We got up early to check everything in preparation to leave Tin Can Bay to start heading back to Brisbane. Pulled out the life jackets and lay them close by to put them on when we start crossing the Wide Bay bar. The weather was good. What can go wrong? Nothing!?
Glenn is concentrating while going through the shallow water as we leave the creek we were anchored in. Sonja’s sitting quietly next to her life jacket, playing on the phone. Then it happened: a sudden bang, a piece of plastic flew through Sonja’s hair and loud whooshing started, then another bang and more plastic flew.
Should we duck for cover? Where to hide? Sonja’s lifejacket had activated itself and was inflating. The AIS man overboard beacon, attached to the jacket, had activated itself and the MOB alarms on the boat were going crazy, getting louder and louder. Glenn can’t react to stop the alarm or deactivate the beacon as we’re going through shallow water with little room to manoeuvre. Sonja doesn’t know what to do with it. Finally silenced the alarm, but the frustration was growing on how to turn off the AIS beacon – boats within about 3 miles would also be getting the man overboard signal. Eventually we stopped it.
We never thought that the lifejacket would activate itself inside the boat and you would need to stop the alarm. At least we know the AIS man overboard beacon works.
Sailing Songa 