Just my luck, I have been working like a dog over the winter and spring to get the boat ready and one week after I drop it in somebody hits me. We entered a local race and had completed about half the course when a boat broad sided us. So I need Help. They are at fault and have called there insurance company. Any thoughts would help, this is my first accident at sea, clean record since I started sailing when I was tadpole. Luckly no one was hurt and we were able to save the mast after losing the backstay and stern rail. Thanks Mike
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Report it.
According to Coast Guard rules if the accident causes more than $500.00 damage it must be reported. That's if you want to go by the book.
According to Coast Guard rules if the accident causes more than $500.00 damage it must be reported. That's if you want to go by the book.
Do The Paperwork
It happened to me a couple of years ago. My mistake was that I made the first call to my insurance company. First call should have been to Maryland's Dept of Natural Resources Police. Then my insurance company. In my case, the other guy was clearly at fault and his insurance company asked me to not involve mine. They paid all the repair costs within two weeks of the appraisal. Bottom line message here, though, is to fully document what happened; collect statements from witnesses, if any, and get the authorities involved early on. Good luck. Rick
It happened to me a couple of years ago. My mistake was that I made the first call to my insurance company. First call should have been to Maryland's Dept of Natural Resources Police. Then my insurance company. In my case, the other guy was clearly at fault and his insurance company asked me to not involve mine. They paid all the repair costs within two weeks of the appraisal. Bottom line message here, though, is to fully document what happened; collect statements from witnesses, if any, and get the authorities involved early on. Good luck. Rick
Collision Documentation
First, any accident in which death, disappearance of any person, or injury of any person requiring medical attention needs to be reported within 48 hours. Any accident in which the total damages to all property affected is in excess of $500.00 must be reported by the operator within 5 days after the accident on the required forms. In CT. the authority is the DEP -Boating Division. You should check with U.S. Coast Gaurd depending on which waters you were sailing. Secondly, assuming that you were in a sanctioned race event, I would assume that you filed a protest with the race committee, which should be ample documentation of the event. Make sure that you get signed statements from any witnesses. Assuming that the other skipper is in agreement that he was at fault, he is responsible for all damage/costs resulting from the negligent operation of his/her vessel. The best policy is to fully document the event, and get your insurance agency involved ASAP.
First, any accident in which death, disappearance of any person, or injury of any person requiring medical attention needs to be reported within 48 hours. Any accident in which the total damages to all property affected is in excess of $500.00 must be reported by the operator within 5 days after the accident on the required forms. In CT. the authority is the DEP -Boating Division. You should check with U.S. Coast Gaurd depending on which waters you were sailing. Secondly, assuming that you were in a sanctioned race event, I would assume that you filed a protest with the race committee, which should be ample documentation of the event. Make sure that you get signed statements from any witnesses. Assuming that the other skipper is in agreement that he was at fault, he is responsible for all damage/costs resulting from the negligent operation of his/her vessel. The best policy is to fully document the event, and get your insurance agency involved ASAP.
Hell of a Wind that Day
Mike...I was in that race also...and the way the boats were heeling it was easy to lose control at times...wish I had of reefed the main down one. Anyway...glad everyone made it through it safely. That will be a race that will be talked about for a long time, unbelievable wide...still don't know how hard it was blowing on Sat. Best! Larry... Sandy Sea Portsmouth, VA
Mike...I was in that race also...and the way the boats were heeling it was easy to lose control at times...wish I had of reefed the main down one. Anyway...glad everyone made it through it safely. That will be a race that will be talked about for a long time, unbelievable wide...still don't know how hard it was blowing on Sat. Best! Larry... Sandy Sea Portsmouth, VA
Wind?
Reading the thread I was just curious as to how high the wind was. Thanks and good luck on your repairs. Glad no one was hurt.
Reading the thread I was just curious as to how high the wind was. Thanks and good luck on your repairs. Glad no one was hurt.
Tales from a committee boat...
