November 30, 2001
Life Rafts

If you have never tried to get into a life raft you have no idea how difficult it is. And, if you manage that, try righting one when it has (inevitably) overturned. Having experienced both of these when we did a Safety at Sea course before we left on our cruise, and almost drowning attempting the exercises, we decided to buy a Givens life raft.

Givens rafts are different from most designs in that they are weighted underneath by a large water pocket, the same size as the above-water shape (most rafts use several small water pockets). This makes the raft much more stable and considerably less likely to capsize. It is almost impossible for it to turn over because of the weight of water underneath. The underwater shape also prevents sea creatures from biting the base of the raft (a small probability but it reportedly has happened).

Initially we had planned to buy a 6-person raft on the basis that if we had more room we would be more comfortable and that would increase our survival chances. That proved to be wrong. Two people in a 6-person raft makes it unstable, as the weight of people is taken into account for the stability calculations, we bought a 4-person instead.

We also carry a Jon Buoy, a one-man raft, specifically for man-overboard recovery.

Boarding Procedure
Panic is a killer, and most people are uncomfortable in a rough sea, especially if weighted down by oilskins and wet clothes. Our masks and snorkels are kept in the cockpit lockers and we would don those before entering the water.

Our raft boarding plan had always assumed that Brian would help Colleen into the raft first and then get in himself. On our course we discovered this did not work. Brian's weight as he climbs in tips the raft too much, risking a capsize. The best method was for Colleen to hang on to the opposite side of the raft while Brian got in. He could then move to the opposite side of the raft and that would provide enough balance for Colleen to get in without tipping the raft.

As soon as you are in the raft, you need to take sea sickness tablets if there is any kind of sea running. With the raft door closed your brain loses any sense of which way up you are and you feel sick almost immediately. Also drink lots of water before you get into the raft, and pass urine as soon as possible. Urine retention is a recognized problem during the early stages of life in a raft, and kidney failure can result.

It is better to get directly from the yacht into the raft (the generally accepted rule is you always step up into the raft--that is, don't think about using a raft unless your yacht is definitely going down) by keeping the raft alongside the yacht until everyone is in. If this isn't possible, the risk of crew becoming separated from the yacht and raft is high, especially at night in high seas. We have fitted a hand line to the raft, with hand loops knotted in (as supplied for the Givens raft). The raft is launched, tethered to the boat with the normal raft line. If we have to enter the water, each person puts a hand through a loop, and grab bags are tied on. If the yacht sinks before we can enter the raft, the raft tether line will snap, but we are all still attached to the raft by the hand line.

Servicing
We have the raft serviced every couple of years or before an ocean passage. We always ask the service company to let us know when they have inflated the raft and before they repack it. Then we go and look at it. If you ever have to get into a life raft it is not a good idea to be seeing it for the first time. By inspecting it when it is being serviced we become familiar with it, reminding ourselves where everything is and how it works.

When we have been to look at the raft inflated there have usually been half a dozen or more other rafts also inflated ready for repacking. We have always felt that, by comparison, the Givens raft seemed much more robust than the other designs and, other than replacing a few items beyond their shelf life, we have not had to have repairs carried out.

Our raft meets SOLAS specifications so it contains flares, EPIRB, food, water, knife, First Aid, fishing equipment etc., but we also have a hand-operated watermaker as part of our grab bag.

Storage
The raft is kept in a purpose-designed launching rack on the pushpit. If we leave the boat for long periods or ina place where theft is a particular problem we remove the raft, but otherwise it stays in position.

It is tied on to the pushpit and there is a knife alongside for cutting it free.

Dinghy
Our RIB is stowed on deck, deflated. If we had time we would probably inflate the dinghy as an added means of escape, although it would also float with no air in the tubes.

Grab Bags
We carry two grab bags ready to go--they are sealed hard plastic containers that can be tied to the life raft hand line and will float. The contents are spread across both bags in case one is lost. If there is any chance of imminent use of the raft, these are tied to the hand line already.

Safety/navigation equipment
Flares
Hand held GPS
Hand held VHF
EPIRB 406mhz
Torch
Batteries
Leatherman tool

Subsistence
Water
Food - high calorific content e.g. nuts, dried fruit
Mineral replacement fluids
First aid kit*
Sun block
Watermaker

Personal Belongings
We don't have them ready to go. If there were time we would grab passports, health insurance cards, credit cards etc. and take them in a ziplock bag. If there isn't time then we suspect that not having a credit card would be the least of our worries.

*First Aid Kit
Apart from the usual dressings and ointments, if you are in remote areas it's advisable to also carry antibiotics, a catheter and a plastic tube in case you run out of fresh water and it becomes necessary to take sea water anally. (It is also worth taking a medical course so you know how to use them.)

Courses
In the UK the RYA provide a series of courses which we took before we left. The Safety at Sea course (where you play around with rafts in a pool and realize they are not at all what they are cracked up to be, use fire flares, learn survival techniques and so on) is one that should be taken by anyone who goes offshore. We aren't aware of the US courses available, but there should be something similar.

The UK government also runs the "Ship's Captain Medical Course", in one week you cover pretty much anything you might come across in terms of medical emergencies, which you have any chance of doing something about. The use of catheters, etc. is also discussed.