test, test Pam On Mar 31, 2013, at 6:58 PM, Daniel Rich wrote:
I don't think there is a huge incidence of them not working. I suspect they work, although I have not had to try mine.
No, the problem is, it is a one-off. Once deployed you must reload it with the proper CO2 cartridge. A standard foam life jacket just won't fail in that way.
After spending time at the academy, and listening to some world class sailors discuss safety, I have come to the conclusion that simple is better. I solo sail most of the time, so I do not want to be dependent on technology if I don't have too. Emergencies can occur when you least expect them, so having dependable systems and gear is really important. Your knife is one of the key components in preventing drowning. If you are capsized and entangled in lines, having a quick way to cut yourself free is important.
Another safety thing I did was to get rid of my lifelines. My boat came with them, and although they look cute and make the boat seem like a cruiser, the reality is that with a boat the size of the M15 they are too low to be of any use. About all I did with them is to trip on them. So they are gone. I do have a harness and safety tether that I can wear and clip in. Where I sail conditions can change very quickly, and I can be a long beat to windward in waves from the dock. It is not unusual for winds to build to 20 knots plus easily despite relative calm when I set out. I do check weather reports etc, but it can really happen. No, every time I go out I really am ready for anything, and want my stuff to just work.
Daniel On Mar 31, 2013, at 6:46 PM, Gail Russell <gail@zeliga.com> wrote:
Tell me more about the self inflating life jacket. I do know that a firefighter in Forestville CA, near you was drowned when he was knocked overboard by a "rogue wave" when the boat owner tried to take a shortcut getting out of Bodega Harbor. I was told he had been wearing a self inflating life jacket. It did sound to me like they got him back on board immediately, but that maybe he drowned from being pulled through the water by the boat. I heard the boat just stood straight up on its tail, and that the life jacket might not have actually been to blame due to the violence of the incident. My source is not entirely reliable.
Is there a huge incidence of self inflating life jackets not working?
That is another reason why I have retired my self inflating life jacket. I now use a good foam jacket that will not fail to "deploy." I keep my knife on it, as well as my radio and a few other doodads. This is all information from the Small Boat Sailing academy I attended in Port Townsend with Howard Rice and John Welsford et al.
Daniel M15 #208 Kestrel
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