Dwight;
In the US all boats over 16 ft need to have a USCG Certified Type IV throwable flotation device. It can be a life ring, a horseshoe buoy, a floating cushion with handles - there are a lot of devices which carry the USCG certification. The point is to have something that can be thrown to a MOB to help keep them afloat. I looked up the Transport Canada requirements, and they are quite different. A "Lifebuoy" must be a ring at least 20" diameter with rope handles. A SOLAS lifebuoy is at least 30" diameter. No other device is allowed to be considered a lifebuoy. Below 6 meters (19 ft for us southerners) you need a floating throw line at least 50 ft long. From 6 to 9 M you need a throw line or a lifebuoy with an attached throw line. From 9 to 12 m you need a throw line and a lifebuoy with throw line, and above 12 M you need two lifebuoys - one with and one without a throw line. It strikes me there is a different intent of the US and Canadian requirements. In the US the intent is to provide flotation assistance for the MOB. In Canada, the required devices seem intended to get someone back aboard the boat. When reading your post below, and before I looked up the TC requirements, I was going to ask why throw the life ring and line over? Isn't the line going to become a problem for maneuvering and potentially get fouled in the prop or rudder when you approach the MOB? And once the MOB has the ring and the line, how is he supposed to get the line back to you so you can haul him aboard the boat ? (Which may be why TC requires Both a ring and a second device on boats over 29 feet.) I have half a dozen or so Type IV cushions, and if they are out in the cockpit (never when racing) they go over for flotation. But I would still chose to keep the device with the recovery line attached (in my case the Life Sling) on the boat until I can get back to the MOB to pick him up. Rick From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of dwight veinot Sent: Friday, May 24, 2013 9:26 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Re: Stus-List MOB recovery procedures My first action would to be to deploy the life ring with attached floating line so the MOB had something to catch onto and keep him afloat, then the position marker or MOB pole if there is one onboard.I am not sure a MOB pole is required but a life ring is required by Canadian Coast Guard standards
_______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
