Safety Hats?

I've always considered them to be completely unnecessary, ive taught sessions to kids when they both have and haven't been wearing helmets, and the problems come when the kids who have been wearing helmets, no longer have to wear them! The number of boom related accidents increases significantly compared to those who have learnt to duck!

I think when it comes to sailing school insurance, once they have introduced helmets, it becomes very difficult to remove them from the center, as the insurance company will complain no end.

As for creating fear and suspense, perhaps, but when it comes down to it they consider themselves covering their own backs in the event of there being a head injury.

Maybe we need another poll on the matter

Helmets are completely rediculous!  They just make the head a much bigger target for the boom and of course as stated above, don't teach people to duck when they should.  Some things ARE supposed to be learned the hard way and ducking to miss the boom is one of those things.  

Helmets should only be worn when a headcam is on the top

Originally posted by Doug.H Helmets are completely rediculous!  They just make the head a much bigger target for the boom and of course as stated above, don't teach people to duck when they should.  Some things ARE supposed to be learned the hard way and ducking to miss the boom is one of those things.

Try telling that to David Fenech at WSC. He got a crack from the boom so hard that he went to hosptial; there they told him that a repeat episode could leave him with brain damage. He always wears a hard hat now - originally a kayaking helmet, now a hard-shelled baseball cap something like this:

http://www.seton.co.uk/setoneurope/catalog/0/20/200113-2%203 11994-3.html

There are times when the unexpected happens and you get a clout. No point in being macho if your brain can't pick the shifts any longer.

As for not teaching you to duck, that's nonsense - you actually learn to duck lower: yes your head does become a bigger target but you still want to avoid it being hit by the boom...

Of course, I don't actually wear one (!) but that's really only because i've not come across one to buy, or indeed looked on the web for one till now. Wish I'd had one last Sunday when I dived inside an Osprey at a mark on the wrong line - boom wouldn't come across at first pull, then just as I was focussed on steering inches away from the mark, it did. My crew was applying pressure to my bleeding ear from the wire for a bit after that; macho but dumb.

i only wear a bloody bouyancy aid when im racing. i spent the summer training in nothing but a pair of shorts and sometimes a t-shirt. mtfu! a hat for sailing? ridiculous!!!! although i dont blame the guys that wear one on oracles tri.