An Accident on the Lake Today

RandyMoon · Post by **RandyMoon** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:37 pm

The wife and I were out enjoying a great day of sailing when we heard a mayday on the radio. The lady on the radio said they had run a ground and her husband was knocked unconsious.

My wife got on the radio, got details, phoned our clubhouse via my cell phone and before long we could see 2 jets skis and a power boat coming full speed from our marina. We dropped sails and raced over towards the boat in distress but could not get close enough because the water was shallow and the wind was blowing too strong to pull the centerboard up. I was happy to see the jet skis because they could get right up to the boat.

The couple on the boat had just bought the O'Day 25 and it was the 2nd time they had been out sailing. Luckily the lady knew out how to use the radio and kinda got the sails down in strong winds. They were flapping, but most of the way down. Unfortunately they did not know the water is very shallow on this one point on the lake. I assume the boat hit bottom and he hit his head.

So the moral of this story is that I was proud of my wife for using the radio to get help. I showed her how to use it last year in case of a problem and she came through like a trooper, got help coming and got our sails down quickly. This is a good example that we should all make sure people on board are trained and know what to do when time counts. I always get lulled into thinking sailing is safe and a time to relax. The truth is that anything can happen at anytime and people need to be prepared for any circumstance.

Just in case of a disaster, I always have a sharp pocket knife in my pocket when I sail, along with one of those multi-tools (screwdriver, pliers, etc.) that fold up into a tidy little package. Boy Scouts - be prepared.

Post by **NiceAft** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:09 pm

Now you have me thinking!

I don't think I ever went over how to use the radio with my wife.

Safety is important, and I don't think we ever leave the dock without wearing our PFD's. We bought the self inflating type for comfort, but neither one of us thought about her using the radio

Thanks

As to those little all in one McGiver tools, I have a Leatherman Wave that rarely leaves my side. I can't recommend it enough. A well thought out tool.

Ray

baldbaby2000 · Post by **baldbaby2000** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:27 pm

Having a knife handy is a good idea. When we sailed on Lake Angostura in SD there was a guy bringing his boat to the dock in a storm. He got on the dock and made the mistake of wrapping the line around his hand. The wind took the boat away and he couldn't get the line off his hand and his crew didn't know what to do. He lost 4 fingers.

Post by **kmclemore** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 8:05 pm

NiceAft wrote:Now you have me thinking!

I don't think I ever went over how to use the radio with my wife.

Just did that myself with the wife this summer... every boat should have at least two folks on board that know how to use the radio.

NiceAft wrote: As to those little all in one McGiver tools, I have a Leatherman Wave that rarely leaves my side. I can't recommend it enough. A well thought out tool.
Ray

Yep, me too... my Leatherman's leather pouch has a nice, soft, well-worn patina... I never go on the boat or on any camping trip without it!

jda · Post by **jda** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:47 pm

What's the "rest of the story"? Is the guy okay?

Enquiring Minds want to know.

jda

delevi · Post by **delevi** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 11:43 pm

Thanks for the tip Randy. My wife is getting a radio crash course next time out. I need to get a pocket knife too. I have a survival knife on board, but it's below the seat with the tools (too big to keep in my pocket) Have to get one of those Swiss Army things.

Hope the guy who hit his head made out Ok.

They Theirs · Post by **They Theirs** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 4:12 am

RandyMoon
Three Cheers for Rhapsody and the Crew. Nice to know your alert for emergency, and thanks for the tip.

RandyMoon · Post by **RandyMoon** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:34 am

We pulled away from the situation when the Coast Guard came on the scene and they helped people get to shore. When we got back to the marina, word was that the fellow re-gained consciousness, but was sitting there repeating himself....repeating himself. Did I say he was repeating himself? Sounds like he got his bell rung.

I just hope they chalk the experience up to a valuable lesson learned and enjoy future sailing experiences. Everyone who sails the lake knows to stay away from this one point because it is shallow for about 200 yards from shore. Lots of props lost in this one area. Maybe we need to add this info to new member orientation.

