It pays not to be stupid

[jorgefife]

It had to happen: after all of these months of scavenging (most Fridays) I "rocked the boat" and fell
Notice all the maritime terms well applied: boat was listed to starboard, I climbed on it from port side (at stern) with a step ladder; I removed some teak, got a bunch of brand new halyards (4 bundles of it, an about 150 feet of dock roap, all for $ 40.00)
Climbing out, I exited port side (mistake) and the boat fell down, with me at the stern area; luckily was just my legs that got banged up, with all skin gone around shin area.
All the jagged stanchions and railing could have killed me, but I got home and my patient wife patched me up.
I left for the boat, 50 miles away, and installed 3 fire extinguishers (I once posted for some help where to put them), and all was well
Moral of the story: don't be stupid and eager like me: be carefull, boats are bit; and never try to work against aerodynamics: exit same direction as boat is listed
But I'm OK now: sat licking my wounds, and sat drinking Vinhoo Verde, watching the sun go down
No other place I would rather be, though
2 more weeks, and I'm sailing

 

[tomgrigsby]

Dang Jorge, glad you're all right. I once worked with a fellow who didn't consider a job properly done until he had bled a bit. I for one choose to forgo that step.

 

[rardiH36]

Jorge: Frightening experience I'm sure. Great that you only lost skin. Could have been much worse.

As someone from SF Bay area where boat salvage yards don't exist, enlighten me a bit: Are the boats in the salvage yard on the hard? If so, shame on the yard for not ensuring that the boats are propped up safely on stands before letting anybody near them. When boats are properly secured and someone hurts themselves digging around for stuff, or even falling off the side, that's a risk I can undertand is the customer's. But an entire boat falling over? How is one able to keep themselves safe against that?

Sort of like the assumption of risk skiing. If you crash into something or somebody, or somebody crashes into you, the resort has no liability. But if you are sitting on the ski lift going up the hill and the lift malfunctions causing injury, then the resort can be liable.

 

[jorgefife]

Dear Rardi,
Most boats are on stands; some, like the Hunter33 I have been scavenging from, are leaning against something: in the case of the H33, it was leaning against an old truck, but that was quite safe (I'm still here! after 10 months)
But the Catalina 30 I hurt myself on was leaning on to a pile of dirt, and it had no keel; so the angle was probably 45 degrees, and it takes someone like me, 6-2 and over 250 pounds to exit on the wrong side, and the rest is history
There is a Hunter 36 on stands, but it looks so bad that I have been parking my truck alongside and climb onto it from the bed of the truck...I figure if it falkls, it's only a truck... but I will be careful next time.
Do you know what a fox in a hen house feels like?
I state my case; lots of parts, I will be careful in the future; and I should have known better; the good thing is that I went home to get patched up, and limped to my boat, 55 miles away... is that the spirit or what???

 

[lulabell]

My condolenses on your injuries but,,, I and I guess a bunch of us would love to have a boat salvage yard to crawl around in (Good God I've gone to heaven). It is best to be safe but we learn best from our mishaps, after all when I was 7 years old I got a wood burning set for Christmas and I'm still alive and no scars that anyone can see. My point is be safe but like Mike Rowe has said "Safety is in the top three"
Ken