During your oral exam you are asked to explain the purpose of a SOLAS muster list aboard a yacht over 24m, and what it must show for each crew member.

A. It only needs to be displayed in the wheelhouse and not elsewhere on board

B. It shows each crew member's specific duties and stations in the event of an emergency — such as fire, abandon ship, or man overboard — including their assigned lifeboat/liferaft station and any special tasks

C. It is only required for vessels over 3000GT and not relevant to yachts

D. It is a record of crew wages and contract terms

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

B. 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

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

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

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

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

C. 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

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