Sailing Thing #7: Life Jacket (Sailing Essential 5)

[shiiki]

Back to the sailing essentials list ...

There are several names for this - life jacket is our colloquial term among Singaporean sailors (or even lazier, 'life jack' at times). I think the technical name for it is a Personal Flotation Device (PFD). I've heard it called a life vest as well. Bottom line is, if you're a sailor, you have to own one.

Comments

[kp_mushu]

Sounds like the machinist at work, who is strict about safety rules but doesn't follow a couple of them himself (wear hearing protection and tie up long hair). :)

Aside from life jackets, do you also tether yourself to the boat? The local news mentioned that it's recommended, but frequently ignored by professional sailors in competition. I was wondering if that's a local thing or quite common.

[shiiki]

:)

I've never actually heard of tethering to the boat - in our case that would be supremely dangerous because if you get caught in a capsize and stuck to something, you're going to be trapped underwater, life jacket or no.

I think your news might have meant for bigger yachts, the kind that can't capsize and for which a man-overboard situation would be dangerous. I could imagine that being a safety practice in keelboats, but not carried out in big races, say like the America's Cup so that the professional sailors could get more mobility.

[willow_wand]

We call it a life jacket here, too. :)

It makes sense that you would have jackets that allow you more movement and stuff than someone who's just going out on a boat for leisure.

[shiiki]

Good to know!

Yeah, agility is important to us, so having something that doesn't get in the way is essential!

[dbn_broberg]

Maybe its just me - but I think the rule about that everyone has to wear a life vest (which what I would translate it to by the way) makes the most sense.

I don't really get that you just have to have the life vest on board but you don't have to wear it rule - I would imaging that if your boat tips over you wont have time to put your life vest on?

Safety should be stylish too ;-)

[shiiki]

It certainly is the case in junior classes and some classes where it wouldn't make practical sense since there's no stowaway space. I think the theory in my class (470s) is that we ought to be able to judge when the seas are dangerous enough that we need to put it on.

In light airs, when we spend a lot of time crouching in the boat (and there's virtually no drowning risk), the need-a-life-vest-on-board rule gives us the option to take it off so we can move and breathe a little better.

Most races that don't declare competitors must have a life vest on at all time will still have a rule that says if a certain flag signal is flying, all competitors need to wear life vests. They will fly this signal when the wind gets stronger.

[dbn_broberg]

Okay that makes sense.

I'm just a wimp - and I can't swim so the idea of no life vest kinda freaks me out. Not that I would ever set foot on anything smaller than a ferry LOL!

[smeddley]

Personal Floatation Device is a mouthful! When I was little, despite being a good swimmer, we'd wear them on the little boats, and I think my dad might have some on his boat now, but he never wears it because it's a big heavy not-capsizing kind of boat. And I think during storms he does tether himself to the boat, but again, different type of boat. I don't want to think what kind of storm would make it go over...

And you look just dashing in yours - is that the Sydney Opera House in the background, there? :D

[shiiki]

Yeah, I've been on those boats. As for what would make it go over ... I'd say a storm strong enough to break something - those things usually stay upright until something breaks!

Thanks! And yes, this was taken with the opera house. :)