Roger ,, I wondered this myself when I watched the video. How long was this
guy in trouble? He didn't use very good judgement taking a 2 year old on a
boat without another adult. I think the video said "2 year old".

Was he at the mouth of the harbor and everything went to hell? This can
happen. I was on my way into York, ME once .. everything going super, and
just as I get to Stage Neck ( the worst possible spot ) , I hook a lobster
pot.

The "have a knife on you at all times" ditty came into play. Me? Knife at
the ready. I cut that lobster pot line faster than you can say "in the
rough". I pulled the line up with a mooring pickup pole, pulled out my
knife, and cut away. Once I got the main line cut my engine did the rest.
But, it could have gone south; easy. I was right at the mouth, at the
neck. If the tide wasn't right, etc, I could have been driven up on the
rocks.

Maybe the guy was entering the harbor. The video doesn't say.

I would not bring a 2 year old onboard without Mom. And even then, ???

I do see folks with young kids onboard all the time. I just hope they have
taken the time to do a safety drill.

One of my spring projects is too write up safety bulletins. I do this on my
computer, print on heavy paper and then enclose in plastic.

I post these for myself as well as crew ( even though I doubt I will have a
crew ).

Such as: I have one posted near the companionway. It is a list of things I
must do after shuting off engine, etc before leaving boat. Kinda anal but
it has helped me.

I also have a "book". I call it "the book". The book has everything in it.
Not a Ships' Log. A "book" .. I write in it maintenance items, things to
do, good ideas, contacts, anything and everything to do with the boat. This
"book" is priceless.

Another item: the plastic container. I bought a plastic container at Wally
Mart which can be closed real tight. I wrap a bungy around it for even more
security. I keep the old manuals for stuff such as radio, gps, antenna,
whatever in the container. Everything stays dry!

As for the guy with the 2 year old. He used poor judgement. But, we still
don't know exactly where he was. At the end of the video the narrator says
he floated into safer water. That makes me think he was close to a harbor
entrance.

Who knows.

Good lesson though. I would rather spend the night offshore .. safe. Than
spend the night on the rocks ... while still in the boat.






"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
One of the colorful traditions of the sea is the use of rhymes and ditties
to remember important concepts and help sailors keep safety information
handy in their minds. You know, the "Red sky at night.." sort of thing.

You raise a very important question because thinking about these
situations and how you would handle them will make you a better sailor and
better able to fulfil you sacred responsibility towards those who have put
their faith in your skill and judgement and entrusted you with their
lives.

There is a particulary ditty that bears directly on the situation you
describe even though it isn't exactly nautical and needs some modification
in execution to apply on a sailboat:

"When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout."

The answer to the little problem you pose lies quite a bit in the past.
Anticipation and early response to developing situation is, indeed, a key
principle of safety.

--
Roger Long