DepSol
Well-Known Member
If you can swim it only takes you longer to drown!
Dom
I am boating again ;-)
Dom
I am boating again ;-)
Plop.........
- Thread starter Torbay
- Start date
tcm
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Re: What to wear at sea
Surely not oilskins.
Our new friend's post raises the issue of what happens when you fall in. It's genrally believed that if you have a lifejacket, then hurrah all will be well. But this is not so.
1) I found five self-inflating jackets in a bilge area. Two had not gone off, despite being soaking.
2) Nice trendy warm fleeces weigh a lot when wet.
3) Wellies, oilies or helly-hansens with big pockets qucikly fill up with water, inhibiting getting back on board however good a swimmer one might be.
4) How about this for offshore sailing/boating gear : wear a wetsuit under the lifejacket. Sure, you'll stink if you wear it for days and days on end ,but could take a shower. Surely with a lifejacket this wd increase survival chances by lots and lots. Am I missing something?
Surely not oilskins.
Our new friend's post raises the issue of what happens when you fall in. It's genrally believed that if you have a lifejacket, then hurrah all will be well. But this is not so.
1) I found five self-inflating jackets in a bilge area. Two had not gone off, despite being soaking.
2) Nice trendy warm fleeces weigh a lot when wet.
3) Wellies, oilies or helly-hansens with big pockets qucikly fill up with water, inhibiting getting back on board however good a swimmer one might be.
4) How about this for offshore sailing/boating gear : wear a wetsuit under the lifejacket. Sure, you'll stink if you wear it for days and days on end ,but could take a shower. Surely with a lifejacket this wd increase survival chances by lots and lots. Am I missing something?
tcm
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Re: swimming out of your depth
Um, if your dad "can swim but not out of his depth" then for the puposes of going anywhere in a boat, that's called "not being able to swim", isn't it?
Agreed bout total shock of cold water: i swam in solent in june and very cold.
But coliholic has far more expeience of various temperatures of seawater, including in Lymington which he failed to mention in his listing, whereas H can hardly claim to have made a close inspection of any marina if he hasn't leapt in to sample the water....
Um, if your dad "can swim but not out of his depth" then for the puposes of going anywhere in a boat, that's called "not being able to swim", isn't it?
Agreed bout total shock of cold water: i swam in solent in june and very cold.
But coliholic has far more expeience of various temperatures of seawater, including in Lymington which he failed to mention in his listing, whereas H can hardly claim to have made a close inspection of any marina if he hasn't leapt in to sample the water....
BrendanS
Well-Known Member
Re: What to wear at sea
You missed the dry suit option. Even better than wet suit as can be bought in breathable material so you don't get sweaty/smelly, and can wear lots of layers underneath so don't get cold. You even float when you fall in water, nice and dry and warm(ish), without the horrible cold water spouts down neck. When drysuit becomes old and worn, you look like ancient mariner, and get great respect from grockles.
Usually wear shorts and t-shirt no matter the weather, so when dry suit goes on, most people I know head for home sharpish.
?? Thinking about it, most people have already headed for home when I put my jacket on.
You missed the dry suit option. Even better than wet suit as can be bought in breathable material so you don't get sweaty/smelly, and can wear lots of layers underneath so don't get cold. You even float when you fall in water, nice and dry and warm(ish), without the horrible cold water spouts down neck. When drysuit becomes old and worn, you look like ancient mariner, and get great respect from grockles.
Usually wear shorts and t-shirt no matter the weather, so when dry suit goes on, most people I know head for home sharpish.
?? Thinking about it, most people have already headed for home when I put my jacket on.
jimi
Well-Known Member
Re: What to wear at sea
Reckon so. Mostly falling in is not planned therefor no time to rush downstairs & don the wetsuit. Point I was making was get a hold of the cold water survival video but key points are:
Swimming ability is irrelevant & indeed can be counter productive initially when hitting the water. You should really not do anything for c.90 secs(activity can cause a heart attack combined with the cold water trauma), during that time you will have enough bouyancy from air trapped in clothes (if wearing any anyway)
If likely to be in the water for longer than 20 mins then you will probably die unless you've got a life jacket & some form of insulation on.
