Originally Posted By: Dan_McI
I'd make darn sure that I added a survival or "Gumby" suit for everyone on board to that list, if I was that far off shore. A PFD is fine to keep you afloat, but it's not going to do much to save you from hypothermia. Water temperatures near San Francisco are probably well below 70 degrees fahrenheit, right now. Water temperatures around Nantucket are about 70 now. At a water temp of 70, you may have as little as 2 hours before you are unconscious or totally exhausted. You are unlikely to survive two days at that temperature in a PFD.


Actually, your survival odds are pretty good at those water temperatures, as long as the PFD keeps you afloat. Without floatation, you're a gonner once you are unconscious. PFDs significant enhance the survivability factors.:



Add a life raft, as suggested, and once out of the water everything improves. Moreover, the whole idea of the EPIRB and PLB is to get you rescued in hours, not days.

Having said all that, an exposure suit would be a definite advantage, particularly in even colder waters further north, but I can think of few recreational sailors who carry one.

A harness and appropriate safety lines to ensure you stay on board also adds to the equation. No single piece of gear solves all the issues, but a system with belts and suspenders type approach will provide coverage to take care of most situations.
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