This lifeboat can hold up to 40 people and is made to withstand waves and ugly weather.
One of the first things to be done upon leaving the dock is to go over the safety procedures and protocol (sounds like I’m getting your ready for a lab). Anyway, being prepared for what you may need to do in the event of an accident, a fire, if someone falls overboard or if the ship itself is sinking. The Drake Passage, which we will be crossing, is one of the most turbulent stretches of water on the planet. Swells (waves) can reach 40 feet or more.
All strapped in.
Pete, the first mate, is up in the driver's seat as we simulate an evacuation.
As Andre Fleutte carefully works his way to the exit you can appreciate the close quarters that exist inside the capsule.
Every cabin is equipped with enough life preservers and Gumby suits.
This is the Mustang survival suit that is in each cabin on the ship. There is lots of room to throw a hat, gloves, and maybe a couple other things in there with you.
One look at those survival suits and you will see why they named them after Gumby. They aren’t terribly comfy, but that is likely the last of your worries if you are running for your life. The ship is equipped with two of these lifeboats. Each can hold up to 40 people. It is built to right itself so that if it capsizes it will bob back upright. That’s great, but I try not to think of the scene as it spins a full 360! There is also a control panel so you can drive it near safety. There are also six smaller rafts that automatically deploy when they hit water. Interesting but scary ship sinking fact: If you sink, you will want to be near a shipping lane to increase the likelihood that you will be spotted and rescued. Your chance of survival dropped qualitatively after 48 hours. If you haven’t been found after two days, your survival odds drop significantly every hour. Makes sense, if you fall off your bike or your car breaks down, you’d rather be in a place where someone will spot you and help you out quickly. Same goes for the high seas.
These smaller white cylinders are life rafts designed to deploy when they hit the water. There are six - three on each side of the ship next to a lifeboat.
Steve Rupp is doing his best to extract himself gracefully and not hit his head. Like I said, these are compact vehicles.
Here is the control panel inside the lifeboat.