Safety Gear ?

[awol]

I was admiring an oil painting of a reefed gaff rigged yacht reaching through pretty rough water with a boy on deck - no lifejackets, lifelines, danbuoys or anything visible. We all carry safety gear and most of us pay through the nose to keep the stickers in date but how often is it used?
If, for example, one liferaft out of 10,000 is used that represents the prolonging (nb - not "saving") of perhaps 4 lives for a cost of approx £10M. Not really a justifiable use of the world's resources when the same amount of money could be better used elsewhere. So how many of the toys in the poll have you actually used in anger?


Oh bollocks! The poll didn't come out the way I wanted with sensible questions. I'm sure you get the idea and if any of you forum whizkids know how to make it do what I wanted .....

 

[Leighb]

A technical problem with the poll is that it asks 2 types of question but we can only answer one of them.

No way to say if we have ever used the kit we say we have.

 

[bbg]

Voted for what I've got - not what I've used (which is nothing).

 

[Sans Bateau]

I have car insurance. Most people do. I have rarely had to make a claim on that insurance, the system worked, I do try to avoid using it though. Much the same applies to safety gear on the boat, which though, thankfully, I have never had to claim on, but its nice to know its there, just in case.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Voted for everything except the EPIRB, but have only used a horseshoe buoy in real need. Didn't work. Learning curve: you can't throw them upwind.

 

[Kelpie]

Uhm, if people are voting for what they own rather than what they've used, is that not COMPLETELY missing the point of the poll? Regardless of whether you agree with the question that was asked I think it's only fair to allow the information to be gathered.

Personally, the only safety gear I've used would be life-lines... shame that option's not on the poll because I would bet that it would show just how much of a priority they are over all of the other aids.

 

[Searush]

Got about 50% of the stuff llisted, none of it ever used in anger, although I have played about with firing flares & getting in liferafts (club demo sessions) and I do practise MoB sessions on nice warm sunny days when we are not going anywhere in particular (no tide gates to catch).

Harnesses & lifelines (the later being the ones that go thro deck stanchions) have actually stopped me going over the side or from a nasty fall on several occasions, although I have also tripped over them once or twice & nearly got badly hurt!! It's all a balance of probabilities isn't it?

Safety kit can kill you or save you depending on the circumstances. Use your own judgement, then if you get it wrong it's your own fault!

 

[Tranona]

I have car insurance. Most people do. I have rarely had to make a claim on that insurance, the system worked, I do try to avoid using it though. Much the same applies to safety gear on the boat, which though, thankfully, I have never had to claim on, but its nice to know its there, just in case.

The big difference is that with insurance there is good statistical evidence of claims, both the number and type. With safety equipment in general and boat safety equipment in particular there is very little evidence of any of it actually being used, never mind any assessment of its effectiveness.

So, our decisions on what to buy is based on our own assessment of what we think we might need - but don't know because we have never needed it. Third party corroboration on the wisdom of our decision is based primarily on other peoples' opinion, often in turn influenced by a pecuniary interest in a specific product!

I suppose the two main exceptions to this general observation are lifejackets and lifelines. Many people, particularly if they started out in dinghys have experienced the benefits of buoyancy and equally many who have worked on deck in poor conditions will have recognised the value of being attached to the boat.

 

[oldfatgit]

Voted for what I have, but have never used any save life jackets and safety lines worn and clipped on which is not emergency use.

What would I do without? EPIRB save when doing long passages. What don't I have? MOB Sling, but am considering buying.
What am I doubtful of, need to service liferaft every 12 months.

 

[purplerobbie]

The only thing i haven't got is a DSC red button.
I can't see the point in throwing out a perfectly good VHF just to buy one with a DSC

Rob

 

[TradewindSailor]

No I haven't used any of the above in anything other than training. Well .... okay I've used a life-jacket when circumstances required: about twice in the past 10 years.

I have used a harness though ..... but that aint on the list!

 

[James_Calvert]

There's an important item missing that I bet most of us have and have used. A tender.

I haven't used anything else on the list.

 

[Danny Jo]

Damn! I've just broken my New Year's resolution not to complete any meaningless questionnaires. (That's not to say the questions aren't sensible, just that the format doesn't allow a meaningful answer.)