessel’s presence. Vary the rhythm of your signals occasionally in case your signals are in sync with a nearby vessel.
Get out of channels where there is heavy traffic or large vessels.
Standard sailboat fog signal is one long and two short every two minutes. (5 seconds, 1 second, 1 second)
The steps in the “Fog” section are appropriate. If a radar set is available, it should be turned on immediately and monitored continuously. Operate at headway speed. Most Sea Scout boats without radar are at the mercy of vessels traveling faster in the fog using radar to clear their path, but fiberglass does not reflect well. Insure you have reflectors up. Stay out of channels where others may be traveling. Use your lookouts. Your horn is your friend.

10. Limited Visibility (2)
5. Post multiple lookouts. A lookout is required by the Navigation Rules, but two lookouts on the bow must watch for aids to navigation, other vessels, or hazards. They must listen for sound signals. A lookout aft needs to watch for overtaking vessels. Keeping silence onboard is recommended so all can listen. Fog has the unnerving capacity to distort sound in terms of both volume and direction.
6. Use radar and radar reflectors. Even if your boat doesn’t have radar, hoist a passive radar reflector as high as possible to increase your chances of being seen.
7. If worst comes to worst, and depth of water and other conditions allow, then anchor or lay to. Sound the proper fog signals, keep lookouts posted, and watch and listen for other vessels and hazards.
If radar is available, have one person monitoring it at all times.

11. QM-5c
c. Teach Apprentice Safety 5a and Ordinary Safety 5a, 5b, and 5c requirements to a crew.
Drawing the code flags can be a memory challenge. Two Scouts can learn this much faster by writing to each other in code flags. I watched it and participated, it works. Encourage the Scouts to develop any mnenomic system that works for them. They have to do it daily for it to take hold.
A good aid is Quizlet. Go to Search for code flags. The first one that came up, annerizzy (/ /), seems good. There are many choices. There is a flashcard option above it, you can go through – Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc., - and “flip” the card to see if you have the right flag and its meaning.ard option above it, you can go through – Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc., - and “flip” the card to see if you have the right flag and its meaning.T

12. Background Teach each set of requirements separately
If you taught Apprentice safety when you were an Ordinary, you may be able to count that.
You don't have to be Able to pass any part or all of this requirement
You don't have to do it over a short time, you can spread it out over months or years
Treat the requirements for each rank separately. You can’t teach all of them effectively at one time. Teach the Apprentice requirements to some Sea Scouts that need to learn it, the Ordinary to perhaps a different set of Sea Scouts, and Able to perhaps a third set. You don’t have to teach them in rapid succession; it could be months or years between those sessions. The Sea Scouts need to see the need to learn. You need to motivate them. The Apprentice knots are essential knots for operating on board ship. Each rank is a higher skill level.
NOTE: The Ordinary requirement 5a says “Discuss with an adult…” The ship skipper and Quartermaster candidate should work out a way to meet this requirement without second-guessing the candidate.

13. Equipment Needed Offshore, near shore, sport, and throwable life vests
Probably don't need a specialized life vest
Worn out life vests can show construction
A PowerPoint is available
When teaching knots, make sure you have small lines (1/4” or so) and large lines (at least ½”). Different colors for some lines help. Tying a square knot with red and green line is more visually persuasive than opposite ends of the same line. Try to find some part of your vessel or landship that can actually use the knots you are teaching. Have the students tie the real thing in the right place. Try some knot games; first competing for accuracy, then as proficiency improves, competing for time.
Identify the material needed for the particular lesson to be taught. The lesson plans identify it by rank, you may not need everthing for every lesson.
If you are not sure of knots, the DVD in the SSM is a good start.
Your ship should lay in a set of supplies for marlinspike instruction. That should include some 6’ lengths of various diameter line. A knot-tying bar or board is very handy. You need a cleat available. You will need splicing fids, some canvas/nylon scrap, sewing twine, and needles. Inventory your materials in advance, make sure you have what you need.
Keep an eye out for the opportunity to teach even just a portion of each requirement as the need arises. Ask to teach. Let your skipper know as you complete each portion of this requirement. Make a note in your book as you do them.