The largest regatta on Lake Lanier is Dogwood every April--a two day regatta with about 100 boats in 6-9 fleets....everything from Melges & J24s to cruisers (including Hunters and Catalinas), and a fleet of big trimarans. Usually it's a bit of a drifter in spring sunshine, but this year it definitely was not! Rain and winds 35 gusting into the 50s. 3 starts...which meant about 30 boats in each start. When we posted the course and the boats began circling, my heart was in my mouth....I've been race committee boat for several years, and never once have we been hit...but this year...in these conditions...was a whole new thing. And, I'd just spent megabucks having "Solitaire's" hull wet sanded, buffed, teflon coated and restriped. Sho' nuff...I'm up on the bridge when I see 3 boats getting in each other's way...and two of 'em are bearing down on my starboard side...all I could do was watch and mutter "oh $*** " while my committee did their best to fend 'em off. When you're on an anchor, there's nothing ELSE you can do. Amid shouts of "drop the jib, drop the jib, drop the jib" a 26 McGregor hit us. No point in checking for damage then...nothing I could do about it, and we had a job to do. Everyone got sorted out, and we got 'em all started...and about 15 minutes into the race, we got a call on the VHF: "there's a turtled boat off the (named) point." Our pin boat responded...fortunately everyone--4 people was wearing PFDs, and no one was trapped under the rigging...but the water that day was only about 60, and it took about 15 minutes to get 'em all out of the water and into the pin boat, who brought 'em to us (I have a generator & central heat, and it was running) while TowBOAT/US responded to recover their boat. His keel had broken off. Modesty be damned...we had them strip to their underwear in the cockpit, then wrapped 'em in beach towels, blankets and everything else I could find aboard. and the coffee pot was on. After only 15 minutes in 60 degree water, all four of them were all but incoherent. They had to be MADE to get out of their wet clothes...they couldn't feel the cold any more. It seems hard to believe, but as little as another five minutes in the 60 degree water, and it's likely that our pin boat would have recovered at least one body instead of 4 very wet people. The boat was the McGregor that had hit us...there was no damage to my boat or his from the collision. Later, at the post race cocktail party--AFTER I made sure he had a sense of humor about it!--I couldn't resist telling the skipper that God punishes people who hit the committee boat.
However, that wasn't the only "war story" from the day...we counted 4 dismastings, 3 torn mains, half a dozen torn jibs...several spinnakers ripped to shreds (who flies a spinnaker in THOSE conditions???)...and I've never seen so many sheets and halyards flying loose in the air! There were dozens of reports at the cocktail party of broken equipment--cleats ripped out, winches...rigging pulled out...and damned if I didn't get hit again--this time during the finish--but again with no damage other than a replaceable cowl over my bilge blower through-hull...and I was just lucky! We estimated the total damage to the fleet that day to be in excess of $150,000. Ain't racing FUN???
The largest regatta on Lake Lanier is Dogwood every April--a two day regatta with about 100 boats in 6-9 fleets....everything from Melges & J24s to cruisers (including Hunters and Catalinas), and a fleet of big trimarans. Usually it's a bit of a drifter in spring sunshine, but this year it definitely was not! Rain and winds 35 gusting into the 50s. 3 starts...which meant about 30 boats in each start. When we posted the course and the boats began circling, my heart was in my mouth....I've been race committee boat for several years, and never once have we been hit...but this year...in these conditions...was a whole new thing. And, I'd just spent megabucks having "Solitaire's" hull wet sanded, buffed, teflon coated and restriped. Sho' nuff...I'm up on the bridge when I see 3 boats getting in each other's way...and two of 'em are bearing down on my starboard side...all I could do was watch and mutter "oh $*** " while my committee did their best to fend 'em off. When you're on an anchor, there's nothing ELSE you can do. Amid shouts of "drop the jib, drop the jib, drop the jib" a 26 McGregor hit us. No point in checking for damage then...nothing I could do about it, and we had a job to do. Everyone got sorted out, and we got 'em all started...and about 15 minutes into the race, we got a call on the VHF: "there's a turtled boat off the (named) point." Our pin boat responded...fortunately everyone--4 people was wearing PFDs, and no one was trapped under the rigging...but the water that day was only about 60, and it took about 15 minutes to get 'em all out of the water and into the pin boat, who brought 'em to us (I have a generator & central heat, and it was running) while TowBOAT/US responded to recover their boat. His keel had broken off. Modesty be damned...we had them strip to their underwear in the cockpit, then wrapped 'em in beach towels, blankets and everything else I could find aboard. and the coffee pot was on. After only 15 minutes in 60 degree water, all four of them were all but incoherent. They had to be MADE to get out of their wet clothes...they couldn't feel the cold any more. It seems hard to believe, but as little as another five minutes in the 60 degree water, and it's likely that our pin boat would have recovered at least one body instead of 4 very wet people. The boat was the McGregor that had hit us...there was no damage to my boat or his from the collision. Later, at the post race cocktail party--AFTER I made sure he had a sense of humor about it!--I couldn't resist telling the skipper that God punishes people who hit the committee boat.
However, that wasn't the only "war story" from the day...we counted 4 dismastings, 3 torn mains, half a dozen torn jibs...several spinnakers ripped to shreds (who flies a spinnaker in THOSE conditions???)...and I've never seen so many sheets and halyards flying loose in the air! There were dozens of reports at the cocktail party of broken equipment--cleats ripped out, winches...rigging pulled out...and damned if I didn't get hit again--this time during the finish--but again with no damage other than a replaceable cowl over my bilge blower through-hull...and I was just lucky! We estimated the total damage to the fleet that day to be in excess of $150,000. Ain't racing FUN??? Collision Update
The insurance company is sending a surveyor this morning at 10:00 am to ckeck the boat out. The owners of the boat have fully admitted being responsible for the damage. The surveyor/cunsultant still has to talk to the owners to declare who was responsible. According to my wind indicator the wind was a constant 18-20 knots with higher gusts. By the way, for all who read this. If you ever hit another boat please stop and make sure everybody else is okay. Dont just keep sailing. Accidents happen, especially with lots of sails and different experience levels, but when a boat hits and runs, its unacceptable no matter who is at fault. Mike
The insurance company is sending a surveyor this morning at 10:00 am to ckeck the boat out. The owners of the boat have fully admitted being responsible for the damage. The surveyor/cunsultant still has to talk to the owners to declare who was responsible. According to my wind indicator the wind was a constant 18-20 knots with higher gusts. By the way, for all who read this. If you ever hit another boat please stop and make sure everybody else is okay. Dont just keep sailing. Accidents happen, especially with lots of sails and different experience levels, but when a boat hits and runs, its unacceptable no matter who is at fault. Mike
!!!
Peggy, your CRO ought to be spanked for two reasons: (1) for starting a race in gale conditions (34-40 knots) (2) for not placing a limiting mark between the committee boat and the start line in strong winds. Additionally, as a standard protocol a race should be abandoned once storm conditions (41+, although that's only a "Strong Gale" on the Buefort Scale) are observed by the committee boat. Perhaps the group sponsoring these regattas should look into US Sailing certification for the Chief Racing Officer. (And perhaps therapy should be suggested for anyone who would consider flying the chute when the breeze is gusting 50 knots.) J-24s and Melges 24s --not to mention the McGregors-- are not designed to be raced in such conditions, and it's important to have a CRO who understands the limitations of the fleet.
Peggy, your CRO ought to be spanked for two reasons: (1) for starting a race in gale conditions (34-40 knots) (2) for not placing a limiting mark between the committee boat and the start line in strong winds. Additionally, as a standard protocol a race should be abandoned once storm conditions (41+, although that's only a "Strong Gale" on the Buefort Scale) are observed by the committee boat. Perhaps the group sponsoring these regattas should look into US Sailing certification for the Chief Racing Officer. (And perhaps therapy should be suggested for anyone who would consider flying the chute when the breeze is gusting 50 knots.) J-24s and Melges 24s --not to mention the McGregors-- are not designed to be raced in such conditions, and it's important to have a CRO who understands the limitations of the fleet.
If you read the Rules, John...
The USSA "Racing Rules of Sailing 1997-2000" Part 1--"The Fundamentals", paragraph 4 "The decision to race" reads: "A boat is solely responsible for deciding whether or not to start or to continue racing." Not the CRO...the boat. Nobody holds a gun to any skipper's head to show up at a start... it's up to each skipper to decide for himself whether his skills, his vessel, and those of his crew are equal to the conditions. I know lots of sailors who consider 20-25k "too windy" to go out at all, much less race...but I also know lots of sailors who don't consider it worth the effort unless the winds are at least 20....and I've crewed in 25-35k winds. The Dogwood is a sanctioned regatta...although most of the competitors are local, quite a few are world class racers--"rock stars"-- who race in it every year. I'm certainly not gonna be the one to tell an Olympic medalist who's towed his boat 200 miles that conditions are too rough for him to race. That's his decision...and it's also the decision of every other racer. And there were those who'd registered who didn't show up. But fwiw, there were more boats who raced--and finished-- without damage or injury than boats that either didn't finish or sustained damage. There are, of course, exceptions: no CRO in his/her right mind would start a bunch of kids or adult novices in a one-design race in those conditions. I've abandoned or at least postponed races due to thunderstorms...and once for a tornado warning! But, except for conditions that endanger EVERYONE's life, and not just that of those whose skills aren't up to the task, under the rules I can't decide for you whether to race or not just because it's cold and windier than usual. As for your comment about putting a protective mark between the start and the committee boat...it wouldn't have helped. I got hit both times on the OTHER side--the first time as boats were circling to read the course board...I don't know why the second boat hit me...I was busy calling finishes when I heard and felt the thump. And obtw...McGregors may not be designed to race in those conditions...but try telling that to a world-class Melges or J-24 racer.
The USSA "Racing Rules of Sailing 1997-2000" Part 1--"The Fundamentals", paragraph 4 "The decision to race" reads: "A boat is solely responsible for deciding whether or not to start or to continue racing." Not the CRO...the boat. Nobody holds a gun to any skipper's head to show up at a start... it's up to each skipper to decide for himself whether his skills, his vessel, and those of his crew are equal to the conditions. I know lots of sailors who consider 20-25k "too windy" to go out at all, much less race...but I also know lots of sailors who don't consider it worth the effort unless the winds are at least 20....and I've crewed in 25-35k winds. The Dogwood is a sanctioned regatta...although most of the competitors are local, quite a few are world class racers--"rock stars"-- who race in it every year. I'm certainly not gonna be the one to tell an Olympic medalist who's towed his boat 200 miles that conditions are too rough for him to race. That's his decision...and it's also the decision of every other racer. And there were those who'd registered who didn't show up. But fwiw, there were more boats who raced--and finished-- without damage or injury than boats that either didn't finish or sustained damage. There are, of course, exceptions: no CRO in his/her right mind would start a bunch of kids or adult novices in a one-design race in those conditions. I've abandoned or at least postponed races due to thunderstorms...and once for a tornado warning! But, except for conditions that endanger EVERYONE's life, and not just that of those whose skills aren't up to the task, under the rules I can't decide for you whether to race or not just because it's cold and windier than usual. As for your comment about putting a protective mark between the start and the committee boat...it wouldn't have helped. I got hit both times on the OTHER side--the first time as boats were circling to read the course board...I don't know why the second boat hit me...I was busy calling finishes when I heard and felt the thump. And obtw...McGregors may not be designed to race in those conditions...but try telling that to a world-class Melges or J-24 racer.
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