The answer is to spend a few bucks and get one of the latest and greatest Safety Grab Bags that are available at any of the better Marine Outlets. You don't need to plan to be paddling around for a week or more, just the basics to keep you alive till the cavalry gets there! They carry all the stuff you need if it comes to tippies-overs that usually occur when you are not ready for it! Lifejackets are always a problem because of their bulk but why not lash out on a few of the inflatable ones (not the cheapies) and then have them in the bag as well. Last but not least is to place the bag so it wll float free when you take to swimming unexpectadly! They are quite small and compact and can easily be placed on the boat somewhere where they will float when worst comes to worst. I reckon with AUSFISH's pull and interest and safety, Steve could come up with a "buyable" bag for all the Boaties who are serious about their operation. I might sniff about the local dealers and see what I can do price wise and let you guys know.
so where would TheCommodore suggest the safety grab bag be put in the boat? I doubt there is anywhere you could put it where it would "float free when you take to swimming unexpectedly". When the boat is upside down, the only place they'll be floating is under the hull. If something happens unexpectedly, you ain't gunna have time to grab it either. Care to elaborate?
Jeremy
"The underlying spirit of angling is that the skill of the angler is pitted against the instinct and strength of the fish and the latter is entitled to an even chance for it's life."
(Quotation from the rules of the Tuna Club Avalon, Santa Catalina, U.S.A.)
Apathy is the enemy
The Commodore would suggest Jeremy that it doesn't matter a stuff where you put it as every boat is different but if you wish to be a safe and responsible Boatie you just have to find somewhere because what is the alternative? I mean, jam everything under the seats, in lockers where it has already been proven it is inaccessable or just contend with having it in the way but knowing that you and your passengers have a high degree of protection by its presence. If you look about in the dealers, there are some very good ones available that when combined with the inflatable vests, an EPIRB pocket and a "Boxit" Mobile Waterproof Phone Holder, mirror, V-Sheet and a couple of other odds and ends takes up quite a small area. I did see one guy at Vicky Point who had a length of rope attached to his with a small float on the end of it that (theoretically) went to the surface and (hopefully) allowed him to jerk the whole kit out of it's hiding place.
Point is, there ain't no place in ANY boat where it will simply float free of the vessell. If it comes free, it will be bobbing around on the floor of your upturned rig.Originally Posted by TheCommodore
Things just aren't as simple as some people would make believe!
Jeremy
PS. Does 'TheCommodore' have a name, or are you choosing to remain anonymous?
"The underlying spirit of angling is that the skill of the angler is pitted against the instinct and strength of the fish and the latter is entitled to an even chance for it's life."
(Quotation from the rules of the Tuna Club Avalon, Santa Catalina, U.S.A.)
Apathy is the enemy
Good to hear you guys didn't get hurt.
I think it would be nice to know that you have a little sealed pack of goodies in the boat that may save your life.
I'm sure you would work out how to get hold of them if you had to.
Having them in the boat in a sealed pac would be a step in the right direction.
Cheers
Col
i have my safty grab bag on the starbourd side in the side pocket behind the driver
as i said before i dout there is any where in a boat that you could have this when things happen this quick but haveing them in a area that is easyer to get to would help
And not sure if having a "pack" with all the safety goodies in it that can float free in the case of a rollover is such a great idea either....wind and current would pretty quickly separate you and your "pack" - at least the "pack" would be rescued - not so good for you...
I'm sure someone will come up with an answer - might be some cash to be made if it works! I too will be paying close attention to the location of my gear next time I'm in the boat..
Normally in an overturned hull, anything towards the rear of the boat will be relatively accessable. The wisdom lies in it being IN THE SAME PLACE as you always keep it so that you and your passengers can locate it in the dark, that it be in an area towards the open part of the boat so if you survive any roll over, hopefully one of the people on your vessel will be a good swimer and be able to duck under and grab it. The others should cling to the upturned hull wherever possible.... as a Skipper your responsibility is to all the persons on your vessel to have a safety briefing... if it is on the stern of your vessel you should point out to your deckies, "if we have a problem, all the stuff you need is in the grab bag, grab it if you can", you may be unconcious or dead, they need to know how to survive, you are the EXPERIENCED Skipper responsible for those on your vessel... interestingly enough, this is only one of three "Comon" REAL emergencys,
ONE overturning, little time to plan, if you knew the wave was coming you more than likely would not have ended up in the drink as you would have turned into it
TWO Sinking, frequently have a reasonable amount of time to act...
THREE. Fire. Probably from seconds to less than a minute, if it explodes then I guess you dont need a grab bag....
