Recovery from water to inflatable.

[WoodyP]

I was pulled into a liferaft face first in a practice. I landed head down into mates crutch with my nose under water. With my feet still in the air over the side of the raft it wasn't very dignified ?

 

[TSB240]

Lots of mentions of using lifejackets if rescuing people from dinghies, pontoons or in the water.

You are liable to become a problem if you have a self inflating LJ!

We have observed the difficulty of getting a tall fit person back on board a relatively low freeboard (VERTUE) vessel after a missed transfer between dinghy and yacht and wearing a full ocean safety LJ.
We have also witnessed the difficulty of accomodating the bulk of a normal load of passengers on a surf launched dinghy once their LJs were triggered by breaking waves.

They get seriously in the way if you need to physically do anything in a rescue or in the water other than lie on your back.

Our risk assessment has lead to nearly all our cruising in company friends to adopt only using either pull to inflate or sailing and kayak buoyancy aids if using a dinghy.
It is unlikely you will enter the water unconscious. The highest risk of entering the water unintentionally is when you are transferring from or stepping on the side of a dinghy.

The risk increases proportionally to the number if units if alcohol consumed!

We always leave our ocean going self inflating lifejackets aboard and wear either dinghy sailing or kayaking buoyancy aids for dinghy transfers.

Our buoyancy aids all have crotch straps. They are next to useless without them.

 

[Refueler]

Lets put a point ...

RNLI and other bodies provide guideline instructions for operations. They would normally be good to use - but there will always be an event that it doesn't work OR another way is better. They are not Hard and Fast RULES ... they are GUIDELINES.

People mention rope & tackle ... halyards etc. One of the best ways to get a person back on board a sailboat - is to use the sail .... let into the water - person floats into it --- haul halyard and person is rolled on board..... or at least lifted out of water ...
How long to rig a rope and tackle ?? How long to drop main and have sail o/board ? OK - if its a mast furled main - then you have a problem ... but if a bolt-rope / slug luffed sail - should be quick to drop ...

But of course that's not waht OP was aksing - he was on about getting casualty into inflatable ..

 

[NormanS]

There's a big difference between an "inflatable" and fully crewed ILB, and what the rest of us use for getting back and forward to our boats. What may be SOP in the former case, certainly wouldn't make any sense for a couple, where one has fallen in. I try to ensure that it doesn't happen.

 

[TwoFish]

Anyone tried to use the 'steps' provided on Life Rafts ???? Useless.

Look good on paper ...... but 1. Not deep enough .... 2. They don't hang straight and ready for feet.

I agree that if you expect them to work in the same way a fixed ladder would, you'll be in for disappointment.

My experience though (in the pool @ Poole, not in a real sinking) is that with a bit of technique, they made the difference between getting in (unaided) and not getting in. You can't 'climb' them in the normal sense, but they do provide enough leg leverage to aid lifting, pushing and rolling one's top half over the threshold of the raft.

 

[Refueler]

I agree that if you expect them to work in the same way a fixed ladder would, you'll be in for disappointment.

My experience though (in the pool @ Poole, not in a real sinking) is that with a bit of technique, they made the difference between getting in (unaided) and not getting in. You can't 'climb' them in the normal sense, but they do provide enough leg leverage to aid lifting, pushing and rolling one's top half over the threshold of the raft.

With great respect .... in a Pool vs Sea ? The sea is colder ... has eddys and currents not only from water based but wind based as well ... those raft 'steps' are not hanging down enough to get a foot onto ... second even IF you can - your foot scoots under the raft upsetting the angle for you to get in ... that's if you are in anyway capable in that cold sea !!

Ok - here's one for people .......

There's you and say 2 or 3 people on your boat ... she's sinking and you deploy the raft ..... how does first person get in the raft - assuming that its been thrown over and painter pulled to inflate ??

You'll be very very lucky if first or anyone can just climb in of the boat ... so first person aims to step / land / jump onto the top and then slide in ... AVOID go into the water ....
That first person needs all their strength and capability to help others in ... who are usually by now IN the water .....

I admit this is a tactic more designed for large rafts on ships .... but still applicable to yachts ...

If next person(s) can safely land on top of raft as well - then better ..... but please avoid landing on top of first guy inside !!

 

[Mudisox]

Many club "safety boats" are crewed by folk who just do not have the strength to haul someone on board. Many Ribs have hydraulics on their outboards and the engine would be stopped in any case, why not manoeuvre the casualty to the stern and get them to step on the flat "anti cavitation plate" and raise the outboard and casualty.

Try it .................it works.

 

[ylop]

Many club "safety boats" are crewed by folk who just do not have the strength to haul someone on board. Many Ribs have hydraulics on their outboards and the engine would be stopped in any case, why not manoeuvre the casualty to the stern and get them to step on the flat "anti cavitation plate" and raise the outboard and casualty.

Try it .................it works.

I have done this. It does work - for a conscious casualty with enough strength to hold on to the engine. In reality it’s not fast. BUT if your club safety boat is crewed by people without the strength to recover people from the water it’s not a safety boat.

 

[Thistle]

Any RLSS qualified pool lifeguards here? Recovering casualties to a poolside used to be part of the syllabus: I know how it was taught 50+ years ago but suspect that knowledge of their current techinques might inform this discussion.
Ditto re the RYA Safety Boat course where, again, my knowledge may not be fully up-to-date.

 

[Daverw]

We did an impromptu MOB a few weeks ago, SWMBO decided to jump onto pontoon before we were actually along side, she had just Been reminded again, but that’s another story. She ended up floating in the marina and we found it easy for her to slide onto the sugar scoop, I don’t think I could have pulled her onto pontoon

 

[dunedin]

We did an impromptu MOB a few weeks ago, SWMBO decided to jump onto pontoon before we were actually along side, she had just Been reminded again, but that’s another story. She ended up floating in the marina and we found it easy for her to slide onto the sugar scoop, I don’t think I could have pulled her onto pontoon

The lengths people will go to get their partner to buy them a new mobile phone ?

But seriously, glad ended without serious harm. Other than cold shock, the other big issue falling near a dock or pontoon is cracking a head on the way down. Fortunate to land in soft water

 

[Daverw]

Apparently it was my fault for taking too long to back into berth, not helped that after she went in I carried on docking and then had to get phone to take pictures. She did actually find the whole thing a useful test and she paid for the repacking / service of the LJ. She does tend to wear it all the time on deck even though she is fairly confident in the water