A Word About Non-Brightly Colored Foul Weather Gear
“I have a rant,” wrote Rodney Morgan in the November issue’s Letters. He was talking about foul weather gear.
“While watching the Rolex Big Boat Series on my computer, I saw the crews of damn near every fast boat wearing dark foul weather gear — charcoal and black foulies, to be exact. Because the boats are so fast, maybe the belief is, ‘I don’t expect you to find me, or be able to come back for me.’ That this shit is accepted, I don’t understand.
“This evening, I showered wearing my 50-year-old Atlantis seafarer hood, and it worked perfectly. All I expected, when I purchased the gear, was to be more visible than the freakin’ ocean, should the need arise — marketing be damned. Transit workers wear reflective vests to be seen, but they’re not going 15 knots downwind. It seems odd that this isn’t a sponsorship, insurance and yacht club understanding, as they all stand to lose when the fan soils.
“Pardon my rant.”
What is your foul weather gear philosophy? Do you choose bright colors for safety, dark colors for style, or do you just buy what’s affordable, or accept what’s been handed down? Please comment below.
I guess it is up to the boat or the person to decide on what color fall weather gear they wear I have bright red gear because I want to have a better chance of being seen if I go into the water especially in the ocean or at night
When I was on my sinking ship, the Leviathan, I had my choice of bright yellow or blue to go down with the ship. It came down to which gear I thought would take the waves better and that North Face gear would have been better had I splashed down, locking more water around my body keeping “warmer” Pacific water by the body. I did have my scuba fins, 5mm scuba hood ready, but did not keep the suit close by, which was stupid. There was no “hope” for a rescue from the coastguard, that far out, at that time, and the only hope was a cargo vessel which by the grace of god, showed up in time before it sank.
When you at faced with this, comes down to keeping the water that you warmed already next to your skin.
I guess it comes down to deciding which is more important, your life or your looks!
And also consider the life long scar you leave on the people who were unable to rescue you because they were unable to locate you.
I agree that all the Black Gear can be a danger once overboard. It would be nice to to have some color choice in all brands. I image the issue comes down to stocking and manufacturing efficiency.
I never wear anything less bright than blaze orange on a boat. If I need the foulies, I should plan for a worst case scenario of going over the side. And if that happens I need to be seen before going out of range. Watching the VOR last lap with a crew member going over the side wearing black was soul shaking. I don’t want that to be me.
I wore the bright orange when sailing. The rest of the family never sailed but bought the jackets to wear on land in the wind and rain ashore. The Pacific Northwest has intense rain and wind for work and recreation. That demands high grade protection, even on land. Maybe the cross-over market on shore wants dark colors?
This tends to be a reoccurring “concern.” Keep in mind, what people see, once you are in the water, is rolled up in the collar of your jacket and inside the inflatable life vests while you are still on the boat. Once in the water, only your head and lifejacket is visible, especially as you get tired. 2nd, the gear today is far superior to the gear 50 years ago with regards to freedom of movement and survivability once in the water. And lastly, please don’t minimize the difficulty of finding someone regardless of what they are wearing, once they go overboard. While neon and bright colors in the hood does help and is an important consideration in purchasing gear, even at 15kts (which is slow for today’s modern boats), the amount of time it takes to safely turn a boat around is far more important in determining when and how fast it will take to find someone. Survivability during that time is just as important as visibility when considering what you wear. Further, survivability encompasses the entire ensemble, all the way to your underwear and socks. And lastly, this is a personal choice of the person wearing the gear, and the owner/captain of the boat regarding their safety requirements they wish to enforce for their crew. So ranting is fine. It’s healthy to open up discussion and consider other ideas, but please don’t assume the people who you are “ranting” about haven’t spent an awful lot of time thinking about making it home to their families every time they walk off dry land onto a dock.
Sorry, but the the foul weather gear color doesn’t really matter. When you are in the water the only thing you see is the hood and the inflated life vest. which are all bright colored.
Have fun out on the water. Mahalo.
I wear a yellow jacket and in foul weather I will certainly have the hood up and carry a flash light as well as a whistle or even an air horn.
The real issue is that every little thing that helps in recovery is a positive no matter what it is.
To go off topic, you should not fall overboard in the first place and under even mildly nasty conditions you should be attached to a jack line.
Never thought about color, I just bought what I could afford. But, I was never going 15 knots in any direction!
If you have any sense and wear a PFD then the color of your foulies is irrelevant. Every inflatable PFD I know of has a bright yellow bladder which is what will show. As for night? You need a light since any color in the dark is still dark. Still worried? Get a DSC/AIS beacon so other boats can track you electronically. And while you are at it, after dark you should be tethered to the boat.
Agree that color of PFD is key. Vehemently disagree that inflatable PFDs should be anything but backup to closed-cell foam PFDs. Inflatables with integral safety harnesses’ are good, if you are conscious after being slammed into a shroud or bulkhead and still inflate, assuming you haven’t suffered impact injuries that inflatables don’t protect you from.
I always go for bright colors and consider anything else “camouflage.” My foul weather pants are blue but the jacket is yellow and has reflective strips. They are equipped with a strobe, mirror, knife and whistle.
I also have a bright orange kayak. I want to be seen, not run over! I can’t believe people have what I consider to be camouflage kayaks in blue, green or other dark colors.
My gear is a reflective white with 3m reflective bands around the chest and arms. Plus I have bright yellow PFDs.