The last 2 scenarios you would have time to grab your grab bag if placed towards the rear of the open vessel, whats better is they are also supposed to float... (havent tried it).... Basserman, you have the right idea [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]
Yep the Commodore does have a name, it's Ian... a highly skilled person on and off the water, a little bit abrasive at times because he is the one who will normally get called out in the middle of the week during the day and the middle of the night to rescue people who can SOMETIMES do stupid things.... as a consequence he let his buissiness run down to nothing, and put his family second for over 7 years in favour of the boating public as hje beleive he could make a difference.... a finer man I have never met... Thank you for being the Commodore of VMR Victoria Point... I think he has every right to get a little edgy with those people who continualy like to downplay the role of safety on vessels,..what is worse is the very same people take their friends, children and family boating with little or no regards to doing it the right way because it will never happen to them... this is the second time in 3 months that Ausfish members have suffered the rogue waves and winds and overturned.... all were extremely experienced and skilled and survived by good planing and spending a $ on safety....
Pleased you and your mates are ok Snappyone
Regards Lloyd Finn
Lloyd it was the epirb that saved our lives.
Im looking into putting a small pack like the commodore speaks of on the outside of my cabin, maybe on the front of the cabin, I have a 14ft half cabin and also having the said pack tied to the boat.
Just a little pocket made of fibreglass attached to the outside of the cabin where the pack can slip into it.
And im also considering buying one of those personal epirbs and having it on me at all times, Scared the crap out of me the other day.
Tight Lines
Adrian
Good on ya Adrian, like I was saying you blokes are all extremely experienced and skilled boaties and fisherman, and I would speculate in relatively good health... thats the diffrence between those who survive and those who dont.... older gentleman, younger kids, and things might have been different even over a shorter period such as 4 hours... over night, the story might have been sadly different... people dont realise untill it happens to them the importance of adequate equipment, a prime example is childrens life jackets that are not desighned for their weight or "Bodymass"... I could not think of anything worse than spending even a few hours in the drink, dozing off and looking back at your kid who has fallen asleep and slipped out of his ill fitting lifejacket and dissapeared, or because of the childs enlarged head, the lifejacket has tipped him over face down AS THEY DO, when people not desighned for them are placed into them by the people who they love and trust most.... sorry to turn this in to an educational thing... but it's at times like these when we can hold people up like yourselves who are known to be switched on and doing it right, some others WILL realise that if it can happen to you, it can happen to them... one day Snappyone, someone may stick up a post in here and say, " when I read about the shit hitting the fan with you blokes, I decided I would do this or that, and it saved mine or someone elses life as a result", I look forward to reading about it....
All the best to you and yours
Cheers Lloyd
I just re-read my post, when I refer to children in lifejackets I am reffering to children being placed in ADULT likejackets instead of ones appropriate to their size... an adult lifejacet will usualy turn a child over face down in the water [smiley=bigcry.gif]
Lloyd tottaly agree with the life jackets
i for one got rid of all my bricks for the proper vest type jackets for outside including my 2 1/2 year old son who has one of them proper infants jackets
i would be more than happy to see the brick type pfd1 taken off the market as they are next to useless
i belive you did some pool test with them and found they started to sink or was it some one else???
as for epirbs i can tell you how good they are after a lost boat two years ago here at port
boat tryed to drive off the anchor and it got caught or wraped in the motor next wave that came along just sucked the bow under the water well all three persons got out with life jackets and i belive two flares no epirb
vmr port Mac crown rescue went out to search alond with choppers couldn't find them that afternoon or into the night when the search was called off to resume the next day (1st of jan the poor buggers) next moring nothing till that afternoon when they were sighted off croudy heads (long way south) so they had a nice 24hour in the water where if they had a epirb would of been only a few at max!
Basserman those brick life jackets are pretty akward to wear but we were pretty happy too have them even though we had the boat to rest on.
But I agree the shoul be banned and one should have the vest type ones.
I too have a proper kiddies one for my four year old bought to match his size and will be upgrading it as he grows out of it.
Tight Lines
Adrian
I think that the brick type jackets that I think that you are reffering to, it is more than likely a fitting or size issue. I dont know about any tests in a swimming pool apart from if you had to put them on in the dark, in the cold, frightened or injured.... not easy to do really unless you have practiced it a few times... all jackets will deteriorate over time and loose their bouyancy, particualy if stored in damp, wet places... in all cases any lifejackets are better than nothing EXCEPT when you place a child in an adult one... Basserman, scary stuff spending a night in the water, makes my bowels rumble just thinking about it, yep, with the epirb, wether it be the 121.5/243 or the 406, the likelyhood of it not being picked up in Australian LOCAL waters is less than 1 hour.. pretty good really for mine.... An interesting aside, Australia is responsible for 1/9th of the entire globe for Search and Rescue, bloody big area
Adrian, you have changed my thoughts on location. Have moved my safety equipment to a grab bag that I will keep on the bunk infront of the helm.
Glad to hear it all worked out. I would have been shitting about sharks.
Be in contact soon.
Cheech
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