No lifejacket in fog?
I was most surprised to see photos of James Stevens, former RYA chief examiner and training manager, pictured sailing with no lifejacket in fog! For several decades the wisdom taught by the RYA was that one should wear lifejackets in strong winds, in dinghies, and in fog, in case you are run down.
Now we recognise that wearing lifejackets should be the rule at all times at sea. Maybe
should issue its photographer with a set of lifejackets for use on photo shoots? I expect that your employer’s liability insurer would agree. Please keep up the good work in your magazine, but do practice what you preach.
Richard Ash
Ed’s note: The photographer always wears a lifejacket. He has his hands full most of the time so that makes perfect sense. For James, though? It’s his boat, there are lifejackets on board, but as skipper, he assessed the risk and made a decision, which is all YM has ever asked of any skipper in this regard: to take responsibility for the safety of boat and crew. Having an iPad on deck running AIS helped him manage the risk and may have been something to do with the decision.