Sea Survival and Offshore Safety

This past weekend I drove south to the isle of Cumbrae in the Clyde. Along the way I passed through amazing scenery of hills & forests, along lochs & coasts. It was great to be able to drive and see a bit more of scenic Scotland. It was also a fun experience to be sitting in my car and experiencing the feeling of bobbing along on the sea, as I took a ferry to my destination. My car was at the front of the ferry and got sprayed by the waves a few times. It was great!!!

The purpose of my journey was to take a course in Sea Survival and Offshore Safety. It was an educational experience and I met a good group of people. I got to set off flares (do not look directly at the flare, you will be seeing spots for awhile) and experience first hand how hard it is in full gear to get into a life raft. In the calm, warm water of a pool it is hard enough to climb in, but I can barely imagine what it would be like with the sea raging and the body numb from cold. When we first got into the life raft "dry" I thought it was like a tent and it might be like camping on water. In real ocean conditions, it would be a washing machine flipping you around, while trying not to be violently sick. A lot of times people desert their vessels when they are still afloat, but my advice is don't leave your vessel until the last possible moment, because even if the deck is awash with water, it is still a more pleasant place to be than in a life raft. It is just common sense, really :-)

So, always wear a life jacket and don't hit any rocks and you should be fine.

Ahoy!