Association Forum - Night Race Scare...

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Night Race Scare...

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

Member Avatar

Canada
3159 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/10/2009 : 07:29:47

This past weekend was our annual overnight race. Overnight ended up being the wrong name for it. The winds were strong,and we finished the race by 11:45.

With strong winds, and short, high waves, Iris was not in her best element to win. We were working hard in what was mostly a pointing race. With all that pointing we needed lots of weight up on the rail.

Patti, a very experienced sailor was up there for most of the race, sitting onth eedge of the coachouse roof just forward of the shroud. At one point she let go of the shroud she had been holding just as a wave picked up the boat and a puff pushed us hard over.

Patti reached out to grab the shroud, missed, and slid backwards to leeward across the foredeck with a panicked look on her face.

Lucky for us, she slammed into the leeward shroud, back first, and crumpled onto the side deck, unable to move from panic and shock.

I turned the boat into irons, and we got her back into the cockpit with some very bad bruising and a broken tailbone. She wasn't tethered at the time (should have been), but was wearing bright yellow foulies (slick, but visible) and a PFD.

I feel awful about the incident, especially since she would have gone in if it weren't for the shroud catching her, and in those conditions, the MOB drill would have been very difficult (Dark, rain, heavy wind).

We gave her some heavy-duty pain killer, and she spent the rest of the race recovering, but I am so thankful she was OK.

Lessons:
<ul><li> Tethers matter. Wear one.</li><li> One hand for you, one for the boat. Always hold on</li><li> Pay attention to what your crew is doing, you are responsible for them.</li></ul>

"Iris"
1984 FK/SR #4040
http://frosthaus.blogspot.com/

Take a minute to register your boat with the association!!
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/owner_questionnaire.htm

Edited by - Prospector on 08/10/2009 07:30:35

windsong
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
318 Posts

Response Posted - 08/10/2009 : 07:41:10

Scary indeed. I'm sure glad she was able to stay in the boat and that she is okay. MOB in those conditions... don't really want to think about it. She sounds like a tough cookie.

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 08/10/2009 : 12:43:14

Glad to hear she had her PFD on and didn't go over. You are right about the tehter. While a broken tailbone sure must hurt, it is great that she didn't go over in those conditions.

We added whistles and personal beacons to our PFDs. At night the crew will need some help to keep the MOB in sight.

Thanks for sharing your story. It helps us all keep aware.

Now go on your vacation and relax.

Edited by - Nautiduck on 08/10/2009 12:47:35

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 08/10/2009 : 19:05:01

Wow, glad to hear Patti's mostly OK, and disaster was narrowly averted. Did she actually break a bone? Rita's still limping more than two years later after breaking her heel jumping off the boat.

Like Randy & Pat, we too have dual tethers, flashlights, strobes, and whistles (good ones, not the cheapos that come with the PFDs) on both our PFDs. And I drill the "one hand for the boat, one hand for you" into anyone who's on the boat with us. We also both have knives handy. I always have a knife on me, but I got Rita a Davis Rigging knife on a neck lanyard so she can always have one as well. She doesn't like all the various things hanging off of her PFD, but understands their utility & necessity.

Edited by - on

John Pittman
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
44 Posts

Response Posted - 08/10/2009 : 20:21:15

Glad to hear Patti's is ok.

I singlehand mostly so I tether myself and also strap a waterproof floating radio to my PFD.

Might be overkill but since I use a tiller pilot frequently I figure if the tether somehow came loose I would be able to call for assistance, since the boat would keep on agoing.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 08/10/2009 : 20:42:54

Just to reinforce the other comments (including your own), down in choppy water at night, "bright yellow foulies" 50' away are not very different from black ones. A light beam from the boat can't see them at all--it reflects off the water and away from you--as if you had no light. (Try it.) I'm glad you didn't have to find that out. I crewed in a race on a night like that--dark, rain, heavy wind, 4-5' chop, il-equipped... Never again. An MOB drill would have very likely been futile.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2009 : 10:22:59

Patti stopped by the house yesterday to pick up her stuff.

Her tailbone is badly bruised, not broken. Yay. She was apologising to me for not holding on... "I always drill it into guests on my boat - never let go, then I came on yours to find out why."

Everythign is OK now, but the lesson is a lasting one. The look on her face as she slid out of control across the foredeck will linger for a long time.

Edited by - on

aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 08/12/2009 : 10:30:19

Even though I have all the needed safety lines, tethers, etc, these are two of my heavy weather rules:

1. Nobody goes forward of the cockpit unless it is absolutley necessary.
2. Any work on the bow must be accomplished by going through the forward hatch, not the over the coach roof.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.