Manual lifejackets. Am I missing something?

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You're a wuss Brendan - only F10 AND a lifejacket. Tut, tut /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

But, yes I agree.

And as has been said most drownings are associated with undecked boats and those under 7 m length. I have been careful in my posts to refer to decked boats.

Not something I have paid much attention to, but on another tack I don't think I have heard of anyone drowning from an undecked boat or one under 7m from just simply falling in (am sure it has happened though). Usually seem to be from swamping, overturning, etc.

{PS: is your roll top bath tub decked? Must certainly be under 7m unless a very big one /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif}

John
 
I'm not sure decked or non decked makes any difference if the helm is outside when you are doing 30+knts

Just taking the throttle to neutral brings a boat at that speed to halt very quickly. If you hit something that stops you dead in the water, you are going to be catapulted overboard, or hit something hard while the boat sinks.
 
"But, yes I agree." is not THAT long a statement of agreement, surely?

Attention span problems tonight Brendan, go to bed? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

John
 
there was quite a long bit after the agree bit! but I can't be bother to cut and paste the qualifiers. My attention span is too low
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
So, as far as the auto versus manual argument goes, I guess you win some and lose some according to the nature of the accident. Safest, as many are saying, is don't go over in the first place - lifejacket or no lifejact, auto or manual. The lifejacket thing is of secondary importance and I am never ashamed to crawl along the deck.

[/ QUOTE ]

Before the days of roller genoas, and having to change headsails on a wet slippery deck and often at night then a harness was essential. However getting there was a real pain whilst carrying a big sailbag and getting back with a bigger very wet one was even worse! I would often curse the harness line as frequent jerk stops would happen as it cought up somewhere, as a result unless the conditions were really really bad I might not clip on until up front, then clip on short with a doubled back line. The art of 'Deck Crawling' was therefore well practiced! As a yoof I rock climbed a bit and was taught always 3 points of contact and just one free to move, that is still very valid afloat until the harness line can maybe give some help and free the 2nd hand, like having the line short doubled around the mast whilst reefing the main.

Nowadays however as I said we can slab reef (all 3 reefs) the main and roll the genoa of course without leaving the cockpit, we would only need to go on deck to rig the storm jib stay and hoist either storm jib or staysail. So far I have very carefully avoided any risk of needing to set this stay and congratulate our sailmaker on an excellent genoa even rolled well down!

Robin
 
You can guess what my views are, but allow me to offer this. Sorry to have come in at the end of a long, and very interesting thread.

1. You won't drown if you are wearing a lifejacket. You might die of other things - cold, secondary drowning, but you won't submerge beneath the waves and try to breathe water.

2. Any lifejacket is better than no lifejacket.

3. The RNLI says, simply, wear a lifejacket. That is the best advice (except don't go into the water in the first place by using harnesses), and our crews wear them all the time. Whether you follow that advice is up to you and your level of risk aversion, your desire to protect those close to you, your budget, and your assessment of your circumstances. Each of those factors introduces a level of choice, and that may be the wrong one. Nobody likes to have to buy an insurance policy, but those who come to exercise one are usually grateful that they did.

4. Now my first-hand experience. I was moored to the visitors pontoon in the Yealm, and had gone up on deck shortly after midnight to adjust a tapping burgee halyard, and heard a muffled shout. I had no idea where it came from, nor indeed whether it was not from a boat, but I got into the tender, and quietly pottered downtide. I got as far as the entrance, and turned round, and as I came back I heard a cry from the other side of International Paint test pontoon.

The chap could not swim, was not wearing a lifejacket, and later told me that he felt he could not have hung on any longer.

That was some time ago, but only last week I watched two chaps haul a guy out of water on that same pontoon - fell out of his tender.
 
fair weather and foul

I fell in Bembridge harbour when stepping down into dinghy from boat. Weather was fine, near calm in fact.

I held onto transom and could feel legs and body getting colder and numbing. I have steps that fold down on transom and I could not get a foot onto the bottom one ... I tried a foot on the rudder to help - still couldn't do it. That was in only a few minutes ...
It took 2 guys as well as my holding onto things while they got another grip etc. to get me up and back on board.

It was extremely sobering experience. After - both SWMBO and I wore LJ's ... but typical humans .. the action wore of and we reverted to old ways ...

My point here is the fact of numbness that develops VERY quickly ... the useless attempts to get back up ... you are doomed to either attempt a swim to shore / beach or just hang on till so cold you are lost. Unless others can haul you in ....

Forgot to add that my hands with the hanging on where literally locked for ages after .. mixture of probably fear / adrenaline and the cold.
 
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