Sea Survival Course

[KellysEye]

Jane and I did the survival couurse and the medical course, we learnt a huge amount and really enjoyed it. They gave us confidence, particularly the medical, one for long distance sailing.

 

[Georgio]

As others have said it's a very worth while course, and it's a course that evolves over time with new info and techniques. I have done the RYA Sea Survival and ISAF Offshore Safety and will be renewing/refreshing them again next month.

Well worth it for the experience of turning partially inflated liferafts over in a pool while buckets of water are being thrown at you. Getting immobile "casualties" into a raft even in a pool takes two men quite some effort.

If nothing else it will make you appreciate staying with the boat as long as possible before stepping off/up into a liferaft.

 

[Kelpie]

SWMBO and I have been lucky enough to both do the STCW course through work- definitely worthwhile, although we don't actually have a liferaft (yet).

 

[bbg]

I've done one, in a pool. It was excellent as others have said, thought provoking.

We also did fires (practiced putting out fires with CO2, foam and blanket, and saw what can happen when you add water to an oil fire) and flares (we all did handhelds, a few did smokes but it was too windy to do parachutes - the fire department told us they might have drifted onto the motorway).

Edit - my instructor had fallen overboard while sailing solo across the Atlantic. He was really keen on people wearing harnesses.

 

[Martin999]

I did one a few years ago and I agree it is incredibly difficult to get into the life raft - our instructor said it is often easier in when in the sea as you can use the waves to help lift you! He also found it fun to use a fire hose to simulate spray and two colleagues had a rope each and they pulled the raft around a fair bit. I suffer from claustrophobia and an eight person life raft with eight people in it is very cramped! I also found the theory side of the course very interesting and learnt a lot about dealing with hypothermia. I and my crew always wear a lifejacket whatever the conditions since doing the course.

 

[[70521]]

It is a course I keep meaning to do. I must get on and book it some time.

Wearing your own lifejacket is a brilliant idea.

As a holder of the Royal Life Saving Society Silver Cross, open sea lifesaving, I don't think that being a swimmer/non-swimmer is going to make any difference what so ever. It is the cold that is going to sap your strength in seconds.

 

[snowleopard]

Highly recommended, should be compulsory!
Just the chance to jump into the water in your own lifejacket, see how deep you go before it inflates, then swim around in it a bit, then try and get in a liferaft after righting it, wearing your own lifejacket, all in controlled conditions - Invaluable

I jumped into the local swimming pool in an old lifejacket. I was quite surprised how long it took to fire and inflate - it was a Hammar type. Someone on here commented that with jackets that have a velcro closure on the cover, open them up once a year or the velcro becomes so embedded it will take a long time to open.

We did the survival course before setting off for our Atlantic Circuit. It also enabled me to get my commercial endorsement.

I am glad we did ours in a local pool rather than one of the naval training establishments that some schools use. Wit realistic waves, darlness and noise I think SWMBO would have freaked and refused to leave harbour!

 

[Peroo]

An excellent course and highly recommended - the various liferaft drills were enlightening and working together when in the water with lifejackets only was also most informative - supporting one another, supporting an injured crew mate, etc. all give you a sense of what you can do, instead of "what do I do now".

If you haven't done this course, please do.

 

[RupertW]

Excellent course and two things about emergency equipment struck me - firstly that lifejackets often won't inflate automatically (2 out of the 6 of us both with lifejackets less than 2 years old), and secondly that I will never spend money on a liferaft when there is a single other way of keeping crew and boat safe so it isn't needed. In the highly unlikely event of being on a boat that is sinking, then more people seem to have drowned on transfer than by sticking with the boat.