Two lives saved on the Fowey - lifejacket and a flotation suit did the business.

[Pleiades]

One of our Golant Boat Owners Association- Boatwatch members has saved two lives in the space of a few months on the Fowey.
He was alerted to the casualties in the water and in each case was able to carry out a timely rescue. In the first case a man fell overboard between dingy and big boat and with the sometimes fierce tide at Golant would have been a goner for sure but for his auto lifejacket which inflated immediately. He was able to hang on to the dingy until help arrived. The casualty reported later that the force of the water would have pulled the lifejacket right up over his head had it not been fitted with leg straps. A close call. The second rescue was on Thursday when a man went overboard and survived for well over an hour hanging onto his boat until help came. He almost certainly owes his life to his flotation suit. Treated on shore and later at hospital for hypothermia but ok. Two lucky saves.
(Details on the Boatwatch site if you use Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GolantBoatOwnersAssociation.)

Two wiser, wetter but thankful sailors.

Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5

 

[Searush]

One of our Golant Boat Owners Association- Boatwatch members has saved two lives in the space of a few months on the Fowey.
He was alerted to the casualties in the water and in each case was able to carry out a timely rescue. In the first case a man fell overboard between dingy and big boat and with the sometimes fierce tide at Golant would have been a goner for sure but for his auto lifejacket which inflated immediately. He was able to hang on to the dingy until help arrived. The casualty reported later that the force of the water would have pulled the lifejacket right up over his head had it not been fitted with leg straps. A close call. The second rescue was on Thursday when a man went overboard and survived for well over an hour hanging onto his boat until help came. He almost certainly owes his life to his flotation suit. Treated on shore and later at hospital for hypothermia but ok. Two lucky saves.
(Details on the Boatwatch site if you use Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GolantBoatOwnersAssociation.)

Two wiser, wetter but thankful sailors.

Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5

It does show the value of having a swimming ladder doesn't it? They were clearly seen, but there's little point in just hanging on if no-one has seen you go & you don't have some way of attracting attention, but if you have a ladder going a few rungs below the surface it should be perfectly possible to self rescue.

 

[NUTMEG]

Having fell out of a dinghy whilst disembarking from my first boat, a 19' Seawitch, I would not like to trust my life to that. It was a late November eve, freezing cold and I had pullovers, big Hiking jacket and wellies. The weight of that lot, when waterlogged, plus the effect of cold shock, make doing almost anything really difficult.

I bow to your greater experience Searush, but I think a ladder should not be considered a perfect solution. A vital safety device but I now always wear a LJ when playing with the tender. New boat is a motor sailer with a lot of freeboard and to be honest, falling off her is NOT an option!

 

[Pleiades]

I have a ladder on Pleiades and a strop on the Longliner for climbing back on board - essential kit ..... but I suggest trying it to see if you can climb out wearing waterlogged clothing - it is exceptionally difficult and in a strong tide most people may well find it impossible given the force of the water - similar to being towed along at 4 or 5 knots. It will probably be all you can do to hold your head above the surface. It is even very difficult for some to climb out wearing a wet suit in summer - I have had to help friends and family do that in ideal summer sea conditions without tide so don't count on scampering up a ladder if you do take an unintended splosh.

Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5

 

[prv]

if you have a ladder going a few rungs below the surface it should be perfectly possible to self rescue.

In a strong tide, if you're already downtide of the ladder you're probably not going to be able to get to it.

Dylan said it well the other day - "We die in our dinghies", he said. Meaning to include climbing in and out of them as well.

I'm fairly relaxed about lifejackets on the big boat, only insisting on them when conditions mean it might be difficult to return to someone quickly. But when it comes to the dinghy my rule is lifejackets (or buoyancy aids) by default unless conditions are so idyllic that I'd willingly contemplate swimming ashore instead.

Pete

 

[LadyInBed]

A lot of the problem with inflatable dinghies is that occupants sit high, either on a seat or on the tube.
I use a fender as a seat so my weight is well down, and I hold the painter so if I did fall out it would be the bow heading my way and not the prop!

 

[Achillesheel]

Tried using our boarding ladder for the first time last year - its very difficult to get a foot on the bottom rung. In the end, SWMBO dropped me the end of a mooring line, fixed round the stern cleat and passed over the pushpit rail. This gave me something to pull myself up on.

 

[Seajet]

I went overboard from my rigid tender when alongside my boat; I was only able to get back aboard - with the help of my crew - thanks to having detachable pelican hooks on the guardwires - probably the single most useful thing I have ever fitted on the boat.

It turned out I was the 4th club member to do this, not because it's an especially dangerous place but because we did it often for decades and the Law Of Averages got us !

One chap went overboard mid winter in a bleak open bit of the harbour and was supremely lucky to be spotted by a passing marina workboat.

Another was swept downtide and was clinging onto a buoy when spotted from ashore.

All these stories would have had a very different ending if not down to pure blind luck, and at night it would be ' Goodnight Vienna ' !

