Life Jackets – Safety Gear Upgrades

/ Ben Starling

Mustang Survival Deluxe Inflatable PFD with Harness

   
Safety is one thing you can’t cut corners on. You can never be too prepared. 

Knowing the Can Opener has strapped on his life jacket with safety harness gives both of us peace of mind. It’s better to focus on the task at hand rather than being distracted worrying about ‘what if’. And in a squall there’s no time to hesitate. 

So time to upgrade the First Mate’s safety equipment… 

What to look for in an offshore life jacket
A life jacket with safety harness might just be the most important piece of safety gear you own. 

The RYA recommends a good life jacket should include at least the following*:

  • crotch straps to stop the lifejacket riding up over your head
  • spray-hood to stop waves and spray entering your mouth
  • lights, dye-markers and personal locator beacons to aid location
  • harness D ring for harness attachment to stop you falling off in the first place 

    and of course, you should also ensure: 

    • there is freedom of movement
    • the life jacket is appropriate for your weight
    • it fits comfortably but snugly 

    In the UK, there ‘are four main buoyancy levels: 50, 100, 150 and 275. In general terms, Level 50 is a buoyancy aid designed for when help is close at hand, whereas Level 150 is a general purpose lifejacket used for offshore cruising and motor boating’.*

    When to wear it 
    ‘…wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid unless you are sure you don’t need to.’* 

    So what does that mean? 

    Well if you can’t swim and/or are a child, it means you are wearing a life jacket from the moment before your feet touch the dock until they leave the dock after your return. 

    If you can swim and you are coastal sailing and there’s no wind and the water looks like glass, maybe you could leave it off. But if the wind picks up, be safe, put it on. 

    If you are offshore, put it on to leave the cockpit. If the wind picks up, wear it all the time. In other words, ‘wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid unless you are sure you don’t need to’*. Better safe than sorry every time. 

    Price Comparisons 
    Upcoming post – Life Jackets: How Much Does Safety Cost? We’ll be price shopping on both sides of the pond – we’ll work out how to actually pick up the stuff later. 

    What kind of life jacketdo you have? How’s it holding up? Would you buy this brand/model again? 

    –Captain Cat 

    (transcribed by the Can Opener) 

    * RYA.org.uk pages on ‘Safety Information, Buoyancy Aids and Life Jackets’

    Safety Gear
    Next: Life Jackets – How Much Does Safety Cost?
    Previously: Foul Weather Gear – So How Much Does Safety Cost?

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