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I did not realise that a 'far higher percentage' of private owners wore jackets, I have not seen a survey and guessed it was 'roughly the same or thereabouts'

I can't say I have seen that report either; please be careful the EDP is hardly known for its level of accurate journalism.

The RNLI has spent a fair bit of money encouraging folks to wear Life Jackets but just have a look at the number of sea going boats/Yachts that have persons not wearing them.

Unless someone is going to make it compulsory it will be down to personal choice - I say what price life but others clearly don't have the same value on theirs or their children's.

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the problem with auto inflate is that kids/ idiots messing about will let them off. if we charge a deposit to stop this behaviour then the jackets will be folded back up and handed back in. I know that there is a 'breakable tab' on the mechanisms of the cord type but on the 2 types I looked at the clip pinged off and was able to be snapped back on which would mean unscrewing the canister on every jacket.

I seem to be the only one that can appreciate that being a real practical problem.

OK, some other yards have adopted them, but how foolproof is the checking ?

and before someone says it's a chance in a million, (it's not anyway), but it's like giving someone a parachute that's not going to open, it would probably kill them if it was deployed in an emergency. The consequences of that would be someone in the yard being tried for criminal negligence.

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and before someone says it's a chance in a million, (it's not anyway), but it's like giving someone a parachute that's not going to open, it would probably kill them if it was deployed in an emergency. The consequences of that would be someone in the yard being tried for criminal negligence.

An absolutely fair point and one that certainly would be taken into consideration I'm sure

Clive - thank you for your replies, I am pleased that as a representative of the largest hire fleet you are prepared to make your case! Thank you

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Hi,

Something happened on Salhouse last night and the Broads rescue team turned out and searched the Broad with powerful searchlights.

I do not know what was the cause, but we hope the outcome was OK.

Last night it made us think about if one of us was overboard in the dark we would need all the help we could get.

Ian :Sailing

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Interesting Ian, as it raises the question how many people have strobes on their lifejackets of whatever flavour, just how far should we go with all this and what would the real benefit if any be with each step?

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Interesting Ian, as it raises the question how many people have strobes on their lifejackets of whatever flavour, just how far should we go with all this and what would the real benefit if any be with each step?

If you move a boat at all at night then a life-jacket light is essential, you are actually more likely to fall over at night (tripping over cleats etc),

but if your light has an arming switch then make sure that you arm it before going on deck at night.

But strobe lights expire (or just stop working) a lot quicker than the jackets do!.

(Note to self, I need a new light for my jacket before my next sailing trip in October, my current one failed when I last tested it!)

Equally if you move the boat at night and stand single handed watches then you MUST clip on to the boat...

Boats will keep on going even if the helm has fallen over!

When the relief comes on watch two hours later, then their first question is how long ago did you go over?

Both, of course, shouldn't apply to hire boats on the broads as they aren't supposed to move at night...

(and don't provide harnesses, safety lines or clip rings)

Oh yeh, but I've been up at night adjusting the lines on a hire boat to allow for the change in tidal levels when down on the Southern rivers...

Did I put my jacket on before doing so, probably not (tut tut!).

And if I was the only one awake would anyone have noticed if I went over....

Private boats, of course, are more likely to be out at night, so especially if going salty, you need to think about these things.

(Salties: for a real horror story read http://www.maib.gov.uk/publications/investigation_reports/2008/last_call.cfm,

three crew, two over within 20 ft of the harbour entrance, and all three died!)

If someone went in at somewhere like Salhouse at night, then I reckon there would be little chance of them having a jacket on...

Even with a cautious sailor like me then the only time I would probably have a jacket on in Salhouse at night

would be if I was coming back to a mud-weighted cruiser in the dinghy.

I NEVER go near a dinghy without a jacket on, which is how I had the accidental discharge of my jacket in Greece!

How far do we take things like this?

It really comes down to personal choice and personal risk analysis.

If I was going out salty, shorthanded on my own boat, then I would probably look into investing in personal epirps etc...

Would I invest in one for the odd salty charter trip, probably not, but I will always clip on if doing shorthanded watches.

I also have a spray hood fitted on my jacket if going salty...

(Note to Salties, do a sea survival course, and hope you never need to use it,

but then if you go offshore and you do have to deploy your liferaft then you will have more idea of what to expect!)

On the Broads on a hire boat, then a jacket is essential and a strobe possibly a nice to have...

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Interesting opinion Strow. I certainly agree with most of it bar the liferaft operation on sea survival courses (RYA ones anyway, a bit like their MOB training, or fender recovery as I call it :roll: ) deploying a raft in a pool, even with wave generation gives you little idea of what happens when you do it at sea. The 275n jackets SWMBO and I wear at sea have a strobe, a PLB with close in 121 location as well as GPS alert (those need to be registered to a ships radio licence so a potrtable one is not really an option), mini flares, of course a whistle, straps and recovery harness and spray hood and I sometimes clip on the submersible hand held too if it's not in the grab bag, the benefit to me is the same as having a liferaft and carrying an inflated tender, COMFORT, I hope never to use the real benefit of it in anger and if I never do will still consider it money well spent. My answer to anybody asking the question "do you need all that stuff on your boat" is not so far. :grin:

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interesting debate. We have auto Co2 jackets, probably not worn anywhere near as much as they should be :oops:

I saw an interesting little incident a couple of months ago. A day boat came in to moor stern on, failed on first attempt which left a stern mooring line trailing in the water and of course we all know what's coming next on second attempt the rope ending up wrapped around the prop. Anyway they managed to get the boat moored and the crew stood there wondering what to do next. After a little head scratching one crew member stripped off to jump in remove the the offending rope from around the prop. Obviously being the safety conscious type he donned an life jacket (auto type), I could see what was going to unfold but before I could get over to them PUFT! the guy was bobbing about in the water in a very effective life jacket! Anyway he did manage to remove the rope and then the crew set about neatly folding the jacket back up, at which point I did go to them and explained the jacket would now need rearming as they are single use. Would hate to think it was handed back in folded up and given to the next hirer to use where it may have been needed in a life saving situation.

I don't know if the yards check the jackets on return I assume they would but as Clive has said it can be easy to put the used indicators back, I know I did it when I have one of ours go off. Before you all panic I did it to see how it all went together before fitting a new rearming kit!

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