Shetland - no life raft, no EPIRB/PLBs, no survival suits - would you?

[dylanwinter]

While planning this summer's trip to Shetland I spent the late winter and early spring mithering about safety equipment and risking the lives of my sailing companions.

In the end I did not have the cash so set off without any of this gear - and I we are all still alive

It is odd how fearful some of these places seem until you go there and meet local sailors happily toodling around their home waters in tatty run down old boats..

I would say that the majority of travelling boats I came across, as well as being much bigger than the Centaur, also had life rafts.

I have no idea if they had EPIRBS or survival suits on board

Before setting off, and if I had the disposable income, I would certainly have invested more in safety gear - spending maybe another £5 K on equipment.

if I were to do the trip again I would not bother with all that stuff even if it was given to me - with the exception of the EPIRBs it would take up too much space on the boat.

In the event it was just a series of day trips - and I was always within radio contact of other vessels and probably the safety services had I called them - I nevernoticed that the phone lost signal and saw that it had no signal apart from when I was safely at anchor in a deep voe.

I think that my attitude towards risk is changing as I get older

- when young I had a lot to lose. Now that I am older the risks seem much smaller.

Complacent or what?

D

 

[bigwow]

As I get older I'm becoming less complacent, for the first time, in nearly 60yrs sailing I've bought a liferaft!

 

[dylanwinter]

As I get older I'm becoming less complacent, for the first time, in nearly 60yrs sailing I've bought a liferaft!

why do you think you need it?

are you going to travel further and longer?

D

 

[[70521]]

The Vikings did not have a problem, why should we.

 

[dylanwinter]

The Vikings did not have a problem, why should we.

of course we have no idea how many vikings perished on their way across the Norwegian Sea to bash a few Brits on the head

 

[bigwow]

why do you think you need it?

are you going to travel further and longer?

D

It may be to do with the fact a lot of the time my granddaughter is with me!

 

[dylanwinter]

It may be to do with the fact a lot of the time my granddaughter is with me!

that is an excellent justification. We met some norwegians who expressed surprise that I had no life raft. I said that I would feel bad about drowing Jill because she was there not as a result of love of sailing but because I was there. had I drowned Jon or Roger on the way up the North sea then I would not feel nearly as bad as they knew the risks.

Lobster pots continue to be my worst fear - the best defence against those is a decent boat hook and a sharp knife

D

 

[JumbleDuck]

It is odd how fearful some of these places seem until you go there and meet local sailors happily toodling around their home waters in tatty run down old boats..

Pretty common experience, that. I remember reading an article in YM a few years back about someone planning a cruise from the Solent to Scotland, and the vast amount of safety equipment he felt necessary for such a horribly dangerous part of the world. Meanwhile, those of us based there - like those based everywhere - know that in fact there be no dragons and that just being a long way from home doesn't make the sea any more dangerous.

The trick is basically not to sink in the first place.

 

[LadyInBed]

Complacent or what?

No, you choose your weather to go out in, but think PLB rather than EPIRB.

 

[awol]

I have a fair amount of safety gear - liferaft, EPIRB, flares, those all enveloping orange plastic condoms, lifejackets with straps and lights - and I resent the lot. Liferaft is extra weight/cost and was a bloody nuisance when it washed overboard and inflated, EPIRB just costs money to re-battery, flares just cost money and are a pig to get rid of, lifejacket may extend my suffering by changing drowning to exposure. So, why? Well, somethings are needed to satisfy the entry criteria of the odd races I do, but mostly it's to try and persuade my better half that I am safe.

If it's risk you are trying to assuage, avoid crossing roads and what ever you do, stay out of hospitals - a lot of people die in hospital!

 

[sailorman]

While planning this summer's trip to Shetland I spent the late winter and early spring mithering about safety equipment and risking the lives of my sailing companions.

In the end I did not have the cash so set off without any of this gear - and I we are all still alive

It is odd how fearful some of these places seem until you go there and meet local sailors happily toodling around their home waters in tatty run down old boats..

I would say that the majority of travelling boats I came across, as well as being much bigger than the Centaur, also had life rafts.

I have no idea if they had EPIRBS or survival suits on board

Before setting off, and if I had the disposable income, I would certainly have invested more in safety gear - spending maybe another £5 K on equipment.

if I were to do the trip again I would not bother with all that stuff even if it was given to me - with the exception of the EPIRBs it would take up too much space on the boat.

In the event it was just a series of day trips - and I was always within radio contact of other vessels and probably the safety services had I called them - I nevernoticed that the phone lost signal and saw that it had no signal apart from when I was safely at anchor in a deep voe.

I think that my attitude towards risk is changing as I get older

- when young I had a lot to lose. Now that I am older the risks seem much smaller.

Complacent or what?

D

"Safety gear" or "Life saving gear " there is a difference

 

[dylanwinter]

"Safety gear" or "Life saving gear " there is a difference

tell me more

I am not sure i distinguish between the two

D

 

[JumbleDuck]

Well, somethings are needed to satisfy the entry criteria of the odd races I do, but mostly it's to try and persuade my better half that I am safe.

I have to persuade my non-sailing other half that I'm keeping my crew, a small joint production, safe, and the way I do that is a combination of safety equipment and caution.

 

[Tranona]

It may be to do with the fact a lot of the time my granddaughter is with me!

Understandable - but illogical. Why are you in any more danger with your granddaughter on board? You will struggle to find any examples of grandads with small children on board ever getting into a situation where a liferaft might be useful. Just having the little one on board makes you more cautious and reduce the risks even further. However appreciate that mum might be happier letting you take the child out if you had a liferaft - but mums are often illogical as well.

 

[JumbleDuck]

tell me more

I am not sure i distinguish between the two

I'd say that "safety gear" keeps you out of trouble (echo sounder, radar, VHF radio, tether) and "life saving gear" comes to your aid when you're in trouble (lifejacket, EPIRB, flares).

Or, in other words, safety gear is the stuff you use to avoid using the life saving gear.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Understandable - but illogical. Why are you in any more danger with your granddaughter on board? You will struggle to find any examples of grandads with small children on board ever getting into a situation where a liferaft might be useful. Just having the little one on board makes you more cautious and reduce the risks even further. However appreciate that mum might be happier letting you take the child out if you had a liferaft - but mums are often illogical as well.

In my case it's a feeling that if I drown myself it's my own stupid fault, but the Ship's Boy has done nothing to deserve it.

 

[sailorman]

tell me more

I am not sure i distinguish between the two

D

safety gear
gps
fire extinguisher
gas monitor
harness
l/j

Life saving
Raft
eperb

 

[Tranona]

tell me more

I am not sure i distinguish between the two

D

Safety gear is for prevention. Life saving gear is for dealing with the consequences of the failure of safety equipment to keep you safe.

Some items could fall into both categories - DSC radios for example.

 

[bigwow]

Understandable - but illogical. Why are you in any more danger with your granddaughter on board? You will struggle to find any examples of grandads with small children on board ever getting into a situation where a liferaft might be useful. Just having the little one on board makes you more cautious and reduce the risks even further. However appreciate that mum might be happier letting you take the child out if you had a liferaft - but mums are often illogical as well.

Even more illogical is the fact I didn't feel it necessary having a liferaft on board when her mother, and uncle, were sailing with me.

 

[dylanwinter]

Safety gear is for prevention. Life saving gear is for dealing with the consequences of the failure of safety equipment to keep you safe.

Some items could fall into both categories - DSC radios for example.

dsc

- bumma - yet another bit of safety gear I lack

however, I think that so much gear falls into both camps