Training at the safety training center (Patreon)

I just wanted to share this quick video with you. While in Finland we did a day in the "simulator hall" of the Maritime Safety Training Centre. The big pool has a wave machine and a bunch of things that you can do/try. You can try rescuing and getting rescued in various ways. It's probably as realistic as it can get in a "safe" controlled environment, there's wave and wind machines and they will turn the lights off for some of the drills.

We practiced getting into a life raft, rescuing people onto the sailboat, trying to get onto the sailboat via various crappy ladders, rescuing people onto a rib, rescuing people onto a pier, swimming around in drysuits/PFDs, boarding a ship (pilot ladder), getting hoisted into a helicopter, and the last things was couple of minutes in the "hypothermia pool" (water temperature just above freezing).

We wanted to concentrate on participating/learning so I did not shoot any better video than this. But if you are a boater and have a chance to attend a training like this I highly recommend it! Most of all I think it was a good reality check on how hard these things are. Better not fall over board.

I am not sure if this kind of a thing is widely available though, this was a government facility and they normally train people for commercial certificates etc. Very nice that they have a few courses per year for leisure boaters as well