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New legislation is hands free kit for VHF & DSC sets.
Wearing Lifejackets Whilst Sailing
- Thread starter TradewindSailor
- Start date
maxi77
Well-Known Member
Neither would I, but again it's our personal choice.
However there are reasons people don't wear helmets
CTC's stance for example
However this site has the most compelling evidence for not wearing one.
And a final point. If, as a cyclist, you'd like car drivers to give you the most room, the best thing to wear is a blond wig
Right back to life jackets!!!
To be honest I do not think wearing a blond wig would have protected me from the motorists that tried to injure me, but that is a wholly unscientific statment. On the other hand by far the best way to be safe on a bike is to be very very alert to the rest of the plonkers on the road and cycle defensively.
I sail similarly
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rivonia
Well-Known Member
The more I read on this thread the angrier I became. I have calmed down now.
Just imagine you and you loved one out sailing and it is pitch black at night.
You wake up as there is a piercing scream!.............. Loved one washed over board. Planned reaction Stop boat,press MOB on chart plotter throw dan bouy BUT the loved one DID NOT HAVE A LIFE JACKET ON..Chance of recovery are now near ZERO. Next case scenario Loved one was wearing a LIFE Jacket. Chance of recovery extreemly HIGH due to auto inflate flashing light head out of water kept in upright position able to breath.
My god get with it .. ALWAYS wear a LJ
Peter
Just imagine you and you loved one out sailing and it is pitch black at night.
You wake up as there is a piercing scream!.............. Loved one washed over board. Planned reaction Stop boat,press MOB on chart plotter throw dan bouy BUT the loved one DID NOT HAVE A LIFE JACKET ON..Chance of recovery are now near ZERO. Next case scenario Loved one was wearing a LIFE Jacket. Chance of recovery extreemly HIGH due to auto inflate flashing light head out of water kept in upright position able to breath.
My god get with it .. ALWAYS wear a LJ
Peter
Bajansailor
Well-Known Member
Sod the lifejacket, I would much prefer to put my faith in a decent safety harness and make sure I am clipped on!
reginaldon
Well-Known Member
I'm afraid intollerant attitudes like these will lead to more legislation. A harness would obviate all this.
maxi77
Well-Known Member
Indeed, as would sensible practices being aware of personal safety.
Mind you the partner may have jumped for a r4eason.
fireball
Well-Known Member
So ... we must always wear a LJ just incase night comes on suddenly and loved one washes overboard?
So ... I guess we should always wear full body armour and fireproof suit just incase the mast falls down and the engine/gas catches fire ...
I assume you wear a LJ when taking a bath or walking in the rain (you can drown in a puddle you know) ...
FFS man - get a grip ... can you not assess the need for a LJ in appropriate circumstances? If not I wouldn't want to sail with you.
DaiB
Well-Known Member
Thanks for your concern
I find it amazing that so many people worry about me.
Don't smoke.
Don't drink more than x units.
Eat five a day.
Excercise every day.
Don't get over weight.
Wear a harness.
Wear a lifejacket.
Even the weather girl tells me to wrap up warm as it's cold.
Hang on a mo, I drive down to the boat in a crappy old car with no ABS/air bags/side bars/traction control and all the other fancy safety stuff and nobody gives a toss.
Strange world innit!!!!http://www.ybw.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif
I find it amazing that so many people worry about me.
Don't smoke.
Don't drink more than x units.
Eat five a day.
Excercise every day.
Don't get over weight.
Wear a harness.
Wear a lifejacket.
Even the weather girl tells me to wrap up warm as it's cold.
Hang on a mo, I drive down to the boat in a crappy old car with no ABS/air bags/side bars/traction control and all the other fancy safety stuff and nobody gives a toss.
Strange world innit!!!!http://www.ybw.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif
Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
Chance of recovery of a hypothermic corpse, perhaps. If they'd been clipped on, on the other hand, the chance of live recovery would have been near as dammit 100%.
These technical solutions - lifejacket, chartplotter, danbuoy - are all very well, but at the very best they increase your chances from zero to slim. "Not going overboard in the first place" is always the best option. How fast, b the the way, do you think you could get to the chartplotter and danbuoy if the scream woke you from deep sleep?
Always? Always? Do you wear one in your bunk? While eating dinner on a mooring around the cabin table?
Until I got my new boat, I didn't even have lifejackets - I had buoyancy aids and harnesses. For the new boat I have bought harnesses with built in lifejackets: that's the way round I look at it.
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
NO NO NO NO NO
Planned reaction:
- Stop boat
- press MOB on chart plotter
- Look for her insurance policy
- throw dan bouy
She would be asleep below and not hear my cursing and swearing as I tripped over my Life Line which stopped me falling off the boat in the first place.
kengill
Well-Known Member
Nomination for Darwin Awards
May I pre-nominate you as the next recipient?
