Enjoying the Exhilaration and Freedom by Go Boating: Types of Floatation Devices - Literature review Example

 The main reason individuals go boating is for enjoyment purposes; enjoying the exhilaration and freedom that getting out on the water offers is frequently the bottom line. Like any other sport, sailing has its own risks. Incidents of man overboard take place far more regularly than most individuals think. It may also end to the loss of life. In the current five-year research, 15% of man overboard incidents needing rescuing assistance from professional or volunteer organizations came from recreational power crafts. On the other hand, 18% of these incidents were from sailing pleasure crafts. The rest percentage of the incidents was from commercial shipping and fishing vessels. As stated by a report handed out by the Department of Transport in South Australia on recreational boating occurrences, many boat fatalities occurred when individuals fall overboard, even when they fall in calm waters near the shore. Due to this, prevention is better. When on the move, cockpit decks of boats need to be kept clear of tripping dangers always (Brown, 1993). Every crew member, specifically the first timers, needs to be briefed on the places to sit or stand while the boat is on the move. Riding or standing on the gunwales, transom or bow need to be avoided at all. If individuals need to move around the boat that is underway, they are supposed to stay low, hold on with their two hands and have at minimum three contact points with the boat always (Merten, 2009). While the boat is on the move, individuals need to be advised to wear their personal floating devices, specifically during the night and in rough seas (RYA Yatchmaster, 2013). In fact, other types of floatation devices need to be kept at places they can be reached and accessed easily. These devices can be either a fender, lifebuoy or a PFD. In any case, the faster the individual in water can get anything with floatation abilities, the better (Flux and Tupper, 1982). It would be also advantageous if the floating device has an in-built reflective tape, as it may calculate the difference between drowning and recovery for a person if the incident takes place during the night. On the craft equipped with a GPS, the function of Man Overboard needs to be used in marking the area where the individual fell in the sea. As soon as individuals are aware that a person has fallen overboard, a member of the crew needs to be chosen to keep the individual in sight every time and point at that person (Holland and Rainey, 1995). Due to this, the skipper will have an easy job in locating the person in the water throughout the recovery process, especially if they need to dodge the boat through sea waves. If it is during the night, some lighting form like spotlights and torch need to be used. This is because it assists in locating the individual in water and letting them know the area the boat is. If a floating torch is aboard, it needs to be thrown to the individual in the sea. On the other hand, it is worth to put into considerations notifying other boats in the area or rescue authorities by using the radio (De Solminihac, 1991). This depends on the weather conditions. If visibility or weather is a problem, ensuring that other boats know the situation is a good thing. When visual contact of the person in the water cannot be made at the start, the skipper is supposed to navigate a reciprocal course from the present travel direction. A reciprocal course is when the skipper navigates the craft or boat at 180 degree to the direction in which it was heading initially. If the craft has a GPS, it will be easier to navigate, but if the craft is using a compass, the skipper is required to calculate the reciprocal course (McDonald, 1982). If the main course was below 180 degrees, the skipper needs to add 180 degrees so that he or she may find the actual course. On the other hand, if the main course was above than 180 degrees, the skipper needs to subtract 180 degrees from the main course to get the correct course. After the Man over Board is located, he/she needs to be approached from down current or down wind, with the craft going to the waves. This facilitates for better control of direction of the craft, particularly when near the swimmer (Piri, Skatvold and Nash, 2003). After reaching near the individual, the length of line needs to be thrown to a person, ensuring that the length of line is firmly attached to a strong point of the craft. Preferably, the length of line needs to have a loop at the end of the thrown part so that it can be used as a stirrup to enable the rescued individual to step in the craft easily. When rescuing the individual, it is advisable to switch off the boat’s motor to avoid injuries from the propeller when close. The individual should be rescued by the safest and convenient means possible so as to prevent any other individual from falling in the water. On small boats like dinghies, rescuing individuals from the sides need to be avoided to avert possibilities of the boat capsizing (Collins and Landa, 1999). It should be realized that anybody in the water is possibly to weigh significantly more if they are clothed fully and many efforts will be required to bring the individual back to the boat. It may be a hard job to rescue an injured, overweight or elderly individual. If possible, each and every boat needs to be