Hence I regard it as a Mayday if someone goes over the side unless it is clement conditions.
Jim
Reckon so. Mostly falling in is not planned therefor no time to rush downstairs & don the wetsuit. Point I was making was get a hold of the cold water survival video but key points are:
Swimming ability is irrelevant & indeed can be counter productive initially when hitting the water. You should really not do anything for c.90 secs(activity can cause a heart attack combined with the cold water trauma), during that time you will have enough bouyancy from air trapped in clothes (if wearing any anyway)
If likely to be in the water for longer than 20 mins then you will probably die unless you've got a life jacket & some form of insulation on.
Hence I regard it as a Mayday if someone goes over the side unless it is clement conditions.
Jim
Torbay
New Member
Many thanks to all of you that took the trouble to advise me - very much appreciated and shows what a friendly place this is! What I take from the feedback is that I should go ahead and shouldn't let the swimming issue be a show stopper but should (of course) try and get the issue sorted by trying lessons again. I was thrown into the water as a kid by some very kind and thouughtful cousins and hit my head. This I'm sure is the root of the water fear.
Luckily in ordinary life I tend to think it daft to take silly risks and I quite visualise me being a lifejacket wearer on a permanent basis. Luckily my wife (potential crew) is a swimmer and nimble footed. I also plan to go overboard (excuse the pun) when it comes to training. I'll be trained excessively rather than minimally so hopefully if we go ahead I'll be as safe as I can be.
Thanks again for being patient with the answers.
Luckily in ordinary life I tend to think it daft to take silly risks and I quite visualise me being a lifejacket wearer on a permanent basis. Luckily my wife (potential crew) is a swimmer and nimble footed. I also plan to go overboard (excuse the pun) when it comes to training. I'll be trained excessively rather than minimally so hopefully if we go ahead I'll be as safe as I can be.
Thanks again for being patient with the answers.
Steve101
N/A
Re: What to wear at sea
Perfectly acceptable buoyancy aids for women have proved to be (by scientific tests
stockings, short skirts and high heels. Proven by fact that if being worn, the afore mentioned never falls overboard for some strange quirk of fact!
Oh dear am I going to get in trouble again?
Perfectly acceptable buoyancy aids for women have proved to be (by scientific tests
stockings, short skirts and high heels. Proven by fact that if being worn, the afore mentioned never falls overboard for some strange quirk of fact!Oh dear am I going to get in trouble again?
tripleace
Well-Known Member
buy a boat but buy a nice comfortable life jacket first and wear it.
make sure you have a good disipline for who wears lifejackets and then everyone around you should be wearing one too.
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boating-ads.co.uk/365.html> Triple Ace Link</A>
make sure you have a good disipline for who wears lifejackets and then everyone around you should be wearing one too.
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boating-ads.co.uk/365.html> Triple Ace Link</A>
Dave_Snelson
Well-Known Member
Interestingly enough, its bad superstition too be able to swim. Most of the middle ages through to Victorian sailors couldn't swim a stroke....but I don't advocate this at all.
So having learned to swim...there are a number of things that I like to wear for cold weather & cold water. One is a dry suit with wicking fleece. These are *fantastic* for extending your boating season from early Spring through to late Autumn. If you were to take an unexpected dip, you (plus life jacket, of course) would be fine in the water for ages. I also carry my mobile in a water-proof plastic pocket (aqua-pac its called). Clearly all the above isn't suited to summer attire, so its just the LJ then.
Best regards
Madoc Yacht Club
www.madocyachtclub.co.uk
So having learned to swim...there are a number of things that I like to wear for cold weather & cold water. One is a dry suit with wicking fleece. These are *fantastic* for extending your boating season from early Spring through to late Autumn. If you were to take an unexpected dip, you (plus life jacket, of course) would be fine in the water for ages. I also carry my mobile in a water-proof plastic pocket (aqua-pac its called). Clearly all the above isn't suited to summer attire, so its just the LJ then.
