The Quiksling retrieval device developed by George West proved its worth last summer when one of the crew of Scottish trawler Sparkling Star was caught in the gear when shooting away and pulled overboard.
‘Quick thinking by Ryan getting the Quiksling to him and lifted back aboard with the powerblock saved that lad’s life,’ skipper James Corbett reported.
‘It was a textbook recovery by the boys that just demonstrates the importance of proper training.’
According to George West, he had gone on board Sparkling Star just as the trawler was making ready for a trip to give relief skipper Ryan Corbett an update on the new mark 2 version of the Quiksling that had been fitted when the trawler was built. He added that this was the third Sparkling Star to carry a Quiksling, and the crew had all been given training in its use.
‘Thank God I did,’ he said, commenting that the Quiksling has been steadily gaining favour with the Scottish fleet, as well as across northern Europe.
‘A lot of the pelagic vessels are fitting these, and most of the newbuilds from the Karstensen yard in Denmark for Scotland and Norway are installing the Quiksling as standard. These vessels have such a high freeboard that the Quiksling is ideal for quick and safe recovery.’
He developed the Quiksling some years ago as a simple device that could be deployed quickly to recover a person from the water. Since then it has been increasingly adopted for fishing vessels, as well as for a variety of other commercial craft, as well as for lifeboats and rescue vessels. It carries Lloyd’s approval as a lifesaving device and is accepted by the Danish, Norwegian and Faroese maritime authorities as additional lifesaving equipment, on top of the equipment already set out in the requirements.
More recently, George West has developed a half-sized Search and Rescue version of the Quiksling, intended for rescue services. This SAR Professional version of the Quiksling occupies a smaller space, making it ideal for vessels where deskspace is more limited. This is designed to be slotted together for use, which takes a few seconds.
He commented that the Quiksling is steadily coming into more widespread use, and is now sold by Viking Life outside the UK, making it available to an even wider range of maritime markets.
