Liferaft experience

[Daydream believer]

Cut it free & inform the CG by VHF

 

[Praxinoscope]

Cut it free & inform the CG by VHF

+1 probably the best option.

 

[Heckler]

I am curious about liferafts and how long realistically one would have to survive in them if you had a epirb/plb and flares. Has anyone on the forum actual real experience of using a liferaft and how long did it take to get rescued. I am particularly interested in up to 50 miles offshore UK, Ireland, France rather than transatlantic. There are 1000's of members on this forum so someone must have actually used one?

I have just got my copy of 117 Days Adrift by the Baileys back. Well worth sourcing a copy for exactly what they went through

 

[Heckler]

My friend above who did the RG centre course, along with another, (RNLI second cox on Penlee night) who also never had been seasick, were put in a raft at sea for a while: within twenty minutes everyone was seasick

I did the Robert Gordon Institute of Technology survival course as well quite a few years ago. Not pleasant in that pool with the sadistic barsteward with the firehose aimed at your face as you struggle to the liferaft.
For those who havent done it, you are all kitted up, you push a liferaft in to the pool which has a wave maker, hurricane force fans, darkness, thunder and lightining serious sound effects. This for 12 ft up, you follow. The aforementioned barsteward pounts a fire hose at your face until you cover your mouth and nose with your hand, this to enable breathing in the spume. Then its doing the dunking trick to bounce people in to the raft, when all in they leave you fora few mins until nicely stirred on the point of lou y ing and then they switch off the machines, I suspect to save contimanating their pool. I dont do seasick but wasnt far off after just a gew mins!

 

[awol]

Cut it free & inform the CG by VHF

Almost what I did. Called the coastguard with the intention of telling them there was going to be a raft floating in the Moray Firth but a bit reluctant to cut loose £1200's worth so instead asked their advice. After eventually getting them to understand where I was, that I had a lifejacket on, that I hadn't dropped an anchor (60m+), that, yes, I was alone on board, they told me to wait. Another voice came on - the FPV Hirta was 10 miles away, had monitored my call and would be with me in less than 30 minutes. Sure enough she appeared, dropped her rib with 4 dry suited, helmeted guys who zoomed over. They wheeched the life-raft onto the rib, deflated it, declined a cup of tea and that was that. They were heading back to Leith after their patrol and dropped my raft off with Cosalt from whence it had come a mere 10 days before after service.
Incidentally, while waiting lying hove-to, I was fascinated by the whorls of water spinning off the keel and their effect on the sea. Breaking seas would flatten some 4 or 5 boat lengths to windward as they hit the swirling water.