Best regards
Madoc Yacht Club
www.madocyachtclub.co.uk
G
Guest
Guest
Do people contemplating air travel think that they should be able to fly if they should fall out en route? Does this stop them from getting into an aircraft? Robbie Williams can't drive, but he still bought a Jag sports car.
Sorry! My answer is not as serious as your question. Let me try again. I would not let it stop you from enjoying boating. You are correctly performing a risk assessment about the pastime you are considering and you are correctly mitigating those risks by wearing a life jacket thing, getting good practical training and maybe even trying swimming lessons again, put this last point is not a prerequisite.
Robbie W (not related)
Sorry! My answer is not as serious as your question. Let me try again. I would not let it stop you from enjoying boating. You are correctly performing a risk assessment about the pastime you are considering and you are correctly mitigating those risks by wearing a life jacket thing, getting good practical training and maybe even trying swimming lessons again, put this last point is not a prerequisite.
Robbie W (not related)
DavidJ
Well-Known Member
Re: Mayday
Jim
Very interesting point about Mayday which has made me think. Never having made one in earnest but I guess one is tied up on the radio for quite a few minutes giving the situation, location and answering responses. It's going to be a decision that you can only make at the time...whether it's best to help others get the 'victim' aboard or to make the distress call. If there is just one person left on board then very little choice until things get well out of hand.
David
Jim
Very interesting point about Mayday which has made me think. Never having made one in earnest but I guess one is tied up on the radio for quite a few minutes giving the situation, location and answering responses. It's going to be a decision that you can only make at the time...whether it's best to help others get the 'victim' aboard or to make the distress call. If there is just one person left on board then very little choice until things get well out of hand.
David
tcm
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Re: Mayday
yes: i had a cahrter boat which bust it's exhauist and was filling rapidly. I oput a call thru to the charter base but immediate action was to fix the fault and get valuable gear off the cabin floors, not yak away on vhf. Wd need luxuriously large crew to do that.
yes: i had a cahrter boat which bust it's exhauist and was filling rapidly. I oput a call thru to the charter base but immediate action was to fix the fault and get valuable gear off the cabin floors, not yak away on vhf. Wd need luxuriously large crew to do that.
jimi
Well-Known Member
Re: Mayday
Its a difficult one & much depends on conditions, I'd certainly ensure that the MOB had a horsehoe & dan buoy before sending a Mayday. Perhaps thats when the handheld may just prove its worth. I'd rather mayday in that situation & then cancel rather than delay & end up recovering a body
Jim
Its a difficult one & much depends on conditions, I'd certainly ensure that the MOB had a horsehoe & dan buoy before sending a Mayday. Perhaps thats when the handheld may just prove its worth. I'd rather mayday in that situation & then cancel rather than delay & end up recovering a body
Jim
Torbay
New Member
Re: Mayday
Thanks Jimi, you've really cheered me up - just when I was thinking "I'll be ok" you started giving me visions of me as a "floater"!
Seriously, the advice has been really helpful even if to produce the next set of questions. It's much nicer looking stupid when people can't see your face!
J.
Thanks Jimi, you've really cheered me up - just when I was thinking "I'll be ok" you started giving me visions of me as a "floater"!
Seriously, the advice has been really helpful even if to produce the next set of questions. It's much nicer looking stupid when people can't see your face!
J.
jimi
Well-Known Member
Cold water survival
Seriously it is well worth seeing the cold water survival video, its normally shown at the first aid courses, which are also a really good idea!
Jim
Seriously it is well worth seeing the cold water survival video, its normally shown at the first aid courses, which are also a really good idea!
Jim
jointventureII
Well-Known Member
Re: swimming out of your depth
i suppose it it but in terms of swiming from a beach he can, he has the ability but going out of depth must be a mental barrier, doing it once successfully will mean his confidence will grow, but u cant force it.
i suppose it it but in terms of swiming from a beach he can, he has the ability but going out of depth must be a mental barrier, doing it once successfully will mean his confidence will grow, but u cant force it.