[Public-list] Lifesling

Mon Mar 21 09:32:30 PST 2005

Mike ;
    Thank goodness you asked a question like the last one before the event.
    We have had some experience trying to get bodies into boats over the years
and it is never easy, particularly if the person is unconscious. We had the job
of getting an unconscious person into a small Boston Whaler (i.e. low freeboard,
which should make it easier, but not so),  and found that the weight transfer
trying to drag a limp, dead weight into the boat meant that one person had to
hike to the off side to balance weight and  allow only one person to pull. If
our son had not been in the water and a wrestler, so very strong, we would have
lost our daughter. He had to get his arms under her and her life jacket, grab a
gunwhale and lift / roll her  down his armsand over the edge of the boat. We
figured she weighed about 200 lbs at the time,  with about 75 lbs of extra
weight in boots, clothes and  water in her cool weather clothes and heavy
sweater. We also had to help with a rescue in the Welland Canal and partially
did the wrong thing for lack of forethought, but did save the woman. I have
thought of this a lot, to sort out details for next time.
    There is no way, except by a lift,  that you will get an injured or
unconscious person  from the water into a sailboat. Having extra people in the
boat will help greatly. The main thing is to remain calm, cool and collected.
Remember the slogan for the order of doing things to rescue people in the water:
Reach, Row, Throw and Go. Try to avoid the last one if possible to avoid going
down with them. Knowing the proper approach if in the water, with correct dives
and from behind, with life saving carries will also help. You may have to fight
the person into submission if they are paniced. Having a ladder will help
getting a fit body out of the water. If you have an inflatible and extra help,
consider a two step lift, first into the dinghy and then into the boat. It will
decrease the panic of the lifted person. However, wind and water conditions may
make that dangerous too, and once you have them well into a lift it may be just
as easy to go into the big boat.
    BOAT HANDLING  is key in these situations. (Our event in the canal was in
extremely gusty wind  conditions and at the location we were in,  the canal
walls were about 8 feet high. I did manage to get to a wall and drop a  line and
ring buoy to the person, but should have walked the boat back to her with the
ladder down for her. We also radioed for help and had canal, police and fire
crews there in less than  2 minutes. Also in the radio call was the comment to
not close the gates or open any valves for the lock gates as this woman was
within 70 feet of the gates. (Lifeslings and open horseshoe buoys, for whatever
reason,  are not Coast Guard approved in Canada).   I was new to both the boat
and canal so not the greatest of boathandlers at the time, nevertheless, it was
difficult to manage in a restricted area bounded by concrete,  having to do so
without using the propeller for safety of the body and the restriction that we
cannot sail in the canal!
    On our Alberg we now have a flexible nylon choker that is 1" x  48" long
that has two loops, one on each end. It is a standard riggers choker and cost me
about $10 at a rigging shop. Working load is about 4000 lbs on a staight pull;
the recommended safety factor when lifting bodies is 10:1.  I also have a
Ronstan part that they used to make for a vang attachment. It has a nylon strap
and 2 thin metal hooks that fit into the groove of the boom and also has a D
ring for attachment of a block. I would use that for the lifting site. Failing
that, I would use a mooring line with the eye very close to the boom( we only
have 5/8' mooring llines on #528) and secure it around the boom with several
wraps  and a clove hitch to avoid slippage. I would also use the 4:1 tackle that
we use for the vang. It has two Wichard snap lock coupers to fix it to the D
ring and inside track car for the vang. The lower snap shackle is big enough to
hold the 2 loops of the choker. It also has a jam cleat on the one block (but
this will not be of much use on a lift since it is on the lower block).   From
our local Hydro elecrtic company and their safety programmes, I learned that any
choker that is around a back and under armpits and fairly tight will not let a
body slip out, regardless of whether conscious or not. (They need to have a way
to lift workers out of the buckets on the hydraulic lift arms in the event of an
electrocution). There are all sorts of lifts that are illustrated with bowlines
on a bight that are meant to lift bodies. Try it and see how hard they are on
you as a lifted body. If you are trying to get someone into a dingy, any line
under their armpits and around their back ( larger diameter is better) will help
greatly. If you cannot find a suitable system to attach separately to a boom, I
would consider using an extra good snap hook on the main sheet blocks to the
traveller car so that it could be released for such a lift in the emergency.
(Mention was made of fatigueing pop rivets on booms  last week on this site.
Make sure you replace the pop rivits with 1/4" bolts on the plates at both ends
of the boom and that the bolt that holds the stainless strap on the outer end of
the boom is not worn and the nut is secure!) You might also want to consider
line routing and jamb cleats so that you may  use a snatch block in some
location to allow you to take the line to a winch, thus you get added mechanical
advantage and no slippage if you have a body in the air.
    Extra help aboard can be used to hold the boom over the side of the boat,
attach a halyard to the outer end of the boom for extra safety  and control the
topping lift length. This may need to be used to lift the whole works up further
to get a tall person over the lifelines and thus the halyarrd may be taken to a
winch for help. Certainly any control line that can be run from the boom to the
car on either side track will decrease the rate of swing once the body is in the
air and coming in over the side.  If you route  to a winch, then you can have
less strong people help with the lift.
    Something to think about for sure. It is not easy being left as a
singlehander to get bodies out of the water, particularly if you fall in and
your wife has to do the lift!
Remember it ususlly takes one person to concentrate on BOAT HANDLING and that is
often a full time bit of concentration. Then the sails need to come down and be
controlled, a figure 8 course for pick- up, body location and actual sighting on
the return, approach on correct side, prop under control,  wind, waves, gear to
find and attach, then deploy and use! Having equipment is only the first step in
a long process of thought and practice. With all of the  cruises, and all of
the  participation in the Chesapeake, this might make a good summer afternoon
contest, albeit under fine conditions near an anchorage.
Don #528


