Recently there has been some discussion regarding the use of life jackets when competing in windsurfing events. In particular a member was asking if he could use an inflatable life jacket at the Burrum Windfest.

We have no hard and fast rules written down for this situation simply because there is no specific standard for windsurfing, only recommendations that mention sailboarding and kite surfing (in South Australia only). The Queensland Rules are here www.msq.qld.gov.au/safety/life-jackets.aspx but they do not specifically include windsurfers. In my opinion the most relevant is the description for the PFD 3 for use in smooth waters but until there is a specific standard it's hard for me to make a formal ruling.

In this situation all we can do is apply common sense and this would suggest that it would be unsafe to use an inflatable life jacket in any competitive event. The reason for this is that one of the main threats to a windsurfer for drowning is being knocked unconscious and in this situation you would not be able to inflate a manually operated jacket. If you were to use an automatically inflatable jacket then it would of course inflate whenever you fell in.

WQ requires it's affiliated clubs to enforce the rule that it's competitors use a life jacket but it is up to the organiser to determine the level of protection required. For most events at least a PFD 3 is required as competitors are generally in smooth waters and supervised to an extent by the organisers and fellow competitors.

It is important as competitors and organisers that we abide by these rules as our primary objective is to protect the sailors and organisers at events and if the rules are not followed you are putting yourself, other competitors and the organisers at risk. I have heard accounts and witnessed events where jackets have been shown to be crucial in saving lives.

In the end it is the organisers who make the final decision and there word is final. Please respect this and make sure you follow their rules to avoid disappointment at events.

Regards,

Scot Farley (President Windsurfing Queensland)

Further to yesterdays post I spoke to John O'Brien who had recently been charged with researching the rules for life jackets in the race board category and he referred me to this Yachting Australia document that does actually refer specifically to sailboards.

http://www.yachting.org.au//wp-content/uploads/2013/10/121211-2013-16-special-regulations-part-2-off-the-beach-boats.pdf

In section 5.01.1-5.01.5 it clearly defines the types of life jackets required but this is also relative to the water body, i.e. smooth, partially smooth or open waters and still needs to abide by local laws given the differences in each state.

It also states that inflatable life jackets shall not be used in off the beach boats (i.e. windsurfers) and I have already discussed my reasoning behind this in the last post.

There is also a guide to the appropriate life jacket needed according to certain conditions and water bodies included here www.msq.qld.gov.au/safety/life-jackets.aspx and after speaking to Greg this morning I've taken a closer look at the links in the upper right hand corner of that page which go into choosing the right jacket for certain activities and I've listed some of the content below.

Level 100 – open waters • minimum requirement for offshore use • can be used in open, partially smooth and smooth waters • can be worn when fishing, boating, kayaking and canoeing in all waters • not for use when water skiing, tubing or riding a personal watercraft (PWC) • designed to keep you face up in a floating position when in calm water • bright in colour, sometimes with reflective tape 50

Level 50 – partially smooth waters • can be used in partially smooth and smooth waters • can be worn when fishing, boating, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, wind surfing, water skiing, tubing or riding a PWC • can be worn when riding a PWC beyond smooth or partially smooth waters • may not rotate you to float face up , but will return you to the surface • bright in colour 50S

Level 50 Special purpose (50S) – smooth waters • not suitable for use beyond smooth waters • can be worn when fishing, boating, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, wind surfing, water skiing, tubing or riding a PWC • may not rotate you to float face up, but will return you to the surface • wider range of colours than a Level 50 lifejacket that may be less visible on the water • may include wet suits with built in buoyancy

Inflatable lifejackets – range of buoyancy levels • can be used in the waters allowed by its buoyancy level • can be worn when fishing, boating, kayaking, canoeing and sailing • not recommended for use when water skiing, tubing or riding a PWC • must be gas inflated (must not rely solely on oral inflation) • less bulky than foam jackets, but you must follow the manufacturer’s servicing periods and instructions

My problem is that in windsurfing there are many disciplines and styles of sailing and some suit one type of jacket while others suit another. Thanks to Greg's queries relative to the Burrum event I have started an investigation into the matter and am hoping to work in with the authorities to come up with a national document that we can use when posting events so that at the very least the information is crystal clear so that everyone knows the rules before signing up to an event.

