Since we're all excited about the new boat right now, I'm thinking of buying
some safety gear for the wife and kids for Christmas. Knowing I'm thinking
about keeping them attached the boat should make her feel warm and fuzzy.

I've been looking at the safety harnesses that have a built in CO2
lifejacket. Pricey, but they look comfortable to wear and you don't have to
worry about digging up a harness if things get hairy. I'd appreciate some
experience / or comments on these.

We're in Maine and most of our cruising will probably be to even colder
regions. The Mustang coats look great but are probably too warm for summer.
Growing kids (12 and 14) will go through them fast.

Safety perception is a funny thing. My wife is petrified to have me take the
kids up in my well maintained airplane in clear calm conditions but sees no
danger in boating at all. Now that I'm coming back to sailing after learning
to fly and think very proactively about safety and what can go wrong, I can
see about 100 more ways to hurt or lose a kid on the water than in the air.

When I started to learn how to fly, everyone who had ever sailed with me
said that there was no way in hell that they would ever get in an airplane
with me. I turned out to be a very cautious and conservative pilot; even
became a contributor to "Aviation Safety" magazine. I think I'm going to be
a very different kind of sailor when we get the boat launched.

--
Roger Long

Fine tune a 'man overboard' procedure and practice on a regular basis. Sit
back and let your wife be the capt conducting the drill. After all, if it's
you in the water, you'll want her to come back & get you.

yep...i agree w/Don...you also want to consider/practice
getting back on the boat, once you have fallen off. this is
sometimes a problem on sailboats, combined w/a 150-200
lb man trying to get back on board....

i would think of safety equipment in three main sections:
1) throwables
2) signals
3) communication eq

have a bit of each.....and mostly...a clear mind and the ability
to be calm...when things start going to ^%$#.....sorta like flying,
only
slower....imho...

richard
colorado
sel current private pilot & salior

Roger Long wrote:

Since we're all excited about the new boat right now, I'm thinking of buying
some safety gear for the wife and kids for Christmas. Knowing I'm thinking
about keeping them attached the boat should make her feel warm and fuzzy.

snip


For Christmas give yourselves (both you and your wife) a trip to
Philadelphia for a couple days to attend Strictly Sail.
On Jan 20 there is a full day seminar "Safety at Sea".
Use this as a platform for equipment selection and "warm fuzzies" on the
subject.
It is a great show, lots to enjoy about it for sailors...

Skip

One of the bits of odd info I picked up is that severely hypothermic victims
will often experience heart failure as they are turned vertical. There is a
lot of stress in rescue boat design on getting people aboard in a horizontal
position. If someone is barely conscious or unconscious, it may be worth
slowing down, taking a deep breath, and figuring out how to get them aboard
with the least stress possible. Yanking them up in a panic could be more of
a hazard than another few minutes in the water.

I see you're another sailor / pilot. It's going to be interesting to see
how much of a dent the boat makes in my flying.

http://baldeagleflyingclub.org

You might enjoy these as well:

http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/Articles.htm

Where do you sail in Colorado?

--

Roger Long



"~^ beancounter ~^" wrote in message
oups.com...
yep...i agree w/Don...you also want to consider/practice
getting back on the boat, once you have fallen off. this is
sometimes a problem on sailboats, combined w/a 150-200
lb man trying to get back on board....

i would think of safety equipment in three main sections:
1) throwables
2) signals
3) communication eq

have a bit of each.....and mostly...a clear mind and the ability
to be calm...when things start going to ^%$#.....sorta like flying,
only
slower....imho...

richard
colorado
sel current private pilot & salior

On Mon, 20 Dec 2004 16:16:11 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

I've been looking at the safety harnesses that have a built in CO2
lifejacket. Pricey, but they look comfortable to wear and you don't have to
worry about digging up a harness if things get hairy. I'd appreciate some
experience / or comments on these.

I'm very happy with mine. It is comfortable enough to wear full time,
now that I've removed the approval tags. For some insane reason they
were made with a scratchy material and sewn on in an invisible
location where they will chafe if the vest is worn over bare skin. I
have added a kayaking knife with the sheath sewn to the webbing where
it's easy to grab.

Knowing I have it makes my family feel a little more warm and fuzzy
when I'm singlehanding.

Ryk

On Mon, 20 Dec 2004 16:16:11 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

Safety perception is a funny thing. My wife is petrified to have me take the
kids up in my well maintained airplane in clear calm conditions but sees no
danger in boating at all. Now that I'm coming back to sailing after learning
to fly and think very proactively about safety and what can go wrong, I can
see about 100 more ways to hurt or lose a kid on the water than in the air.

You are right. Aircraft are a lot more dangerous than boats by a wide
margin, but neither is remotely as dangerous as a car.

As for safety equipment, many good suggestions have already been made,
but I would add that a floating, gasketed "crash box" you can grab is
appropriate.

