Cruising Sailors Forum Archive
Unfortunately, with liferafts you can "think" you are prepared, but you never know for sure until you pull the cord. He had a liferaft and if it had been inspected recently then as far as that goes he was as prepared as 99% at sea with a liferaft. Unfortunately, liferafts, just aren't very reliable and failure to inflate is not uncommon even for new and inspected rafts.
Unless I have more details I wouldn't fault a sailor for a liferaft that doesn't inflate. The inspector, maybe. The manufacturer, maybe.
In a sense he was prepared. He had an EPIRB and it worked. For the waters he was in (proximity to Mexico and the US) and EPIRB is a pretty good tool. And his bilge pumps kept the boat long enough for rescue. That's as prepared as he needed to be, wasn't it?
Messages In This Thread
- Article on whale collision
- They reported that he was prepared,,,, NOT!
- Liferafts
- That's why I 'self certify' my life raft
- Rafts
- I wonder... is there any way to emergency inflate a regular raft?
- Yes and No
- understand the issues of high pressure... wonder about 12v available in crisis.
- It's a 12V connection w/ some amps
- speaking of EPIRB... how many here have one?
- Like a scared man with a bucket.
- It's a 12V connection w/ some amps
- understand the issues of high pressure... wonder about 12v available in crisis.
- Yes and No
- Right, self certifying isn't an easy process.
- I wonder... is there any way to emergency inflate a regular raft?
- Liferafts
- They reported that he was prepared,,,, NOT!