I don't expect this to be a quick process but will keep you all up to date with any outcomes.

Regards, Scot.

Good luck with this .

Been down this road before and its a giant can of worms with no real logic that I could find.

Burrum was the last time I've used a buoyancy jacket but I always wear a helmet.

In the end it was "Let sleeping dogs lie"

^ As soon as there's an insurance claim the dogs start barking.

I wear a Prolimit impact vest most sessions. It has sufficient flotation to float me and also allows me to fly my large water logged cammed race sails when water starting. its protected my ribs from impact with the boom on a number of occasions.

Thought I would throw my 2 cents worth in here, normally I just read with interest. From what I can see on the life jacket specs the only life jacket which will float a person face up is the type 1 (and this is only in calm waters) the type 2 and 3 specs say that they may not float a person face up.
If the object is to stop an unconscious person from drowning then none of the life jackets are 100% suitable, if the object is to make the recovery of an unconscious or dead body quicker/easier, then all 3 are suitable.

From the recreation perspective (that is just getting out and sailing after work on week end etc. not racing in organised events) there are more sailors at my local who don't wear a pfd than those who do, and I would guess that to be the case across the state.
I have been sailing for nearly 30 years, the last 12 (after a major operation ) with a pfd 2. The first 18 without a pfd. The reason for the pfd now is because some days I cramp up easily ( due to necessary drugs) and it makes water starts real easy, but I wouldn't expect it to save my life if I was unconscious. The running joke I have with my wife is that if something happens at least my body will be found quickly. On some locations I still don't wear one, that being Elanda point, I don't consider it a dangerous/hard place to sail, its also only about waste deep.

My thoughts on an investigation are similar to kato let sleeping dogs lie other wise all recreational sailors may end up having to wear them, as is the case (from what I have read on the gov websites) in SA VIC and NSW.

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John340 said...
I wear a Prolimit impact vest most sessions. It has sufficient flotation to float me and also allows me to fly my large water logged cammed race sails when water starting. its protected my ribs from impact with the boom on a number of occasions.

Not legal for racing I,m afraid. Wouldn't meet Burrum's requirements of a life jacket. See can of worms

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kato said..

John340 said...
I wear a Prolimit impact vest most sessions. It has sufficient flotation to float me and also allows me to fly my large water logged cammed race sails when water starting. its protected my ribs from impact with the boom on a number of occasions.

Not legal for racing I,m afraid. Wouldn't meet Burrum's requirements of a life jacket. See can of worms

I've just checked with the event Safety Officer who has advised that it does meet their requirements, so it looks like sanity is prevailing.

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John340 said..

kato said..

John340 said...
I wear a Prolimit impact vest most sessions. It has sufficient flotation to float me and also allows me to fly my large water logged cammed race sails when water starting. its protected my ribs from impact with the boom on a number of occasions.

Not legal for racing I,m afraid. Wouldn't meet Burrum's requirements of a life jacket. See can of worms

I've just checked with the event Safety Officer who has advised that it does meet their requirements, so it looks like sanity is prevailing.

Phew! I'm OK then.

+2 let sleeping dogs lie!! Its a huge can of worms and best left alone. Victoria actually has sensible regulations for recreational use. No Buoyancy vest required for inshore (under 200m from shore ) if wetsuit is worn. Not required in surf sailing. etc. In colder places where one almost always wears a steamer wetsuit, one already has about the same floatation as a type 11 vest. I know this is different up here in steamy QLD where the word wetsuit is not in the windsurfing dictionary!

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John340 said...

kato said..

John340 said...
I wear a Prolimit impact vest most sessions. It has sufficient flotation to float me and also allows me to fly my large water logged cammed race sails when water starting. its protected my ribs from impact with the boom on a number of occasions.

