When does wearin a lifejacket become silly?

[Ex-SolentBoy]

At the Southampton Boat show I noticed that all the security guards on the pontoons had lifejackets on. Of course, the 10,000 visitors and exhibitors did not. I asked the guards what they would do if someone fell in and was sinking. He replied that he would jump in to save them. I then pointed out to him that he had a self-inflating lifejacket and that if he jumped in he would be able to do nothing.

He then told me that he had not been told anything about his lifejacket and that he had never worn one before and had no idea how it worked.

How absurd.

 

[Woodlouse]

Half? It sounds like a lot of people die falling of pontoons in your area. Where are you and how many people have died falling off pontoons in the last few years?

In the same vain though, how many people have died falling off boats in your area in the last few years?

Half doesn't have to be a lot of people. Could just be a couple. But it does bring us to a previously untouched point in the discussion. It would appear that half a dozen or more people die each year being swept off piers and breakwaters. Should everyone on those wear lifejackets?

 

[Amulet]

Half? It sounds like a lot of people die falling of pontoons in your area. Where are you and how many people have died falling off pontoons in the last few years?

To my recollection three around my Wash to Thames stamping ground in the last seven or eight years, compares with about the same number of accidents in the dinghy to mooring transit, and I can only think of one actually at sea. I also know of one off the pontoon instance where rescue was pure luck.

(Relying on memory not robust statistics.)

 

[KenMcCulloch]

Most of the recent fatalities (3 or 4 in the past couple of years I think) in the Firth of Forth have involved non-lifejacket wearers. To me it's very much like the arguments that raged all those years ago about compulsory hgelmets for motorcyclists. I'm not an advocate of compulsion but I wholly fail to sympathise with those who choose not to wear a comfortable, discreet, reliable and relatively inexpensive modern lifejacket. I nearly fell off my boat just after tying up at the pontoon the other night, and I'm not generally careless, clumsy nor am I a novice .

 

[Fire99]

Surely common sense should prevail. (or so they say) Also it's never going to be a perfect equation.

If you want minimal risk, always wear your life jacket for everything you do on deck, including drinking tea, fixing the hinges on your lockers or taking a photo of a passing seagull.

If you want to risk going 'plop' into the water and not bobbing back up again, then don't bother wearing one at all but hopefully you don't have any loved ones at home to mourn their loss.

No doubt the best option is somewhere in-between and if you have a bit of 'common' you'll work out where yourself.

 

[awol]

It's a terrible thing, the drink!

...... I nearly fell off my boat just after tying up at the pontoon the other night, and I'm not generally careless, clumsy nor am I a novice .

It helps if, when you look down, you can actually see your feet.

 

[Shorn100]

Number of fatalities

For information...

In the UK, there were 31 fatalities last year in maritime related incidents where no lifejacket was worn. Of these 46% were sailing or motorboating.

A panel consisting of the RYA, MCA, HM Coastguard Operations, a leading academic specialist, RNLI and others convened to discuss each case individually and assess whether they felt a lifejacket may have made a difference. Their opinion was that in 26 out of the 31 cases (84%) a lifejacket may have saved the person's life.

In 2007 there were 42 deaths in maritime related incidents. The panel felt that a lifejacket may have helped 29 of those (69%).

Shorn

 

[DavenHelen]

For information...

In the UK, there were 31 fatalities last year in maritime related incidents where no lifejacket was worn. Of these 46% were sailing or motorboating.

A panel consisting of the RYA, MCA, HM Coastguard Operations, a leading academic specialist, RNLI and others convened to discuss each case individually and assess whether they felt a lifejacket may have made a difference. Their opinion was that in 26 out of the 31 cases (84%) a lifejacket may have saved the person's life.

In 2007 there were 42 deaths in maritime related incidents. The panel felt that a lifejacket may have helped 29 of those (69%).

Shorn

Have the details of the 31 been made available. We are probably most interested in the 15 sailing/motorboating ones.

 

[Bosunof]

When it hides her bikini top!!!

 

[Woodlouse]

For information...

In the UK, there were 31 fatalities last year in maritime related incidents where no lifejacket was worn. Of these 46% were sailing or motorboating.

A panel consisting of the RYA, MCA, HM Coastguard Operations, a leading academic specialist, RNLI and others convened to discuss each case individually and assess whether they felt a lifejacket may have made a difference. Their opinion was that in 26 out of the 31 cases (84%) a lifejacket may have saved the person's life.

In 2007 there were 42 deaths in maritime related incidents. The panel felt that a lifejacket may have helped 29 of those (69%).

Shorn

What I want to see is figures for the number of people who died whilst wearing lifejackets.

 

[toad_oftoadhall]

For information...

Sounds more like misinformation to me. Too little information to draw any conclusion at all. Plus no source!

How many people died with life jackets on?
How many of the ~15 were in yachting incidents?
What were the ages and state of health?
Was the cause of death drowning in every case?
How long before rescue arrived?
How many could have been assisted by measures apart from a life jacket?
Why would clipping on not have helped?
How many people in total "may have been saved" by clipping on or wearing decent thermal protection??? None? Seems unlikely.

Actually there's only 15 in total - why not simply post specific details of all of the yachtsmen who died? (I was of the view that only one or two people die in yachting incidents.)

 

[awol]

(I was of the view that only one or two people die in yachts each year.)

I think the problem was that the 15 weren't in yachts at the time.

 

[Alefabay]

I can think of so many situations when it would be silly to wear a lifejacket.

However, my thought about wearing one would be, if I was single handed in bad weather; If I went overboard at least someone might find my body so my family can give me a decent send off.

Somehow the thought of crabs, lobsters and various molluscs chomping on me is not very appealing!