What items would you typically expect to find in a liferaft's survival equipment pack, and why is a knife often stowed in an easily accessible position near the painted line (the line attaching the raft to the parent vessel)?

A. The painted line is purely decorative and has no functional purpose

B. Liferafts contain only food and water; no tools or signalling equipment are carried

C. Knives are deliberately excluded from liferafts for safety reasons

D. Typical contents include flares, a first aid kit, water and food rations, seasickness tablets, a bailer/sponge, a signalling mirror, a torch, and a knife — the knife is kept readily accessible near the painted line so that, if the parent vessel is sinking, the line can be quickly cut to prevent the raft being dragged down with it

A. There is no real difference — the terms are interchangeable and either is equally suitable for any situation

B. Lifejackets are only required for vessels over 24 metres in length

C. A lifejacket is designed to turn an unconscious wearer face-up and keep the airway clear of the water (often using greater, sometimes inflatable, buoyancy); a buoyancy aid provides flotation support for a conscious person (e.g. for water sports) but is not designed to guarantee a face-up position if the wearer is unconscious — for offshore passages, a lifejacket (not merely a buoyancy aid) is the appropriate choice

D. A buoyancy aid is always more buoyant than a lifejacket

A. Shout "Man overboard!" to alert all crew, throw a lifebuoy/danbuoy toward the casualty, note the time and approximate position (and mark it on GPS/plotter if fitted), designate a crew member to keep the casualty in sight continuously, and manoeuvre the vessel back toward the casualty using a recovery method appropriate to the vessel (e.g. figure-of-eight or quick-stop for a sailing vessel), preparing recovery equipment as you approach

B. Continue on the original course and call the coastguard only once the vessel reaches port

C. Send one crew member into the water to assist before any other action is taken

D. Immediately stop the engine and wait for the casualty to swim back to the vessel