NEW SEASON SAFETY CHECKS

Enjoy the water with safety in mind

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When did you last check and service your lifejacket or update your emergency action plan? If you were to fall overboard would your crew know how to turn the boat around?

It’s easy to become complacent the more sea miles you tick off, but now’s a good time to refresh your knowledge ahead of the new season. Safety kit is always changing, and best practice does too, which is why the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has teamed up with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Royal Yachting Association (RYA) to launch the new recreational boating safety campaign, ‘Reduce the risk, boost your skills’.

Whether you’re a new sailor, or a seasoned cruiser, here are some of the things to think about to minimise worries and maximise your fun on the water.

Personal flotation devices

A personal flotation device (PFD) can save your life, and while all lifejackets need to meet ISO standards they differ in design when it comes to crotch straps, oral inflation tube, lifting strop, sprayhood, light and CO2 bottle. Depending on the risk level of your activity-if sailing solo or offshore, for example-you may want to research advanced features such as ‘back-tow’ technology, where a tethered man overboard (MOB) is dragged in a seating position, or whether your lifejacket has the option to fit a personal locator beacon (PLB) and/or automatic identification system (AIS) beacon.

Try a few styles before you buy. You might think comfort is irrelevant for an item that can save your life, but if a bulky or ill-fitting lifejacket means it’s more likely to stay in the locker, then it’s no use at all. Automatic inflation lifejackets are available in all sizes for children over 15kg and adults. Be sure to service yours annually as a corroded gas bottle or fitting could result in tragic failure.