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Life Jacket

Posted: Fri 18 Jan 19, 9:19
by jf.brodin
Solo, even in very good weather WEAR a Lifejacket!
Without a Lifejacket, I would not be here to say it:

this afternoon, very calm sea, I returned solo from the Gulf of Morbihan to Port Haliguen; two miles from the port, no wind, engine and pilot.

I do a little storage, drop the main, roll the jib, and put some items in a float.

I find myself in the water, the inflated Lifejacket, without understanding what happened to me; the boat has continued its journey, I find a fender, that I hasten to recover, it will help me if the Lifejacket does not remain inflated; I have no memory of what has happened to me, I have been ASSUMED;

the water is not cold.
A quarter of an hour later, a motor boat (long live!) Finally heard my whistles and saw the yellow Lifejacket.

The boat had continued on its way to the harbor dyke ...
Harbour's technical services ans rescue were on the spot, alerting the local MRCC, trying to see on my tracKer what route I had followed.

My motor boat rescuers took me to them, general relief!

The cause of my fall: the end stretching the trampoline passes to one of its ends in a hole, and behind this hole, there is a knot that holds it in place; I had recently modified this knot, probably badly put back in place. And I fell with the trampoline, probably the head against the float aka
So, loss of consciousness, in water WITHOUT Lifejacket, I was A DROWNED PERSON😖
Luckily, I ALWAYS wear my Lifejacket!

Solo sailing ALWAYS with life jacket

Posted: Fri 18 Jan 19, 10:53
by Bo Wetzel
Thanks for this dramatic but nevertheless excellent reminder! I hope everybody takes note.
Safe sailing for 2019.

Posted: Tue 05 Feb 19, 3:36
by Double Horizon
Glad you are safe! Good advice.

On my boat I do not leave the cockpit without a lifejacket or inflatable belt pack, and that is the rule for my crew also. Many times (especially in nice weather) people do not follow this rule and I remind them, saying "you forgot something" and hold the lifejacket out to them. At night we wear a harness and use a jackline to stay attached to the boat. .