14. Teaching EDGE Lacks two things – objectives, motivation
You have to supply both
Objectives – simply put – the requirements
Motivation – why should a Sea Scout want to pass an advancement requirement?
YOU have to provide the motivation – how it will be used, it may be fun to do, whatever will persuade the Scout to do it
Give a pre-test? You may be able to sign them off as complete with part or all of it
Let's discuss the Teaching EDGE method. It is the official BSA method of teaching. First, there a couple things lacking that you must fill in. First, what are your teaching objectives? Well, in BSA rank advancement, the objectives are the rank requirements. So, half your problem is solved, you are teaching the rank requirements for the skill involved.
The second half the problem is how much the Scouts know, and are they willing to learn what they don't know? You may have to give them a pre-test of some kind, or observe they they don't know something they they should, to find out what they don't know. What if their pre-test shows they already know it? Stop teaching, you and they are done! Sign them off! On the other hand, if they don't know it, we now have to persuade them that they do need to know it, so they will be willing to learn it.
Now for the official Teaching EDGE method, and an example.
Explain
Demonstrate
Guide
EnableA
Let's discuss the Teaching EDGE method. It is the official BSA method of teaching. First, there a couple things lacking that you must fill in. First, what are your teaching objectives? Well, in BSA rank advancement, the objectives are the rank requirements. So, half your problem is solved, you are teaching the rank requirements for the skill involved.
The second half the problem is how much the Scouts know, and are they willing to learn what they don't know? You may have to give them a pre-test of some kind, or observe they don't know something they should, to find out what they don't know. What if their pre-test shows they already know it? Stop teaching, you and they are done! Sign them off! On the other hand, if they don't know it, we now have to persuade them that they do need to know it, so they will be willing to learn it.

15. Teaching EDGE (2) Four main steps Explain Demonstrate Guide Enable
EDGE is a simple teaching method for relatively simple tasks. It is effective for many Scouting tasks.
Now for the official Teaching EDGE method, and an example.
Explain
Demonstrate
Guide
Enable

16. Explain Need to know how to wear and take care of life jackets
Why do we wear them?
Advantages?
Disadvantages?
Five different kinds
Care of life jackets
The first step is to explain what needs to be done. We need a knot that will hold a sail on the boom when the sail is either all the way down, or reefed. It needs to be simple to tie, will hold in a strain, and can be untied easily. We can show a sail tie or a reefing line. The knot is the square (reef) knot.
The first step is to explain what needs to be done. Let's use life jackets as an example. They need to know how to wear and take care of life jackets. So explain why we wear them. Explain the advantages and disadvantage of each of the five kinds of life jackets. Explain how we care for them.

17. Demonstrate Put each one on yourself Discuss “not above the ears”
Put on all available life vests, showing the different ties
The second step is to demonstrate how to tie a square (reef) knot right over left, left over right. Insure the students can see what you are doing. You can have illustrations showing the steps. You can show Internet moving diagrams of a square knot being tied.
SSM = Sea Scout Manual
SSPR = Sea Scout Pocket Reference
The second step is to demonstrate how to wear them. Put them on yourself. Discuss “not above the ears.” You should have an offshore, near shore, sport, and throwable to actually show them. A photo of a work vest not used in your ship is probably OK for that kind. You can have illustrations showing the lifejackets if necessary, but actual lifejackets are better.

18. Guide Everyone take a lifejacket, don it
Go around and check proper wear on everyone
Swap kinds of life jackets, do it again
Have them try to lift above the ears
Ask what happens if they get stepped on or punctured
The third step is to guide the students in tying the square knot themselves. You may start by all the students tying right over left. You stop there and insure that everyone actually did right over left. Then you go on to left over right. Check that everyone did that correctly. Have them pull the knot tight, point out it holds without deforming. Point out it is symmetrical. Point out that the outbound ropes lie paralles to the inbound ropes. Have them untie it to show how easy it is to untie. Have them tie the knot again, perhaps half a dozen times. Then change the diameter of the rope from 1/4”to 5/8” to show the knot is the same, but the motions may be changed slightly.
The third step is to guide the students in donning each kind of life jacket used in your ship. Insure they are worn correctly, and they do not go above the ears. Show why they should not be abused.

19. Enable Have the Scouts wear the lifejackets on the boat
They must wear them properly.
Check them. Do the “ear check”
When they have done so, you may pass them
Fourth, you enable your students to actually tie the square (reef) knot on a boat as you fold the sails at the end of the day's sail. Show other uses of the square knot. Show other uses based on the square knot (such as square bow knots which stay tied on shoes, vs. granny bow knots which don't stay tied). If they know the skill to meet the needs of the requirement, you may pass them on it.A
Fourth, you enable your students to properly wear the life jackets. They must demonstrate proper use and care on a boat to meet the needs of the requirement. When they have done so, you may pass them on it.

20. When do You Pass the Scout?
Policies vary between ships
Author's opinion: Lifejackets are not ready to be passed until the Scout wears them properly on a boat and cares for them properly.
Other skills, perhaps rowing, can be demonstrated by the Scout and passed immediately A

21. Questions? R