Sailing Umavideo
We spent the night in an old Life Raft — Sailing Uma [Step 228]
30 July 2020 · 36 min · 483K views
What this video covers
The crew of the sailboat Uma replaces an expired 2009 Viking life raft after failing to find a service center willing to recertify the unit.2:10 They purchase a new Viking Rescue U Pro 4-man life raft, mounting it on the stern rail with a pressure release valve to ensure automatic deployment in a capsize.3:08 To test the capabilities of the retired raft, the crew inflates it while anchored and spends a night inside to evaluate its interior space, ventilation, and emergency equipment.4:17 The experiment reveals that the nine-year-old raft remains buoyant and stable, though internal components like batteries and adhesive in the patch kit have degraded.33:52 The crew discovers the raft’s water ballast bags effectively prevent capsizing, requiring significant effort to flip the unit during testing.34:12 They conclude that the standard survival kit lacks essential items such as Mylar blankets and adequate lighting, prompting them to supplement their new raft’s inventory with a custom grab bag.34:54
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