Recognition for Chesapeake Bay rescue

Jul 18, 2013
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US Sailing’s Safety at Sea Committee awarded the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal to Ed Tracey, Dewey Ward and Ray Racine, the crew of Incommunicado, for their 2016 rescue of Patrick Seidel on October 23.

Presented on December 7 by Jonathan Wright, United States Naval Academy Sailing Squadron’s Vanderstar Chair, the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal is awarded to skippers of boats or race support vessels who assist in rescues of victims from the water.

Rescue Report:
Patrick Seidel, a United States Naval Academy graduate, retired submarine commander and highly-experienced racer, along with first-year crew Janet Gawler, was post-race delivering .45, his Capri 22 from Baltimore, Md. to the Magothy River.

More at www.sailingscuttlebutt.com here:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2...tm_term=Recognition for Chesapeake Bay rescue
 

Gunni

.
Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
What should have been a milk run on inland waters turned into a real life-or-death situation. No mention of VHF radio call, but if I was making that run with a newbie crew I would be wearing a PFD and portable radio and behave like a solo sailor.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Nice article. Congratulations to Ed Tracey, Dewey Ward and Ray Racine. It must have been quite a feet for Janet Gawler to manage bringing the boat back around and getting her into irons, even if she didn't succeed in getting Patrick Seidel back aboard.
I can't believe someone stopped to help and then gave up and sailed away just because they didn't have a ladder. Am I reading that wrong?
- Will (Dragonfly)
 
Oct 11, 2017
28
Catalina Capri 22 259 Washington DC
I think it's safe to say that someone is watching for another one of America's finest!
Great job to the Skipper, Dewy, and crew of the Omega 36.
From what I know Dewy and Pat S. are good friends and Dewy sails with Pat all the time.


IMO anything but other than this type should be outlawed, and I will not leave the dock unless these are taped closed. I removed them from my boat completely I use single D's and lash all lifeline to the Bow and Stern pulpits only.


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Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
This is another incident that raises the issue of water temperature and preparation being the skipper's responsibility.

I encourage all who have not watched the following link to consider your responsibility as skipper or crew to be ready when out on the water.

http://www.coldwaterbootcamp.com/pages/home.html

It is definitely an issue for us who choose to sail year round. But knowing the water will be freezing is not enough you need to take precautions. Being that to tape the gates, run jacklines and use tethers, or require all aboard to wear a PFD.
The former submariner thought it was not necessary to have a PFD on this milk run home. Then when in the water he acted: "when I realized I was losing strength and if I didn’t do something aggressive I would likely drown,” he swam to a buoy. Yet when nearly rescued his thinking ability was so compromised that he failed to ask for a flotation device from would be rescuers who decided to sail away.

It is time for all of us, sitting warm and fuzzy in front of our computers to decide. This is the year all of my crew will be wearing PFD's when we leave the dock.

Will you make the pledge?
 
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Apr 5, 2009
2,774
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
I have my auto inflatable on whenever I am out of the cabin, period! Our PNW water temp is about 60º or below anytime of the year so swimming is not an option.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
swimming is not an option
You are so right.
Swimming is an option it is just that you are limited for say max 10 minute. Even the best of swimmers likely will not make the beach when your 200 yards off shore dodging the crab pots.
 

Gunni

.
Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
  • Sail with me on a regular basis, show an interest in learning the boat and you get a crew shirt.
  • Become a regular crew member, don't have your own PFD - you get an auto-inflator PFD to call your own. Ladies get a Spinlock Deckvest.
I'm not going to be the guy who has to tell your family you aren't coming home. Everyone comes home.
 
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Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Seidel was in the water for about 25 min before he decided to swim to a buoy. That makes it almost half an hour in the water. He's lucky it wasn't colder, life vest or not.

Certainly a PFD would have helped, having a life line that wouldn't fail would have helped, a crew that had done some MOB drills would have helped, a boarding ladder would have helped, even a sturdy boat hook would have been useful. The state of one's mind when an accident like falling overboard happens will make all the difference in the world.

I did a righting drill with my crew mates at Hurricane Island where the water was a tepid 56 degrees. We had life jackets and the sun was warm, safety divers in the water around us. Only the kids who panicked had trouble with the 25 min we were in the water. 14 of us pulled the boat over, we all collected in the airspace under the boat. We did a headcount then followed the watch officer under and out to one side. Did another headcount and came up one short. A small kid had become disoriented and the divers had to help him find his way from underneath. He starters shivering and getting hypothermic right away. They swam him to shore.
The rest of us swam around to the otherside, did another headcount and climbed into the bottom of the boat. We then heaved the boat back over upright and did one final headcount before climbing into the full boat. It was maybe another 5 min before the water level was low enough in the open pulling boat to count as finally out of the water. We bailed by hand, two small buckets and some sponges. Several kids teeth were rattling away uncontrollably before we were done. In every case, it was the kids who had the hardest time meeting the challenges with cool heads.
A couple of times when upside down in a kayak and I missed my roll twice, I feel myself start to panic. Such things can get you stuck in your kayak and drown you. I would stop and try to move very carefully, double check my hand position and UP. Otherwise, getting weak and disoriented causes panic and irrational thinking.