"Meinhold, Michael J" wrote:

> We need to replace our throwable float. I have seen the LifeSling on a
> number of Albergs. Would anyone be able to answer a few questions about
> them?
>
> What are the benefits of a hard case vs soft case?
>
> Has anyone actually hauled someone aboard with one of these?
>
> Where would one attach for a hoist?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
> Rinn Duin #272
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: public-list-bounces at alberg30.org
> [mailto:public-list-bounces at alberg30.org]On Behalf Of Brian Hofler
> Sent: Monday, March 21, 2005 9:27 AM
> To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all
> Subject: RE: [Public-list] Zincs
>
> Thanks Mike...I found the item at West...
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: public-list-bounces at alberg30.org
> [mailto:public-list-bounces at alberg30.org]On Behalf Of Mike Lehman
> Sent: Monday, March 21, 2005 5:11 AM
> To: public-list at alberg30.org
> Subject: RE: [Public-list] Zincs
>
> Brian,
>
> You will need to connect the zinc electrically to the engine. A zinc on the
> rudder will not do much good. Most of us use a zinc on the end of the shaft.
> What I did was to replace the prop nuts with a nut/housing made to take a
> zine. The housing is locked onto the shaft with a cotter pin, then the zince
> fits over it. I think I bought mine at
>
> www.westmarine.com
>
> search for item #:
>
> 004_122_003_003
>
> Mike Lehman
> ~~~_/)_/)~~_/)~~~
>
> ----Original Message Follows----
> From: Brian Hofler <bhofler at shaw.ca>
> Reply-To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all <public-list at alberg30.org>
> To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all <public-list at alberg30.org>
> Subject: [Public-list] Zincs
> Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 20:57:43 -0800
>
> Where are the zincs located on A30's. This is the first time I have taken
> our boat out of the water since purchasing her last fall. I can see no
> evidence of a zinc on the shaft, aft of the prop, or elsewhere on the hull.
> I am considering bolting a zinc right through the rudder, the type that is
> domed about 3-4 inches in diameter. Any problems in doing so? Any other
> suggestions?
>
> Thanks
> Brian - Putachieside - 496
>
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