Life Lines for Children to Attach to Life Jackets

[the_cowper]

Dave & I are always very nervous taking our grandkids out sailing and unless they are below deck or sitting in the cockpit, are pretty much scared sh*tless. does anyone know of a safety harness that we could use to attach them to the life lines on the boat. This would allow them to sit up top on a nice day and really begin to enjoy sailing.

[mikefp60]

Child size auto inflate PFD with D rings and a safety line. West Marine, Budget, McGregors etc.. All carry this type of product. Get ones with fleece in the back of the neck or they will hate them and not want to wear them. Not cheap, but peace of mind.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by the_cowper

Dave & I are always very nervous taking our grandkids out sailing and unless they are below deck or sitting in the cockpit, are pretty much scared sh*tless. does anyone know of a safety harness that we could use to attach them to the life lines on the boat. This would allow them to sit up top on a nice day and really begin to enjoy sailing.

Search "jacklines" and you will find threads. Google "child sailing harness" and you will find more.

Also, a long post here: Sail Delmarva: Climbing Gear for Sailors; or Jacklines and Harnesses for the Unemployed

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by the_cowper

Dave & I are always very nervous taking our grandkids out sailing and unless they are below deck or sitting in the cockpit, are pretty much scared sh*tless. does anyone know of a safety harness that we could use to attach them to the life lines on the boat. This would allow them to sit up top on a nice day and really begin to enjoy sailing.

And don't clip anyone, including kids, to lifelines; they are not suitable for the purpose. They are not in the right place nor are the suports strong enough.

[mikefp60]

Good point thinwater!!!!! Trust your life to a jackline.... not a lifeline.

[Kashmir cat]

We don't have kids but we do have dogs. A big worry for us is a dog slipping under the lifelines and overboard. I would think that a small child or adult for that matter could easily do the same. PFDs and harnesses are great, but securing the deck by either netting on the lifelines or Textilene fabric panels (see attached photo) really can add to your peace of mind. In addition, we put Pool Safety Turtle transceivers on the dog collars so if they do go overboard, an alarm is activated on the boat. These Pool Safety Turtles were made originally for kids to wear as a wristband that activates an alarm if they fall into a pool. They also work great as a dog/kid overboard system on a boat, and they are pretty cheap too.

[Winter River]

Originally Posted by mikefp60

Child size auto inflate PFD with D rings and a safety line. West Marine, Budget, McGregors etc.. All carry this type of product. Get ones with fleece in the back of the neck or they will hate them and not want to wear them. Not cheap, but peace of mind.

It's my understanding that autoinflate PFDs are only approved for people over 16. If the kids are young enough to be required by law to wear a PFD, an autoinflate one, even if it fit properly, would not be legal. I had this discussion a couple years ago with a member of the Coast Guard Auxilliary who does the Vessel Saftey Checks. My kids are now in that in-between age, old enough not to be required to wear a PFD at all times, but not yet 16. We still have them wear a PFD, but bought them autoinflate models to wear when the conditions are benign. We have plenty of standard vest style PFDs on board for when we want those.

If anyone knows that what I was told is false, or that the rules have changed, please tell me!

Kashmir Cat, love the pool safety transponder idea. I'll be looking into getting some.

[the_cowper]

Thanks for the great ideas will check out the pool alarms also.
Helena

[LuvToSail]

We use jacklines and harnesses we puchased at WM at sea if there is any significant weather around and the kids want to go forward. The harness are made from webbing but do the job. They are worn under a standard pdf.

We have our kids take swimming lessons a few times a year so that they are able to swim with a life jacket...I would suggest encouraging the children's parents to do the same.

If you are at anchor (or very calm seas and winds and you are comfortable with and have precticed a rescue MOB procedure) and the kids have pdfs on and they can swim/float with a pdf, they should be safe to roam the deck. It might be worth practicing!?
If you can pull it off in a safe setting with an adult ready to jump over to assist and another adult ready to heave the boat to...this will truly improve the safety of the crew.