K2MSmith
Sustaining Member
Hello All, I plan to do some offshore sailing this spring in good weather so I am looking at what is currently available in rafts in addition to the other emergency/safety offshore gear that is needed.
In our previous shared boat arrangement, we had a membership on a Oceanus 38.1 we had an emergency quick inflatable life raft which was rated as a "coastal" raft, rather than one rated for "offshore". These types of life rafts have their advantages in terms of storage space but I wonder about their reliability. They are not cheap either (esp for the offshore one).
Next option might be to strap an inflatable dingy on the foredeck. I am not sure this is possible on my boat, due to the setup of the jib.. A dingy might also have the possibility of powering it (or maybe even sailing it with a telescopic rig ? - just an idea). Drawback is that it is probably not as safe/stable as a rescue raft.
Standup paddle boards with a survival suit is another idea that crossed my mind. Maybe a survival suit is a good idea anyway whether you have a raft or not ? I'm sort of in the idea stage here on this so any of your thoughts appreciated. If we leave the bay for any great distance, it is likely single hand or with one other sailor - so we need a 2 capacity solution. (which I'm hoping would be a helicopter but can't depend on that in a hurry)...
In our previous shared boat arrangement, we had a membership on a Oceanus 38.1 we had an emergency quick inflatable life raft which was rated as a "coastal" raft, rather than one rated for "offshore". These types of life rafts have their advantages in terms of storage space but I wonder about their reliability. They are not cheap either (esp for the offshore one).
Next option might be to strap an inflatable dingy on the foredeck. I am not sure this is possible on my boat, due to the setup of the jib.. A dingy might also have the possibility of powering it (or maybe even sailing it with a telescopic rig ? - just an idea). Drawback is that it is probably not as safe/stable as a rescue raft.
Standup paddle boards with a survival suit is another idea that crossed my mind. Maybe a survival suit is a good idea anyway whether you have a raft or not ? I'm sort of in the idea stage here on this so any of your thoughts appreciated. If we leave the bay for any great distance, it is likely single hand or with one other sailor - so we need a 2 capacity solution. (which I'm hoping would be a helicopter but can't depend on that in a hurry)...