Lifejackets: lifesavers? Or not?

[RIB_imposter]

I use the term "typical UK yachtsman" because that is what we are about. It is a broad church, but I repeat not one of the cases in your reports involved a UK based yachtsman crusing in UK or Northern Atlantic coastal waters. Yet the hundreds who pop across the Channel or North Sea etc every year are exhorted to "take these precautions".

you obviously boat in very different circles from me - because I know very few people who think these precautions are essential in UK coastal waters. I also don't know many people who consider them essential for cross channel. Most people I know with liferafts (voluntarily) are doing multiday open sea crossings - e.g. either transaltantic. Epirbs are similar although I can identify a few "must have latest gadget people" who have PLBs for "local" stuff - I don't think they buy them out of guilt - they buy them because they are the sort of person who uses a GPS on a canal! Generally speaking those who do can afford to and are easily parted from their cash - thats good for the ecconomy and makes them feel better so I don't see the harm. I can't think of anyone I know who is more reckless because they have the "kit" if it all goes wrong.

I know all about coding requirements. Point me to an incident involving a UK charter yacht where either an EPIRB or a liferaft has been used. As far as I can recall only one incident of a charter yacht foundering and neither piece of equipment was deployed. There are, of course examples of coded boats getting into trouble, but hey are not typical 35-40ft AWBs that make up the bulk of the charter fleet.

sorry I wasn't defending the UK requirements - simply hoping to console you that you were no worse off by being "greek coded" than back home.

 

[Tranona]

Glad you agree they (EPIRBs PLBs) are probably not necessary - however, just read the "testimonials" bit of the McMurdo site where respectred people such as the editor of the best selling boating magazine is urging people to buy them! And the constant free publicity in the regular reviews, the big stands at the boat shows, displays in chandlers etc.

Maybe the manufacturers are wasting their money and nobody is actually buying them.

I think we probably both mix with the same kind of people, but I think you are wrong in suggesting that people who buy liferafts are voyagers. You only have to hang around here for a while to see the threads on the subject to know that ordinary "potterers" consider and are buying liferafts. Of course it is good for business - particularly the Chinese economy, but is a huge waste of resources.

 

[Wiggo]

I wear one except when docking. There, for me, it doesn't feel right. Maybe because of worrying about catching a strap on something when moving about to help with lines. I dunno.

Interesting. I'm the exact opposite: I figure the time I'm most likely to go overboard is moving round the decks with hands full of warps and fenders. 50 miles out across the Channel, sat on the flybridge, I feel it is unlikely that I will suddenly levitate and go over the side. Even then, my LJ will be lying to hand in case the weather kicks up - going downstairs to get foulies, steer from below or whatever with the boat crashing round again strikes me as a good opportunity to go overboard, so the jacket goes on.

I've fallen overboard twice in the distant past, once coming in to berth when I ended up falling between the boat and the pontoon, and once getting in to the tender carrying an outboard. On neither occasion was I wearing a lifejacket. When I slipped getting in to the tender, it made no difference as I caught the safety line on the tender even before I was fully in the water. However, if I had been hit by the prop while berthing, the lack of a lifejacket could have been a very different matter - the one remaining person on board would have been trying to secure the boat in a nasty crosswind and recover an injured casualty at the same time.