Today we look at a case of an empty fishing vessel found floating with no crew and a liferaft missing, after a challenging storm. Such a tragedy of course leaves us wondering sadly, what happened to the crew? Did they abandon ship and die in their liferaft, while the boat made it through the storm safely? Knowing when to abandon ship can be a difficult decision.
But in many cases, the liferaft should be the absolute last resort, because often vessels survive challenging conditions, while liferafts are much more precarious and danA grey/blue watercolour study of an empty Carley liferaft floating on calm water. gerous. One rule of thumb: only get in the liferaft when the ship is sinking beneath you.
Note: Image is a grey/blue watercolour study of an empty Carley liferaft floating on calm water. Artist: William Wyllie.
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