What we all had in common was that we were wearing lifejackets; I'm not normally fussy about wearing them on the cruiser - except clipping on the harness it it's remotely rough - but insist on LJ's in the tender.

 

[Searush]

Tried using our boarding ladder for the first time last year - its very difficult to get a foot on the bottom rung. In the end, SWMBO dropped me the end of a mooring line, fixed round the stern cleat and passed over the pushpit rail. This gave me something to pull myself up on.

That's why you need at least 2 rungs below the water, even so, get your knee on first & pull up against it so you can get your foot on the same rung & then stand up.

 

[Seajet]

One answer; I know it's not perfect but as my boats' transom is a bit small for a stainless folding ladder - when one considers the transom hung rudder - I have a ' Mastep ' folding plastic ladder secured & rolled up inside the transom coaming with a line hanging down.

The line is within easy reach of the water allowing one to pull the ladder down; it wouldn't be easy to climb up as one's feet will tend to scoot away under the stern, but a helluva lot better than nothing.

There's also a stainless folding step on the transom which should help a lot.

 

[lw395]

One of our Golant Boat Owners Association- Boatwatch members has saved two lives in the space of a few months on the Fowey.
He was alerted to the casualties in the water and in each case was able to carry out a timely rescue. In the first case a man fell overboard between dingy and big boat and with the sometimes fierce tide at Golant would have been a goner for sure but for his auto lifejacket which inflated immediately. He was able to hang on to the dingy until help arrived. The casualty reported later that the force of the water would have pulled the lifejacket right up over his head had it not been fitted with leg straps. A close call. The second rescue was on Thursday when a man went overboard and survived for well over an hour hanging onto his boat until help came. He almost certainly owes his life to his flotation suit. Treated on shore and later at hospital for hypothermia but ok. Two lucky saves.
(Details on the Boatwatch site if you use Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GolantBoatOwnersAssociation.)

Two wiser, wetter but thankful sailors.

Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5

Sounds like what actually saved these people was somebody seeing them in time.
Wearing a lifejacket only buys you a bit of time, especially in cold water.
I see too many people taking stupid chances, like not having a free hand when moving from one boat to another, standing up when a boat is likely to rock etc.
Also, not taking a bit of extra care when they are alone.
Those flotation suits sound a good idea for those of us mucking around on our boats alone in the harbour.
Somehow we don't see them in chandleries though?

 

[Dockhead]

One of our Golant Boat Owners Association- Boatwatch members has saved two lives in the space of a few months on the Fowey.
He was alerted to the casualties in the water and in each case was able to carry out a timely rescue. In the first case a man fell overboard between dingy and big boat and with the sometimes fierce tide at Golant would have been a goner for sure but for his auto lifejacket which inflated immediately. He was able to hang on to the dingy until help arrived. The casualty reported later that the force of the water would have pulled the lifejacket right up over his head had it not been fitted with leg straps. A close call. The second rescue was on Thursday when a man went overboard and survived for well over an hour hanging onto his boat until help came. He almost certainly owes his life to his flotation suit. Treated on shore and later at hospital for hypothermia but ok. Two lucky saves.
(Details on the Boatwatch site if you use Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GolantBoatOwnersAssociation.)

Two wiser, wetter but thankful sailors.

Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5

I had a similar experience, but in contrast to the subject of your story, I probably owe my life to having not worn a life jacket.

I was anchored in St. Vaast Bay in Normandy getting ready to set off back across the Channel. There were two of us, and my shipmate was below getting suited up. I was securing the dinghy, and was standing on the upended transom platform (very stupid, as I now realize). The transom platform tipped over unexpectedly, and I went into the water.

The tide was ripping, and when my head came up above water, I could see the boat receding in the distance as I was being swept out to sea. Without hesitating for a second, without taking off my boat shoes or doing anything at all, I started swimming for my life. I swam as hard as I could; harder than I thought I could swim, against the strong tide of that side of the Channel. I swam and swam and swam, and after half an hour or so, just when I thought my strength was gone finally, I managed to catch up to the boat and grab the transom. Where I hung on for a long, long time, before I got my breath to call out politely "man overboard!". Which brought my friend out to pull my out.

If I had had a lifejacket on, I would likely not be among the living now, as I would not have been able to swim.

I'm not against lifejackets, which will definitely save your life in cold water if you have to stay in for longer than you can move your limbs, but they are not a panacea.

 

[Seajet]

Dockhead,

thanks for your honest and informative story; I've always thought buoyancy aids are under-rated, not just because they allow one to swim but also as a form of ' body armour ' to protect against knocks !

Deciding whether to wear a LJ or BA might be tricky though...

Glad you're here to tell the tale.

 

[TradewindSailor]

Another point is being able to get back into the dinghy.

Many of the RIB's float far too high to allow access from the water for even a fit man with long arms.

I have a hard dinghy. It is very easy to enter over the gunwale as the gunwale can be pulled down within a few inches of the water line. A little water is shipped .... but what is that compared to not being able to get back in.

