[bolger] knockdowns and safety

BO>The point! We never go out sailing anticipating that we are going to have
BO>trouble. No one does!

Yes I do. Comes of having a Seagull engine and playing in a child-like
lake (you know, small, mean, vicious). It's =not= paranoia when the
whole world's =really= agin you....

BUT - we always wear inflatable pfds. We wear the
BO>pouch style which are completely nonrestrictive. We always check the arming
BO>"button" when we put them on. If we get on our boat - we put on the pfds.
BO>We don't allow guests on our boats without pfds. From what I see of other
BO>sailors we are in a minority here.

Got to add - hear, hear!!! Capsizing three miles off-shore in a major
chop and not being able to make an unaided recovery certainly rams home
the value of the humble PFD.

Tim & FT2
I agree on all points.

Phil Lea

chris crandall wrote:
> [snip] Please cut out [snip] repeats before
> posting [snip] agreements.
> I love the forum, [snip] could be better with [snip] editing.
> Thanks!
> Chris [snip]
Just a reminder. Please cut out the long, long repeats before
posting your replies, me-toos, and agreements.

I love the forum, but it could be better with a little editing.
Thanks!

-c

Chris Crandallcrandall@...(785) 864-4131
Department of Psychology University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66045
I have data convincingly disconfirming the Duhem-Quine hypothesis.
hwa-@...wrote:
original article:http://www.egroups.com/group/bolger/?start=3590
> I'm baaack.
>
> After all of these reflections this week, ( despite what some may
think - not
> unhealthy- even tho' often highly speculative) - I want to mention
something
> that hasn't been mentioned much at all - other than one line in
passing.
>
> I think this whole discussion has been important - because I think
safety is
> important and experiences like ours raises the consciousness of
potential
> dangers.
>
> I've been sailing for 15 years - not a long time, but not a short
time
> either. We've sailed out of some horrible conditions on lake superior
and
> Pine Island Sound especially - we've had our share of white knuckled
moments
> - but we've never capsized before. We've never fallen out of our boat
before!
> We're not the world's best sailors, but not the worst either. But if
you
> were to have asked me - I would have told you that I didn't expect to
ever
> capsize.
>
> The point! We never go out sailing anticipating that we are going to
have
> trouble. No one does! BUT - we always wear inflatable pfds. We wear
the
> pouch style which are completely nonrestrictive. We always check the
arming
> "button" when we put them on. If we get on our boat - we put on the
pfds.
> We don't allow guests on our boats without pfds. From what I see of
other
> sailors we are in a minority here.
>
> Let our experience be instructive. Wear your pfds. There is no room
for being
> macho in this. Kathy had some difficulty inflating hers - it took her
three
> pulls on the rip cord - but it worked. She then had some difficulty
getting
> it over her head - for one thing she was hyperventilating, for
another, the
> vests overinflate - making it a bit difficult. So I bought her
suspenders
> this week. Her advise is that if you have an inflatable - try it once
so you
> know what it's going to be like.
>
> I know you don't expect problems. It doesn't matter what you expect.
Problems
> are not dependant on your expectations - or vast experience. If you
wear your
> pfd - likely you will not drown - ever. It also made it much easier
for me
> to swim around the boat doing the many things I needed to do.
>
> If you drown you will never forgive yourself. If your friend or
spouse or
> child drowns you most certainly will never forgive yourself.
>
> So that's my thought on that.
> Steve

Steve -

Perhaps the most salient point to date. Well stated and appreciated.
There are no variables when it comes to boating safety.

Best, Bennett
>
>I know you don't expect problems. It doesn't matter what you expect. Problems
>are not dependant on your expectations - or vast experience. If you wear your
>pfd - likely you will not drown - ever. It also made it much easier for me
>to swim around the boat doing the many things I needed to do.

Steve and List --

Having been watching this thread with interest and amusement, I'm
very happy to see it finally come around to this.

For whatever the problems with this particular MJ, or MJs in general,
or boats in general, there are a few simple steps we all can take to
make our time in/on the water much, much safer. There isn't a danger
factor that is completely out of our control that can't be diminished
by many orders of magnitude by a safety factor that is totally within
our control.

On the water, we will pay the ultimate price for errors in judgement;
not the designer, not the lumber mill, not the glue manufacturer. The
ultimate responsibility for our safety rests with each and every one
of us. Depending on your temperament, you may find that troubling, or
deeply comforting.

YIBB,



CRUMBLING EMPIRE PRODUCTIONS
Renegade media for the timid
134 W.26th St. 12th Floor
New York, NY 10001
(212) 247-0296
I'm baaack.

After all of these reflections this week, ( despite what some may think - not
unhealthy- even tho' often highly speculative) - I want to mention something
that hasn't been mentioned much at all - other than one line in passing.

I think this whole discussion has been important - because I think safety is
important and experiences like ours raises the consciousness of potential
dangers.

I've been sailing for 15 years - not a long time, but not a short time
either. We've sailed out of some horrible conditions on lake superior and
Pine Island Sound especially - we've had our share of white knuckled moments
- but we've never capsized before. We've never fallen out of our boat before!
We're not the world's best sailors, but not the worst either. But if you
were to have asked me - I would have told you that I didn't expect to ever
capsize.

The point! We never go out sailing anticipating that we are going to have
trouble. No one does! BUT - we always wear inflatable pfds. We wear the
pouch style which are completely nonrestrictive. We always check the arming
"button" when we put them on. If we get on our boat - we put on the pfds.
We don't allow guests on our boats without pfds. From what I see of other
sailors we are in a minority here.

Let our experience be instructive. Wear your pfds. There is no room for being
macho in this. Kathy had some difficulty inflating hers - it took her three
pulls on the rip cord - but it worked. She then had some difficulty getting
it over her head - for one thing she was hyperventilating, for another, the
vests overinflate - making it a bit difficult. So I bought her suspenders
this week. Her advise is that if you have an inflatable - try it once so you
know what it's going to be like.

I know you don't expect problems. It doesn't matter what you expect. Problems
are not dependant on your expectations - or vast experience. If you wear your
pfd - likely you will not drown - ever. It also made it much easier for me
to swim around the boat doing the many things I needed to do.

If you drown you will never forgive yourself. If your friend or spouse or
child drowns you most certainly will never forgive yourself.

So that's my thought on that.
Steve