May I pre-nominate you as the next recipient?
robertj
Well-Known Member
where is this going to end??????
if u feel the need to wear a life jacket then do it! i get p----d off with being told what to do.
if this gets thru then life rafts, eperbs,mob tags etc etc etc are next i for one has one but i wouldn't want it imposed on me.
good god the country is gone to the dogs.
let people be free, thtas what sailing is all about
if u feel the need to wear a life jacket then do it! i get p----d off with being told what to do.
if this gets thru then life rafts, eperbs,mob tags etc etc etc are next i for one has one but i wouldn't want it imposed on me.
good god the country is gone to the dogs.
let people be free, thtas what sailing is all about
TradewindSailor
Well-Known Member
1. That's why nobody uses them save for dodgy films about the Titantic.
2. How on earth does that make them a liability? A parachute CAN fail to open, or get tangled, but would you jump out of a plane without one?
"No, sir, I insist you remove my ejector seat. I'd rather know I am definitely going to die, rather than suffer at the hands of favourable odds."
I'm afraid that your second point was utter tosh on all logical levels.
3. Who wears a life jacket because they intend to go in the water? The point of them is that they give you MORE of a chance of survival. It doesn't mean you will be rescued, but it does mean you will almost certainly have better chances of it happening.
Based on your logic, it seems we should be sailing without liferafts since they can fail to inflate and give a false sense of security (you SHOULD NOT HIT THINGS, obviously), or indeed carry flares since they can fail to go off, and give a false sense of security because they might not be seen.
Come on, admit it, you didn't think your post through properly. It's ok, we'll graciously let it fade into the abyss of nonsense that we all occasionally fall foul of.
I believe my point is very valid. I suggest you read my original post again.
If you believe that falling into the sea may cost you your life, then you are more likely to hank on and hence not fall into the sea.
As for inflateable life jackets, I believe that most people expect them to inflate when they fall into the water. I do not believe that is a realistic expectation and lulls people into a false sense of security.
TradewindSailor
Well-Known Member
Wear a harness at night RATHER than a life jacket and you keep your feet dry and there's no chance of getting lost in the first place. But of course there are times when you wouldn't want to wear a harness, would this also be the time you wouldn't want to wear a life jacket?
As for your assertion that the chance of recovery is extremely high, I suspect you haven't ventured out to sea very often!
snooks
Well-Known Member
Not everyone sails at night with their loved one, so I believe it's up to the skipper or individual to choose when to wear a life jacket
"You wake up as there is a piercing scream with delight!.............. Loved one decided it was too hot on deck and dived into the crystal clear calm blue med waters. Planned reaction Stop boat,press MOB on chart plotter throw dan bouy BUT there is no wind and the boat isn't going anywhere, so why bother? The loved one DID NOT HAVE A LIFE JACKET ON..Chance of recovery are now near ZERO, but she's enjoying herself in the water so hey ho."
So why exactly must we always wear a life jacket?
Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
Even if they made automatic inflatable lifejackets for small children, my son would still have a foam one like the one he has now.
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
"Wear a harness at night RATHER than a life jacket and you keep your feet dry"
That's antediluvian.
Wear a harness at night AS WELL AS a life jacket and your keep your feet dry
Because 90% of harnesses sold nowadays are also LJs.
That's antediluvian.
Wear a harness at night AS WELL AS a life jacket and your keep your feet dry
Because 90% of harnesses sold nowadays are also LJs.
nathanlee
Well-Known Member
I sail single handed. Falling in will almost certainly cost me my life. However, if I was with reach of help (and somebody saw me) a life jacket would more than likely keep me afloat long enough for the help to arrive.
I'm going to need some stats to back that up before I believe you I'm afraid. I think expecting a modern, serviced jacket to inflate is entirely reasonable. Besides, I refer to my original point, and using the RNLIs line. A life jacket COULD save your life. But only if you're wearing it.
P.S. I'm always clipped on too, but expecting the anchor point to hold is the same risk as expecting a life jacket to inflate
TradewindSailor
Well-Known Member
I sail single handed. Falling in will almost certainly cost me my life. However, if I was with reach of help (and somebody saw me) a life jacket would more than likely keep me afloat long enough for the help to arrive.
I'm going to need some stats to back that up before I believe you I'm afraid. I think expecting a modern, serviced jacket to inflate is entirely reasonable. Besides, I refer to my original point, and using the RNLIs line. A life jacket COULD save your life. But only if you're wearing it.
P.S. I'm always clipped on too, but expecting the anchor point to hold is the same risk as expecting a life jacket to inflate
I would hope that you inspect your anchor points regularly enough to make sure that they will carry at least the breaking load of your lanyard/tether. If you have any doubts I suggest you contact a surveyor. As for the risks of a inflateable life-jacket being in sound condition after jumping into the sea, I too would like some sound data ..... but not from the manufacturers.
webcraft
Well-Known Member
Exactly Ken - for the gear most of us have on our boats it is a non-argument. Not many people have standalone harnesses, most use a lifejacket and tether. That way every option (eg breaking jackstay or lifeline snapshackle - it does happen) is covered.
As for Rivonia's scenario - anyone who leaves their loved one on the helm on their own at night with no harness should not be in charge of a yacht. Number one rule on our boat on night passages is the person on watch is ALWAYS clipped on. Harnesses must be clipped on BEFORE coming up the companionway into the cockpit.
- W
