No brainer.
Auto inflation Cat1 PFD every time.
Regards
Chine
No brainer.
Auto inflation Cat1 PFD every time.
Regards
Chine
flattyfinder
In what part of the south passage bar did the boat over turn in was Amity channel or Northern channel or Middle channel
I am glad you's are okay shame about losing your fishing& boating equipment many a time i have come to the south passage bar and thinking about crossing it being too big with eastly swell direction and come home with my tail between my legs
Just wandering Did yous try to cross it when the sun is coming up on the horizion I have had experinces where the sun's glare hides the waves are coming at you now I wear polariod glasses ( stay on the boat at all times) now and can see them coming
I think be invest in a self inflatable life jacket something like Webbys
And too Bill Cortens bar course i have done it I have taken and learn common sense approach from it my boat has different capbiltes to his boat which is much big and more horespower and more free board in height
Mitch
In life, start off wrong and you'll finish wrong. Put just one skeleton in the closet and you'll have to put another one in to hide the first, and so it goes.
But start off right and you'll finish right. There's no comeback when you stick to the truth - and no skeletons!
Glad to hear that all the occupants survived the ordeal. That is most important.
Hope you can get straight back on the horse.
I looked at the Jumpinpin bar at 6.00am and 9.00am on the same morning and decided to not take it on at both timings. Also saw many other boats , small and large to 7 metres turn back as well which just confirms my decision was safe for myself, my crew and the boat.
Better luck next time
Chris
Last edited by Angla; 26-02-2007 at 09:50 PM.
Sorry for double post
Manually inflatable jackets are better in my opinion for bar crossings, as an auto inflatable will trap you in the cabin just the same.
But with a manual inflation, you have to take the chance that you don't get knocked unconcious in the rollover, as you have to manually pull the cord to inflate it.
Cheers
Mick
Mick,Originally Posted by trueblue
Point taken.
I believe that the chances of banging your head against a bimini frame, rocket launchers, bait boards etc are too high to default to manual inflation. Invariably, there is a lot happening during a bar incident and time is of the essence. It would be interesting to research a number of incidents to see how many have actually been caught under an overturned vessel.
Regards
Chine
trueblue is spot on. I have a manual inflation lazilas - its clearly a PFD1 but was made a year or so before they started labelling them as such. Mine has the pull cord and gas cylinder to inflate. The problem with them is that you cannot pull the cord if you are knocked out by the roll and the whole boat is hard enough to knock you out if you hit it with your nog. There are a couple of other problems with them - it would be possible to punture them on the way out of the boat or in the water next to rocks etc, and they blow up to an enourmous size (I tried mine once with the valve blowing it up manually - ie lung filled) and are hard to move about in, and hard to get off. All in all, I think that they are much better than nothing and are suited more to what they are marketed to...yachties who need to work without restriction at all times and pretty constantly.
I prefer a good quality SOLAS set up with colar that keeps your head upright, but as pointed out by others there are pros and cons.
Cheers
PS. I am always paranoid about the bar. Bloody bar can stand up quickly with change of tide etc. I am probably on the more woosy side of the bar crossing public, only going when it looks really good. Glad to hear that everyone was OK.
Wow nice account of the situation nasty.
Question though and i'm sure you will corect me if i'm wrong, but a pressure wave is just that, rises sharply, then falls just as rapidly, so basically it's standing almost still.
So in hindsight would the best course of action been, not have release the 120 HP, and just sit and watch, the wave rise and disapear.
I know in hinsight theres always should'a, could'a, would'a, and if placed in that situation again what would you do have done, with your new found experiance.
Would you have Sat back (time distance permitting) with the boat displacing water ? or gunned it? just wondering if you sat back do you think the outcome be more favourable.
Please don't get me wrong i'm not having a dig, I'm hoping we can all learn from your account.
Roughasguts good point but the wave in question was upon us in mili seconds and left us with no where to go but up it.Dont get the wrong idea either but unless you have experienced this sort of wave/situation then its hard to explain or understand. By the way hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Firstly I am very glad that all got out safe and sound.
Secoundly I would like to know your thoughts on wearing life jackets whilst crossing the bar ( a bar ,any bar)
I try and be as safety aware as possible, one of my biggest fears is gettign trapped under the hull with a jacket on. My Method of getting around this is have them at hand but I dont wear one. Quite simply if the bar is looking that icky and I dont feel confident I wont cross.
