Lessons from a Sailboat Tragedy

primative":fh0l56y5 said:
I am trying to envision how these items are hanging/fastened so they are not in the way and hitting you when its rougher, going in and out the door? Are they on the inside of the cabin, on the bulkhead next to the hinged side of the door?

Regarding the tether lines you use if having to go to the gunnels/ bow when it's rough. How is this set up on your boat? Is it attached to the roof rails? I assume the inflatable PFD you keep by the door has the harness feature to secure you?

Tom
Click to expand...

Tom, The inflatable PDF are hung from double coat hooks which are high on the aft bulkhead by the hinged side of the door, there is a small bungee cord at the bottom of the PFD to hold them in place.
Yes, there are two large "D" rings on the bottom of each PFD which snap with a spinnaker snap shackle (allows rapid detachment with a pull of a beaded lanyard). We have extra hand rails on the aft edge of each side of the outboard house, and also forward eyebrow on each side, so the tether can be clipped into these, or a vinyl covered cable (which we use for dinghy security) can also be placed between these hand holds. At the very bow, we would clip into the foredeck cleat. On our ocean crossing sailboats we had
"jacklines" set up all of the time we were offshore: one continuous line (inner with 3/16" SS cable covered with 3/4" hollow tubular nylon), from the very stern to the very bow on both sides). We do not have this on the C Dory.

Hardee--excellent--also it is a good idea to test the auto inflation part of the set up. Most PFD have a "bobbin", with tablet which dissolved in water, and those need to be replaced at least every 3 years. So this putting our PFD in water and seeing how it inflates, or jumping in the lake will assure that it does not pop out of the fabric as the vests did in the tragedy discussed in this thread.
 
Bob,

Though I had tested the inflation of each of my inflatable PFD's with the manual (mouth) tube, and they worked well, I had not tried pulling the "T" handle.

Testing by jumping into the water, or putting the pfd in the water will require the recharging (replacing the actuator and the CO2 cartridge) after the test is completed. These are one time use systems. The cloth and strap portions are reusable, as is the bladder.

There are 2 types of inflatable PFD actuation systems. The most reliable and least likely to accidentally inflate due to rain, splash or exposure to frequent high humidity is the "Hydrostatic" system. It is a pressure sensitive device and actuates with submersion, (a few inches for a few seconds.) This device requires a 5 year recharge. The other type, which I believe is a "Hygrometric" system, has a small, pill like device with a spring that, as the pill dissolves after being wet, releases a catch, allowing the spring to punch the top of the CO2 cartridge. These generally require 3 year, service and 1 year inspection of the "pill" to check for color change. If they have turned color, they could activate at any time. I don't believe they are acceptable fur use in any commercial service.

The recharge kits for the Hydrostatic are generally more expensive than the ones for the Hygrometric units. Both are easy to do the recharge service.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon
 
Bob,
We have extra hand rails on the aft edge of each side of the outboard house, and also forward eyebrow on each side, so the tether can be clipped into these, or a vinyl covered cable (which we use for dinghy security) can also be placed between these hand holds. At the very bow, we would clip into the foredeck cleat.
Click to expand...
Can you tell me the models of the extra hand rails?

When you tether in to a hand rail I assume the tether is short enough that your knees would not be allowed to be below the gunnel if you were to fall? Your thoughts on tether length would be appreciated.
 
These are the hand railings installed in the current 22. They are West Marine 18" units about $18. AFI also makes these I believe. There is a stud thread out the bottom--a little trick to get that second hole just right. (Make a template from the bottom of the studsI).

DSC00819.jpg

Above is the forward handles
Below the aft:

DSC00818.jpg

The tethers are 4' and 6', left over from our sailing days. You would be below the railing with the 6 foot if on the side. If you go forward the boat should be at rest or idle (with another person at the helm). The idea is to keep you near the boat incase of MOB. In racing we have large crews (10 men on my 45 footer), in our larger cruising boats we have high freeboard (about 8 feet forward in the boat we took to Europe and 6 feet aft). That boat had a rope ladder with wooden rungs aft, and a full wooden ladder on the side with 4 steps which would extend to 8 steps.
 
Bob,
Thanks for the pictures showing orientation, template tip, and MOB advice. This brings things together for me. NICE boat too. Like those hand rails for general security, as well as tether option. I look forward to installing them this winter.


It must have been something racing that 45' with a 10 crew. I can only imagine.

Keep it in your blood,

Tom
 
Grandpa used to say, "An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure."

An interesting statistic from the USCG I learned some time ago: a high percentage of recovered MOB male bodies from US waters had their flies unzipped. Put that in your safety at sea prevention bag.

Aye.
 
It should go without saying, but don't forget that if you're a bit unsure on your feet and the boat's not pitching too bad (enough so that water could enter the hatch), you can go forward to the bow through the front deck hatch and avoid the trip around the cabin and slippery gunnel, eliminating much of the MOB hazard.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Anytime you stand near a gunnel, even with a safety railing, below your waist, you risk MOB with wave action on the hull. Center of gravity must be kept low on deck.

Aye.
 
How many times do you see folks running around in their little center console RIB tenders, standing up? Or sitting up on the top of the inflatable tube, no PFD, and nothing to hang on to?

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
How many times do you see folks running around in their little center console RIB tenders, standing up? Or sitting up on the top of the inflatable tube, no PFD, and nothing to hang on to?

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Wearing a PFD is definitely better than not wearing a PFD. Understand, wearing a PFD is no guarantee of survival if you are the MOB. A nice laceration on the way seaward, a head (or other significant) injury, or cold water will do the job with your chosen PFD properly in place. The point: stay aboard. Be smart and stay alive by staying low on deck.

Aye.
 
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