- It must be properly fitted to each person and it should be comfortable, otherwise people may avoid wearing it.
- Lifejackets should be selected for the kind of boating you do: relatively calm waters, near shore, offshore, ocean racing, kayaking and canoeing, etc. Read the lifejacket literature, which indicates the conditions the lifejacket is designed for.
- All lifejackets must be immediately accessible to each person aboard.
- An inflatable (and a child’s lifejacket) should have crotch or thigh straps so it doesn’t ride up over the wearer’s head in the water.
- A lifejacket with an integral spray hood is recommended for offshore use.
- Know how to manually inflate an automatic lifejacket and test it manually at least once a year. Inspect an automatic mechanism and replace it as specified in the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Replace any lifejacket that is damaged.
- Inflatables with an integral safety harness and tether are available.
- A harness tether should be able to be released instantly under a strain if a person becomes entangled. A snap shackle with a strong, easily-grasped pull loop is recommended for the harness end of the tether. All persons must carry an accessible sharp knife to cut the tether if the snap shackle doesn’t open. Some tests have revealed that in some cases when a lifejacket is inflated it makes it difficult to get to the snap shackle to release it – that’s one reason a knife is important.
There is an ongoing discussion about inflatable lifejackets. Some boaters are concerned about the possibility of an automatic lifejacket inflating if a boat overturns, trapping a person below decks or under the boat, or that the lifejacket will inflate if the person gets doused by a wave on deck. Many authorities recommend automatically-inflating lifejackets for most boaters who choose an inflatable, mainly because if a person is injured and falls overboard the victim may not be able to inflate a manual lifejacket. Carefully consider what you read and hear when making a choice for an inflatable. No matter what type of lifejacket you choose, some basic considerations apply:
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When you have someone work on your boat, either a paid technician or a friend or relative, always check when the job is completed that it was done right and to your expectations. You don’t have to know how to do the task yourself, but you should have at least a basic understanding of what needs to be done. It’s important to discuss in detail what you want before the work begins; write it down or have a technician write it on a work order. Ask questions so you will understand what work will and will not be performed. Don’t assume that something will be done if it isn’t written down. When the job is done, ask the person who did the work to show you and explain what he or she did. Before you operate the boat check that whatever was worked on operates properly and any problems were corrected. Check the level of the engine oil and other engine fluids, if those were changed. Sometimes the person forgets to replace the fluid after draining it or puts in too little or too much. Even professional marine technicians or skilled friends or relatives can forget something. Take the time to check before you take the boat out on the water.
Safety lessons. After boating accidents, investigations are conducted and reports are issued. Government authorities, such as the Coast Guard, the department of transportation marine division, and/or the police may be involved. Private groups, such as committees of boating experts, race committees, and organizations involved in sail and powerboat racing and cruising may also conduct investigations. Their reports give details and useful information, providing safety guidance for all boaters. Reading about accidents may give the impression that boating is a particularly dangerous sport, but remember that safe days on the water usually are not reported in the press. The WingNuts capsize, Chicago-Mackinac Race (July 2011). The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Island is a 333-mile race sailed on Lake Michigan. WingNuts was a Kiwi 35 sport boat (a racing sailboat), the design of which made her have low stability or resistance to capsize. The vessel was crewed by eight competent sailors. This blog post discusses only the safety lessons learned from the accident, not the suitability of the yacht’s design, which is analyzed in the full report. Around 2300 local time, “during a thunderstorm with winds in the range of 50kn and waves of 4-6ft/1-2m, the boat was blown over and capsized, turning turtle. There was no time to send a distress signal. Five members of the eight-man crew were able to release themselves from the vessel, one was able to swim out of the cabin to the surface, and two were unable to do so and died. The Coroner’s report lists head injuries as the cause of death. The two fatalities very likely occurred within a few minutes of the capsize . . . as these sailors were helpless due to their injuries.” These were the first deaths in a sailing accident in the 103-year history of this race. Aided by the personal lights and whistles of the surviving crewmembers, Sociable, a 40ft competing sailboat with a crew of 12, rescued the six survivors, who were standing on and clinging to the overturned hull. At the same time, communications with the Coast Guard were established by Sociable and other yachts, and the CG became involved in the rescue. Lessons learned: “While the Chicago-Mac racers are required to carry either a life raft or an EPIRB, it was two SPOT Personal Satellite Messengers that first alerted the families and the Coast Guard to the trouble on WingNuts. [Two persons] each carried the small satellite communicator and each activated their SPOT after the capsize. This proved to be an effective means of alerting their parents and the Coast Guard, within a few minutes, via services provided by SPOT and [the] GEOS [satellite system].” In addition to SPOT, other non-traditional forms of communication were used during the storm and rescue, including cell phone calls, text messages, and Facebook. Boaters should be as vigilant about possible about impending severe weather events so they can prepare. The approach of severe local weather at night may be particularly difficult to ascertain, without having several means of receiving weather information, and sometimes localized severe weather may arrive so rapidly that there’s almost no time to take action. The report from Sociable about their rescue efforts has some good information:
