Safety & Seamanship

The U.S. Coast Guard, stretched to the gills by an aging fleet and Homeland Security demands, is causing a bit of a stir among cruising sailors. Citing the sorry condition of its high-frequency (HF) radio broadcast equipment, the Coast Guard is asking for public comment on the importance of its HF weather broadcasts. The wording of the request suggests that if nobody is using these weather forecasts, why bother upgrading the equipment?

For Practical Sailors six-man life raft test, the examiners looked at eight life rafts suitable for a cruising sailboat with far horizons: the DSB 6-ISAF, the Elliot 6-SOLAS, the Switlik MD-3, the Switlik SAR-6 MKII, the Viking Rescyou, the Viking Rescyou Pro, the Winslow Ocean Rescue, the Zodiac Class Ocean ISAF. A close look at the survival gear that each life raft manufacturer provides reveals that its generally left up to the owner to provide the gear that is more likely to expedite rescue (like a 406-EPIRB) or keep him alive (like a Katadyn hand-operated wate maker).

Practical Sailor likes the ability to use Navionics electronic charts, but it’s disappointing that Raytech does not support GPX data (a popular method of exchanging routes and waypoints without confusing chart datum), nor does it support freely available S-57 vector charts, the standard for government vector charts. These are both features that Practical Sailor values highly. No doubt, Raymarine’s Raytech RNS Version 6.0 has some dazzling features. But, like a lot of marine navigation programs, it is confusing to use, leading to underutilization of a great navigator’s tool.

In an era when the ordinary life ring is being replaced by a wide range of improved rescue devices, Practical Sailor tested several rescue products that boast unique advantages as man-overboard flotation and retrieval aids. We gathered two throwable man-overboard devices that use automatically inflated chambers for flotation-the TechFloat from Survival Technologies and the Lifesling Inflatable from West Marine-and one made of expanded polyethylene foam-the Personal Retriever. Each comes with floating line; the bitter end of each is intended to stay in the hands of the rescuer or be tied to the vessel. Only the TechFloat is a certified U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) personal flotation device. We also tested a fourth throwable MOB aid-the Rescue Stick by Mustang Survival. Its a different animal than the other three, but shares many of the same features.

How to choose a life raft? That is the question we answered in Part I of this series (“Choosing a Life raft,” March 2007). For Part II, we conducted a series of tests that mirrored those carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard and other certifying agencies. We asked manufacturers to send us six-man life rafts that they thought best suited a serious offshore sailor seeking a SOLAS life raft or its recreational equivalent. Six manufacturers responded to our request, sending a total of eight six-man life rafts: the 6-SOLAS from Elliot, the Switlik MD-3, the DSB ISAF, the Switlik SAR-6 MKII; the Viking RescYou (UKL), the Viking RescYou Pro (UKSL), the Winslow Ocean Rescue; and the Zodiac Class Ocean ISAF life raft. As it turned out, the life raft testers faced the very difficult task of distinguishing the best life rafts for cruising sailors among an outstanding field of entries.

At Practical Sailor, we approach every product review and test that we carry out with a high level of seriousness, and when it comes to safety gear, the level of responsibility is elevated a notch further. These are devices where the smallest detail can have grave consequences.

Our life raft test is carried out against the backdrop of relatively new marine safety standards. New criteria for life rafts for recreational boats have been established by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) and the International Standards Organization (IS0). The Practical Sailor comparison features an in-depth look at eight life rafts: the DSB ISAF raft, Elliot SOLAS raft, Switlik MD-3 raft, Switlik SAR-MKII raft, Viking RescYou (UKL), Viking RescYou Pro (USKL), Winslow Ocean Rescue, and the Zodiac Class Ocean ISAF raft. As far as standards go, SOLAS is clearly top notch.

The U.S. Coast Guard instituted a ban on the use of both 121.5 and 243 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) on Jan. 1, 2007, in preparation for Feb. 1, 2009, when satellite processing of distress signals from all 121.5/243 MHz beacons will terminate.

Sailors plying the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) should be keeping an eye the one thats not on the depthsounder on the federal government. In the mid-1990s, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget decided the IAWW was not a "high-use" waterway in terms of interstate commerce.

Cool weather sailors looking for something that keeps them warm as well as keeps them afloat if they fall overboard may want to consider a float coat. We look at six coats that cover the range of options available waist-length coats, mid-length coats, inflatable jackets, and foam-filled jackets. For the budget-minded sailor, the Stearns Powerboat Jacket offers good value, while the Mustang Integrity rated as our Best Choice. Two other jackets, the auto-inflating Float Tech jacket and the Stearns Windward Jacket earn our recommendation.