Safety afloat

[jammy dodger]

Published on Scuttlebuck, this also applies to us. It is a timely warning to wear the right gear when afloat, even inshore!
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DEAD BEFORE THE LIFEBOAT IS LAUNCHED!
If one of your crew falls overboard this weekend he may be dead within five
minutes of hitting the cold water. Your well planned and frequently
rehearsed man over board drill (joke) may have him along side your boat in
ten or fifteen minutes but getting him back over the side without further
injury is an exercise that you certainly have never practiced. He may be
dead before the lifeboat is launched but at least they can recover the
corpse for you.

Cold Shock is the killer in water below 15 degrees Celsius; Bramble Bank is
reporting a sea temperature of 9 degrees today! (March 25th). Thousands of
keen sailors will be afloat this weekend blissfully unaware of the risks
they are taking in the coldest sea water of the year, some will have sea
survival certificates stuffed in their knickers as good luck charms,
cycling proficiency certificates would be as much use. The biggest selling
sea survival manual in the UK devotes just 47 words to cold shock whereas
drinking warm turtle blood before it congeals and catching a fish in your
sock warrants 70 words!

Cold Shock is about gasping, panic, hyperventilation, inhaling seawater,
heart attack, stroke and rapid drowning.  This is not Hypothermia, the
favourite topic of sea survival instructors and scout leaders since Noah
shivered in the Arc, hypothermia kills over a time scale of hours, cold
shock kills in the first few minutes of immersion. A fit young crewman
wearing a lifejacket may survive the sudden immersion but an 85-kilo
sub-prime athlete in his fifties with an undiagnosed dickey ticker probably
will not survive, and when did you last have an ECG?

Race committees fly the flag Y to require the wearing of lifejackets when
the wind exceeds force 5, it would make more sense to hoist flag Y when the
sea temperature is below 15 degrees and in many places that would be to end
of May. The best reference for survival in cold water is the Essentials of
Sea Survival by Prof. Mike Tipton of Portsmouth University, but much of his
wisdom has yet to become common knowledge and cold-water hazards are not a
hot topic of conversation in the post-race animated bar chat.

Skippers can set an example by wearing their own lifejackets from dock out
to dock back, and by ensuring that the newest and hence poorest equipped
crew members are properly briefed, clothed and wearing lifejackets all the
time. A quick survey in any marina when the fleet returns from even a very
short race reveals dozens of seriously chilled crewmen who have endured a
couple of hours on the weather rail while the better equipped and more
experienced after-guard skulk in the relative shelter of the cockpit.
Should any of this pre-chilled rail ballast, chosen for its gravitas, fall
over the side the prospects are pretty grim. There is little hope of reform
for our more experienced and black suited heroes, their macho image would
not allow for the wearing of a lifejacket in the Hamble or even the
Atlantic!

Yotties going afloat in Spring sailing conditions would be wise to dress in
the best of modern sailing kit, three layers is standard, no one wears
denim jeans under their oilies these days do they? But the top layer should
be an 'over the head' smock top with neck seal and wrist seals, this will
reduce the rate of inflow of cold seawater around the torso and may
mitigate the severe pain of cold shock. Crowned with a fleece beanie hat
that provides some insulation when wet and there may be half a chance of
surviving the immediate immersion. An auto-inflating lifejacket with
integral harness and spray hood is essential, not the separate spray hood
worn in the dainty pack on the belt.

And by the way, sun sailer, it is impossible to blow a whistle when gasping
let alone inflate an oral lifejacket.

The lifejacket debate is currently at the same stage as was car seat belt
discussion in the '80's, freedom of choice being the main argument, but
once the decision has been made to wear one it feels strangely
uncomfortable to be without it, who would drive now without a seat belt,
Machismo or moron? Motor cyclists in the1960's protested about crash
helmets, Sikhs requested dispensation while 16 year olds could ride a road
bike at 100mph on tarmac in a flat cap but had to wear a crash helmet for
Moto-Cross on grass!  Trust the legislators to get it right,' 8
shrink-wrapped lifejackets ready for inspection Sir, still in date - tick'.
 This is not a plea for legislation but for information and a step change
in the attitude of early season sailors in their understanding of the
hazards they unwittingly face.

The man overboard situation is vitally urgent and requires a MAYDAY call
immediately by anyone who witnesses the event, it is not the sole
responsibility of the boat involved. Two handed racing faces an even bigger
challenge as the boat involved is suddenly single handed and may have
spinnaker handling issues to overcome before a classic rescue is attempted,
with extreme the panic if close family are in the water, without a life
jacket of course. Obviously the pursuing fleet is best placed to recover
the casualty, but is this understood by the skippers or will they race on
by like rubber-neckers on the M25, in ignorance of their maritime
obligations? -- Jerry Freeman, Racing at Petit Bateau Ltd.

The author learnt to sail in the Dark Ages, has twice crossed the Atlantic
solo in the Ostar and sailed with charter guests to Iceland and Greenland.
This is relevant to all of us, it was extremely cold at Burghfield at the weekend and plenty of boats capsizing, a timely reminder to wear the correct kit when afloat, especialy at this time of year. As a number of us also do the inshore and offshore stuff in bigger boats, thought this was of interest.

[Jimbo41]