Post by **kmclemore** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:36 am

RandyMoon wrote:We pulled away from the situation when the Coast Guard came on the scene and they helped people get to shore. When we got back to the marina, word was that the fellow re-gained consciousness, but was sitting there repeating himself....repeating himself. Did I say he was repeating himself? Sounds like he got his bell rung...

Hmm... accidental jibe?

Tony D-26X_SusieQ · Post by **Tony D-26X_SusieQ** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:06 pm

Just a thought. When picking out a knife, the folding ones may prove to be useless if you are holding on to the mast with one hand and only have one hand left to try and open the knife.

Of course if you have three hands (a must for single handing a sail boat) then you won't have any problem.

RandyMoon · Post by **RandyMoon** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 3:40 pm

Kevin, actually they were beam reaching with 15 mph winds and ran a ground under full speed. I'd imagine that the skipper was flung into something. I think he experienced the effect of Newton's Law of Motion firsthand.

Night Sailor · Post by **Night Sailor** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 4:26 pm

RandyMoom said: "Everyone who sails the lake knows to stay away from this one point because it is shallow for about 200 yards from shore. Lots of props lost in this one area. Maybe we need to add this info to new member orientation."
The story is based on at least one couple who did not know. Not only would it be good for club members to be oriented, but perhaps if it is the only dangerous portion of the lake, map signs might be posted at launch ramps, marinas, or fuel docks. A grant to cover the cost could come from BOAT/US or perhaps the CGAux. It'd make a nice Eagle Scout project, too.

Dimitri-2000X-Tampa · Post by **Dimitri-2000X-Tampa** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 7:07 pm

In Florida, people stuff a piece of pvc pipe into the dirt...kind of like a poor man's channel marker. If you see a pvc pipe sticking out of the water, better stay away from there.

On my keelboat, I once wanted to go sailing really bad with a visitor from work (my out of town boss with lots of sailing experience). The tide was too low (winter time) but he was only going to be in town for a few hours before his plane left so I decided to take the risk. I ran the lead keel into a rock at about 3-4 knots and it stopped the 5500 lb boat dead. I was looking over the top of the bimini (the heavy stainless steel tube kind of course) with my mouth at the level of the SS tube. The impact sent my mouth smashing into the tube and I thought for sure I had knocked my teeth out. But luckily those suckers are pretty strong and I just had two bloody lips. Kinda ruined the day though, took like an hour to stop the bleeding. I guess if it was the top of my head that hit, then I can see how someone might get knocked out..especially at double the speed. The crash jibe theory does sound plausible though. Sometimes when boats ground, they do pivot on their keel some, but that would be secondary. Btw, I must have found the only really big rock in the canal, usually, it is sand and mud around here which makes for a much slower stop.

Miquel · Post by **Miquel** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 3:04 am

I agree completely with you; safety is perhaps the most important item on a boat, and everyone should have to be trained, at least in the basics of man overboard (both sail & motor), radio usage, and also know where everything is being kept.

I also have always with me a multitool in the pocket, and a couple of chemical lights. I am convinced Murphy exists, and if overboard, it will be at night or with poor visibility and bad sea. Anything you do to ve visible....

Fair winds,

Miquel

Craig LaForce · Post by **Craig LaForce** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:50 am

At the marina where I was at in NJ, there was a very shallow area across from my slip. The marina owner had veryclear signs posted at the edge of the shallow area warning that it is extremely shallow, stay out!

Just about every weekend some nitwit would get stuck over there in a big power boat, gunning his engines in reverse, just about destroying his engines (kicking up mud and sand, plugging cooling systems, getting sand in the bearings etc) , yelling for help, and of course never having a VHF radio or even a rope they could toss to whoever was graciously trying to pull them off.

MacGregorSailors.com

MacGregorSailors.com

An Accident on the Lake Today

An Accident on the Lake Today

Not common knowledge

Signs and shallow spots