Safety survey

[tonywar]

Interest letter in this months YM regarding the issue of wearing lifejackets all the time, or not. I guess there are pros and cons to both sides of the argument. But has anybody actually gone over the side, or been on a vessel that has lost somebody over the side and if so did wearing a life jacket have any bearing on the situation?

The letter writer seems to be of the opinion that you can predict when its appropriate to wear a lifejacket and when its not. But surely accidents by their very nature are unpredictable.

My sailing experience is limited but I have always wore a lifejacket on deck. Its like wearing a seatbelt for driving , you get used to wearing it, then when you forget to fasten it you feel naked.

Feel free to disagree.

 

[Cornishman]

Up until the past few years the teaching used to be "wear a lifejacket when the skipper orders it, or if you would feel more comfortable for wearing one". Skippers generally ordered lifejackets in poor vis instead of clipping on harnesses in case the yacht was run down.
With modern lifejackets being so easy to wear the thinking is much more towards wearing one all the time on deck. After all, lifeboat crews do.
But what next? Hard hats, I wouldn't wonder. Horse riders do, and they don't have a boom to worry about.

 

[rhinorhino]

Our house rules are, jackets to be worn on deck at all times.
Lined on when alone or outside the cockpit at night or in bad conditions.
We have never (touch wood) lost anyone over the side.
Can't myself see any good reason not to weara jacket all the time.

 

[kdf]

Again we have rules which say wear them always at night and usually any time when we're at sea (ie: on a long passage) and any other time that the skipper says so.

Apart from that we don't weat them - on nice sunny days with gentle breezes (remember them?) I would not expect someone lazing around on deck to have to wear one. I am of the belief that there are times when there are absolutely necessary but there are also times when they are not required. I've been sailing for over 30 years and been overboard at least 5 times - all within stiking distance of other boats.

Kids/non swimmers and those of nervious disposition have to wear them 100% of the time.


Again - these are my rules and I think it should be left up to the skipper of each boat to decide what best suits them.

 

[billmacfarlane]

I'm probably not the right one to answer this as I never wear one during the day in normal conditions. I give anyone the option of wearing one who comes sailing with me but I tell them if they're worried about falling over the side that I'd prefer them to wear a harness which is designed to prevent them from doing just that . To me lifejackets have very limited use , e.g for wearing when going over the side into a liferaft or taking to the sea from a sinking craft if no liferaft is available. The exception to this is in fog where I'll ask all the crew to wear one. No doubt The Royal Society For The Prevention Of Enjoying Yourself At Sea will decree some time in the future that we will all have to wear one , including on your way to the boat from your car just in case you fall off the pontoon and of course on the way home in the car just in case the car skids and falls over a bridge and into a river , but until then I'll carry on with my policy of offering a harness to a crew member .

 

[steveh]

Same rules apply with us - but when in dingy getting to or from the mooring always wear one - most dangerous time!!

 

[Chris_Stannard]

When I sailed with Noah we did not bother too much aabout lifejackets.

Seriously though how many people were lost before lifejackets were around. I have never seen any figures for this. I did not see any signs of lifejackets on the Americas cup boats, and from what I can remember of Ellen MacArthurs video of Single handed race she did not seem to be wearing one much. I raced in a Fastnet Race, 250 plus boats, probably about 2000 peolpe, not rules on lifejackets, no casualties.

Much of the lifejacket thing seems to have started from the loss of a guy who was high up in RORC, who was hit by the boom at night during a race and knocked over the side, chances are he was dead before he hit the water.

IMHO we should leave things as they are, if you want to wear a life jacket, or insist on it in your boat thats your business. What I do in my boat is mine.

Chris Stannard

 

[Twister_Ken]

The situation has been simplified (or complicated, according to yout p-o-v) by the fact that most lifejackets sold nowadays seem to be the 'flat' type, with an integral harness.

Becasue they are so unobtrusive to wear (at least when you're rigged beyond the t-shirt and shorts stage) I tend to wear mine at all times above decks. I can clip on very easily when moving out of the cockpit, and should I ever go for an inadvertent swim, the thing will pop and leave me floating to wave elegantly at passing yachts.

As I normally sail with just Madame the odds of a rapid recovery of one or other of us are low (we're not quite as quick to manouver as a fully-staffed racing machine), and a bladder full of C02 would be a welcome aid.

In 33 years sailing I've yet to fall off a yacht properly. I've been over the edge twice but managed to hang on the boat both times. Dinghy sailing is/was a whole different matter though!

 

[Guest]

If I had a bladder full of CO2

Would I have to get up so much during the night?

Geoff W

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: If I had a bladder full of CO2

I knew that was a hostage-to-fortune even as I hit the send button!

 

[BrianJ]

Depends where you sail, the current weather situation, the number on deck, the sea conditions, etc

Example….Last Saturday, I had “rescue Boat” duty and saw about 4 crew out of a fleet of 45 yachts (say 250 total crew) with jackets.. the conditions were calm, 10/15 kt breeze. It was a personal choice.

Now for offshore in dangerous conditions I would have all crew wearing jackets, For cruising up the OZ coast and say being the only one on watch I would insist on that crew member wearing a jacket and clipped on. During the day with most of the crew on deck and good conditions, it would be a crew choice .

Cruising Bass Strait in good conditions ..again a personal choice except if on watch by yourself, or in bad conditions .. yes wear a jacket.
BrianJ

 

[david_e]

The other week in the storm, I wore one on the pontoon. SWMBO inisists on us wearing them all the time because of her fears of someone going over, OK by me.

 

[tonywar]

The worry is the no win no fee brigade of solicitors, as a skipper and someone is lost over the side in a simple accident who will get their ass sued? Then when civil actions start happening, the insurance companies become involved then they start insisting as part of their policy that all crew members must wear lifejackets at all times, else the policy won't cover following court actions. Could be an expensive path to walk.

 

[tonywar]

I can't remember if I saw or read Ellen's theory on lifejackets, particularly when sailing in extreme events, it was that when sailing alone it would be hours before anybody knew you where missing, and days when any rescue vessels would approach, by which time you would be long gone.

 

[tonywar]

Until something happens then what you do on your own vessel becomes of great interest to other people. i.e coastguard, police, coroners, insurance companies, families, and so on.

 

[tonywar]

I like your logo, but how do you create one?

 

[philmarks]

If God had meant us to wear lifejackets, she would have designed us with buoyant protruberances on our chests ;-)

 

[tonywar]

I hear Pamela Anderson likes sailing. Well it appeared that way on her home video. Not that I've seen the aforementioned video.

 

[BlackSheep]

Recently spent the night coordinating the search for a young lad who fell off the back of a fishing boat. Light wind, flat sea, boat within 1/2 mile of shore, skipper called up about 10 mins after he was last seen. Had 2 Lifeboats, 2 helicopters, 3 warships and eventually 28 fishing boats searching. No doubt about it, if he had been on the surface he would have been found.......still not been found yet......if he'd been wearing a lifejacket....?