Seacheck today....

[gtmoore]

..what a great couple of hours! Went through all the gear, chatted about all sorts of safety related issues with the RNLI guy. I asked that he inspect me at offshore level (as I quite fancy France next year) and pleased to have been awarded a gold pass. I had already used the RYA book for kitting out the boat (as I wanted to do Day Skipper on my own boat which I did 3 weeks ago) so was quite confident it had most things.

Thing is, I have all this safety gear but would people here recommend i do an RYA Sea Safety course to learn how to use it properly? I have never let off a flare and knowing how to do it is not the same as experiencing it first hand. Same with the liferaft. Bought one, know how to launch it but no idea what it's like trying to clamber aboard one.


<hr width=100% size=1>Gavin

 

[BrendanS]

Can definitely recommend trying things out.

Had a flare evening last year, and a wonderfully witty and informative talk before hand. All different types of flares handed around to try different mechanisms (all disabled!) and then outside to let them off.

Very different doing it to reading about it.

One thing we learnt was that the flares that need a bash on the bottom were very difficult for some of the women and girls, though all agreed that adrenaline in a real life situtation would make that less of an issue.

Also that you need to keep gauntlets in flare container as you can get some nasty burns from some of those things

Yes, go on a course, and you can get the RNLI and other organisations to turn up and run these for you

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[ruff_n_tumble]

I would strongly recommend a "Survival at Sea" course. The theory is great but I found the real experience of getting into a liferaft from the water very hard, and that was just in a swimming pool. I now know that the idea that I would have been able to cope, let alone lead others, in a survival situation without the training is just laughable; even with the training I feel it will still be very difficult.

<hr width=100% size=1>Steve Marsh
Hunter 27 OOD "Ruff-n-Tumble"
Gosport

 

[Fill]

Our flares bit was arranged via the RNLI and was exceptionally good value. (A donation to RNLI funds saved consciences for a freebie). Until you've actually had a hand flare to hold you don't realise that welders gauntlets (Halfords among others) make real sense as does a set of ordinary protective goggles.

The sea survival course concentrates the mind horribly along the lines of let's not get into that situation. SWMBO had her hammar lifejacket (automatic, pressure operated) fail to work and when she touched bottom at Andark's 9 foot deep pool was very glad she'd taken to heart the lecturer's instructions about making sure you knew which side the manual release was.

Then the first guy into the raft helped me in and that was a struggle, SWMBO had to be pulled in by the pair of us as she wasn't strong enough herself. We then nearly drowned her as she was face down in about 4 inches of water and couldn't move with the way we were positioned to get her aboard. (She did tell us about it when she could finally breathe, tho). We were glad we'd done the course before we bought a liferaft as have gone for one with inflatable knee step to get into it. Hope we never need it.

All you'll then need is the ship captain's first aid and medical care at sea and you'll be terrified for life.

Seriously, tho, you will think very carefully once you've done this lot, tho you sound as if you are doing all the right things anyway.

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[gtmoore]

Thanks for the replies - I've got some dates for the RYA Sea Survival course being run in Southampton (YachtCom - any thoughts?) so think I'll book up and have a go early next year.

Cheers

<hr width=100% size=1>Gavin