A wild and windy RORC North Sea Race - more than 190 miles and 24 hours, most of it way offshore - provided an ideal opportunity to try out Crewsaver's top of the range Crewfit 275N lifejacket.
Meeting the European standard EN399, this provides 275 Newtons of buoyancy, almost twice as much as the 150N which has become more or less standard for leisure lifejackets. This makes it suitable for “offshore and severe conditions, when maximum protection is required, or where heavy waterproof clothing is worn,” say the makers.
Well, we had all of that to contend with, plus the RORC rule which insists that lifejackets are worn on deck at night, or in winds strong enough to require reefing. Basically, we wore lifejackets throughout the race.
Some members of the crew were not too happy about this. They feel that lifejackets should be a matter for individual choice, and also that the key safety issue is making sure you don't go overboard, rather than being equipped to survive if you do.
But I suppose if you are carrying a liferaft, you are acknowledging the possibility that you may end up in the water unexpectedly, and in those circumstances you would definitely need a lifejacket.
The big objections to wearing lifejackets has always been discomfort, and that they can feel cumbersome, inhibiting freedom of movement. But really with today's neat “flat pack” models that hardly applies. And if they have a built-in harness, they are hardly more uncomfortable or restricting than wearing a harness on its own.
But would this be true of the 275N model, which obviously has to accommodate not only a bigger “lung” but also a bigger gas cylinder to inflate it?
The gas cylinder size is 60g as against 33g for the 150N model, so the difference is hardly noticeable. The cylinder is longer, but fits just as neatly inside the cover as its smaller relation. The whole lifejacket is slightly bulkier, but not really noticeably so.
And by fitting it below the “hood pod” of my oilskins at the back, I was able to avoid the neck chafe that can be the chief bugbear of wearing a lifejacket.
The combined lifejacket and harness proved very easy to adjust to fit, and came supplied with thigh straps: a nuisance when dressing and undressing, but a safety essential, as anyone who has done the RYA sea survival course will testify! (Without them, the lifejacket naturally floats upwards, making it almost impossible to swim).
The Crewfit Plus model also comes equipped with a light and a spray hood, for ultimate security.
I'm happy to say that I did not put the lifejacket to the ultimate test, because I did not fall in the water, but I am confident that it would have done its job if required. And in those big seas the additional buoyancy would have been a huge benefit, possibly even a lifesaver.
The Crewfit 275N comes with a three-year guarantee, and owners manuals in both print and multimedia CD format, providing all the information and instruction anybody could wish for.
It also comes in a durable zip-up pouch you could store it in. Just take out the “Crewsaver” card in the pocket at the top, and write the owner's name on the back of it, to ensure that in an emergency, everyone gets the lifejacket that it already adjusted to fit.
Crewsaver lifejackets aren't the cheapest around, but they are the market leaders. The company supplies the RNLI and many professional seafarers. And this is an area where looking to save money might turn out to be a very poor bargain!
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If you regularly sail offshore or in severe conditions, it's worth investing in a 275N lifejacket. The additional buoyancy gives improved assurance of safety from drowning to people who are not able to help themselves - if they are unconscious, for example.
Even this lifejacket is not guaranteed to self-right an unconscious user wearing heavy waterproofs, but the extra buoyancy it provides should ensure that in the great majority of cases it will, says Crewsaver.
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For more information visit www.crewsaver.co.uk