To me, the MOB drill is the best prep. Don't just learn how to come about and stop and throw a horse shoe preserver, be the man overboard. Learn to float on your back closer to the warm rays of the sun, know how to climb the transom. Believing you have everything under control when you are in a situation like that is almost as good as actually having everything under control. Clear heads survive. Panicked ones don't.
- Will (Dragonfly)
 
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Oct 11, 2017
28
Catalina Capri 22 259 Washington DC
You can prep all you want but if your crew is unable to get a lifeless body or close to lifeless it won't matter.
My point is to go sailing on a Capri 22 or similar boat out on a sunny warm day with warm water, put a harness on, jump in the water have the weakest crew member try to pull a person out of the water while is blowing 0-5 or 10-15 knots. It won't happen.
The reason why is there is nothing on a Capri 22 that has the power to pull a person on board. If the person is unable to help themselves is a 140lb woman going to pul a 210 lb man out of the water. I don't think so.

IMO the biggest design flaw with a lot of production boat designers is they don't think about these things, sure a Lewmar #7 or an #8 sized winch will pull in a small sail. But it won't lift a person. But if the designer of the boat or the person who designs the deck layout would think more about safety deaths would go down.

I currently have at least 10-12 boats sailing around the world or in the south pacific. And every one of my customers has a 2:1 main halyard that is long enough to have the main halyard shackle be in the water and I supply them with a 15-foot spectra strop with a carabiner at each end, and the ability to use a powered winch on the main halyard in the cockpit, I also supply a life sling mounted to the stern pushpit.

My personal boat I have a 2:1 Main halyard and the ability to go to the largest winch and that is a Barient 21 2 speed.
everyone laughs saying why do you need such a big winches for a boat that small, well I am 300 lbs and I don't have a ladder, even if I had a ladder have you ever tried to use it in rough seas, there are few that work in those conditions.
These are proven techniques that will save lives.

Thanks for reading I hope it works for you as well...

Dave
 

Gunni

.
Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
The USNA Mids demonstrate crew recovery at the Survival at Sea seminars held in Annapolis. They pick the biggest dude to go MOB and then have a small female Mid recover him. Block and tackle clipped to the boom or halyard, sling or harness, worked from the deck.
 
May 1, 2011
4,191
Pearson 37 Lusby MD
@Gunni the block and tackle approach is exactly what I’d do - and I learned it at USNA while getting my offshore qualification.
 
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Oct 11, 2017
28
Catalina Capri 22 259 Washington DC
The point of my conversation is to think with practicality. If you think you can lift someone that is 6 feet tall with the main halyard connected to the boom and using block and tackle under the boom that is 3-5' above the deck with a sliding gooseneck. Come on think about what is going on here and the boom is about 17'' above the deck and, don't forget the lifelines. These are not Navy 44' boats with 5 feet of freeboard and weighs 20,000 lbs.
I will tell you some facts if you lift me out of the water and I am being held outboard by the boom how much do you think the boat is going to list? Me just standing at max beam is more than 15 degrees of heel at the dock now your going to lift me out of the water in the area of the stern on a boom almost 10 feet long. another thought I can pull almost 1 of mast bend with the main halyard my bare hand standing in the middle of the cockpit. I would not recommend lifting anyone that was not at the shrouds on the leeward side while in the water the rig won't take that much load.

My whole point is based on a 22' fractionally rigged boat, maybe I should have qualified my statement better.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
If you guys watch the Cold water boot camp link you’ll see that the most important element is to get attached to something floating within the first 10 minutes, and have a method to call for help. Help needs to get there within the hour. Unless you are days out off shore in the ocean, most of us can get by with floatation and a functioning VHF radio. Sure it would be nice to get the 275 lb plus crew back on board but that may not happen. If the crew or skipper is wearing a PFD then there is a 60 minute window even if you are on a Capri22 with minimal block and tackle gear, and those pesky life lines that fail on occasion.
The issue is how will you deal with the 1-10-1 rule.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
1-10-1 rule
You know Will we add links so you can expand your knowledge base
http://www.coldwaterbootcamp.com/pages/home.html
1 - the first minute you hit the water. The time when you gasp and swallow water and drown.
10 - the number of minutes it takes for your body to shut down the blood supply to your extremities. Your leg and arm muscles shut down and your ability to swim stops.
1 - Hour, the time it takes for hypothermia to you to deaths door.

The link is very informative with facts not myth or hearsay.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
You know Will we add links so you can expand your knowledge base
Thanks for that. I did use that link but have not yet had the chance to get beyond cold facts and lifejackets. Didn't see the 1-10-1 tab. I appreciate your patience.
- Will (Dragonfly)
 
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Apr 5, 2009
2,774
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
The 1st (1) is the most important in our very cold year around waters in the pacific northwest. When I first moved here I went to a safety presentation put on by the Power Squadron. The biggest factoid that took from that meeting was that most boater over-board drownings occurred on contact with the water. They would hit the water and gasp (gulp). They would have significant water in the lungs in the first second after hitting the water and it was done.

I tested this out (the engineer in me) by jumping into the water at anchorage with life vest and tether. All I can say is that it was a good thing I had my hand over my mouth and pinching my nose. It took a lot of concentration to not gasp. When I go sailing with NOOB’s I always tell them this story and tell them that if they fall overboard their only responsibility is to hold their breath until they pop to the surface.
 
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