Taking your Lifejacket on a ferry

J

john_morris_uk

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I’m off to France for a couple of days work. Travelling as a foot passenger my bag got scanned. I have a Spinlock lifejacket with me with AIS beacon and personal EPIRB fitted. I was stopped and told I couldn’t bring it onboard because it has a CO2 cylinder!!!

After a brief discussion with the management I was allowed to bring it ‘so long as ‘unscrewed the gas cylinder’.

Strange rule not being allowed to bring a serviceable LJ on board. There rules though. Even if I don’t understand them.

Apologies if this has been raised before.
 
Concerto said:
It has been a long time since I have been on a ferry, so I have never inspected what sort of lifejacket is provided. I feel sure it would be inferior to your Spinlock. Maybe their rules are to stop you showing up how poor the provided lifejackets are.
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It did cross my mind that I’d be putting my LJ with EPIRB on before I donned a ships issue one!
 
Sticky Fingers said:
Your personal EPIRB would presumably transmit the incorrect ship ID, were you to trigger it after the sinking of the ferry …?
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You're certainly not allowed them on cruise ships. Been on Cunard, Oceania and Azamara this year and all have this rule.

Prohibited items​

There are several items that you are not allowed to take on board, either before or after your voyage.

Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB)

https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/advice-and-policies/prohibited-items

On the other hand, taken my own lifejacket on flights to Greece, Croatia, Australia, Bahamas, St Lucia, Antigua and BVI.

Leaving Road Town to fly home was the only time I was asked to disconnect the CO2.

BA suggest you print an excerpt from their rules on Dangerous Goods and pack it with the jacket.

Flying with your Deckvest | Help & Support | Spinlock
 
ashtead said:
I had thought personal Epirb have no vessel affiliation on basis delivery crew might be on variety of vessels ?
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That is why registration is important. All 406 mhz items such as EPIRBs and PLB s should be registered. Registration links the PLB/EPIRB built in HEX code to you and your MMSI. This means that even if there are numerous owners of the equipment on board all the right emergency contacts may be contacted. .

There was an incident earlier this year where a vessel sank in a storm and many of the crew had their own PLBs Some were unregistered. There were also EPIRBS in the life rafts. Maybe safety in numbers but just imagine the clutter on the screens of the rescuers and the job of identifying that each beacon in the water was attached to a casualty and which not. I believe that not all the life rafts were occupied.

Unfortunately this all happened beyond rescue helicopter range though one attempt was made .

I believe the skipper realised that all this clutter might be a problem in a critical situation and took the unusual action of calling the MRCC for his area and requested assistance.

Some of these details turned up on my screen at home as it was happening thanks to overintelligent Google.

It is important that all 406 mhz equipment is registered.
 
You can never be too careful.

Maybe wearing a dry suit, parachute AND a self inflating, tracker LJ on a trans Atlantic flight to rejoin the boat would be a tad overkill. But it would save on the baggage allowance.

Might get some funny looks from the cabin crew: “ Will Sir be staying with us for the duration of the flight?”
 
Blueboatman said:
You can never be too careful.

Maybe wearing a dry suit, parachute AND a self inflating, tracker LJ on a trans Atlantic flight to rejoin the boat would be a tad overkill. But it would save on the baggage allowance.

Might get some funny looks from the cabin crew: “ Will Sir be staying with us for the duration of the flight?”
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... Or is Sir just going to deliver some chocolates?
 
Sandy said:
It worries the other passengers hence is discouraged!
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20 or more years ago, along with 2 crew, I delivered a yacht from Gosport to Le Havre. Bit grim weather so as well as foulies, I took a 4 man liferaft off of one of our yachts. All prudent, really.

We came back on the ferry. Which was delayed quite a bit marooning us, our kit and the liferaft in the ferry terminal bar. I think that we were the only ones who found this amusing when we finally boarded and had to put the raft in their small sickbay.

Being roughy toughy sailors, the voyage back was, well, in the bar. Portsmouth didn't give us the kindest of welcome homes.....
 
I had a huge row at Plymouth Brittany Ferries 9 years ago about this, going off to do a delivery as a foot passenger. The manager got very upset when I filmed him trying to reply to my question "so, if Ive got this correct, you are prohibiting me from bringing a life jacket onto your boat?"

They allowed me and my crew to travel eventually, but I got a letter a few weeks after from the port ops manager saying I was no longer welcome on Brittany Ferries, along with other stuff.

My reply was....

"
Dear Mr L###-,

Many thanks for your letter, the contents of which were rather interesting.

I do not recall any stipulation that I brought only one lifejacket, however I do recall we agreed that I would remove the very small CO2 cylinder and package it up seperately so that it could be easily handed over.

Your check-in lady (C### if I recall, I was going to complain about comments she made but decided not to - more on that shortly) phoned S## who insisted that not just the cylinders but the lifejackets themselves were confiscated. What danger a lifejacket without a CO2 canister can possibly pose is beyond me.

I am unsure what you mean by my "subsequent behaviour". Perhaps it refers to me insisting C### told me where I could collect them from at the other end, to which she very unhelpfully stated "the freight terminal".

Or perhaps it was mine and my colleagues disbelief and shock when C### said she hoped the lifejackets got lost and that our yacht sunk and we needed them. I am sure your check in staff expect to be treated politely and respectfully, but it goes both ways, and her saying she had been working since 8am in no way mitigates her rudenes or her wish that our lives would be put in danger.

I am still incredulous that a representative of a boat company would wish a watery grave on a customer.

Naturally the media would lap this up were I to take this further, and no doubt they would also see the irony in a) lifejackets being banned from a ferry, b) the crazy situation that a car passenger can carry knives, lifejackets and god knows what in any bag they take from their car while on board, and c) your company's interpretation of a "guidance notice" to make travel for professional sailors as unpleasant as possible.

And that you then go on to basically say there will be no special dispensation for me in future because I have reacted to one of your staff members being extremely rude is absolute gold.

Can I suggest at this late stage that an apology to me and my colleagues is in order to resolve this matter, and that you also let me know who the RYA need to chat to so that the safety of British yachtsmen and women are not prejudiced by Brittany Ferries imposing a rule for foot passengers that does not apply to car passengers.

I trust this can be resolved quickly and satisfactorily for all concerned, and the double standards currently in force can be altered. If they can't then the media is certainly the best outlet so that future potential foot customers are fully informed.

Yours sincerely,"
 
I suppose it’s how you look at things.....for example, nobody here would think it’s good if a bunch of revellers were onboard setting off flares.....or if someone took a CO2 cylinder on a flight...
 
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