Keys to the personal safety kit

A successful rescue is always rooted in preparation which George Day has us thinking about in this report for the Cruising Compass:

We’re soon going to be in the spring and early summer migration and offshore event season so our thoughts turn to the gear we’ll need to be safe out there. We’ll need the foul weather gear for the region we’re sailing. Got that. Sea boots. Check. Sailing gloves and a watch cap if the nights will be cold. Check. Headlamp with a red lens. Check. New-last-year PLB with AIS. Check.

And then there’s the most important item, an inflatable PFD/harness with a good tether. Last week we reviewed the new Mustang Atlas PFD which impressed me and made me look at my very old and bulky Mustang unit with a clear eye. It’s going to be replaced.

But just as important is the tether and the hooks at either end. These little bits of gear are the keys to the whole personal safety kit. If you don’t stay on the boat because the hook at the end of your tether failed, everything else is now Plan B. – Full report