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Inflatable PFDs Wont Save You Without Proper Care and Use

I recently interviewed Mark Bologna of Landfall Navigation. Hes a safety expert, major supporter of safety training and has decades worth of experience selecting...

Rethinking the Use of Inflatable PFDs

In the early 1800s Norwegian sailors started wearing cork filled vests dubbed the Seamans Friend. And over the next two centuries, life jacket design...

Cold Water Survival

When we read about a sailor lost overboard in a storm, we think about PFDs and personal locator beacons, and accept the sea is...

Solo Sailor Safety

Yes, an auto-inflate jacket will automatically turn you face up, even if unconscious. Unfortunately, if you regain consciousness, you might be drowning against the...

The DYI “Last Chance” Self-rescue Line

Most sailors are familiar with Thor Heyedrahl's adventures aboard his balsa raft Kon Tiki. Some may remember the self-rescue line that they dragged behind...

Leg Straps Put the Load on Fanny

Considering the shortcomings of existing leg loops for harnesses, we designed an add-on set of leg loops that can transform any ISO 12401 chest...

Horseshoe and Ring Buoy Mounts for PFDs

The December, 1993, issue con­tained an in-the-water test and evaluation of 16 different Type IV life preservers (cushions, horse­shoes and ring buoys). Besides their...

The Pros and Cons of Chest-high Jacklines

World sailing offers fairly explicit expectations regarding jackstays. And PS offer its own additional advice, including one that recommends jacklines ideally be installed so...

Chest High Jacklines

Jacklines (also called jackstays) are rigged along the deck on either side or down the centerline. This is where you are supposed to clip...

When is it Time to Retire a Safety Tether?

Rules of thumb are rather useless when it comes to equipment that is stored in a locker and then used roughly. We've broken lots...

Island Packet 370: What You Should Know | Boat Review

Interested in buying an Island Packet 370 sailboat? Find an Island Packet for sale? Looking to sell your boat? Practical Sailor editor Tim Labute...