What lifejackets should you have for offshore cruising?

A QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIP

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Q Father and daughter Richard and Lisa have recently bought a Sigma 33 to be kept on the east coast for North Sea cruising and club racing. In time they'd like to do some offshore racing and Lisa has her eye on a Fastnet campaign. The boat came with four tired lifejackets. They have budgeted to replace them, but they can't agree on what with. Richard has a knee issue and is not feeling as mobile as he once was. He says that an automatic lifejacket would make him feel safer, and that if they're going to consider offshore racing they should go for maximum protection with 275N buoyancy. Lisa tried one on and found them heavy and bulky. She's also worried that, as the person who does most of the foredeck work, there's a chance of an automatic lifejacket going off by accident. What's the solution?

A The easy answer here is that they don't have to have the same lifejacket. We wouldn't expect everyone on the boat to have the same waterproofs, and the fit of a lifejacket can be just as personal. It makes for slightly more complicated lifejacket servicing and means carrying two sets of spares, but the best lifejacket is the one you actually want to wear.