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Life jackets.


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4 hours ago, nebulae said:

Auto inflate on rivers and long tunnels since the loss of life in Harecastle. Did much dinghy sailing in my youth so dont need convincing of the value of a good lifejacket.

I also did a lot of dinghy sailing, but did you wear lifejackets for it? We never did due to the risk of getting trapped under an upturned dinghy with a fully inflated lifejacket, we always wore buoyancy aids. The other reason for this is that a buoyancy aid will help keep you afloat whilst you are correcting the problem that put you into the water in the first place (usually a dinghy capsize). With a lifejacket you either have a manual inflating one which wont help you unless you inflate if, or a self inflating one which means that once it has gone off you either have to carry on sailing with this huge inflated necklace, or retire and go ashore to get a replacement.

Personally I go along with wearing a lifejacket in situations where I think it will help, if I fall into a canal that is only 3 feet deep will I need to swim to get out, or wade through the supermarket trollies? If we want to go down the path of trying to eliminate every risk should we not all be wearing thermals and drysuits during winter boating just in case we fall into near freezing water?:unsure:

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We wear auto inflate jackets on all rivers. We also have crotch straps fitted. 

I was on a PLA launch a few days ago and was slightly suprised that none of the lifejackets used by PLA staff were fitted with crotch straps.....if you talk to the RNLI they will convince you that a crotch strap should be mandatory....with good reason in my opinion. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yep, we do but only on rivers.

People forget that the main prupose of the LJ is to keep you on your back and your head out of the water.

So all single-handers should wear one on all waterways really. And all folk on rivers, as previous posters have said, if you fall and bash your head or just flounder in a filling lock . . it should stop you drowning.

BTW practice swimming backstroke! Only stroke with an inflated LJ.

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25 minutes ago, Profzarkov said:

People forget that the main prupose of the LJ is to keep you on your back and your head out of the water.

Unlike buoyancy aids which will turn you face-down in the water.

 

But - try and tell that to the youngsters today and they just laugh at you !!

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We are River Trent based and always wear lifejackets when under way . Like wearing a seatbelt in a car wearing a lifejacket  becomes part of the normal routine.  

On the tidal Trent everyone aboard should wear a lifejacket . The non tidal river is equally hazardous if not more so than the tidal section yet some people do not wear life jackets . There are very strong currents at the locks that could pull you under. An ex-forces trained diver told me he had been carried off position by a current trapped for a short while under water just below Newark town lock when carrying out an inspection and needed all of his skills and a bit of luck to escape. (Amazingly I  have seen people let their kids  swim in the river near a lock).

Our boat has a well protected helm - you could not possibly fall in from the helm- but I figure you need to be prepared for the unexpected, such as going to help someone in distress .

 

 

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