Boat Safety Briefing: Understanding The Electrical Panel
Sailboat maintenance is an essential part of owning a yacht and comes in handy when you charter a bareboat, too. As part of our ASA sailing courses in the Virgin Islands, all students are required to attend a boat briefing with a charter checkout attendant before setting sail. These briefings help you to understand how your sailboat works, how to troubleshoot issues you may face onboard, and they may even give you a few answers to questions you’ll see on your ASA tests!
In this Boat Briefing, we’ll cover what you need to know about the electrical panel aboard your sailboat. Use this article and the corresponding video to refresh your knowledge before a sailing vacation or to help you troubleshoot a sailboat issue while at sea!
Batteries, Generators, and Beyond
First things first, you’re going to need to turn the power on your boat before you set sail. From the lights on your boat to emergency settings, everything is powered through the house battery system. Anything that plugs in is powered by an inverter that converts DC power to AC.
Inverters run on a boat’s batteries. To ensure your inverter is ready to use, we charge up with shore power before you arrive—then the control panel is ready to use once you sail off. All of the major appliances on the yacht run off an inverter with 12V battery power. Be sure you turn on the inverter when you get on the boat, as we typically turn it off to save power when the boat is docked.
If the power is getting low at any point during your sailing vacation, you can use the generator to recharge the batteries to supply power to the inverter. Then it will have enough power for you to operate your appliances on 110 outlets on your sailing vacation.
So, what does the control panel power on a Go Sail VI boat? Here’s a detailed look!
What Does the Electrical Panel Control?
During your in-person boat briefing, you’ll learn all about the electrical panel and how to work it. However, it can be difficult to remember everything that was said, especially when you are excited to get out on the water! This is a quick refresher on what you can power from the electrical panel.
Lights
Several lights can be turned on and off using the electrical panel. These include:
- Courtesy Lights: Soft blue lights that improve visibility for your crew and boats passing by.
- Underwater Lights: Lights that can be used to see the area around the boat underwater. Please note that you cannot have this feature in the Virgin Islands National Park.
- Search Light: Also known as a deck light, this can help improve visibility on the boat itself or shine onto nearby objects.
- Mooring Light: A light on the top of the mast that improves visibility when anchoring or mooring.
- Navigation Lights: A series of color-coded lights used when sailing.
Bilge Pumps
A bilge pump is the boat’s water removal system, which is found on the hull. The switches to turn your bilge pump on and off can be found on the control panel. Always leave these switches on the automatic setting so water automatically pumps out if it happens to get inside the boat. You’ll hear a beeping noise if the bilge pump is at work. Don’t worry if you hear this noise for a few seconds while sailing on choppy seas, but if the bilge pump keeps going off, you’ll want to investigate further to see if you are taking on water!
Other Electronics
The electrical panel also has some other electronics, including the GPS systems. Turning these corresponding switches on activates the power needed to operate them. Each switch is labeled, so take a good look before you set sail to make sure you understand what each switch does! Ask your captain, instructor, or charter checkout attendant if you have any questions.
Handling Common Boat Problems
We hope this video gives you a better understanding of how to power the lights, navigation tools, and other electronics on the boat. Check out the rest of the videos in our Boat Briefing Series to learn more about how to operate a sailboat safely in the Virgin Islands and beyond!