Sunday night at my club, a 48 year old man slipped and fell from the
bow of his powerboat. His head hit the dock first and he was under
water (under the boat in the slip) for three minutes. His wife
couldn't reach him, but someone nearby did. They managed to revive him
but he was dead an hour later from the head injury and some
complications due the time he was under.
He had been a long time boater, and I suppose that this sort of
accident falls under the "freak accident" arena, but it's still very
sad and troubling. Early that day he'd gotten up with his wife and two
kids, happy to be heading for his boat. Now he's dead and it's really
just that simple.
I'm not very sure what to say about it since he really committed no
foul. It's not as though he was drunk, or mishandling the boat in some
way. He just slipped.
Today, before I went sailing, I walked past his boat. Folks had placed
flowers on deck. His kids had been aboard when it happened and now
they'd associate boats and the ocean with thier father's passing. It
was damn heartbreaking.

So. On a serious note. All I can say is.
Be careful.


RB