IFR (Inflatable Life Raft)

An inflatable life raft is a collapsible emergency flotation vessel stored in a specialized canister on deck. It serves as a backup lifeboat when a yacht must be evacuated. Charter customers encounter this equipment during mandatory check-in safety briefings, where the skipper demonstrates deployment procedures. By maritime law, all charter yachts over a certain size carry IFRs serviced annually by certified technicians. Modern rafts include sea anchors, repair kits, and signaling mirrors. Customers typically never deploy them in normal chartering.