A great many love to go boating and in the seafaring nation of the UK there is no legal requirement to get training or a licence. It is acceptable to jump in a friends speed boat, for example, and take a turn driving while towing people on a ringo or waterskis. At Get Lost Sailing, we think everyone should do a course if they are using a boat. However, this isn’t always the case and if there is one thing that should be taken from the power boat courses that are available, it is the use of a kill cord.
The kill cord is a safety device that shuts off the engine of open power boats, PWCs and RIBs, should the driver move away from the controls for any reason. This is an example of what it looks like:
The kill cord should be in good condition with good elasticity and a strong inner core to prevent it from breaking. Cheaper kill cords are available without a central core but these should be avoided ideally. Make sure the cord isn’t bleached by the sun as the UV may well have weakened it. You don’t want it to break.
In order to use it, one end of the kill cord attaches to a kill switch on the boat and the other end attaches to the drivers thigh or lifejacket/buoyancy aid as shown on the poster.
This will ensure the engine is shut down when the driver moves away unexpectedly. Don’t wear the kill cord around your wrist as it is likely to get in the way or be pulled out accidentally when driving.
Not using a kill cord can lead to tragedy. An example of this was a horrific accident involving a family in Padstow in 2013 during which two members of the family were sadly killed and others were very badly injured. A newspaper article concerning the events of that day can be seen here and it quite clearly states that the use of a kill cord would have prevented it from happening:
Following on from this accident the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) started their ‘Kill Cord Campaign’ in a bid to raise awareness of the issue.
You can use and share the RYA’s poster any way you wish and if you see anyone not using their kill cord, don’t be afraid to remind them.Sometimes people simply forget.
Have a safe time this summer, please like our page and Get Lost!
#PUTYOURPHONEDOWN
Many thanks to Rachel Andrews at the RYA for letting us share their poster with this article:
