climbing out of the water

[Ctskip]

Several years ago I was in a rather small yacht club and there were three docks with maybe 75 sailboats with fingers between each boat. An older member who had a health problem, fell in, falling off the finger. This was during the week and with nobody around to hear his pleas for help. He hung on, unable to swim to land and several hours later somebody came by and heard his faint cries for help. The man in the water was a rather large guy 225 lbs and over 6 foot. The helper was much smaller. Since then the club has put swim ladders on every other finger so that should the same thing happen again, the individual can get to the end of a finger with a ladder at the end of it. I have since moved and am now in another marina with not one ladder in sight.
I guess my question would be, if you or your elder neighbor fell in the water, how could you/he climb out?
I have since put a small line on my aft swim ladder so I can drop the ladder from the water. I did this, because I did fall in, and fortunately my wife was aboard and she dropped the ladder for me. Growing old sucks.
Just a little foresight can save a life. Hope this helps.

Keep it up,
Ctskip

 

[Charlie13958]

A marina somewhere will be sued sometime, then they will all put out ladders. Until then, look for the nearest boat with stern platform. A group from your marina could petition the marina to supply them.

 

[Steve Dion]

Our marina just installed ladders that are on every other finger. The managment also put signs on the end of the dock to indicate where the ladders are located since most of ladder is under water.

It really does not make a lot of difference as to your age when it comes to getting out of the water. Depending on the height of the dock it can be very difficult if not impossible.

 

[Bill1565]

I have pulled 2 old guys out in similar circumstances, One on lake Michigan and one here in Punta Gorda.

I have a boarding ladder on my boat that puts 3 steps in the water. I use a clip to hold it up and trail a piece of flag halyard to the water's surface. Still tuff but it is doable for a fat old man.

I put an aluminum ladder on my dock that has up to 5 steps in the water, depending on the tide. I have the only dock ladder on my canal, none of my neighbors worry enuff to spend 2 or 3 hundred dollars.

 

[kenn]

At our yacht club, a few years ago they installed 6' sections of aluminum ladder on EACH finger, using home-made brackets. I don't know for sure but I'd estimate that the installed cost was around $50 per ladder. I generally see ladders at most marinas and clubs around here.

As mentioned elsewhere, we have a decent ladder on our boat.

 

[Warren Milberg]

I did battle with my marina for years over this issue. They eventually put in ladders on all the docks. I am also amazed at how many fellow boaters I know continue to tie up or otherwise secure their boat's swim ladder in such a way that it would be impossible to get it down if you were in the water looking up at it. My ladder will stay up without any kind of tie-off in any conditions. I've also tied a looped line around it that hangs just above the waterline so I could grab it and pull the ladder down should I need to. Give this some thought on your boat.

 

[Roger Long]

Something to keep in mind that might not occur to you in a moment of stress:

Take the tail of a dockline and put it on a cleat with a long enough loop to get your foot in to boost yourself up high enough to flop onto the dock. You should be able to find one you can reach in most marinas.

If you do go overboard in a marina and are able to swim, try to stay in the area you fell in as much as possible. If you swim into the field from an electrical malfunction, you will be immediately incapacitated even if the current isn't enough to kill you outright. Swimming in marinas is dangerous.

 

[jibes138]

Another issue

Trying to climb out most of these docks have barnacles and oysters growing on them that will slice you to shreds if you scrape over them. If the ladders installed are in there permanently they will likely soon be covered as well. This is a good topic of dicussion and really makes you think....what if.

 

[Sailm8]

I have been working for months to get a local hotel in Punta Gorda to put a ladder on their dock. It has been a real long process but it looks like it might finally happen. I wanted it for our club to be able to dinghy in to the restaurant. It was the safety issue that sold the idea. I pointed out that if a guest fell in they would have no way to get out.

 

[LuzSD]

Trying to climb out most of these docks have barnacles and oysters growing on them that will slice you to shreds if you scrape over them. If the ladders installed are in there permanently they will likely soon be covered as well. This is a good topic of dicussion and really makes you think....what if.

Just reading Lat 38 this morning, there is a good ladder that can be extended into the water but does not sit in the water......perfect for this discussion.
http://www.latitude38.com/eBooks/2010/L38201006-1.pdf

We have been thinking about this alot too: locating the nearest swimsteps, rearranging the way our ladder was bungied to the back......originally done in a way that from the water it could not be pulled down!

 

[druid]

My first thought was just as Roger suggested: a line can be used as a step to get the leverage you need. Also, it's a requirement in Canada that ALL boats have a means of getting aboard if the freeboard is more than about 2 feet.

druid

 

[Tom Monroe]

I thought you all might get a kick out of a related story.

