With sea boots and foul weather gear full of water, I stepped onto the bottom rung of the life raft’s boarding ladder and tried to stand up. Nothing.
Groping at the inside of the raft’s door, I urgently searched for a handle that I knew was there but couldn’t see. When I finally got ahold of it, I was able to use the ladder and my upper body strength to make some headway through the door. The only problem? My inflated PFD was so big it kept getting caught as I tried to climb in.
After multiple attempts, and in a moment of frustration and desperation, I gave it one big pull with my arms and push with my legs. I was in. Read more.
