Most Important Safety Equipment

[duker52004]

omg... I am surprised by the glaring omission... BUT: Minimum SIX rolls of quality duct tape... handy for way too many things to list here.

In fact, now that I've mentioned it, all you experienced sailor's are thinking of ways you've used it, or wish you had it when you needed it.

[Trim50]

WD40 & Duct Tape

[oregoncycle]

My 2 cents about safety gear. After doing a several deliveries to Alaska I found that every boat had safety gear but since there was no call for it most items were stored out of the way. I had crew that had never jumped into the water wearing a life jacket. (funny how the impact with the water makes a loose fitting jacket ride up over your head) Spending 15 minutes digging for the bolt cutters while your mast is trying to beat a hole in your hull isn't fun.
So it is not just having the right safety gear, it is the ability to get it quickly when you need it and also that you and your crew have taken time to learn how to use the same safety gear.

[Sandero]

This is kind of a dopey question. It depends on the "emergency" and the conditions and location.

You certainly want to have the ability to stem water entering the hull... plugs, pumps and maybe even something to cover a hull breach. Perhaps even inflatable floatation for inside the hull!

You also want to have reliable communications... back up position finder (GPS) flares EPIRBs personal locator gear, back up lighting, flash lights, search light...flares.

PFDs, harnesses, jack lines,

Water,
lift raft
First aid supplies

and the list goes on and on...

You don't want to have to use this stuff... but a prudent skipper equips his boat with it.

[seasick]

All good suggestions. I find my wife's brain and ears the ones I too, use the most.

I will add, one of those emergency VHF antennas. When run down by a tanker in the Delaware River, our topmast came down with our VHF antenna. This was a handy item to have.
Can't have a big enough manual bilge pump on deck. We once pumped 24-7, for our lives, for two weeks. Spare pump parts, a must.
We ended up making a triangle 6" to the side, connected at each point with a bridle, towed astern 30' and connected to our pump handle. As the triangle jumped in and out of the water, the pump pulled water from the bilge. A bungee cord pulled the handle back. We now use the same jumping triangle to work an agitator on a five gallon bucket washing machine. This design is from an illustration of an old sailing ship.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by seasick

We ended up making a triangle 6" to the side, connected at each point with a bridle, towed astern 30' and connected to our pump handle. As the triangle jumped in and out of the water, the pump pulled water from the bilge. A bungee cord pulled the handle back. We now use the same jumping triangle to work an agitator on a five gallon bucket washing machine. This design is from an illustration of an old sailing ship.

Now that is pretty smart, I'm not so sure I would have ever though of it, but I can see how it would work

[roland stockham]

Don't forget the ground tackle - it's the last thing between you and the beach not just for comfy sheltered coves!

[hamburking]

I have to agree with some previous posters...the most important thing is YOU. Doing the right thing can help avoid needing flares and plugs.

The catastrophic accidents are usually the sum of many other smaller accidents piling up.

The closest I ever came to sinking was from the head valve being left on flush.
The closest I ever came to dismasting was when I neglected to wire the turnbuckles.
The closest I ever came to falling overboard was when I was in a big fat hurry for something unimportant.

I have rules for myself when I sail alone, to keep me safe. I have good practices I always do, even when my crew says not to bother. I carry 3 radios and 2 anchors, and have needed them all at one point or another.

When I crossed the ocean we had to douse the spinnaker in the dark. We had used the jib sheets on it, because we lacked any spare lines long enough to be spinnaker sheets. There was no way to ease the weather sheet far enough to get the sail to luff. Brute strengh was no match to the wind that night. We risked losing one of us overboard trying to get that thing down. Finally, the halyard block at the top of the mast exploded, and down it came, shredding itself on the spreaders on the way. Longer sheets would have been cheaper. Also, flying the spinakker at night was a big mistake. Also, had we turned on the radar, we might have avoided the small storm cell, or dropped the chute before the wind was blowing 25. So many small mistakes piled up to the point where lives were in jeopardy.

[Stumble]

One thing I would add to the list is a 180' spool of 1.7mm dyneema, and a sailmakers needle sized to it. This stuff is strong enough to use as lashing to hold standing rigging together, small enough to sew a sail repair, long enough to use as a makeshift halyard, ext... I go through a spool or so of it a year, and never have any idea what I did with it. But it lives in my sailing bag because you never know.

Just in the last few weeks I have used it as 1) standing rigging lashings, to fix a trailer, to replace a main halyard shackle, chase line while replacing a reef line, and to make a temporary patch in some canvass.

http://www.amazon.com/Samson-Cordage.../dp/B003X499OI

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by seasick

All good suggestions. I find my wife's brain and ears the ones I too, use the most.

I will add, one of those emergency VHF antennas. When run down by a tanker in the Delaware River, our topmast came down with our VHF antenna. This was a handy item to have.
Can't have a big enough manual bilge pump on deck. We once pumped 24-7, for our lives, for two weeks. Spare pump parts, a must.
We ended up making a triangle 6" to the side, connected at each point with a bridle, towed astern 30' and connected to our pump handle. As the triangle jumped in and out of the water, the pump pulled water from the bilge. A bungee cord pulled the handle back. We now use the same jumping triangle to work an agitator on a five gallon bucket washing machine. This design is from an illustration of an old sailing ship.

Post some photos of the jumping triangle! Also I went with a handheld, waterproof, floating VHF radio with GPS for emergencies. Haven't needed to use it yet, but glad I have it.

[FecklessDolphin]

This test

http://www.admiralyacht.com/admiral-...dismasting.pdf

found a hacksaw was as effective as bolt cutters

[Sdwcheney]

"Spot" It satellites provide signals, sends location for a rescue. Anywhere in the world.

[hogHunter]

Originally Posted by oregoncycle

My 2 cents about safety gear. After doing a several deliveries to Alaska I found that every boat had safety gear but since there was no call for it most items were stored out of the way. I had crew that had never jumped into the water wearing a life jacket. (funny how the impact with the water makes a loose fitting jacket ride up over your head) Spending 15 minutes digging for the bolt cutters while your mast is trying to beat a hole in your hull isn't fun.
So it is not just having the right safety gear, it is the ability to get it quickly when you need it and also that you and your crew have taken time to learn how to use the same safety gear.

Very, very good point! A couple of those that I originally listed were only helpful b/c we knew 1. where they were and 2. how to use them.
The through-hull plugs (knowing where they were) and the backup navigation (Navionics on our ipad and phone..knowing how to use it) were two very good examples of these!

[Sardean]

Have a look at the racing rule book category close to what you will be sailing( inshore , offshore, isolated ocean, ocean crossing. Ect) they list mandatory saftey equipment for each category 0 - 5 including what should be in your medical chest to how your boat is to be prepared,and what courses you should complete ( survival at sea, first aid, ect)
Its a very good read.
In racing we comply and take it seriously (we also complain a lot about all this saftey stuff) at least in cruising its not mandatory but you still should think about each item.

In my experience the anchor is very important for cruising.

Sent from my D6653 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Old Swampy]

1) Emergency putty for sealing leaks (sorry I can't provide a make, my container is on the boat four hours away), 2) tapered wooden plugs, 3) knife on the sailor and one taped to the steering pedestal, 4) emergency antennas for the VHF and SSB. 5) Small anchor mounted on the stern railing with associated rode.