A bunch of years ago now, I bought MY first boat. Sailed for others a lot, but never owned one myself. It was an old O'Day 22 ... not really a very big boat. So with two buddies on board, we headed out onto Carlyle Lake for its maiden voyage. About halfway through the afternoon, the wind died to a glass calm, and it's like 95 degrees out, so my buddy says, I'm going for a swim and drops over the side. Second buddy says, that looks great and does likewise.

With no swim ladder, you probably all have guessed the outcome.

Fortunately, I decided that the "captain" better stay with the boat. Even with an O'Day's modest freeboard, neither could get back aboard at first. One, who was in better shape, was finally able to climb up the outboard bracket, but the other was, shall we say, a bit large and out of shape.

We tried hauling him in about 10 different ways and ended up laughing so hard we all had to rest for awhile, except I'm also thinking this is really NOT a laughing matter. I finally tied two loops on a line which I ran to both the primary winches, and we were able to get him aboard. And the situation was not really too desparate, because I could have easily towed hom to shore, about 200 yards away. But it demonstrates how even a very small distance off the water can be insurmountable, whether it be dock or boat!

Tom

 

[Ctskip]

I was thinking about an exercise that all boaters should not only think about, but should practice. Most offshore sailors tether themselves to their vessel in foul weather. This exercise can be done while sitting at anchor. Tether yourself to your vessel and jump overboard. Then see how you manage to climb aboard your boat. Imagine this while underway, never mind in foul weather. Food for thought.
We all should practice man overboard. I know I do. I toss a hat over and play go fetch.

Keep it up,
Ctskip

 

[Bad Obsession]

I have been thinking about putting a wooden ladder at the back of my slip because of this. I have been wondering about how people would get up if they fell over because I have done this.

I was working on my boat from my dingy to put some new dock lines at the end of the slip. I got out of the dingy onto the dock and when I went to get back in the dingy a boat wave caused unexpected movement. I went into the water and this was in Mid-April. Burrrrrrrrrrr!

I rolled back into the dingy, bailed it out, and finished my work.

Putting a 2 x 4 ladder is a descent idea because no one else has thought of this yet!

 

[Roger Long]

Putting a 2 x 4 ladder is a descent idea...

No, it's an ASCENT idea.

 

[stephen Penny]

I did exactly the same with a knot at the end that hangs above the waterline. This allows me to pull the ladder down so I can climb out of the water. Do not want an Open Water II Adrift experience.

Our marina does not plan on installing dock ladders. As a result, I also tested climbing out of the water in the marina onto the dock with a safety rope cleated to the dock and my swim ladder rope described above. I found that climbing onto the dock was not a problem without aids. But if you cannot safely climb onto the deck consider permanent emergency aid(s).

 

[druid]

CtSkip: if your tether is long enough that you go completely overboard, it's too long. The idea of a tether is to keep you ABOARD. Set it up properly, and wear it!

Tom: the problem of getting a large person on board is one of the topics of "Man overboard" procedures. One solution is to get a line around him and haul him up with the main halyard, or use the boom and mainsheet if that works for your boat. (Cuz in the case of MOB, he may be unconscious or severely hypothermic)

druid

 

[higgs]

At my old club in WI a member was found dead floating face down the morning after celebrating his birthday at the bar. We did have some ladders, but apparently not enough.

In another incident on Lake M, a solo sailer's boat was found washed up on the beach with him tethered to it, but over the side. He had been racing. If you go over, tethered or not, on a moving boat sailing solo, your done.

 

[Joe]

I was thinking about an exercise that all boaters should not only think about, but should practice. Most offshore sailors tether themselves to their vessel in foul weather. This exercise can be done while sitting at anchor. Tether yourself to your vessel and jump overboard. Then see how you manage to climb aboard your boat. Imagine this while underway, never mind in foul weather. Food for thought.
We all should practice man overboard. I know I do. I toss a hat over and play go fetch.

Keep it up,
Ctskip

If I could jump overboard with my tether hooked on.... I'd get a shorter tether or clip on in a better place. I wear mine ALL THE TIME when single handing, no matter what the conditions are, because I don't want to fall off the boat..... period. When I have to go forward past the mast I go on my hands and knees. If you're old, like me, buy an inexpensive set of cushioned knee pads at Home Depot to make your trip less painfull. I clip on to the foreguy padeye located in the middle of the foredeck which allows me to just reach the tack fitting.