Cold water boot camp

[breausaw]

http://www.nasbla.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1

This video is a must see for anyone who spends time on the water, especially in northern climates.

We follow the 3D rule:
Wear your PFD on the Dock, on Deck, and in the Dink; there are no exceptions!

Life is precious

Mary Christmas and happy holidays to all…

Jay

[Captains Cat]

Thanks Triple J, a great video, we all should watch and heed!

Merry Christmas to all and stay safe!

Charlie and Sally

[colobear]

What a great video. Should be required watching for all of us up here in cold water country. Thanks.

[Alyssa Jean]

Thanks for the video, I passed it on to our USCG Aux flotilla members.

[Dreamer]

Jay,

Thanks for posting this. I've sent it on to our Yacht Club's Safety and Medical officers for possible use in a program. Those temps are a way of life for us in the PNW. We'll be wearing our PFDs more this year.

[Alyssa Jean]

Hey Roger, I spent some time at the helm of the Guemes Ferry under Captain Kents instruction. Seems as though we have a mutual friend.

[starcrafttom]

As I watched the video I remember the two people I pulled off that over turned boat. One with out a jacket and one with. The one good dicussion they made that day was to stay with the boat. They had thought of swimming to shore in the beginning but they would never have made it. When we got to them they had no muscule movement and could not even stand. This is a great video to share with others.

[hardee]

Jay,

Thanks for passing that on. It is a very good refresher, and reminder. The jackets, (PFD's) stay on, even around the dock.

MErry Christmas,

Harvey
SleepyC

[thataway]

Thanks for posting the video. We don't take as many precautions with the PFD's as those folks and some C Brats do. Of course in Florida, we don't have those colder waters, except in the winters. In Alaska, we often wore tight fitting foam lined vests, or float coats when on deck outside of the cockpit or in the dinghy.

The term hypothermia is somewhat relitative. I suspect in this case they use the classical medical defination, which is a deep body core temperature of 95 degrees F. The lower the core temperature goes, the less chance of survival. The points about peripheral vascular contraction is very important, as well as muscle stiffness and loss of function of fine movements.

They don't make as large a point of the "Cold shock" as I think they should: Cold Shock describes a series of rapid, linked, involuntary and detrimental physiological events in the inadequately protected human body characterized by immediate loss of breathing control, incapacitation and high risk of drowning or sudden death when suddenly immersed in cold water. Most of these immediate body responses are increasingly fatal as the water temperature decreases.

Due to rapid vasoconstriction and raising of the blood pressure, sudden cardiac arrest can occur. I feel that not only should one wear a life jacket in risky situations, but also be wearing a garmet which will help to keep the body warmer and hopefully prevent the cold shock deaths. Ideally this would be a survival suit such as the Mustang full floatation suit, or at least one of the bomber or floatation coats, which give floation, cold shock and hypothermia proteciton.

What do our brethern in Alaska do for protection routinely?

Also the techniques of preventing personal heat loss: "Heat Escape Lessening Posture (H.E.L.P.) can be used only if you are wearing a personal flotation device (PFD). Hold your arms tightly against your sides and across your chest, pull your legs together and up toward your chest.

With the H.E.L.P. a hypothermia preventing float coat your survival can be at least quadrupled, and increased up to 9 fold with a full imersion floating suit.

Again, thanks for an important lesson!

[hardee]

Dr Bob said:

[Camper Cat]

A friend of mine has invented a survival suit that should greatly increase the odds of surviving a cold water immersion. I hope that he gets these things manufactured soon so that I can equip my boat with a couple. www.breathe4life.com/.

[hardee]

That is one cool ----- whoops, I mean HOT suit. Where do I sign up. (And they tested ti right here in our home marina and I missed it, bummer!)

Harvey
SleepyC

[thataway]

That survival suit looks like a dry suit. There is a lot of difference between a work suit and survival suit or dry suit. The recreational boater has to have something which will help to prevent the sudden shock--as well as prolong survial time in the water, and provide floatation, which they wear all of the time, when in risky situations. The float coat comes as close as what most of us can easily use on a daily basis. A good float coat will also have a beaver tail, and best to have some elastic around the sleeves and neck, along with a hood, to keep the circulation of cold water to a minimum in the device.

[breausaw]

Having fished winters commercially offshore in the Gulf of Alaska I have the utmost respect for extreme cold waters, but don’t find it necessary or practical to carry survival suits of even mustang type suits on our little c-dory.
Someone can always make the argument for having every conceivable safety device known to man onboard, and for some this may be necessary or warranted. Truth is, the most indispensable safety device onboard is your head.
If we fished miles from shore, did it in an open skiff or ventured out in marginal conditions I’d certainly consider having float coats for everyone on board, but this becomes impractical unless you own an extensive wardrobe of these things.
I trust my judgment, know my limitations as well as my vessels, and don’t believe I’m putting my family or friends in harms way as recreational boaters.

Having said that I’ll take my beatings now…

[lloyds]

None from me. I use my float coat usually and feel it is plenty, even in modest offshore fishing.