The Nantucket County Board of Health voted Oct. 27 to grant a three-year variance to Nantucket Community Sailing (NCS) allowing the organization to use US Sailing instructor certifications, together with mandatory first aid, CPR and AED training, in place of the lifeguard certification specified in the board’s recreational camp regulation 430.103.

Emily Taylor, NCS program director, told the board that NCS is an accredited community sailing center and that instructors arrive with US Sailing Level 1–3 certifications plus first aid, CPR and AED training and additional orientation provided by NCS. Taylor said the US Sailing training includes person-in-water and man-overboard rescue, capsized-boat recovery, powerboat handling and towing — skills that NCS leaders and insurer representatives say are more directly applicable to offshore boat-to-boat rescues than a traditional lifeguard course.

Health department staff noted the program was not previously approved in writing as meeting the lifeguard definition in the regulation, but the board discussed whether the US Sailing certifications offered an “equal level of protection.” Multiple board members and a medical provider who reviewed the comparison said the skill sets were comparable for the program’s offshore, PFD-required activities. The board approved a three-year variance and asked staff to provide periodic inspection summaries and updates after the summer season.

The variance applies specifically to the supervisory and watercraft training requirements cited in regulation 430.103 as presented in NCS’s packet. The board recorded that staff would return with reports if incidents or regulatory changes required reconsideration.