Aj
Very true about the puncture risk, but that is much more of a risk when inflated. Before inflation, the inflatable cell is well protected by the external jacket covers.
I wear inflatable life jackets when flying in helicopters out over the ocean very regularly. These are the manual inflation ones, prescribed by the CAA and other aviation authorities. If the chopper dumps and flips, you have to be able to swim out and that is an impossibility if the jacket is inflated. Auto inflatable units are not permitted by the authorities. For me personally, its not much different to being stuck in a boat. Other people may well see things differently for a boat, and it may depend on the type of your boat as well.
As mentioned above, these inflatable jackets are difficult to move in once inflated, and are not very comfortable to swim in when you are in the water. I very much dislike it when I am doing offshore sea survival refresher training and they make us do it in an inflatable life jacket as opposed to the conventional one because of the discomfort factor. They will save your life in the water, but are not comfortable at all. The primary advantage of the inflatable is the freedom of movement allowed while wearing them before the sh!t hits the fan, and that you don't get trapped by buoyancy or physical size restrictions of the inflated jacket.
My personal choice for a bar crossing is manually inflated, because that is what I wear in helicopters (for my employment), and as I have to accept that risk of surviving an impact and being able to swim out of a dumped chopper and use the manually inflated jacket, then I personally see it the same way in a boat on a bar. However, my evaluation of personal risk in the context of my own circumstances and the risks I have to accept regularly with my employment is most likely very different to many other people.
Therefore, people choosing life jackets need to choose their own type of life jacket based on their own personal evaluation of risk.
If you feel that you want to protect against the chance of being knocked unconcious in an incident, and accept the risks of potentially unwanted buoyancy, then it would be my suggestion that you go with a conventional PFD Type 1 or higher standard life jacket that is comfortable and sized correctly for you to wear in the boat. I think a conventional type is better than an auto inflate in this scenario because of the "in water' user discomfort of the inflatable.
If you want to protect against the possibility of being trapped by buoyancy, and accept the discomfort of actually using the inflatable life jacket once you are in the water then my suggestion is to go for a good quality PFD Type 1 Manual Inflation jacket.
Each person needs to make this decision themselves after carefully evaluating the pros and cons in relation to their own situation, boat, etc.
There is no easy answer where one style can be stated to be better than the other as both options offer distinct advantages. It all comes down to personal choice.
Cheers
Mick
YES! Manual inflation all the way! for me and mine yway, to anyone who has never actually had an auto inflate when on the water best to try it first.
Suffocating and ability draining is a couple of descriptions that fit these vests. Just being in the water because the boat has capsized is not in it's self a life threatening experience for many sometimes there will be work to be done and those jackets are real tough to get off and back on actually I cannot get them back on but can get foam jackets back on easy enough.
I cannot believe the risk of being knocked unconsious is high enough to warrent auto inflation with all of it's limitations, now if the boat was a 100mph craft auto inflate all the way!
Years ago we would advise that no-one was to wear a life jacket (apart from kids)when bar crossing as it was the safest option in our 1/2 cab boats.
cheers fnq
A valuable lesson for every one crossing the bar on the bottom half of the run out tide with a good 1.5-2 mtr east swell running, keener than me. Yes and i do use this bar quite regularly. The Pressure waves on the out edge can be very nasty at times. sorry for lose Flattyfinder but good to see no lose of life.
The highlighted quotation, I believe, just about covers it.
I do not understand the mindset of individuals who do not wear lifejackets, irrespective of the illegality, whilst crossing bars. We should not only be responsible for ourselves but also potential rescuers. Look at what happened in NZ recently.
Three types of Cat1 PFD's allied with two types of risk. The auto inflation & closed cell covered type against the manual inflation type. You may be stuck under a vessel with the first two and unable to get out or you may be unconscious and possible drowning with the latter. These are the risks and from that we make choice.
The helicopter manually inflated units are normally dual separate chambers and fitted with flares, EPIRB and strobe. Commercial PFD usage normally employs combined auto and manual inflation along with Personal 406 locator beacons.
I quite often venture outside alone and so am a great advocate of lightweight, comfortable, auto inflating PFD's. Choice..........
Regards
Chine
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote