FYI..........beware idiots on board! I nearly had a fatality on my boat today! Coming across Indian Lake my Brother-in-law had his ratty old ball cap blow out of the boat. I should have kept going and forgot it but I said I'd retrieve it and turned around. I was closing in on it OK but then the IDIOT jumps off the boat to get his hat! Well............duhhh..........the boat keeps going............he looses sight of his hat and then cramps up, panics and starts yellin for help! I got the sails down and started the motor to go after him but when I got close the women on board were throwing floats at him and missing...................he was in no shape to grab them anyway and none of them had a line attached to them. So I got closer for them to grab him but they missed him and he went under the boat!!! Well by now I was freakin cause he was going under............I hated to leave 6 non-boating women aboard alone but I had no choice but to jump in after him. I got to him OK and calmed him down and held him up until a passing power boat could pick us up. Then we spent the next 2 hours filling out reports with the Coast Guard Auxillary and Div. of Watercraft while the EMS worked over the "victim". He's OK and spent the nite with us under my nurse wife's "observation". It was an exhausting afternoon...........mentally and physically. I did learn a few things though. Next time: I teach my wife and others how to start the motor and drop the sails. Also I advise all crew that NOONE leaves the boat without a life jacket on!!!! (all those riding on the bow will be asked to wear a jacket as well) Also........I didn't have mine on when I jumped in the water.............I'll have it on in future! Also........I'll install a tossing ring on my split backstay. And........I already keep a mushroom anchor handy by the gas tank for quick deployment. I should have deployed it before I went overboard and left my boat adrift. Luckily.........I lived and learned.
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Joel
Must have been something in the air (or water)
Similar thnig happened to me this past weekend although not as dangerous as yours sounded. I was out with my family on our H23 having a great time. Decided to call it quits for the day so we headed back to the mooring. Sails were down and stowed away by the time we reached the mooring. I had my oldest son working the outboard while I went forward to pick up the mooring. He and I had done it a few times before and he was actually getting good at steering us to the mooring, putting the outboard in neutral, gassing it a little if need be, etc. This time, however, just as I'm picking up the mooring with a mooring hook, he popped the outboard back out of neutral. Of course, before I could get the hook off the mooring line, the hook is in the water. At that point, as I'm walking back to the cockpit to replan our approach, my wife is yelling at my son to jump in the water and get the dinghy (which is tied to the mooring line). Before I can utter a word, (being a teenager) he's in the water with the outboard running and noone at the controls yet. Needless to say, I got back there pretty quick and got things back under control. Never got close to hitting him (with the boat or prop). Got us back to the mooring, got him back on board. Then had the big discussion about NOONE jumping into the water, especially with the outboard running. Like I said, must have been something in the water the past few days.
Similar thnig happened to me this past weekend although not as dangerous as yours sounded. I was out with my family on our H23 having a great time. Decided to call it quits for the day so we headed back to the mooring. Sails were down and stowed away by the time we reached the mooring. I had my oldest son working the outboard while I went forward to pick up the mooring. He and I had done it a few times before and he was actually getting good at steering us to the mooring, putting the outboard in neutral, gassing it a little if need be, etc. This time, however, just as I'm picking up the mooring with a mooring hook, he popped the outboard back out of neutral. Of course, before I could get the hook off the mooring line, the hook is in the water. At that point, as I'm walking back to the cockpit to replan our approach, my wife is yelling at my son to jump in the water and get the dinghy (which is tied to the mooring line). Before I can utter a word, (being a teenager) he's in the water with the outboard running and noone at the controls yet. Needless to say, I got back there pretty quick and got things back under control. Never got close to hitting him (with the boat or prop). Got us back to the mooring, got him back on board. Then had the big discussion about NOONE jumping into the water, especially with the outboard running. Like I said, must have been something in the water the past few days.
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R DEUTSCH
dumb
You forgot to say that you will ot have him aboard again,or the next time you will keep going
You forgot to say that you will ot have him aboard again,or the next time you will keep going
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Russell Egge
Teenagers jumping in.
Well it was last year, but we had a combination of the two. Motoring out to our mooring on Nantucket on a dark evening, my oldest son decided not to wait untill we got right up next to our 376, instead he took a flying leap from about 4', hit the transome feet first, and fell backwards into the water (yes he had a pfd on) He scrambled up on deck rather shaken but ok. Just then he noticed his new Nanatucket hat floating away. I enggaged the outboard to give chase when all of a sudden my wet son decides his hat is to important to loose and jumps in after it. WHAT A SHOCK to see your DNA jumping into a harbor in the dark and swiming on a direct course with the prop. I quickly shut the outboard down and watched as he gracefully swam over retrived his hat and climbed back aboard our boat. We have a new rule, NO ONE JUMPS IN AFTER ANYTHING, UNLESS I SAY SO. Teenagers think they wil live forever. RREGGE SV/ALLIE KAT
Well it was last year, but we had a combination of the two. Motoring out to our mooring on Nantucket on a dark evening, my oldest son decided not to wait untill we got right up next to our 376, instead he took a flying leap from about 4', hit the transome feet first, and fell backwards into the water (yes he had a pfd on) He scrambled up on deck rather shaken but ok. Just then he noticed his new Nanatucket hat floating away. I enggaged the outboard to give chase when all of a sudden my wet son decides his hat is to important to loose and jumps in after it. WHAT A SHOCK to see your DNA jumping into a harbor in the dark and swiming on a direct course with the prop. I quickly shut the outboard down and watched as he gracefully swam over retrived his hat and climbed back aboard our boat. We have a new rule, NO ONE JUMPS IN AFTER ANYTHING, UNLESS I SAY SO. Teenagers think they wil live forever. RREGGE SV/ALLIE KAT
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Steve O.
MOB drills
The skipper should discuss MOB procedures BEFORE they happen, and have drills from time to time. The impportant things are to NOT PANIC, and FOLLOW PROCEDURE as ordered by the skipper to avoid chaos. Poor swimmers should stay in the boat, otherwise you have 2 MOBs on your hands.
The skipper should discuss MOB procedures BEFORE they happen, and have drills from time to time. The impportant things are to NOT PANIC, and FOLLOW PROCEDURE as ordered by the skipper to avoid chaos. Poor swimmers should stay in the boat, otherwise you have 2 MOBs on your hands.
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Cliff Ruckstuhl
Teach them young!!!!
When I started Sailing I was Fresh out of a Divorce and Had always wanted to sail so I bought a Cheap boat and just did it. I had my 6 year old daughter and 3 year old son as crew. We were sailing on Grand Lake a small inland lake but none the less it was a Lake. I from the very begining taught the kids, what to do incase I fell off. We practiced Man Over Board Drills with Floats and taught my daughter how to call for help on the radio. We would practice as If I was in the water and I had them drop sails and start the motor and retrive the float as I watched from the companion way. They both grew up sailing and loving it. We now sail on Lake Erie and my now 17 year old daughter does'nt go much anymore (Boys) but my son still loves the boat and the time we have togather. It got to the point were I am sure they could have sailed the boat with out me and knew where all the controls were and what they did. I would also climb on the boat and just saw take us to the other end of the Lake and just watch and this was from the dock. ( On Grand Lake) They would then take us from the dock set sail and take me to the other end of the lake. This is when My daughter was 12 and my son 9. So teach them at a young age to be part of the crew not just a passinger some day your life may depend on it.