equipped with some ladder, either stowed or transom mounted to deal with a bad event. The event may be having an injured adult in the water with a child or a weak adult left alone on the boat (Schnirel et al., 1975). After rescuing the victim, treatments for any injury need to be done, but especially hypothermia that is dangerous if unrecognized. The rescued person needs to be kept dry, out of the breeze and warm. In addition, the victim should be taken back to the shore immediately if they have the illness or injury signs (Rose and Rose, 2006). Drills offered in Man Overboard needs to be a frequent recreational boating component so that when a person in the crew falls overboard, a correct and precise procedure will be followed swiftly. Sailing is not a dangerous activity and the crew must not be scared. Discussing Man Overboard recovery is important. Sail vessels have different Man Overboard recovery strategies. The first one is deploying a life ring or another floatation device without wasting time (Frye, Hayes and Marshall, 1986). A crew person needs to be appointed to watch the individual in the water and point the position the individual is. The navigator needs to start the engine of the boat and set the vessel head to wind so that it can have less distance from the Man Overboard. The other thing to do is calling every member of the crew on the deck and ensuring that everybody knows what is happening (RYA Yatchmaster, 2013). The navigator needs to make sure that the headsail has been lowered and the only thing deployed is the mainsail. When trying to recover a Man Overboard, removing the less sail out is necessary. The boat should be put in a beam reach angle that allows the skipper some sea room in maneuvering and making himself organized in rescuing the individual from the water (Davidson Jr, 1998). In a big vessel, it is easier for the rescuer to come near the rescued individual’s windward side in the water and make the rescue process on the leeward side. In conclusion, when an individual accidentally falls in the water, there are different survival techniques that a person can use while he or she is waiting to be rescued. If an individual has a life ring or a PFD, it will be advantageous as it will assist in floating. Incase the individual does not have these devices, he or she will be required to tread water or float until saved (Clay, 1998). An example of a floating method is the horizontal back float. This position is comfortable and puts the person’s face out of the water. In addition, it allows the individual to preserve energy. A person lies back motionlessly with the arms outstretched, curving the back a little and enabling the legs to rise horizontally. The other method of floating is back floating vertically. When this position is applied, the whole body does not float on the surface of the water. The body remains underwater, apart from the upper chest and the face. In this method, the arms are stretched out to every side. Incase, an individual, cannot float in any of the stated methods; he or she can exercise survival floating. The individual needs to slant the head back, press down with the legs and arms slowly to bring the mouth above water (Mack and Stavridis, 1999). The individual needs to inhale and hold his breath then flop for a few seconds. The face will be underwater when the legs and arms are dangled. The individual needs to slant the head back and out of the water then exhale. The advantage of this technique is that it needs less amount of energy for someone to float. It is necessary for an individual to remain with the clothes on to assist preventing loss of heat. Clothing may assist in floating. References Brown, J. B. (1993). U.S. Patent No. 5,192,238. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Clay, C. M. (1998). U.S. Patent No. 5,748,080. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Collins, C. K., & Landa, J. S. (1999). U.S. Patent No. 5,886,635. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Davidson Jr, R. M. (1998). U.S. Patent No. 5,779,511. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. De Solminihac, F. (1991). U.S. Patent No. 5,006,831. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Flux, P. R., & Tupper, A. W. (1982). U.S. Patent No. 4,313,236. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Fryer, D. M., Hayes, F. W., & Marshall, R. S. (1986). U.S. Patent No. 4,599,073. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Holland, M. J., & Rainey, M. J. (1995). U.S. Patent No. 5,463,598. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Mack, W.P. & Stavridis, J. (1999). Command at Sea. Maryland: Naval Institute Press. McDonald, C. D. (1982). U.S. Patent No. 4,343,056. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Merten, C. W. (2009). U.S. Patent No. 7,585,197. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Piri, J. L., Skatvold, A. R., & Nash, C. T. (2003). U.S. Patent No. 6,545,606. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Rose, S. & Rose, A. (2006). ‘Man Overboard!’: The HMAS Nizam Tragedy. Forestport, NY: Red Rose Books. RYA Yatchmaster. (2013, May 22). Man overboard. Cruising. Retrieved April 23, 2014, from http://www.rya.org.uk/cruising/handling-sail/Pages/asktheexpertsmanoverboard.aspx Schnirel, D. R., Zimmerman, W. T., Barsell, B. E., & Christensen, C. M. (1975). U.S. Patent No. 3,886,612. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Read More