It turns out the food had not been clearly labelled, and nobody had checked the ingredients carefully before lunch. What does this teach about taking crew with known allergies sailing?

A. Before any trip, the skipper should know about any crew allergies in advance, check food ingredients carefully (or have allergic crew check their own food themselves), and make sure auto-injectors or other relevant medication are kept somewhere known and easily accessible, not buried in a bag below

B. Allergies are a personal matter that the skipper does not need to know about or plan around at all

C. Only the allergic person themselves needs to think about food safety, with no involvement from anyone else on board

D. Checking food ingredients is unnecessary as long as the allergic person feels generally well that day

A. Give them a strong coffee to help them feel more alert

B. Wait calmly to see if the swelling goes down on its own over the next hour

C. Tell them to lie completely flat on their back immediately, regardless of how they are breathing

D. Recognise this as a possible severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) and act immediately — check if they carry their own auto-injector (such as an EpiPen) and help them use it straight away if they have one, following the instructions printed on it

A. Assume the auto-injector has completely solved the problem and no further help is needed

B. Wait several hours to see whether the symptoms come back before calling anyone

C. Only call for help if a second auto-injector is not available on board

D. Call for emergency medical help immediately — even after using an auto-injector, the person needs proper medical assessment, since symptoms can return after the medicine wears off. Call the Coastguard on VHF (or 999/112 if in range) and explain a severe allergic reaction has occurred