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#1
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Grim MO in Maine
An experienced sailor went overboard from his 41 foot ketch on a trip
from Rockland ME to Rye NH for haul out. His 20 year old son was the only crew member and spent from last Saturday till yesterday (Thursday) drifting from off Boothbay Harbor to near Cape Cod. A Coast Guard jet spotted the boat with sails down and apparently abandoned after an extensive search and had a nearby fishing boat go over for a look. The son jumped overboard immediately when he saw the fishing boat and swam to it. He was then airlifted by chopper from the fishing boat to Cape Cod. By all accounts and what can be determined from a newspaper photo, the boat was capable and well equipped. No hint yet why the son was not able to start the engines or use the radios. You can bet I'll be giving my family another round of more intensive training next spring. -- Roger Long |
#2
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Grim MO in Maine
Roger Long wrote:
An experienced sailor went overboard from his 41 foot ketch on a trip from Rockland ME to Rye NH for haul out. His 20 year old son was the only crew member and spent from last Saturday till yesterday (Thursday) drifting from off Boothbay Harbor to near Cape Cod. A Coast Guard jet spotted the boat with sails down and apparently abandoned after an extensive search and had a nearby fishing boat go over for a look. The son jumped overboard immediately when he saw the fishing boat and swam to it. He was then airlifted by chopper from the fishing boat to Cape Cod. By all accounts and what can be determined from a newspaper photo, the boat was capable and well equipped. No hint yet why the son was not able to start the engines or use the radios. You can bet I'll be giving my family another round of more intensive training next spring. You bet. As a minimum, they should be able to use the VHF. |
#3
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Grim MO in Maine
Don White wrote:
Roger Long wrote: An experienced sailor went overboard from his 41 foot ketch on a trip from Rockland ME to Rye NH for haul out. His 20 year old son was the only crew member and spent from last Saturday till yesterday (Thursday) drifting from off Boothbay Harbor to near Cape Cod. A Coast Guard jet spotted the boat with sails down and apparently abandoned after an extensive search and had a nearby fishing boat go over for a look. The son jumped overboard immediately when he saw the fishing boat and swam to it. He was then airlifted by chopper from the fishing boat to Cape Cod. By all accounts and what can be determined from a newspaper photo, the boat was capable and well equipped. No hint yet why the son was not able to start the engines or use the radios. You can bet I'll be giving my family another round of more intensive training next spring. You bet. As a minimum, they should be able to use the VHF. Something like this happened to a man in the Bahamas and his wife couldn't turn off the autopilot or use the VHF either. She called for help on the SSB which happened to be tuned to a weather forecaster in the Virgin Islands, and he relayed the message to BASRA. It turned out that she had once been able to do those things, but she had Alzheimer's. grandma Rosalie |
#4
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Grim MO in Maine
I also leave the GPS running on the display with the Lat Long and make
sure they know the button that pages to it. I told them to read those numbers in their Mayday either on the radio or the cell phone which reaches most areas where we sail. -- Roger Long |
#5
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Grim MO in Maine
Someone once suggested to me pretending like the freeboard was 1000
feet and then thinking how your would approach deckwork. I'll admit to being rather casual on this point but I'm really thinking about this. -- Roger Long |
#6
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Grim MO in Maine
Roger Long wrote:
An experienced sailor went overboard from his 41 foot ketch on a trip from Rockland ME to Rye NH for haul out. His 20 year old son was the only crew member and spent from last Saturday till yesterday (Thursday) drifting from off Boothbay Harbor to near Cape Cod. A Coast Guard jet spotted the boat with sails down and apparently abandoned after an extensive search and had a nearby fishing boat go over for a look. The son jumped overboard immediately when he saw the fishing boat and swam to it. He was then airlifted by chopper from the fishing boat to Cape Cod. By all accounts and what can be determined from a newspaper photo, the boat was capable and well equipped. No hint yet why the son was not able to start the engines or use the radios. You can bet I'll be giving my family another round of more intensive training next spring. I misread the post as "2-year-old son". Surely a 20-year-old would have taken more notice of the boat's systems and how they operate? Granted he may not have been on the boat before, but all the more reason for the father to give him a thorough work-thru before leaving? Dennis. |
#7
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Grim MO in Maine
That's an interesting way to look at it. I usually have a somewhat similar
discussion when I'm teaching people on our 30 footer... asking what would it feel like to fall off the boat head first onto the dock. If you don't like that idea, don't jump! -- "j" ganz @@ www.sailnow.com "Roger Long" wrote in message ... Someone once suggested to me pretending like the freeboard was 1000 feet and then thinking how your would approach deckwork. I'll admit to being rather casual on this point but I'm really thinking about this. -- Roger Long |
#8
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Grim MO in Maine
In article ,
"Roger Long" wrote: I also leave the GPS running on the display with the Lat Long and make sure they know the button that pages to it. I told them to read those numbers in their Mayday either on the radio or the cell phone which reaches most areas where we sail. Crew Training is the responcability of the Skipper, and I, for one, go over the MayDay Card that is Posted by the radio with each, and every, person who boards my vessel, BEFORE we untie the lines..... Every time...... Me |
#9
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Grim MO in Maine
The new VHF radios have a nice red 16 button, and if you are out of
range for the VHF, IMHO: EPRBs are expensive, but should be high on the list if necessary equipment. It is a very sad and heart wrenching story. John S/V Pangea |
#10
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Grim MO in Maine
Roger Long wrote:
Someone once suggested to me pretending like the freeboard was 1000 feet and then thinking how your would approach deckwork. I'll admit to being rather casual on this point but I'm really thinking about this. My wife and I discussed this when offshore cruising. Our thought was that either of us fell overboard at night with the other sleeping, you're dead. Simple as that. Always wore our harnesses and clipped on to the jackline when leaving the cockpit. Never slipped or had an incident but you should take it seriously. We look upon lost hats overboard as improptu man overboard drills and usually recover them in about 2-4 minutes. But they are easy to miss and hard to see. A floating hat is similar to a head in the water. Makes you appreciate the usefulness of a Dan Buoy. Evan Gatehouse |
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