I Wear One - But Can I Use It

[Dominic]

I had a lady sailing with me who insisted on wearing a lifejacket.

I thought it a little odd - given the mild conditions. I would have have preferred her to wear a harness and be clipped on - my perception is that a lifejacket only works after you have fallen in the water but a harness stops you from getting in the water and leaving the boat and thus needing a lifejacket.

I began to believe that the uninflated lifejacket she wore was just a "placebo" that made her feel safe.

(I keep spare bottles and seals and happily pop lifejackets as the mood takes me.)

As we sailed along on a nice beam reach in in Force 4 I asked her to imagine that she had fallen in the water and then to inflate the lifejacket.

She would have drowned before she found the toggle and pulled it. Despite earlier briefing and explanation. When it popped she was shocked and stunned by the pale green collar around her neck.

She would have been just as happy if I had given a her a piece of paper with "Lifejacket" written on it and told her to wear it all times.

Lifejackets are auto or manual inflate. Then they are left hand or right hand pull.
It doesn´t matter how many times you tell them or how many aircraft safety videos they pretend to watch. (Or my safety brief before sailing - they are still dumb).

A lifejacket is useless if you do not know how to inflate it. And I am stunned as to how many people wear one with no idea how to inflate the blessed thing - but they think they are "safe" because they are wearing an uninflated one.

(I had an American family sailing with me last month who admitted that they had never looked at the flares on their boat and did not know how to use them.)

Wearing a lifejacket is a jolly good idea. If you wear one you are "safe".
Even if it doesn´t work and you don´t know how to inflate it.


Being able to inflate it is even better.

So ; safety gear is great - knowing how to use it is even better.


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[powerskipper]

I have found this too, I will open up the life jacket and show students how it inflates , to find the inflation toggle and to check the canisters by unscrewing them and then re affixing them tightly, and advise them to check any life jacket they are given to wear, I will also dig out the box of flares and open them and get them to read the instruction and advise all if they can to go to an RLNI flare demo and let off some for real. The other course that is very good is the one day RYA Sea survival, where you get to jump in a pool with an inflated life jacket and try and climb into a life raft. Teaches you why it is called a Life Raft

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://powerskipper.mysite.freeserve.com/>http://powerskipper.mysite.freeserve.com/</A>
Julie

 

[jimbouy]

Had she sailied before?

Was the lifejacket hers or one you provided?

<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[Davydine]

Dominic,

You raise an interesting point, it reminds me of my pre sailing days when my hoby was flying gliders. We would always wear a parachute when flying. Like your lady with the life jacket I think that for most it was a placebo only. Every glider I flew had a different means of ejecting the canopy. In an emergency I am not sure I would have been able to work out how to get out and then pull the rip coard. Fortunately gliding is very safe and I never had to, but how many of us are guilty of spending hundreds of pounds on safety equipment but not investing a few minutes to really understand the instruction book?

DW

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[capt_courageous]

I really believe that the first thing a non-swimmer will do if he/she falls into the sea is panic. That is not meant to criticise them but they are then in fear of their lives. They could be wearing a mountain of uninflated jackets and still not have the presence of mind to pull the toggle or whatever. I have no experience of the automatic type but perhaps they are the answer.

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[Peter_Chennell]

You make a good point...

... this is one of the key messages we try to convey - make sure it fits, make sure everybody knows how to use it. This (the second bit) applies to all safety equipment.

Rick Raeburn's article in July's PBO is worth a read - though I'm sure you all have already!!

<hr width=100% size=1>Peter Chennell
Sea Safety Manager - RNLI

 

[Rowana]

This is why . .

. . I always take my own. It's a manual combined with harness with crotch straps. That's what suits me personally

I always check the bottle before I pack it in my bag, and again when I get on board.

Having been involved with the offshore oil industry for the last 30 years, and having done the survival course every 5 years or so, I believe that all this practice is ESSENTIAL to keep it to the forefront of your mind. We also get a video each and every time before we fly. I could probably recite the bl**dy thing verbatim, but I would like to think that if I did ever get into the situation wherby I had to use the knowledge, it would come as an automatic reaction. Thankfully, I've never had to find out!

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[Superstrath]

I like to point out in any briefing that the "automatic" element in the lifejacket is to make it easier for me recover their lifeless body from the sea. Helps to reinforce the more important parts about not going over the side in the first place, using harnesses, lifelines etc. The kids can find the toggle with their fingers just in case, and I find you have to keep rearranging things to make sure the toggle stays in the right place.

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[nicho]

The same applies to flares - most of us carry them, but how many of us could fire the damn things after dark with no light to read the instructions. I keep intending to get mine out of the container and see what to do........but I keep forgetting!! Mental note to do it next time we're down.

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[wishbone]

As a diver (bsac) and sailor, I have found it very important to know the gear and your buddies gear, when diving once, a problem arose at about 10 mtrs due to good training it was sorted out and know one got hurt!! same go's for sailing expect the unexpected if it can go wrong it will.

<hr width=100% size=1>Wishbone
Rolling, rolling, rolling keep them doggies moving!
Where’s me chuck wagon gone?

 

[alant]

I always show them how to inflate on the safety brief. Also pointing out that this is usually done if in the water - whilst on board, the "jerk to inflate" can be a comment rather than instruction, as in the case of your lady.
PS - how many people inflate their life jackets annually to check they are still ok?


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