Having spent a large part of last week doing refresher courses I wonder if anyone here has REALLY thought about what they will do when the brown stuff hits the rotating blades?

Do you know how to launch the liferaft?
Can you actually launch it from where it is - maybe on your own?
Do you know what to do when you re in it?
Do you know what to take with you?

Do you wear a lifejacket every time you go on deck?

Do you know where your fire extinguishers are?
Do you know which type should be used for which type of fire?
Do you know how to use them?

When was your safety kit last serviced?

We, as a commercial operation have to be trained and have the kits serviced by law - pleasure users don't - at least not in the UK.

Sobering thoughts but so are the possible consequences.... each of the courses started and ended with the shot of a body being washed up on the beach...

W.

I think I can honestly say that the answer to all of your questions is yes except for "---Do you wear a lifejacket every time you go on deck?---" No Sir, never, morning suit during the day and dinner jacket in the evenings; us motor boaters have got to keep up appearances you know!!

Think you re probably in the minority then...

Things that came out of the safety awareness course were also thought provoking..

Like where are your lifejackets stored? Do you really want to have to go below on a sinking boat to get one?

Is your liferaft on the wheelhouse/coach house roof? If so would you lose it if a fire started inside that area?

Are all your raw water engineroom pipes fire resistant or can you turn off the seacock remotely? If not hope you can pump it out quicker than it comes in!

Interesting probably the most useful bit o firefighting kit was the cheapeast and most simple - a fire blanket. It also has numerous other uses too... I can remember 4 that were suggested in addition to fire fighting.

W.

Hi Wolfie The Liferaft (Avon 8 man) is stored just inside the wheelhouse door ready to be dragged straight out and launched as you leave. The life jackets are stored on a shelf above the liferaft. Might not be everybodies ideal but it suits me and as you drive the boat from the wheelhouse, you have to pass it on the way out.

As for raw water pipes, I know what you are thinking but have you ever tried to set fire to a pipe that's full of water. Try filling a balloon with water then holding a flame to it, it won't burst!! The pipes may singe but won't burn through until all the water in them has been turned to dry steam and you will be miles away in your liferaft by then.

I agree with you on fire blankets but as long as they are stored where you may jump to in case of fire rather that where the fire would actually happen, ie not directly above the cooker.

Yeah agree with the positioning of the lifejackets - assume the raft isn't in a cannister and float free then?

The reason for the lifejacket issue being highlighted was due to a recent incident (shown on Seaside Rescue I believe)where the skipper was trapped in the wheelhouse and was lost after going back for his jacket - the 2 on deck without lifejackets survived.

Re the water pipes - this is the MCA's thinking and they actually mandate this for workboats... I know cos we got a nice bit of paper saying we had to alter ours to comply within 14 days! :)

W.

My life raft is stored ina valise, I can see advantages and disadvantages in both but if I ever decide to go the other way, I can always get it repacked into a cannister.

If you are now legally obliged to have fireproof pipework then so be it but you should know as well as I do that not everything the MCA H&SE or anyother government body says is always correct. Tried the balloon test yet?

By the way that is a fine looking vessel you have posted in the gallery, what is it?

Do you know how to launch the liferaft? Yes
Can you actually launch it from where it is - maybe on your own? Yes, though maybe not on my own
Do you know what to do when you re in it? kind of
Do you know what to take with you? yes

Do you wear a lifejacket every time you go on deck? Yes while sailing, not while moored

Do you know where your fire extinguishers are? yes
Do you know which type should be used for which type of fire? kind of
Do you know how to use them? yes

When was your safety kit last serviced? N/A

Yep I know what you re saying but we have to do as we re told. Also have to be squeaky clean as goverment 'agency'. Can't possibly tell you what the boat is - would have to kill you!!! :):)

The piping incidently was on our 8.9m rib not the boat in the picture. But understand any coded boat requires it now.

Roxy.. have you tried lifting a raft - the cannister ones are surprisingly heavy and should really be 'thrown' over board the right way up to 'ensure' inflation.

Get in it - Cut painter, stream the drogue, close the doors and then ensure raft is 'maintained' - inflated properly, dried out, epirb activated, seasick pills for everyone, treat any injuries and get yourself dry if possible, post watches, etc.

You have your own lifejacket? If so get it serviced - tested my own boat's ones end of last summer - 2 inflated - one of which didn't stay inflated and the other blew the gas bottle manifold apart! All under 2 years old and used for leisure only.

Two of you have said you know what to do and what does what - maybe post what you would do - like a drill to see if anyone can add to it or make a suggestion of an easier/better way from experience?

W.

Don't have my own life jacket either - really should buy one, but have been alway able to borrow others.

The best way to make it easier is practice, so everyone know what they are doing in a crisis situation.

Personally I would - for around £35.00 you can get a decent wheelmarked auto jacket and at least you know that you're not relying on someone else to make sure it works.

Couldn't agree more on drills - only trouble is you can't usually get to use fire extinguishers/liferafts/flares/etc unless you get the chance to go on a course and unfortunately they re never that cheap..

But MOB... can ALL the crew steer the boat and come alongside? Do they ALL know how to use the VHF and send a PAN or MAYDAY?.

Takes teachers hat off as off to play with our ROV again tomorrow!

W.

Hi Wolfie

"---The piping incidently was on our 8.9m rib not the boat in the picture. But understand any coded boat requires it now.---" Well you may prepared to stay on a 8.9m rib when there's an engine fire hot enough and for long enough to turn the raw water in the pipe-work to steam but not me Sir, no Sir, I be long since gone. This is a prime example of MCA requirements sometimes being questionable. A big steel boat would probably be able to withstand such a fire but GRP and / or wood.... I don't think so.

Anyway what about the automatic fire extinguisher; that should have already dealt with the problem at source.

good point chas. Most engines have those now, and other than the gallery where you have a fire blanket and extingisher, that is where you are gonna have problems.

Hi Roxy, this particular MCA requirement may be similar to some of the contentious RCD requirements we talked about a while ago. I don't think they are all wrong, on the contrary, most are probably good requirements. However, as far as I am aware current official requirements for deck heights above waterline and gunwhale / guardrail heights above the deck ruin boats intended for angling, you seem to end up being too high above the water and the guardrail is also far too high for comfort. Glad mine is an old one that does not have to comply.

An oldy, but a goody hey Chas!

Might not be everyones cup of tea but it suits me fine!

That really all that matters anyway. Have you caught any big fish recently?

None at all in fact the only thing I've caught is a cold.

poor you. What so you usually fish for?

Well to be honest I used to do a lot of fishing in my old boat in the late 70s and early 80s mostly for sharks around the back of the Isle of Wight also tope, conger eels and bass etc. Also used to go down to Cornwall to fish or sharks. Trouble was, by the mid 80s shark meat was becomong available in the fishmongers and the commercial boats as good as wiped them out. Most of ours was release fishing. After that I sold my boat and started fishing abroad for things like marlin, sailfish, tuna etc. That dwindled of as I was doing other things (shooting and music etc). I got this boat with my brother a couple of years ago to have a go again as well as going diving and general cruising. Done some dives so far but not got around to fishing yet. So this summer!!! I dont think there is much in the way of sharks around the island anymore but I think they are still around off the channel isles, Iv'e also heard tales of bluefin tuna over there, mind you I'd need to fit a decent fighting chair for those because they are like hooking into a London taxi. So who knows the future.

Oh yeah Roxy almost forgot, the other thing that made the fishing abroad dwindle off was that by the mid 90s had two kids at university so had bu99er all cash.