Statistics show that more than half the RNLI's lifeboat launches are to pleasure craft. The situation is one which the pleasure boating fraternity is aware of, and which the sport's national body is making every effort to remedy.

Belinda Stannage of the Royal Yachting Association outlines the ways in which it is tackling the situation at its roots with an expanding range of training schemes. . small crowd of experienced yachtsmen, all with one key element in common, are bobbing around on a yacht in the Solent when suddenly they are thrown into a surprise helicopter rescue by the Coastguard...

What is the key element which links the participants in ibis scenario? The yachtsmen are all would-be RYA Yachtmaster instructors, and this practice 'rescue' is just one part of their gruelling five-day RYA Instructor training course.

The Royal Yachting Association, the governing body for the sport of yachting in this country, realises that the most dangerous part of a boat is the skipper. However much safety equipment may be aboard the boat, it is the ability, knowledge and attitude of the person in charge that is vital for safety in an emergency situation. And it is those same skills that will help towards preventing such" a situation arising in the first place.

No wonder then that the RYA places so much emphasis on training, from the complete beginner to round-the-world racing yachtsmen. And, like the RYA itself, the training schemes cater for yachting interests across the spectrum - from windsurfing to powerboating, from family cruising to Olympic- class dinghy sailing.

The teachers Teaching the teachers is the first stage in passing the message on to the staggering 80,000 people who attend some form of RYA training course every year, and that includes assessing the instructors on their attitude to safety. However much knowledge a would-be instructor may have, if he or she does not have the right attitude to safety, they will fail.

All training could be described as 'crisis prevention', and learning good seamanship and navigation is learning how to participate safely. However, every RYA course and all books and films also contain a high content of specific 'safety' training including information on emergency procedures, man overboard recovery, harnesses, fire prevention, distress signals and collision avoidance.

It is not much good having flares and lifejackets on board if the skipper, who might himself fall overboard, is the only one who knows where they are. Small things, like a guided tour of the boat for every new crew member, may seem rather silly in the quiet of the marina, but they could make all the difference at sea. Luckily the RYA does not devise its training schemes in the isolation of its Eastleigh headquarters. In addition to consultation with instructors, schools, and the Department of Transport, there is a constant dialogue with the RNLI.

That important line of communication means that the most common causes of Coastguard involvement and lifeboat callout can be addressed directly by updating the course syllabus.

For example, the inclusion of basic engine maintenance in many RYA courses is a direct result of analysis of the 1988 RNLI statistics - which pinpointed the large number of calls from motor cruisers and auxiliary yachts which had got into trouble because of engine failure.

Self sufficiency All courses attempt to increase the level of self-sufficiency among skippers, and the revamped Motor Cruiser Training Scheme now teaches pupils what checks to make on an engine and the most likely reasons for malfunction. In addition the sailing courses train people how to sail in tricky or tight conditions, so that even if an auxiliary engine fails they could sail into a harbour and pick up a buoy.

Although the main message running through all RYA courses, publications and videos is 'don't get into an emergency situation in the first place' the second element has to be 'what to do if you do'.

Once a distress call is deemed necessary it is very important to call early, and in daylight if possible. The RYA video 'Life on the Line', produced with the help of the RNLI, is ideal for demonstrating situations which cannot be practised by yachtsmen on either shore-based or practical training courses.

The video runs through a lifeboat rescue, rescue by helicopter, a fire on board and abandoning the yacht to a liferaft, and stresses that once help has arrived the most important thing to do is what you are told.

Yachting is a growing and changing sport.

Not so long ago. motor cruisers managed a sedate 10 knots, if they were lucky, and fast planing was left to the sportsboats. But in recent years the comfortable semi-displacement motor cruiser which can match its sporty brother in speed has become more and more popular.

With more and more people taking to the water under power as well as sail it is not surprising that the RYA is keen to make motor boat enthusiasts feel as welcome at all the various courses as the sailingyachtsman.

That counts for both the newly revamped Motor Cruising Scheme and the Day Skipper and Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster shorebased courses.

Windsurfers Windsurfers are another difficult group to contact. Once they have a board, a car and a roofrack, the average windsurfer is pretty self-sufficient, and unlikely to join a club or to participate in organised events.

This is where RYA Windsurfing can help, by providing advice and a point of contact.

The newest section of the Association, it has devised seven common sense rules - which run through all its courses, videos and booklets- as a useful guide for individuals launching from the beach. The safety theme also runs through its new magazine 'Waterstart', sent to its ever-growing numbers of windsurfing members.

Both the rescue services and the training courses have to adapt to new craft and the situations they create. The public need to be informed and trained. Nothing can ever fully prevent, or prepare you, for that one disastrous eventuality, but knowing how to cope is a long way further down the line to a successful outcome..