This is the final blog post relating to our current exhibition, Endurance, which closes at the end of this week.
Every year, an estimated 236,000 people drown, making
drowning a major public health problem worldwide[1]. This figure includes in rivers, pools and at
sea. The best way to prevent drowning at
sea is to avoid entering the water, some of the ways to do this are featured in
the exhibition.
This is not always possible and so the object I am featuring in this blog post
is the Fibrelight Self-Recovery Ladder.
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| Fibrelight Recovery Ladders, AIBDC : 009366 |
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| Fibrelight Recovery Ladders, AIBDC : 009366 |
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| Fibrelight Recovery Ladders, AIBDC : 009366 |
This ladder is a rescue device designed for fishing boats or similar craft with solo
or limited crew. The rope-style ladder
is rolled up and contained within a bag which would be attached to the side of
the vessel. This bag has a ‘burst-zip’, this
is a mechanism which remains closed when the ladder is not needed, however, as
the cord is pulled down through the middle of the closure, the zip bursts open
and releases the ladder. The adjustable cord allows the ladder to be
pulled from the bag by a user who has fallen overboard, the bottom of the
ladder falls into the water and the casualty can climb back into the vessel
without any further assistance.
The ladder in use https://cqc.co.uk/fibrelight/fibrelight-ladders/self-recovery-ladder/
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| The ladder in use https://cqc.co.uk/fibrelight/fibrelight-ladders/self-recovery-ladder/ |
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| The ladder in use https://cqc.co.uk/fibrelight/fibrelight-ladders/self-recovery-ladder/ |
The ladder has been
designed for use by a single person and can be deployed in seconds. The ladder
has a width of 600mm and is manufactured in half metre lengths from 1-3 metres,
this example being 1 metre long. It has no mechanical moving parts and as such
requires no maintenance other than visual inspections. The rungs are made of
carbon fibre composite other than the bottom rung which is made of stainless
steel in order that the ladder sinks to a level in line with the user's foot.
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| The ladder in use https://cqc.co.uk/fibrelight/fibrelight-ladders/self-recovery-ladder/ |
The patent for the
design of the ladders was applied for in 2007 by Fibrelight Developments
Limited with the inventors listed as Anthony James Patrick Hobbs and David
Allan Taylor. The ladder is produced and distributed by CQC Ltd under contract
from Fibrelight Developments Ltd and a white bagged version is available for
super yachts. With most super yachts being white in colour this version will
fit in more tastefully, but the bright yellow will be visually easier to see
and manoeuvre to once in the water.
Louise Dennis, Curator
of MoDiP
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