Don’t neglect your life jacket – you might need it!
Poorly maintained, neglected and unsuitable lifejackets figured highly among safety breaches noticed by marine inspectors who carried out boat ramp inspections at Noosa this week.
The inspectors spent the day at the Thomas Street boat ramp offering safety tips and advice to a constant flow of boaties heading out to enjoy perfect spring weather.
To their credit most boaties were extremely well prepared for their outings but there were a few extremely worrying exceptions.
In one case a boat owner was found to be carrying a kapok (cotton wadding) lifejacket dating back to the sixties – more suitable for a museum than an emergency.
Other jackets had clearly been left lying around for years with perished fabric, broken straps and torn coverings.
While some jackets were in good condition they were unsuitable for the trip. For example, heading out to sea relying on a PFD type 3 life jacket which is designed only for short outings on smooth water.
The inspectors also noticed several boats not having adequate all-round white lights and coming up short on safety gear requirements such as unregistered EPIRBs and expired flares.
Boat ramp inspection days are a regular Maritime Safety Queensland safe boating activity and inspectors will return to local ramps to give more advice and tips during the holiday period.
Remember to keep life jackets where they can be easily reached and wear them whenever there is a heightened risk or when boating alone or at night.
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