Life raft training

We acquired a Windsor life raft years ago, before we set off for the Caribbean for the first time.  We have been faithful in having it serviced and re-certified (there's an expiration date), and that was, by coincidence, due this month, March of 2022.  When we brought it to Sea Safety Services at Clarke's Court Bay, the co-owner, Donal Kavanagh, offered to give us some training around its proper use.  He spent about 45 minutes with us, going over the life raft itself, but much more importantly, he gave us a very clear picture of how to up your chances of surviving an incident (the loss of the main ship) using one.  There were four things - everything else, he says, is "extra" (for morale, or a modicum of reduction in discomfort) - that, taken together, give a very good chance of survival. One, the life raft; two and three, which are really equal "two", the EPIRB and water; and four, taking care to clip yourself (with life jacket, of course) to the painter on the life raft, secured to the ship until everyone is safely aboard the raft.  It's all very logical; without water, you have a very short window; without the EPIRB, it will be random chance that someone finds you.  He helped us see clearly that those are the two things in the ditch bag - the SOLAS requirements (for flares, for example) don't really play out in "the real world".  It turns out everyone (us included) keeps the EPIRB at or near the nav station, but where it belongs before setting off on a passage is in the ditch bag that will ALSO be clipped to the painter and brought to the raft.  And the jerry can(s) of water can just ride along until you go on passage, when they need to be handy to the raft and the ditch bag.

May we never need any of this information - but it was pretty reassuring that even if SAR took a little while to find you, they almost certainly WILL find you before the water runs out - as long as you have water!.  And hearing where the raft will be, and how you get to it safely (and that the strongest person should always GO FIRST, never mind that women and children thing) was also very helpful. Thank you, Donal - if you need dinghy or life raft services in Grenada, highly recommend.

P.S. Donal told a sweet story about his then-very young son asking about putting his "pookie" into their ditch bag; since then he has agreed that a morale-improving item would be important to consider, and Pooh was very relieved to hear it.