Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

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Part 5: Staying Safe Afloat
Type III PFDs are soft foam
vests that are comfortable to
wear. They provide insulation
on cold mornings, too.
(Photo credit: Stearns Mfg.)
The disadvantages of type III jackets: In rough water, they float low and you may have a
hard time breathing as waves splash in your face. They also do not turn unconscious users
right side up.
Type IV is not a jacket at all, but either a throwable cushion with straps or a foam life ring.
At least one is required aboard all boats over 16 feet long. The idea is to throw this to
someone who falls overboard without a regular life jacket, giving him something to cling
to until you get the boat to him. The throwables are not intended to do much more than
that.
Boat Bytes
There are also life vests for dogs (the small ones also fit most cats), recommended
if you take your pet offshore with you. Dogs have a way of going overboard
when you least expect them to, and the jacket helps them stay on top of the water
and makes them easier to see. Inshore, don’t worry about it—just about any dog
can swim to any land within visible range. (In the Florida Keys a few years back,
a Lab went eight miles after falling off a boat beyond the barrier reefs.)