Emma's All Equipped!

One of the main things on my list for the London Boat Show a few weeks ago was a life jacket for Emma. She can't swim yet and although most most canals are so shallow that if you fall in, you just stand up, obviously we don't want to take a risk.

So, with loads of suppliers, a child's life jacket shouldn't be a problem, right? Wrong!

Each stand we went to said no, they didn't do life jackets for under 5's "because they fiddle with them". Errr, so, an under 5 without a life jacket is better off in the water than an under 5 with a life jacket that they fiddle with from time to time?

Eventually, we found a great stand with children's jackets who were also able to explain the problem. The jackets inflate for two reasons, either the water-sensor activates automatically or the manual pull-cord is pulled. And this is the "fiddling" apparently.

Easy solution - tuck the pull cord inside the life jacket and tack the velcro opening shut, so no "fiddling" can occur.

And this is Emma, modelling her jacket:

She's looking like a proper sailor!