Canadian lifejacket manufacturer Salus Marine Wear Inc. of Kitchener, which supplies the Canadian sailing team, has been granted a U.S. patent for their unique and comfortable round-edge design and has an application pending in Canada.

The company has eliminated “hard square edges” found on traditional PFDs (personal flotation devices) and its design of soft edges under the arms and in other spots on the jackets allows for better movement by boaters, the company reported.

“We are proud to outfit the Canadian Sailing Team with the Abacus sailing vest.” said company president Steve Wagner. “For many sailors, the PFD is one of their most important pieces of equipment, a part of their every move during the entire competition.”

The Abacus model offered by Salus Marine Wear is “designed by sailors for sailors” and will be modified for the national sailing team with custom colours and embroidery.

“We are happy to provide our sailors with a team jacket, and we’re pleased that it will be supplied by a Canadian manufacturer,” said Erika Vines, co-ordinator of the racing and sail team for the Canadian Yachting Association.

Salus Marine Wear makes 11 styles of PFDs, everything from entry-level children’s vests to high-performance sail and kayak lifejackets.

“The best compliment we get is when people tell us they didn’t notice they had one of our jackets or vests on,” said Wagner. “This tells us we’ve done our homework.”

Salus Marine Wear Inc. is located at 145 Bedford Road, 2nd Floor, Kitchener, Ontario. N2G 3A3. They can be reached by phone at 1-877-418-9998 or (519) 579-3131 or by email at salus.marine@on.aibn.com.