As most of your sailing is going to be freshwater and/or coastal, I
assume you are not going to have a liferaft. But you will likely have
a tender, and it may be an inflatable. I keep my "crash box" lashed
beneath the companionway steps; in the event of an emergency, a quick
slash with my belt knife will free it. You have a belt knife, right?
G

In the box are a flashlight, a signal mirror, a roll of polypropolyne
heaving line, a handheld waterproof GPS, a handheld waterproof VHF, a
handheld bearing compass, some batteries, a signal mirror, a small
first aid kit, some flares, glowsticks and gaffer tape. It assumes
that I have to take to the tender by stepping up off the sinking boat,
and that me and the crew is wearing PFDs and harnesses already.
It also allows for a boat that is still floating, but perhaps
dismasted or disabled electrically (via lightning strike or battery
explosion) to navigate and./or report and take a position.

Last thing (because I could natter on all night) would be hard points
in the cockpit for snapping on harness lanyards, properly laid out and
USED jacklines, properly rigged preventers (you will be going mostly
downwind, and usually fast) and plenty of the usual engine spares so a
busted belt doesn't ruin your day G

R.

rhys wrote:
On Mon, 20 Dec 2004 16:16:11 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:


Safety perception is a funny thing. My wife is petrified to have me take the
kids up in my well maintained airplane in clear calm conditions but sees no
danger in boating at all. Now that I'm coming back to sailing after learning
to fly and think very proactively about safety and what can go wrong, I can
see about 100 more ways to hurt or lose a kid on the water than in the air.


You are right. Aircraft are a lot more dangerous than boats by a wide
margin, but neither is remotely as dangerous as a car.

As for safety equipment, many good suggestions have already been made,
but I would add that a floating, gasketed "crash box" you can grab is
appropriate.

As most of your sailing is going to be freshwater and/or coastal, I
assume you are not going to have a liferaft. But you will likely have
a tender, and it may be an inflatable. I keep my "crash box" lashed
beneath the companionway steps; in the event of an emergency, a quick
slash with my belt knife will free it. You have a belt knife, right?
G

In the box are a flashlight, a signal mirror, a roll of polypropolyne
heaving line, a handheld waterproof GPS, a handheld waterproof VHF, a
handheld bearing compass, some batteries, a signal mirror, a small
first aid kit, some flares, glowsticks and gaffer tape. It assumes
that I have to take to the tender by stepping up off the sinking boat,
and that me and the crew is wearing PFDs and harnesses already.
It also allows for a boat that is still floating, but perhaps
dismasted or disabled electrically (via lightning strike or battery
explosion) to navigate and./or report and take a position.

Last thing (because I could natter on all night) would be hard points
in the cockpit for snapping on harness lanyards, properly laid out and
USED jacklines, properly rigged preventers (you will be going mostly
downwind, and usually fast) and plenty of the usual engine spares so a
busted belt doesn't ruin your day G

R.

How often do you put fresh battries in your "crash box"?
krj

Hello R

As most of your sailing is going to be freshwater and/or coastal, I
assume you are not going to have a liferaft. snip

What is the rationale for this? Isn't it possible to drown in fresh water?

jofra

On Mon, 20 Dec 2004 16:16:11 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

Since we're all excited about the new boat right now, I'm thinking of buying
some safety gear for the wife and kids for Christmas. Knowing I'm thinking
about keeping them attached the boat should make her feel warm and fuzzy.

I've been looking at the safety harnesses that have a built in CO2
lifejacket. Pricey, but they look comfortable to wear and you don't have to
worry about digging up a harness if things get hairy. I'd appreciate some
experience / or comments on these.

We have been using those for several years. They are light enough to
wear comfortably on all but the hottest days on the Hudson. On the
Maine coast you could make them mandatory without mutiny I am quite
sure.

You should test them periodically(which costs a new cartridge). We had
one that we hadn't tested for about 6 years that proved to have a leak
at wone of the corners that jut when the bladder is folded. The only
thing I can think of is the tip of the corner chafed against the cover
when the device was worn by an active sailor.





We're in Maine and most of our cruising will probably be to even colder
regions. The Mustang coats look great but are probably too warm for summer.
Growing kids (12 and 14) will go through them fast.

Safety perception is a funny thing. My wife is petrified to have me take the
kids up in my well maintained airplane in clear calm conditions but sees no
danger in boating at all. Now that I'm coming back to sailing after learning
to fly and think very proactively about safety and what can go wrong, I can
see about 100 more ways to hurt or lose a kid on the water than in the air.

When I started to learn how to fly, everyone who had ever sailed with me
said that there was no way in hell that they would ever get in an airplane
with me. I turned out to be a very cautious and conservative pilot; even
became a contributor to "Aviation Safety" magazine. I think I'm going to be
a very different kind of sailor when we get the boat launched.


Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC

Let's Put the XXX back in Xmas