Not legal for racing I,m afraid. Wouldn't meet Burrum's requirements of a life jacket. See can of worms

I've just checked with the event Safety Officer who has advised that it does meet their requirements, so it looks like sanity is prevailing.

I have also been told my impact vest is sufficient for Burrum although i have a made other arrangements if on the day i am told its not, but can't see how a pfd will sit properly while wearing a waist harness....

Feedback from Glen Stanaway from YA would confirm we are on the right tack with the life jacket policy for organised events.

"The YA Special Regulations for windsurfing, effectively a rule that applies to recognised competitions, require that a windsurfer wear an appropriate lifejacket. The options are in the attached extract from our rules. Importantly you may note that windsurfers may wear PFD Type 3 in the old Australian Standard, or Level 50 under the new Australian Standard. These are the type commonly worn by windsurfers and skiff or dinghy sailors. This information should help you for now. If you have any questions please let me know. Kind regards, Glen Stanaway."

Their rulings in section 5.01-5.01.5 in their off the beach boats (which includes sailboards) regulations states you can use a number of different life jackets right down to PDF Type 3 or Level 50, which in most cases are most suitable for windsurfing because they do not cause too much interference or restrict your vision. They do implicitly state that inflatable life jackets "shall not be used", which is only common sense.

Please note that although SA has now ruled that all windsurfers should wear a PFD we do not have that ruling here in Queensland and I will not be pushing to get that ruling enforce here as I believe this should be a personal choice and am only aiming at getting a national document to cover the protection of competitors in organised events.

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WindsurfingQLD said...

Feedback from Glen Stanaway from YA would confirm we are on the right tack with the life jacket policy for organised events.

"The YA Special Regulations for windsurfing, effectively a rule that applies to recognised competitions, require that a windsurfer wear an appropriate lifejacket. The options are in the attached extract from our rules. Importantly you may note that windsurfers may wear PFD Type 3 in the old Australian Standard, or Level 50 under the new Australian Standard. These are the type commonly worn by windsurfers and skiff or dinghy sailors. This information should help you for now. If you have any questions please let me know. Kind regards, Glen Stanaway."

Their rulings in section 5.01-5.01.5 in their off the beach boats (which includes sailboards) regulations states you can use a number of different life jackets right down to PDF Type 3 or Level 50, which in most cases are most suitable for windsurfing because they do not cause too much interference or restrict your vision. They do implicitly state that inflatable life jackets "shall not be used", which is only common sense.

Please note that although SA has now ruled that all windsurfers should wear a PFD we do not have that ruling here in Queensland and I will not be pushing to get that ruling enforce here as I believe this should be a personal choice and am only aiming at getting a national document to cover the protection of competitors in organised events.

Impact vest ??????

[to PDF Type 3 or Level 50, which in most cases are most suitable for windsurfing because they do not cause too much interference or restrict your vision. They do implicitly state that inflatable life jackets "shall not be used", which is only common sense.]

from the guy who is a pain in the arse (your words ) what would the common sense be in wearing a jacket that won,t float you face up ,still dead just easy to find the body, does this glen stanway sailboard and understand all possible issues with sailing. i thought it was funny to see the safety boat with blow up jackets . the funny thing is when you get pulled over buy the water pollice in townsville they wear blow ups

how hard is it to wear a life jacket for your own safety and for the protection of the volunteer organisers and their organisation.

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cammd said..
how hard is it to wear a life jacket for your own safety and for the protection of the volunteer organisers and their organisation.

how does it protect the organizer or volunteers ,if you get knocked out you are still dead unless someone see,s you fall . that not possible other wise kids would not still drown in pools or water holes

you now what i am more worried about, having a accident on the way to sailing or geting in to a fight with a croc or shark i wear a helmet to safe guard against being knocked out .heres a hint if you want to find my body check under the helmet,i probably had a heart atack

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cammd said..
how hard is it to wear a life jacket for your own safety and for the protection of the volunteer organisers and their organisation.

i did want to wear a life jacket ,it was a pfd 50 as per qld regs just a blow up still legal.it was not an impact vest

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grich62 said...

cammd said..
how hard is it to wear a life jacket for your own safety and for the protection of the volunteer organisers and their organisation.

how does it protect the organizer or volunteers ,if you get knocked out you are still dead unless someone see,s you fall . that not possible other wise kids would not still drown in pools or water holes

if you get killed wearing the approved life jacket the organisers will not get blamed for letting you participate and die with a non approved one. They wont get sued for that basic safety issue.

