Careful out there

[Ken Cross]

I heard a call this morning to the US Coast Guard. Seeing the name of the boat right near us we motored over to see if we could help. It was an 80 year old male with a tight chest thinking he may need oxygen. He also had a rapid irregular heartbeat. I gave him 4 baby aspirin to chew and waited for the airlift. I moved our sailboat away because by now a trama nurse and her husband were onsite and tied to the other side of the cruiser.

When the helicopter arrived their rotorwash pushed the boat away (it was on a mooring ball) and it took many tries to get the. USCG man onboard and shredded most of their canvass. Eventually a USCG RIB arrived and they thought it safer to transport him by water.

Lessons: if possible get to solid ground for an airlift. Dense forest made this impossible. I was glad I'd moved away because my rigging would have been really dangerous for the CG. Say a prayer for that man.

I put a note in the moorage pay box (Washington State Park) so they would know what's up with that boat. I'm not sure what else could be done.

Ken

 

[Brian D]

Thanks for the info, Ken. Yep, that rotor wash is very dangerous. I was knocked on my butt by rotor wash when I was in Afghanistan.

 

[jssailem]

Always the gentleman @Ken Cross .

Good job

 

[SFS]

Well done, Ken.

 

[Ken Cross]

Thanks for the compliments, but the reason for the post was just to highlight the difficulty of a water rescue. Today we had ideal conditions. Little to no wind and flat water. It was still amazingly challenging. Enough to make them abort the airlift.

Ken

 

[LeslieTroyer]

I’ve once had CG pluck someone from the boat I was on. In college ~76 out on a dive boat. We gave him cpr for >25 minutes, about 4 of us took turns. CPR training doesn’t teach you to deal with the vomit.

Later learned he didn’t make it. Tumor on his adrenal gland turned it on full

 

[Will Gilmore]

Water transfers are difficult. Years ago, before any of us knew better, customers on the Old Man's fishing boats would have heart attacks occasionally, when they hooked a big fish. Sometimes, no fish, it was just their time. The first time it happened, my father rushed back to port calling the CG. They sent a 40 footer out and instructed my father to maintain a steady speed and heading and they would pull up next to him and make the transfer underway. The problem was it isn't easy to come along side another boat while underway. The 65 foot Double Eagle was the first commercial catamaran in Clearwater Marina and was much faster than the 40 footers. The Old Man, after a few failed attempts to bring the CG along side, just gunned it (25 knots or so) and went straight to the marina, leaving the CG well behind. The ailing customer was loaded on the ambulance and on his way to the hospital before the CG 40 footer entered the marina.
My wife, being a nurse, was telling me, that wasn't necessarily a good decision, assuming CG boats, like ambulances, had trained personnel and life saving equipment on board. Often, it may take longer to get someone to a hospital by calling the ambulance and waiting for them to arrive instead of taking the patient there yourself, but that doesn't mean it is the fastest way to get them help.

With 50 passengers a day per boat, 364 days a year, our fishing boats saw a lot of medical problems. I'm sure there's an AED on those boats now.

I have to say, huge respect and gratitude for the USCG and their commitment to saving lives on and around the water.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[rgranger]

You earned some karma points for sure