Can moboers swim, I bet yotties can?

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mateyboy

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I was having a chat earlier with a mate in the pub about my intention to get a boat at some point this year. I asked if he ever fancied a boat and he said 'no 'cos if it sank I can't personally swim, can you?'
I answered 'yes I can fairly well as it happens; so on your way to Spain on the easyjet the wings fell off, can you personally fly?'
Well it caused a bit of a titter but it made me think out of curiosity how many boaters can't swim in the event of ending in the drink by hook or by crook???
 
They say, where would you swim to anyway? Even an ageing person (40+) with average fitness would struggle with a distance more than a few hundred metres, without taking cold water into account.

IMO the main advantage for a swimmer is familiarity with your surroundings once you hit the water. I imagine there would be a fair degree of panic going on with a non-swimmer, resulting in irrashional decisions.
 
. I imagine there would be a fair degree of panic going on with a non-swimmer, resulting in irrashional decisions.

Spot on,plus the ability to just stay above water and perhaps be able to put an arm up or remain verticle even for the first few precious mins. until either the boat can turn round and get to you OR you can manage to struggle/swim and grab hold of the finger berth/bouy/river bank/thrown life-ring or other means of support.Merely having the idea that you WILL float could just keep you going that little bit longer until rescue arrives.
 
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mateyboy said:
I was having a chat earlier with a mate in the pub about my intention to get a boat at some point this year. I asked if he ever fancied a boat and he said 'no 'cos if it sank I can't personally swim, can you?'
I answered 'yes I can fairly well as it happens; so on your way to Spain on the easyjet the wings fell off, can you personally fly?'
Well it caused a bit of a titter but it made me think out of curiosity how many boaters can't swim in the event of ending in the drink by hook or by crook???
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Yes I can. But I much prefer to deploy the life raft whilst permanently wearing my self inflating life jacket; and when out in cold weather I prefer the warmth of my dry suit with under fleece. Mind you, if there was a hole in my boat that looked "fixable", then knocking the right size bung into it to plug the hole, whilst letting any one of my three bilge pumps handle the rest, then getting the boat to the nearest port, is my preferred option. And if it comes to ay lads ay, then I will get aboard the raft with my hand held radio and flares.

When you get your new boat, make sure it either has, or will be fitted with, the right safety gear and repair tools. The sea is great until it goes wrong.

I do not want to sound smart-a*sed here at all. This was drummed into me on courses I went on (and there's another thing) and a friendly chandler. I asked the chandler in my early days of boating, what safety equipment I should carry with me on board. His reply was "let me give you my top 10".
 
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Searush said:
This yottie can & does swim - and I love it; hence the avatar. Not sure why you would expect any difference between Stinkies & Wafis.
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On the face of it, they just seem a little more sea going prepared, organic & natural...I'm waffling here i'll stop soon.

If you're in cold water and try to keep warm by swimming or treading water, you'll get hypothermia quicker than someone remaining still in the water and just hanging on to something buoyant. I learnt that last week from (yet another) Titanic documentary!
 
mateyboy said:
On the face of it, they just seem a little more sea going prepared, organic & natural...I'm waffling here i'll stop soon.

If you're in cold water and try to keep warm by swimming or treading water, you'll get hypothermia quicker than someone remaining still in the water and just hanging on to something buoyant. I learnt that last week from (yet another) Titanic documentary!
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True, & many fishermen used to say (100 years ago) that being able to swim would just prolong the agony. But it's about confidence in the water & making sensible decisions as already mentioned. Remember that lass that went O/B last year? She was held under because her L/J had trapped so she took it off. It took some time for the boat to realise that she had gone but they made it back to her some time later & she was still slowly swimming & waiting.

If I could stay afloat & swimming for an hour or two I'm sure it would increase my chances of finding a float, getting ashore or being picked up.
 
swimming!!!

