At the Lowestoft Boat Show we bumped into Paul (Henry) Carter who runs the RNLI Sea Safety Check in the region. Paul visits yacht Clubs and the like talking about safety afloat. Actually it was rather embarrassing, he asked to come aboard the Rescue boat which we were crewing. As Paul came aboard we offered him an auto inflation lifejacket to wear; he promptly inspected it and pronounced it defunct.

“When did you last do a check of your safety kit” he growled. This question caused temporary amnesia to descend as the service label on the jacket was missing. A suitable replacement was produced and the rest of his visit passed without further incident. His offer to visit the boatyard at Brundall and conduct a safety audit was an offer we could not refuse under the circumstances.

We mustered at the boatyard the following Wednesday evening in the Clubhouse; everybody brought their favourite jacket and a few spares as well. In all I think we had about fourteen jackets, the majority under five years old.

Paul carefully opened up each jacket, removing the gas cylinders and examining the firing mechanism. He then inflated each jacket manually and checked the bladders for leaks. It took some time to go through the pile. We were all mortified to discover how thin the bladders were “little more than plastic bags” somebody unkindly suggested. Some cylinders were not tight, the mechanism had fired and the gas escaped without the jacket inflating (caused by damp affecting the chalk pellet which holds the firing pin back). Without unpacking the jacket this was undetectable. Cheerfully the owners had been romping about in small boats secure in the thought that the auto lifejacket would save the day when they missed a footing and went over the side. Five more jackets had pinhole leaks in the bladders and would have lost air very quickly. O.K, they could have been manually topped up but not if the wearer was unconscious. All the straps and stitching was minutely examined lights and whistles got checked. Several jackets got binned, altogether an illuminating evening.

We are approaching lay up time, please take your lifejackets home and have then serviced. Remember when you or your crew eventually fall in, this simple bit of kit is the equivalent of a pilots parachute, it must work, it’s all that stands between you and your memorial service.