ICE Plunge Education or let's not DIE!!

[Chrisa006]

I know it is summer and cold isn't an issue but while reading the reefing thread and people talking about tethers I wanted to share an enlightening experience.
It was very warm out and I had just finished a hour workout in a non-airconditioned studio. As I was leaving the owner and a couple of other people had filled a large tub with water and ice. I had never done this and my ego said get in. I got in and sat down with water up to my chin. I couldn't inhale of exhale or speak. Being a sailor I was thinking, if I fell in and didn't have a life jacket on I would never make it through the 30 second shock period you are warned about. The people standing around talked me through the shock period and I stayed in 2 minutes and did it a second time.
Another person got in and wanted someone to take pictures with her phone but couldn't tell us her password due to the cold.

WEAR YOUR PFD OR DIE is what I learned!! Do not be complacent.

[Bill Goldsmith]

Sorry about the formatting--got this from a gov't website.

How long can a person survive in cold water?
Water Temperature Expected Time Before Exhaustion or Unconsciousness Expected Time of Survival
(°F)
32.5° < 15 minutes 45 minutes
32.5–40° 15 – 30 minutes 30 – 90 minutes
40–50° 30 – 60 minutes 1 – 3 hours
50–60° 1 – 2 hours 1 – 6 hours
60–70° 2 – 7 hours 2 – 40 hours
70–80° 3 – 12 hours 3 hours – indefinite
> 80° Indefinite Indefinite

[Chrisa006]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1xohI3B4Uc

A very interesting video!!

[mgphl52]

60–70° 2 – 7 hours 2 – 40 hours
70–80° 3 – 12 hours 3 hours – indefinite
> 80° Indefinite Indefinite

One of the many reasons I like living in Florida... regardless of the 'canes!

[Tom Keevil]

As I understand it, the first involuntary response is to gasp. If your head is underwater and you are not wearing a PFD, that may very well be your last gasp. In our cold water sailing region (WA, BC and AK) we always wear our PFD.

[Steve Laume]

cold water shock is very different from hypothermia. This is common knowledge in the kayaking community. It can also induce heart failure if you want something else to worry about. I have gone in freezing water quite a few times while white water kayaking and have never had an issue. I am not sure if it is something you can train or condition for but I don't think a PFD would necessarily save you. It certainly couldn't hurt.

The only way to avoid all of this is to stay on the boat, Steve.

[John Stone]

We all have to do what we think is right for us based on our skill, our experience, our situation, our philosophy, our circumstances. It’s not my habit to tell someone else what they ought to do. I decide for me. You decide for you.

I have some experience with cold water operations. Even with good gear I don’t like it. Without a wet or dry-suit you won’t last long in cold water. My view on the Far Reach is the world ends at the lifelines. I almost never wear a PFD—in fact I’m not sure if I have ever worn a PFD on board. I wear a rough weather harness when I feel it’s appropriate. I wore it more last trip than previous trips though not all the time. But, I also spent a lot of effort to install 6 3/4” tall bulwarks and 30” tall stanchions to make deck work safer. The bulwarks have to be experienced to truly appreciate how much safer they make the boat. I also live by the motto “one hand for yourself and one hand for the ship.” I think through the choreography of what I need to do to perform any given action. I move carefully and methodically. I keep my body inside the lifelines. I have no obstructions on deck. No dodgers to duck under and no jerry-cans to step around. I have tried to make it easy to stay on the boat and hard to fall off. It doesn’t matter how warm or cold the water is—if I fell off the boat that would be the end. It would be a death sentence.

I do think PFDs are appropriate when they make you feel safer or if you just want to wear one. As a rule I wear a PFD dinghy sailing whether the water is cold or not. I’m not anti life jackets but I am anti people telling me I need safety gear to be safe.

People think I’m being a smart ass when I say “don’t fall off the boat.” But I am being completely serious. It is something I literally say out loud to myself going forward, especially at night. Stay on the boat. Absolutely.

[Neil Gordon]

>>People think I’m being a smart ass when I say “don’t fall off the boat.” But I am being completely serious. It is something I literally say out loud to myself going forward, especially at night. Stay on the boat. Absolutely.<<

I've heard the Captains give the safety speech to passengers, from 3rd graders through whatever, well over 100 times on Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. It always starts this way: "The number one rule on board Clearwater is that you have stay on board Clearwater."

[mgphl52]

"The number one rule on board Clearwater is that you have stay on board Clearwater."

Darn! That makes so much better sense than what I've drilled into my friends:
Always pamper the helmsman!
For many years, my kids thought the 1st rule on KAYLA was "Don't knock over Daddy's beer..."

[Ken Textor]

Well said, John Stone. Alas, there will always be people who want to not only tell you what to do, but some will try to put the force of law into what they prefer. 'Tis life, I'm afraid. In Maine, old timers used to be proud that they didn't even know how to swim. "Just prolong the agony if you fall in," they'd say. Different time, different world. Fair winds to all,

K.T.