After 35 years of sailing I fell in today

Jan 13, 2009
391
J Boat 92 78 Sandusky
Rearranging bow lines on a windy day. Bent over at my waist and caught a gust losing my balance. Head first dive into marina just missing bow. Went down to the bottom(9feet) and bumped my head coming back up. Fortunately my wife and a friend were there in case I needed help. Water in marina was unseasonably warm at 72 degrees. I had left my phone, keys, and wallet in my car so no problem there. I worked my way down the dock finger to the end where there is a safety ladder and climbed out easily. No harm no foul. A bit embarrassing. Our club has installed an emergency ladder at the end of all finger docks which is great and a real safety feature. Let's hope it is another 35 years before I fall in again.
 
Jan 4, 2006
6,444
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
I worked my way down the dock finger to the end where there is a safety ladder and climbed out easily.
Must be nice to boat in marinas which have safety ladders.

If I were to fall in, I would have to swim over to the marina next door in order to get out.

And don't tell me, "you get what you pay for." I pay a fortune and still don't get no safety ladder.
 
Jan 13, 2009
391
J Boat 92 78 Sandusky
Ralph, we are very fortunate to have nice floating docks at our sailing club. Great facilities. Our season runs from mid April through mid October. At $40/ft for the season it pretty reasonable. Haul out, launch, and winter storage cost another $15/ft at a nearby Marina/yard. Our club is sailboats only which is nice.
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MitchM

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Jan 20, 2005
1,010
Nauticat 321 pilothouse 32 Erie PA
when a guy in our marina fell off his transom fussing w some fiberglas work, , he lost his cell phone and eyeglasses . needed 2 people's help to haul himself up his own swim ladder which fortunately he had left down . his ladder lowest rung was at waterline, tough for him to to climb out. our cheapskate marina --run by the state of PA-- had ONE ladder per dock--300 feet out at the end of each dock. after this incident i rigged a quick release line off the rear transom for my swim ladder . it can be tripped from the water by pulling a red cord with a ball float on the end .
 

shank

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Apr 20, 2016
124
Catalina 27 5231 Lake Champlain
Ralph, we are very fortunate to have nice floating docks at our sailing club. Great facilities. Our season runs from mid April through mid October. At $40/ft for the season it pretty reasonable. Haul out, launch, and winter storage cost another $15/ft at a nearby Marina/yard. Our club is sailboats only which is nice.
That's very reasonable. Haul out, launch, and winter storage on Lake Champlain (on the Vermont side) is around $40/ft which seems very expensive to me. Mooring is another $800-$1,200 for the season.
 
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Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Hmmm. Wouldn't have to be every slip, but more safety ladders on the docks would be a good idea. Especially for our aging membership. I think if it happened to me, I'd have to swim for a open transom
 
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Mar 26, 2011
3,399
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
ABYC now requires that a safety ladder be accessible from the water, and that the ladder have at least 2 rungs (about 20 inches--I forget) below water. I can't think of an argument you would use against having one (and don't dare say it's a matter of looks).

Yes, I've fallen off my boat and never considered it to be a big deal. It was in hot weather--in cold weather, and yes I sail regularly all winter, I am more cautious. I just swam over to the ladder and hoped I didn't have keys in my pocket (I did the first time--I've learned to carry wallet, keys, and cell phone in a waterproof sailing backpack by Gill--very nice). I could have caught myself, but it was safer to fall in that risk a bump or strain. It's just water, nice and soft.
  • Changing four batteries mid-cruise at a distant marina. A board on the edge of the dock snapped; it was better to swing the batteries onto the dock and go for a swim than drop the batteries in the water and stay dry. Boarding ladder 3 feet away. No harm. Finished the job by stepping over the hole in the dock.
  • Standing on the bow, no lifelines. A sternline snagged, stopping the boat suddenly. Boarding ladder 30 feet away. No harm. I stand farther back now.
The most painful and dangerous falls I have seen are when someone tries to save a fall that they should have just gone with it. Just fall in and then swim out, like you would at the pool.

 
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Oct 29, 2016
1,915
Hunter 41 DS Port Huron
Sorry to hear you went for an unintentional swim, the complete surprise to me is the water temperature of 72*F in May, what does that say for what temp the lake will reach in the summer!!!
 
Jan 13, 2009
391
J Boat 92 78 Sandusky
The water temp is a lot colder today. A couple of days of 25-35knot NE winds and the bottom has turned over. Water in the parking lot as a big northeaster causes a “seiche” with the water depth up about 4 feet in the Marina since Tuesday. Yikes . Water should be back down 3 feet by Monday. Thank god for floating docks. A really cold and wet Memorial Day weekend.
 
Jan 4, 2006
6,444
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
Our club is sailboats only which is nice.
For this alone, I would pay any price to be free of these arrogant, ignorant, power boating jackasses.

Please advise your sailing club exec. that I am headed to Lake Erie and Sandusky via the Panama Canal and will be offering a blank cheque for a slip when I get there.

You have truly created a little piece of paradise in the boating world and I want to be there.
 
Jan 4, 2006
6,444
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
Oh, we could start a never ending thread about that topic!
Don't know how far it would go. You really can't debate how bad some of them are. They're BAD.

Mind you, the big question that's never been resolved is: WHO TIES THEIR SHOES EVERY MORNING ?:facepalm:
 
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