Once the life raft is launched and inflated, it can be brought alongside a sinking vessel for the crew to transfer directly into the life raft without jumping into the sea.
At this point, the larger the opening, the better. However, once everyone is in the life raft, the optimum opening size changes. If the abandon-ship situation includes fire or rapid sinking, it may become necessary to enter the water before entering the life raft, and the best method is to jump in close to where the painter can be grabbed and work your way to the life raft rather than attempting to swim to it.
Clothing and a PFD can make climbing into a life raft cumbersome.
Crew weakened by cold water and encumbered by the stress of a survival situation are often exhausted when it comes time to get into a life raft. Our professional yacht captain/ex-naval officer and in-the-water evaluator, Eric Naranjo, ranked boarding aids as the most important safety feature on a life raft: A life raft doesn’t do you any good if you can’t get in it, he said.
For more information on how to select the right life raft, puchase and download Practical Sailor’s ebook, Survival at Sea, Volume 1: Life Rafts today!
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