I suggest that everyone tries their dinghy out and make sure that there is some device handy to help swimmers get back on board.

 

[LadyInBed]

Those flotation suits sound a good idea for those of us mucking around on our boats alone in the harbour.
Somehow we don't see them in chandleries though?

Try sea fishing shops. Not too expensive, two piece or all in one.
The all in one boiler suit type can have an issue in that when you are sat down and it's raining, the water collects in the crouch and the zip isn't waterproof! !
No need to ask how I know

 

[blackdogsailing]

Another point is being able to get back into the dinghy.

Many of the RIB's float far too high to allow access from the water for even a fit man with long arms.

I have a hard dinghy. It is very easy to enter over the gunwale as the gunwale can be pulled down within a few inches of the water line. A little water is shipped .... but what is that compared to not being able to get back in.

I suggest that everyone tries their dinghy out and make sure that there is some device handy to help swimmers get back on board.

A few years ago we were sent on a day course at the RNLI centre at Poole. Wearing a one piece flotation suit and a 275N LJ we tried a number of different ways of getting out of the pool. There was an avon inflatable in there and only the young very fit guys managed to get aboard just by pulling themselves up. Us old farts had no chance ! We found though that by carrying a strop with you it was quite easy to make a loop which you could put your foot through and climb in. It also worked well on a dockside using a cleat.
A very useful course and an eye opener !
Chris

 

[prv]

thanks for your honest and informative story; I've always thought buoyancy aids are under-rated, not just because they allow one to swim but also as a form of ' body armour ' to protect against knocks !

Not sure I have much need of armour - I can't remember the last time I was beaten around the torso while sailing - but I agree buoyancy aids are definitely worth considering for use with the tender. As well as allowing you to swim and clamber more easily, a basic foam waistcoat is also less likely to be nicked than a shiny new automatic-with-harness yachty lifejacket. On west country charters we used to clank into pubs carrying a pile of lifejackets because we wouldn't leave them unattended at the landing pontoon - now with a stack of faded and paint-spattered (but sound) buoyancy aids on Ariam, I'm quite happy to leave them in the dinghy.

Deciding whether to wear a LJ or BA might be tricky though...

Lifejacket (if required) on the yacht, buoyancy aid in the dinghy. If conditions between yacht and shore are such that a 150N lifejacket with spray-hood seems appropriate, then the tender stays in the locker and we eat on board!

Pete

 

[TheEcho]

I have never been in the water in a lifejacket. Is it possible to take them off, in the rare situation when one needs to swim for it?

I know that that open water swimmers who are concerned about their safety can tow a buoyancy bag attached with a line to their ankle or waist - it doesn't get in the way of their swimming but gives them flotation if they can't continue and makes them more visible - I wonder if in suitably warm water , take the lifejacket off and use the crotch strap to tie it so it bobs along behind you ?

 

[prv]

I have never been in the water in a lifejacket. Is it possible to take them off, in the rare situation when one needs to swim for it?

Would be more usual to let some of the air out via the top-up tube. Taking off while fully inflated would be difficult, as the bladder will almost certainly cover the buckle and also locks round your neck to some degree.

Pete

 

[Pleiades]

A broad cross-section of views. I think many would be surprised at how useless a fish the average yachtie is when unexpectedly dunked at sea. Think of doing a few lengths in a heated swimming pool - well it is entirely nothing like that.
Swimming any distance at all is frankly unlikely for many. Clothing, sea boots etc greatly impede swimming ability and climbing up and out of the water unaided is extremely difficult. Try it and see I suggest in controlled conditions with help at hand and a rescue plan prepared.
Immersion shock can be incredibly incapacitating in the first few seconds and even the smallest of waves will put you in immediate risk of ventilating with a lungful of sea water! Buoyancy will help - but swimming in either a buoyancy aid, a flotation suit or a float coat is difficult. The main advantage of a buoyancy aid over an ILJ is that you are not turned onto your back which may enable you to do a bit more to help yourself and there is some benefit from heat retention to the central body core. It is more like managed bobbing about rather than swimming pool progress! An advantage of a manual ILJ or a partial 2 stage inflation model is that a conscious user can decide when to pull the trigger.

I have tried different types of ILJ in benign sea conditions - putting on, taking off, inflating by mouth (simulating gas bottle inflation failure), putting on the sprayhood etc. All are possible but a big ask for any casualty in real life. The July 2013 MBM article "Lifesavers" where they tested a range of ILJs is worth a read - their tester in 14 degrees c water tried a splosh without a lifejacket and didn't think he would have survived for more than a few minutes!
On balance I would side with the RNLI "Useless unless worn" lifejacket rationale. Other types of buoyancy, wet suits etc can be lifesavers and a well prepared and equipped yachtie may incorporate them into his or her sea survival measures. As a general rule keeping one's head above water is the prime requirement and the two casualties in these recent incidents on the Fowey had fortunately been well prepared to survive.
Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5