The organisers of any event go to a lot of trouble and face real personal risk from litigation in the event of a problem. Complying with some basic and widely accepted safety precautions is common sense and basic respect.

So again whats so hard about just wearing the approved life jacket. Seems like a no brainer to me just put it on and get on with having a great time.

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cammd said..

grich62 said...

cammd said..
how hard is it to wear a life jacket for your own safety and for the protection of the volunteer organisers and their organisation.

how does it protect the organizer or volunteers ,if you get knocked out you are still dead unless someone see,s you fall . that not possible other wise kids would not still drown in pools or water holes

if you get killed wearing the approved life jacket the organisers will not get blamed for letting you participate and die with a non approved one. They wont get sued for that basic safety issue.

The organisers of any event go to a lot of trouble and face real personal risk from litigation in the event of a problem. Complying with some basic and widely accepted safety precautions is common sense and basic respect.

So again whats so hard about just wearing the approved life jacket. Seems like a no brainer to me just put it on and get on with having a great time.

no malice but tell me were is the difference if you get killed wearing the one they recommend

It seems a really easy decision to me, any individual can either:

1) Comply with the rules and wear the approved safety gear and participate in a Windsurfing Qld and therefore YA sanctioned and insured event and enjoy the insurance coverage and the organisation offered by volunteers and officials covered by the governing body

or

2) Choose not to participate and wear what you like and do your own thing

Simplez!

no difference to you, but a big difference to those left behind. Imagine the enquiry where the organiser is trying explain to the coroner why they let you participate with a non approved life jacket.

The lawyers will rip them to shreds, the insurance will be wiping their hands and the police or coroner will be looking to press charges for negligence. The poor organiser will ruined and no one will ever step up to organise an event again.

So its not just about your safety its about protecting the people who step up to organise events as well. Show them you appreciate their efforts by respecting the rules they set.

I never go out without my lifey. Essential piece of equipment. Lean, muscular, athletic ppl like me don't float unassisted.

That's absolutely right Cam, I don't participate in any organised or competitive windsurfing yet but I used to be on a sailing club committee and we used to get similar questions like "why can't we have crew members in a race that aren't silver card holders?" can you imagine what would happen if that sailor were to drown or be seriously hurt and we'd let him/her race? The insurance companies would be coming after me and my house, there's no way I'd want that so that's why we stick to the rules.

Hey Grich, have a look at some of the level 50 dinghy vests out there. I'm using a basic Huchwilco PFD3 vest at the moment and don't like it because it's just too bulky but I'm going to try the Burke 'One Make' dinghy vest as a more cost effective alternative to the more expensive windsurfing 'brand name' vests, Marlin make a neoprene vest as well that's not very bulky.

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Shifu said...
I never go out without my lifey. Essential piece of equipment. Lean, muscular, athletic ppl like me don't float unassisted.

me to, sailed today with my 12yo we both put life jackets on with out even thinking its just a given.

I got seperated from my gear once in the middle of Waterloo bay during a race and no matter how I tried I couldnt catch it, after swimming hard for fifteen minutes I was stuffed and was glad I had a jacket on. Didnt have to worry about drowning so my full concentration could be focused on sharks.

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cammd said..
no difference to you, but a big difference to those left behind. Imagine the enquiry where the organiser is trying explain to the coroner why they let you participate with a non approved life jacket.

The lawyers will rip them to shreds, the insurance will be wiping their hands and the police or coroner will be looking to press charges for negligence. The poor organiser will ruined and no one will ever step up to organise an event again.

