Page 15 - Osprey Binder

2.0 Introduction

The need for an effective method of ensuring that racing drivers who participate in
boats that have harness restraints with or without enclosed cockpits was highlighted
soon after the sport changed in the late 1980s when the norm for race boats was not
to have harness restraints. There were numerous incidents during crash sequences
where the driver was either thrown from the boat or impacted the steering wheel or
the surrounds of the cockpit causing serious injury and, in frequent cases, death.

The upshot of the danger was that the Harness Restraints (Seat Belts) were
introduced and further on the enclosed cockpit became the norm. The problems that
arose from the introduction of these items was that drivers now had to release the
steering wheel, undo the harness buckle, open the cockpit "lid" and escape.
However it was found that drivers who crashed were often disoriented and could not
easily effect a swift escape. Being underwater and, sometimes zero visibility,
hampered their efforts enough to create a situation where drowning was a distinct
possibility which could be exacerbated by possible shock trauma rendering them
semi-conscious or even unconscious.

The World Leading Powerboat Rescue Team, Osprey Rescue Team, discussed how
they could train drivers in the art of escaping from upturned boats of this nature and
proposed the idea of building a training facility as an immersion training rig. This rig
would be used in the benign waters of a swimming pool or sheltered are in a lake or
reservoir with reasonably good visibility to enable the safe extraction of the test
drivers.

Overall the experiences of the Osprey team have given rise to a wealth of
information on powerboat racing hazards and accidents, where each one is usually
different from the previous ones. The adaptability of the team comes from the
plethora of incidents also from many different types of boats, from open cockpits with
one or two drivers to enclosed cockpits where the driver has a harness as in racing
cars. It is in these type of craft that the most complex difficulties arise.

It is now standard practice that ALL test drivers complete a Microdive training course
prior to attempting the immersion test and they must complete an annual review of
their competence each year prior to re-qualifying the test immersion.

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