Captains need to be prepared for various medical challenges at sea, ranging from minor injuries to full-blown emergencies. Even a small cut on a finger or toe can become a liability if not properly treated. Other common occurrences on the water, such as heat exhaustion and hypothermia, can quickly escalate to life-threatening emergencies if timely action is not taken.

Join us on May 19 when Dr. Bill White, a retired emergency physician and avid sailor, will provide medical recommendations for captains and share relevant stories based on decades of experience on and off the water. Bill recently delivered similar subject matter for MTAM Safety at Sea seminars and is tailoring the content for CAPCA, focusing on charter and delivery captains as well as bay cruising and offshore sailing. He will also review what it means to be a medical officer and how to prepare for extended voyages from a medical perspective. Bill is a volunteer coach for the US Naval Academy (USNA) offshore sailing team, and a member of the Cruising Club of America (CCA). He has participated in nine races to Bermuda and multiple passages to and from the Caribbean. He is currently planning a transatlantic crossing with the CCA this summer.

Content Outline:

1. Seasickness
   1. Signs and symptoms
   2. prevention
   3. mitigation
   4. treatment
2. Hypothermia

1. signs and symptoms
2. prevention
3. treatment

3. Wounds

1. prevention
2. treatment

4. Traumatic injuries

1. stable injuries
2. unstable injuries
3. Head injuries

5. Burns

1. classification
2. prevention
3. treatment
4. when are they serious

6. Infections

1. prevention
2. recognition
3. severity
4. treatment

7. Boat/crew preparation

1. first aid kits
2. medical officer
3. crew medical problems and medication
4. vaccination
5. consultation service - when to it use and how to get it

Dr. White is a retired emergency medicine physician who practiced medicine for a total of 30 years. He retired from medicine in 2020 but still retains an interest in maritime medical care. He gives lectures for the Safety at Sea program at the USNA.

He started sailing when he was too young to walk, according to his parents. He has cruised and raced extensively on the East Coast of the US, in the Caribbean and offshore to Bermuda. Additionally, he has done multiple offshore passages between the Caribbean, New England and the Chesapeake Bay. Internationally, he has sailed in Sweden, Norway, Croatia and raced in Cowes Race Week. He has been a volunteer coach for the USNA Offshore Sailing Team for about 20 years and is a member of the Cruising Club of America. Currently he is planning to sail transatlantic in June of 2025 as medical officer aboard a friend’s boat, with further cruising in Ireland and the UK afterwards.