So its not just about your safety its about protecting the people who step up to organise events.

absolutely agree with you and it sucks, but if you do due diligence none of the recommendations will protect you from them people that pray on people to make money my point is that the crash vest in lot of cases are not not pfd and some are. i cannot wear a foam pdf as i am claustrophobic . also i have been saling for over 30 years and can remember lots of times i needed to sink under my gear for safety. i wonder how the wave sailers will in sa will go if follow there new laws. i pulled out of comp just for the reasons you mention but if there was death the wolfs would gather, how sad.

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Paddles B'mere said..
That's absolutely right Cam, I don't participate in any organised or competitive windsurfing yet but I used to be on a sailing club committee and we used to get similar questions like "why can't we have crew members in a race that aren't silver card holders?" can you imagine what would happen if that sailor were to drown or be seriously hurt and we'd let him/her race? The insurance companies would be coming after me and my house, there's no way I'd want that so that's why we stick to the rules.

Hey Grich, have a look at some of the level 50 dinghy vests out there. I'm using a basic Huchwilco PFD3 vest at the moment and don't like it because it's just too bulky but I'm going to try the Burke 'One Make' dinghy vest as a more cost effective alternative to the more expensive windsurfing 'brand name' vests, Marlin make a neoprene vest as well that's not very bulky.

thanks for the advise, problem is it is not easy to get of,ie can,t a zip in the front and easy to get off by my self its a problem ask jeff he might tell you how oversized i am
shifu i use to be skinny once to now i float.

Bugger! now I understand your issue, is it possible to get one of the vest type ones modified/extended on the sides to have a bit more room? Those Burke ones are side entry with a very small zip and basically look like mx armour with a chest plate and back plate.

It's really tough for people who organise events. Like I was saying we used to get it at sailing club, there's no flexibility, you simply cannot go outside the rules or you'll be left hanging in the breeze if something goes wrong.

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cammd said..
no difference to you, but a big difference to those left behind. Imagine the enquiry where the organiser is trying explain to the coroner why they let you participate with a non approved life jacket.

The lawyers will rip them to shreds, the insurance will be wiping their hands and the police or coroner will be looking to press charges for negligence. The poor organiser will ruined and no one will ever step up to organise an event again.

So its not just about your safety its about protecting the people who step up to organise events as well. Show them you appreciate their efforts by respecting the rules they set.

a blow up is still a approved pfd in qld so thats not correct.

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Paddles B'mere said..
Bugger! now I understand your issue, is it possible to get one of the vest type ones modified/extended on the sides to have a bit more room? Those Burke ones are side entry with a very small zip and basically look like mx armour with a chest plate and back plate.

It's really tough for people who organise events. Like I was saying we used to get it at sailing club, there's no flexibility, you simply cannot go outside the rules or you'll be left hanging in the breeze if something goes wrong.

it is tough for those people, thats why , you must completely understand the law when you make a recomendation.i think if i was to modify a jacket that would be against manufactures advise that will still place people in trouble.hope some one reads this and makes suitable jacket for oversize people something else people don,t realize is every kilo of weight added to the board just lifts the planing threshold up, loved to see a 80 kg rider strap on 40 kgs and see the affect in of making rules for me.

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grich62 said...

cammd said..
no difference to you, but a big difference to those left behind. Imagine the enquiry where the organiser is trying explain to the coroner why they let you participate with a non approved life jacket.

The lawyers will rip them to shreds, the insurance will be wiping their hands and the police or coroner will be looking to press charges for negligence. The poor organiser will ruined and no one will ever step up to organise an event again.

So its not just about your safety its about protecting the people who step up to organise events as well. Show them you appreciate their efforts by respecting the rules they set.

a blow up is still a approved pfd in qld so thats not correct.

just over a year ago I went on a extended organised motorcyxle ride around Tassie. The organiser required that an approved offroad motorbike boot be worn . That is not just any approved motorbike boot but one that met an offroad standard. There was no law requiring me to wear that particular standard of boot off road it was just the rules set by the organiser because they determined it was prudent.