Thank God for our good entry port and other seam closures too: double sealed, zippered tight, and with sewn back-up ties. Little Velcro closures have been cursed by survivors since the Baileys' 119-day drift in 1972. A modest breeze can blow an entry closure open if secured only with Velcro. Even glued-on ties can get ripped off. If waves toss you or your gear out, or if they leave you awash and steal your heat, you can start listening for the end-of-your-life alarm. Speaking of which, we have tied all the gear in haven't we? The raft does have good handholds and secure attachment points, right? Okay, then, hang on.

Now don't freak out if this thing capsizes. We can right it, and with some practice we can right it without getting out. But we want to stay upright if we can. So many raft experts spend endless time arguing over what makes the most stable raft design – the huge Givens ballast bag, the Switlik doughnut-like torroidal system, or the common multiple ballast bags – but raft stability is only one important issue when considering a raft, and that stability depends on a lot of factors.

Steven CallahanBeginning in 1978 NMI (National Maritime Institute, renamed British Maritime Technology Ltd. or BMT) in the United Kingdom began stability tests on life rafts in winds to hurricane force, including wind tunnel tests on model waves and model rafts in wind/wave tanks. These were followed by sea trials in conjunction with the Icelandic government in winds reaching Force 9, then more model tests, and finally more sea trials. Although each program had its limitations and none included any Givens-type ballast bags or Switlik's torroidal system, the tests included many manufactures, shapes, canopy styles and ballast systems. Results of all the tests reinforced one another. We can only interpolate results as they relate to rafts in general, and hope for further comparative testing.

'C'EST LA SURVIVE'

Both waves and wind cause life rafts to capsize. Water ballast pockets help resist capsize – the more, the merrier – but this is not the complete answer. Raft shape, wind under the floor, canopy shape, the loading of occupants, water ballast and sea anchors all influence stability.

Bows of square and rectangular rafts tend to dig in to waves as rafts are pushed downwind, particularly when the windward side is lifted by wind or breakers. Our raft is round and slides forward easier. Then again, when conditions moderate, our round raft will only allow one of us to stretch out flat in the center, whereas a rectangular raft would allow several of us to lie side by side. Oh, my, why does everything have to be a compromise? C'est la survive.

To help stabilize the raft, let's all huddle up here and hang onto the secure handholds on the windward side, lifting the bow more on the downwind side, and preventing the now-screaming wind from getting under the floor on the upwind side and flipping us. In addition, let's make sure the tubes are properly inflated. Some have argued that keeping tubes soft aids stability. Perhaps, but it also places huge loads on the material as the sea yanks the raft about. Some also promote keeping water in the raft, but this would stress our bodies more, and when the raft pitches, the water would slosh to the low side, reducing stability right where we would want to enhance it.

The wind is also trying to make our canopy into a spinnaker, so yank the canopy down on the windward side to prevent it from bellying up and creating overturning lift. It's also a good thing the sea anchor attachment is opposite the entry port so the entry faces downwind. Otherwise wind and breaking waves would attack the entry directly. If the wind breaks through an entryway facing upwind, it will turn the canopy into an overturning sail. If we let breaking waves crash through our entryway, they would fill our cave, steal our heat, steal our gear and quite probably even rip the canopy right off.

'MOST ARE DOGS'

Right now we enjoy the low, rounded profile of our canopy support tube, which reduces our windage. In calmer seas we'd prefer higher, squarer canopy support tubes, which would allow more of us to sit up. The Switlik coastal canopy offers the greatest flexibility in design. Its ends are secured to the tubes to provide reasonable security in heavy seas, but in lighter going the midship canopy can be completely removed and the ends rolled down in various combinations to provide ventilation, work space, or, with only one end erected, sail area.