Survival is about staying calm, making good decisions and getting rescued! An ability to swim will increase your chances dramatically. However, unfortunately if any of us has to swim a moderate distance without a buoyancy aid to save our lives we wil die! On that happy note have ta say my Spinlock deckvest is never off. I can swim and regularily have a dip in the water so im somewhat prepared for the time when i accidently take a dip!!
 
My early boating was in dinghy's. Used to capsize regularly on the solent, so swimming came in quite useful. Graduated on to windsurfers. Did a lot more swimming. Mobo'd for a few seasons on the Norfolk Broads. Did my share of involuntary swimming. SWMBO rammed boat into reverse to finish me off one time when I stepped into thin air. Nearly worked!!

Don't fancy the water in the Severn, and have stayed on deck so far after 2 seasons. So far so good.
 
I can't swim, but after less than a year and only a few outings I don't really qualify as either anyway! :o

I suffered severe childhood asthma which was triggered everytime I went in the pool (no heating back then) so had to stop on medical advice. That said I go in the water now, don't panic nor suffer the same breathing problems.

Because I can't swim however, I always wear a lifejacket - before I even get on the boat. That lack of complacency probably puts me in a safer position than many who can swim! In an accident, you could easily be knocked unconscious or otherwise rendered unable to swim, so by wearing mine all the time improves my survival chances perhaps more than the ability to swim? It's also bright orange and thus I'm more likely to be seen than if I were wearing a say a t-shirt and shorts! I do intend to learn, but like many things have not yet found the time. :rolleyes:
 
I'm a fairly good swimmer. I feel comfortable in the water and I agree that this is perhaps of use if you find yourself unexpectedly in the drink.
 
Lady Sailor said:
I'm a fairly good swimmer. I feel comfortable in the water and I agree that this is perhaps of use if you find yourself unexpectedly in the drink.
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I'm a good swimmer, 20 full size pool lengths before a rest, hlb doesn't swim at all really. when we had the EMERGENCY he was sending out the mayday, I was putting a life jacket on his back before the RNLI arrived. The dog already had his on, and tried to pass the dog to a nearby training boat, as I realised could not rescue the dog and hlb.
 
I swim 60 lengths of my local pool twice a week to keep fit, and in the summer swim around the boat brushing off the grime along the waterline by hand on a regular basis. It keeps me in trim and makes me confident out on the water. Its not a guarantee of safety, but then nor is wearing a lifejacket, as the case of the lady held under the water by hers earlier in the thread demonstrated. I just consider that any extra skill or ability may one day be useful, and in this case could end up saving my life.

I'd encourage anyone who can't swim to get along to their local pool and have some lessons. Its a basic life skill and for water users a key part of being safer out on our boats.
 
mateyboy said:
I was having a chat earlier with a mate in the pub about my intention to get a boat at some point this year. I asked if he ever fancied a boat and he said 'no 'cos if it sank I can't personally swim, can you?'
I answered 'yes I can fairly well as it happens; so on your way to Spain on the easyjet the wings fell off, can you personally fly?'
Well it caused a bit of a titter but it made me think out of curiosity how many boaters can't swim in the event of ending in the drink by hook or by crook???
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One of the great pleasures of boating is jumping off for a swim. One obsessive thing - when I see an ice cream van I can't help dropping the hook and swimming in for an ice cream :) One worrying thing - I agree with searush far too often these days. :eek:

On a serious note, I always find out if my guests can swim. It affects my risk assessment.
 
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Elessar said:
One of the great pleasures of boating is jumping off for a swim. One obsessive thing - when I see an ice cream van I can't help dropping the hook and swimming in for an ice cream :) One worrying thing - I agree with searush far too often these days. :eek:

On a serious note, I always find out if my guests can swim. It affects my risk assessment.
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I laughed out loud at that!

BTW, have you ever tried swiming back with an ice cream?

I have a pic somewhere of my son swimming on his back to a sandbank where his daughter is playing; on his chest is a G&T with a slice of lemon. Yotties can be civilised too. :cool:
 
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