“Feet out, elbows out, nice and slow,” instructed Vlad Prato, North American Manager for Liferaft Systems Australia, who was coaching volunteers on how to slide down the enormous orange chute that had just deployed out of a metal box on the starboard side of the Training Ship Golden Bear. It was part of the test of a new marine evacuation system (MES) for the training ship and according to Captain Sam Pecota, it’s a major upgrade.

“When we go out on cruise this summer we’re going to have an entirely new lifesaving equipment system and this is part of it,” said Pecota of a project that’s been underway since 2015. “If anything were to happen to the ship, we will now have the best safety equipment available, with one of these new marine evacuation systems on each side.” Also included in the upgrade, new, modernized lifeboats that are replacing current open-top versions with enclosed-top vessels.

With a bevy of boats out in the Carquinez Strait to observe and, if necessary, help with the test, there was a big audience for the event. Once the MES container was opened the tunnel and attached life raft began to inflate, filling to capacity and landing on the water in less than a minute. Volunteers slid one by one down the tunnel, though in a true emergency it’s wide enough to accommodate two evacuees. Within a few moments, the inflated life raft held all the volunteers who travelled down to it, resembling a big orange bounce house. It’s designed to accommodate 100 people, according to the manufacturer, which calls it a state-of-the-art system.

“It’s a dry shot evacuation with direct boarding straight from the ship’s deck right into the life raft,” explained Prato. “It’s a quick operation, the system is light and compact, and within one minute of activation the system inflates and the passengers are ready to board.”

Prato continued that marine evacuation systems are increasingly found on ferries and training vessels, for now complementing lifeboats.

After the successful test, the system was brought ashore to be repacked into its housing. More education and training for the Golden Bear’s and crew and cadets will occur over the coming months.

This test went really well,” concluded Pecota. “The MES inflated quickly and the slide was not too steep. It’s the first time I’ve seen it and I was really impressed.”