Do you have to wear a lifejacket when sailing?

You should, and often you must. In New Zealand every recreational boat must carry a correctly sized lifejacket for each person aboard, and local rules often require them to be worn on small boats. A lifejacket only works if it is on.

Most people who drown in boating accidents were not wearing a lifejacket. Falling overboard is usually sudden and unexpected, and there is rarely time to find and put on a lifejacket once something has gone wrong. Every boating safety organisation in New Zealand advises wearing one.

The rules in New Zealand. The skipper of a recreational boat is responsible for carrying a lifejacket of the right type and size for every person on board, and for making sure they are worn when there is a heightened risk, such as crossing a bar, in rough water or in an emergency. Many regional councils, including Auckland's, have navigation bylaws that go further and require lifejackets to be worn on smaller boats (typically 6 metres or less) whenever they are underway, unless the skipper has judged it safe not to. Rules differ between regions and change from time to time, so check the current rules where you sail.

On a yacht, most crews wear inflatable lifejackets, which are comfortable enough to wear all day. Get into the habit of putting yours on before you leave the berth, the same way you would fasten a seatbelt.

Clip on as well at night, in rough weather, when sailing alone, or when working on the foredeck. A harness, usually built into the lifejacket, with a tether clipped to a strong point or a jackstay along the deck, keeps you on the boat.

A lifejacket must fit to work. Adjust the straps so it is snug, and use the crotch or thigh straps if it has them, so it cannot ride up over your head in the water. Children need lifejackets made for their weight.

Check inflatable lifejackets regularly: the gas cylinder screwed in tightly and not used, the firing head in date, and no damage to the bladder. Have them serviced as the maker recommends.

More in the book: Chapter 11, Safety on board