Mackinac Capsize and Fatalities, see http://about.ussailing.org/US_SAILING_Meetings/USS_Reports.htm. There are many interesting and instructive details. [The quotations above are from this report.] The WingNuts photo was taken by Mark Morley. Whether it’s a jacket, sweater, shirt, or foul weather gear, upper body clothing and lifejackets worn on a boat should be a bright, visible color. Black, gray, brown, blue, green, camouflage, and even white can be hard to see on a person in the water. The crewmembers take precautions not to fall overboard, but if someone does, it helps if he or she is wearing a very visible color, such as orange, red, or yellow. Clothing worn at night on deck should have reflective tape patches on the shoulders, chest, and around the wrists of a jacket, so a spotlight can see people working on deck or if they fall into the water. You can add reflective tape to some fabrics (use SOLAS-approved tape; buy it at a boating store), or use this as a good excuse to buy some brightly-colored, new boating duds that already have reflective safety patches
Safety lessons. After boating accidents, investigations are conducted and reports are issued. Government authorities, such as the Coast Guard, the department of transportation marine division, and/or the police may be involved. Private groups, such as committees of boating experts, race committees, and organizations involved in sail and powerboat racing and cruising may also conduct investigations. Their reports give details and useful information, providing safety guidance for all boaters. Reading about accidents may give the impression that boating is a particularly dangerous sport, but remember that safe days on the water usually are not reported in the press. Small boat sailing accident, Chesapeake Bay On June 23, 2011 near the mouth of the Severn River in Annapolis, Maryland a series of otherwise minor events conspired to lead to a small boat capsize that claimed the life of a young sailor. The boat was a Club 420 one-design, a 13’9,” 240 lb. sailing racing dinghy, crewed by two teenage women. The 420 “has been the standard North American class for sailors between the ages of about 12 and 21, [and it’s] used in many intercollegiate sailing and yacht club junior programs.” Experienced 420 sailors use a trapeze and spinnaker. The two young women aboard were members of the Severn Sailing Association (SSA) sponsored Chesapeake Racers Club 420 travel team. In prior years both sailors had been had been trained to right capsized Optimist dinghies, and the crewmember had been trained to right 420s without trapeze equipment. The righting of intentionally capsized one-designs is a routine practice exercise. The boat crews were wearing U.S. Coast Guard-approved Type III vest-type lifejackets. The wind at the time was 5-10kn, with gusts to 12kn and shifting. The 420s were practicing spinnaker and trapeze work this day, under the supervision of instructors operating nearby from motorized boats. On the young women’s sailboat “the spinnaker was about half-way down and the wind shifted, accidentally jibing the boat. The boom swung across the cockpit, pressing the crewmember outboard and forward. [The skipper] heard her crew woman say, ‘I’m stuck on something.’ There was no indication of distress.” The boat went far over on its side, and “continued to roll until the mainsail was in the water. [The skipper] expected that her crew would swim out from behind the mainsail, as she had been trained to do . . . “ but she did not. The young sailor was discovered under the boat, floating in a vertical position, entangled in the trapeze, apparently unconscious. A nearby coach immediately approached the boat, radioed for additional assistance, and worked diligently to free the victim. Concurrently, another instructor phoned 911. Once the trapped sailor was retrieved from the water, other coaches immediately performed CPR and proceeded to the U.S. Naval Academy's seawall, which was the nearest point of land, to meet the emergency response team. Unfortunately, [she] could not be resuscitated.” On July 6, 2011, the Severn Sailing Association held a meeting in Annapolis with the United States Sailing Association to discuss the incident with its officers and staff, to help everyone determine what might be done to prevent another such tragedy. The accident was thoroughly reviewed by a panel of experts and a report issued on October 22, 2011. Some of the findings:
For the complete 24-page PDF, Inquiry into the Sailing Accident at Annapolis, Maryland, June 23, 2011 see http://about.ussailing.org/US_SAILING_Meetings/USS_Reports.htm. There are many instructive details. [The quotations above are from this report.] The photo of the Club 420 is from website of the Buzzards Sailing School, www.buzzardssailing.org. All of us tend to go down the work list and choose the things that are the most interesting or easiest, leaving the boring, difficult or nasty stuff until later (or never, in some cases). Prioritize the list, putting safety first. Safety-related items include many things that are not on a safety gear checklist: clean fuel filters, replace old or damaged ropes and rigging, check the navigation lights, check the operation of the bilge pumps, update electronic or paper charts, make sure the cockpit drains are clear, replace rusty anchor chain, check the accuracy of the compass – the list could go on and on, and it does.
If your boat has a regular leak you probably know if the bilge pump works; however, if the bilge is normally fairly dry you may not really know how efficient the bilge pumping system is. Most pumps are pretty good at removing small amounts of water, but what about a flooding situation? How much water can your electric or manual pumps move individually or together in an actual test? Test the pumps by putting a known quantity of fresh water in the bilge (perhaps five gallons/20liters) and timing how long it takes to empty the bilge using each pump and both at the same time. Add this to your “to-do” list before the start of the boating season. Read about bilge pumps, Mariner’s Guide pp. 42-44, flooding, p.172, and collision mat, p.103, for ideas.
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AuthorPriscilla Travis spends more than 110 days each year on the water, takes photos, and writes about nautical topics. Archives
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