When I started Sailing I was Fresh out of a Divorce and Had always wanted to sail so I bought a Cheap boat and just did it. I had my 6 year old daughter and 3 year old son as crew. We were sailing on Grand Lake a small inland lake but none the less it was a Lake. I from the very begining taught the kids, what to do incase I fell off. We practiced Man Over Board Drills with Floats and taught my daughter how to call for help on the radio. We would practice as If I was in the water and I had them drop sails and start the motor and retrive the float as I watched from the companion way. They both grew up sailing and loving it. We now sail on Lake Erie and my now 17 year old daughter does'nt go much anymore (Boys) but my son still loves the boat and the time we have togather. It got to the point were I am sure they could have sailed the boat with out me and knew where all the controls were and what they did. I would also climb on the boat and just saw take us to the other end of the Lake and just watch and this was from the dock. ( On Grand Lake) They would then take us from the dock set sail and take me to the other end of the lake. This is when My daughter was 12 and my son 9. So teach them at a young age to be part of the crew not just a passinger some day your life may depend on it.
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Bill Welsch
Thanks, Mike....
..for sharing your story. Very helpful to the rest of us who would like to avoid your experience. By the way, as you suggest in your article, my wife is working to learn such things as starting the outboard, etc. She has asked me to "talk out loud" whenever I am involved in something she should know. Its really been fun. So as I start the motor I just talk out loud "Release lever, drop the motor, pull out the choke, max throttle...etc" She says it helps reinforce the learning for her and makes it kind of fun (I, of course, as the sailing addict, love yelling out each and every sailing-related action!) thanks again Bill Welsch s/v Renewal H 240
..for sharing your story. Very helpful to the rest of us who would like to avoid your experience. By the way, as you suggest in your article, my wife is working to learn such things as starting the outboard, etc. She has asked me to "talk out loud" whenever I am involved in something she should know. Its really been fun. So as I start the motor I just talk out loud "Release lever, drop the motor, pull out the choke, max throttle...etc" She says it helps reinforce the learning for her and makes it kind of fun (I, of course, as the sailing addict, love yelling out each and every sailing-related action!) thanks again Bill Welsch s/v Renewal H 240
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BART FORD
dumb moves
Several years ago, a guy was out on his big sailboat during a warm winter day with some friends when his precious hat blew off. He dove in after it. They found his body about a month later. Hypothermia
Several years ago, a guy was out on his big sailboat during a warm winter day with some friends when his precious hat blew off. He dove in after it. They found his body about a month later. Hypothermia
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GT Lowden
MOB drills
Both the ASA and Coast Guard training provides very simple procedures for retrieving a hat or other brainless items, (such as someone who jumps in after a hat), while under sail. The steps are designed so one person can recover the item(s. But...it doesn't do much good if you don't know the steps or if you don't practice them once you know them. Learn them and one day save a life! GT Lowden S/V Serenity
Both the ASA and Coast Guard training provides very simple procedures for retrieving a hat or other brainless items, (such as someone who jumps in after a hat), while under sail. The steps are designed so one person can recover the item(s. But...it doesn't do much good if you don't know the steps or if you don't practice them once you know them. Learn them and one day save a life! GT Lowden S/V Serenity
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Ralph McGraw
One can always learn
I am happy to hear that the outcome was good. And we can all look back afterwards and say that you should have done this or that. The main thing was a lesson learned by all with no apparent injuries to anyone. One never knows how they would react in a crisis situation. You must have done something right. By the way. My wife is learning right along with me. She is my partner. And Mike. I did get another H23. A 1990. Thanks to Greg in Indiana. He's moving up to something bigger. It's a good boat and we will be launching it saturday. We can also raise the mast which was a problem for us on the older one we had.
I am happy to hear that the outcome was good. And we can all look back afterwards and say that you should have done this or that. The main thing was a lesson learned by all with no apparent injuries to anyone. One never knows how they would react in a crisis situation. You must have done something right. By the way. My wife is learning right along with me. She is my partner. And Mike. I did get another H23. A 1990. Thanks to Greg in Indiana. He's moving up to something bigger. It's a good boat and we will be launching it saturday. We can also raise the mast which was a problem for us on the older one we had.
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