Boy taking sailing lessons is hit by boat propeller, dies

[The Shadow Knows]

This is so sad, all the boy wanted to do was learn to sail:

CENTERPORT, N.Y. --

(AP) A 10-year-old boy taking sailing lessons that involved deliberately capsizing his boat in suburban New York has fallen from a rescue boat and been struck by its propeller and killed.

Police say the sailboat the boy and two others were in at the Centerport Yacht Club on Tuesday was intentionally capsized as part of the lesson. They say an instructor pulled the boy into an adjacent motor boat but the boy then fell out of that boat and was struck by its propeller.

The instructor pulled the boy back into the motor boat and performed CPR until emergency responders arrived.

The boy was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His identity hasn't been released.

Officials at the yacht club have declined to comment.

 

[Jackdaw]

An unfortunate accident.

But the immutable truth is, you can't remove 100% of the risk in an activity and still have it be fun.

 

[Justin_NSA]

But you can minimize risk by a fundamental safety rule to be in neutral or engine off when pulling people from the water.

 

[Ron20324]

In ocean City,MD, this weekend a woman was run over and chopped up from a prop. Down her backside. She lives.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Can't say that there could be any excuse for the operator in this event, yet, I'm sure everybody involved is devastated. I'm not sure I understand the point of a capsize exercise where the kids are pulled out of the water. I would think the point would be to learn how to safely deal with the situation. If getting into a rescue boat is part of the exercise, then the tragedy of this accident is doubly ironic.

 

[Ron20324]

But you can minimize risk by a fundamental safety rule to be in neutral or engine off when pulling people from the water.

+1... True, but perhaps the boat had resumed power to go get the other guys when the deceased fell out?

 

[Gunni]

Likely the kid was new to boating in general and no one in the mobo had the awareness to direct him to a seated position. Boat moves, kid is standing there, loses balances and tumbles out. Common problem on a dive boat.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Not enough in the article to know what really happened

 

[Jackdaw]

The youngster was getting a lesson on capsizing at the Centerport Yacht Club when the tragedy happened in Northport Harbor at around 3 p.m., according to Suffolk County Assistant Police Commissioner Justin Meyers.

He was with two other children at the time of the accident. All three were said to be wearing life jackets.

“There were three students taking sailing lessons,” Meyers told The Post.

“As part of the instruction, the boat capsized. Two of the students remained in the boat. One was in the water,” Meyers said. “The instructor in the Zodiac boat drove over to the student and pulled him out of the water and got him into the craft. At that point, the instructor started to drive the motorized boat and the student fell out. The propeller struck him.”

Officials said the boy had been seated on the side of the Zodiac when the instructor, who is 18, accelerated and caused him to lose his balance.

The youth tumbled into the water and then got his life jacket entangled in the boat’s propeller, leading to his injuries.

“The instructor pulled him back in and began giving him CPR,” Meyers said.

 

[Daveinet]

Use a jet boat or jet ski. Much better rescue platform.

 

[Jackdaw]

Use a jet boat or jet ski. Much better rescue platform.

That's not true. Jet powered boats have zero maneuverability when the jet is not pushing water. Terrible low/no speed craft.

 

[Daveinet]

Yes, they do, you just have to learn how to use a reverse bucket. Keep the power up just a bit and use the reverse bucket to control direction and speed. I can walk a jetski straight sidesways without moving backward or forward. Use to do it all the time when docking. We pull skiers and tubers all the time with the jetski. Easy to board with no chance of getting your foot chopped off.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Very sad and tragic for everyone involved. One simple act without forethought can bring tragic consequences when dealing with boats. The pontoon/tube of an inflatable is not a very secure seating if one is even the least unbalanced, clearly.

 

[BigEasy]

An unfortunate accident.

But the immutable truth is, you can't remove 100% of the risk in an activity and still have it be fun.

You cant remove all of the risk in any activity; sometime bad things happen, even when precautions are taken. A very unfortunate accident that has taken the life of a kid way too soon.
Prayers go out to his family and all involved in this tragedy.

 

[The Shadow Knows]

I agree with JD, jet boats suck!

It was the skipper's responsibility to have made sure the kid was in no position to fall overboard when propping up.
It would have taken mere seconds in first looking back to make sure.

I picture that as he throttled up, the bow raised & the kid lost his grip or balance thus falling into the water.
I have to surmise that he cut the wheel which caused the stern to wing out in the direction of the boy.
How else could the PFD get caught in the prop unless the prop was moving toward the kid?

Had the wheel been in a strait position, the kid would simply fall off & it would be a simple about-face to once again pick him up.

I feel so sorry for the family & the chase boat skipper. He'll have to live with this his entire life.
No child should die...............& dying needlessly, is sadder still. WOW

 

[walt]

This one really is tragic for everyone.. About a week ago I was out paddle boarding at a local Denver lake while the sailing school was in progress. The instructors were all kids not a lot older than the students. I would hear them shout out things like "keep your feet and hands in the boat" or "Please dont hit into the other boats". What I heard made me laugh. They were taking some safety risks just having that young of kids out there on the lake.. but thankfully you can still take risks like that. Very sad..

 

[Gunni]

How else could the PFD get caught in the prop unless the prop was moving toward the kid?

The kid fell out and hung on to the boat handlines - trailing him back and into the prop. If you are falling out of a moving boat just go and get clear. And please, please do not let people sit on the bow of a moving mobo, or use those goofy foredeck lounge pads while underway.

 

[Brian S]

I have been terrified of being caught in a prop since I was a young child. Granddad always turned off the engine when there was anyone in the water (like picking up a water skier or such...)

 

[Scott T-Bird]

When I was 18 I lacked judgement and was occasionally careless enough on boats and otherwise that could have led to tragedy if a bad circumstance raised unexpectedly. That's a hard burden to carry for a young man who was probably just wanting to participate in a worthwhile cause. It's true that you can't eliminate all risk.

 

[Rick486]

An unfortunate accident.

But the immutable truth is, you can't remove 100% of the risk in an activity and still have it be fun.

Don't you want to rethink and perhaps restate that comment? If a group of young children are unable to participate in a YC sailing program without risking their lives then there is something terribly wrong with the program. As we all know most clubs employ college students with sailing background to teach the kids and run the crash boats. Wanna bet on how much boat handling training the YC did with the young folks running the program, and what sort of rules of conduct? Who instructed the 10 year old kids on how to behave on small outboard boats? The club damn well better have their insurance paid up and stand by for a large law suit because it's coming and is well deserved.
What a tragedy and so senseless.