Rant about colour ....

[RIMCOas01]

Last weekend I almost ran down a young girl (she had jumped out of her 10'dingy for a swim ... the dingy was over 100mtrs away, she was in totally open water ... there was some sailing type activity off to port and she was way. way out of the area).

Anyway my point .. she was wearing a dark coloured (blue ?) sailing outfit and a dark-blue (uninflated) lifevest (baltic).

What is the bloody point designing supposidely life-saving equipment that does nothing to draw the attention of a third party ... has fashion taken over from common sense.

I recently bought 2 lifejackets, fine that they are orange when inflated, but still I bought a light blue/- grey outer covering with luminescent strip for myself and a fancy pinky-red one for the lady.

I see similar trends with fenders, anchoring ropes and warps, etc ... and have several times crossed rope that is invisible against anything other than a calm sea and bright sunlight.

I even see warning posts (over here we navigate around shallows based on a right or left "arrow" attop a rusty pole pointing to the correct route) that are invisble after dusk, mooring/- lobster/- crab pot buoys nothing more than old (black) plastic petrol containers, etc, etc ...

And finally .... I know car drivers that are colour blind have a problem (dont know how cos what ever the colour is it is either the one above green or the one below red ;-)))
- but what about us floating folk ... how do those that are colour blind know port from starboard ??

I do not see it on any RYCA test, licence, official form ... whatever

 

[captainslarty]

Most swimmers wear just a bathing suit, so its difficult anytime..
Dont thin its anything to do with life jacet colours etc.

All users are entited to use the sea and coastal areas. It is both the duty of the swimmer NOT to swim in high traffic areas if possible - and - the sipper to eep a good watch..

A difficult one but nothing me thinks to do with colour.

 

[snowleopard]

And for some years the shoulders of 'fashionable' oilies were white. What a stupid place to have a colour that matches wave crests if you fall in the sea!

 

[michael_w]

Like the trendy white lifebuoys, just about impossible to see, at sea.

Years ago, I was chatting to a helicopter observer with the USCG. He said trying to spot a white hull with blue antifoul in a rough sea, was very,very difficult. Having red antifoul made a huge difference.

 

[MarkGrubb]

[ QUOTE ]
... has fashion taken over from common sense.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. Have you looked through the sailing shops or catalogues recently? It's all Greys, Blacks and Blues. What bl*@dy good is that if you fall overboard? Everyone's to busy looking good to consider their priorities.

"No officer, it was a black and dirty night and impossible for us to see him after the wave swept him away. But he would have looked good: fantastic tailoring and great colours. Your divers may find it difficult to find the body in that murk. I suggest you wait till it's washed up on the beach"

 

[Malish]

its the modern trend for black or blue oilies that amazes me and the restricted range available in yellow

 

[wotayottie]

I'll go one worse on you! Some years ago, I was coming back from Swansea to Cardiff at the exit of the Nash passage (a time when you need to concentrate on nav) when coming in the opposite direction just a few yards away was a guy in a black wet suit, prone on a black bodyboard and propelling the thing forward by doing a sort of crawl stroke. Against the water he was damn near invisible with no dayglo colours visible and nothing showing more than a few inches above sea level. Any power boat doing more than my miserable 5 knots would have had him.

So I call up Swansea coastguard and ask them to put out a securite. They call back after a few minutes to tell me that this was a lifeguard practising his skills and keeping fit! Apparently he regularly did several miles against the tides of the Bristol channel.

Swansea did put out the warning, but how daft can you get from someone who is there to save lives not risk his own. Least they could have had is a one foot flag staff with a dayglo flag

 

[Wansworth]

Well,when your rescued you want to look your best,horrible dayglow orangy colours .........some people alway put on clean underwear in case they have an accident!!!!

 

[RestlessL]

[ QUOTE ]
And finally .... I know car drivers that are colour blind have a problem (dont know how cos what ever the colour is it is either the one above green or the one below red ;-)))
- but what about us floating folk ... how do those that are colour blind know port from starboard ??

[/ QUOTE ]

There is device called a Seekey to help colour-blind sailors identify red and green lights.

John

 

[rogerthebodger]

An interesting comment in the report of the loss of Moquini

[ QUOTE ]

Their recommendations include that hulls of small vessels - in addition to the decks - be painted in a colour that makes the vessel easily visible from above - unlike the blue and black of the Moquini.


[/ QUOTE ]

More info here

 

[webcraft]

[ QUOTE ]
the sipper to eep a good watch

[/ QUOTE ] Problems with your eyboard Cap'n, or was 'sippers' a subtle comment on the libatory habits of yachties?

Quite agree though - running someone down then blaming them for wearing the wroing thing isn't going to get you very far . . .

- W

 

[ytd]

I don't know - in the US you can shoot someone in the woods during hunting season not wearing a dayglow vest and be found innocent of anything.

 

[davidrainsbury]

Couldn't agree more. Pamela Anderson's sensibly coloured lifeguard bikini brightened up many a daring rescue. Or was that an inflated lifejacket? /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[wooslehunter]

Last year I was involved with an excercise with coastie. Our bit consisted of standing guard over the casualty so stop it being rescued.

The casualty was a rescue manquin dressed in red oilies with a fully inflated bright yellow lifejacket. We put it in the water somewhere off Calshot & left it to drift up towards the entrance to the Hamble on the tide. It was in the water for a couple of hours with us standing off by quite a distance. I have no idea how many boats passed it during the 2 hours but only one or two actually changed course & made for it. It was at a weekend & positioned in one of the busiest areas for leisure boating you can find. We deliberately stood far enough away so no-one would assume we knew the casualty was there.

So just cos someone is wearing something bright doesn't meen they will be seen.

Also, if you're in the water and unconcious, do remember to wake up from time to time to wave & shout at passing boats.