Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Fwd: Sailing is a Risk
A couple more items that I would put in the pockets of my PFD if the
water was cold,
1) A good old knitted woolen "watch cap", we lose most of our body heat
through our heads.
2) A good pair of warm gloves, fingers also get cold mighty fast!
3) A signal mirror, or an old CD (I got lucky, some credit card company
sent me a credit-card-sized CD)
4) ALL items in the pockets, like mirrors, flashlights, strobes, knives,
etc should be tethered to the PFD.
5) A 3-pk of waterproof, self-contained aerial flares.
Finally, if an inflatable PFD is used, it MUST be worn on the OUTSIDE of
any coats or foul weather gear, you do not want anything to prevent full
inflation, also adjust the straps according to the instructions, allowing
a bit of slack to allow full inflation. Finally, those inflatable PFDs
need to be checked often to be sure that they are in good shape, ie: no
leaks!
Rod Johnson, "NODROG"
1970 CAL 21, #285
On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:47:35 -0000 "slickbutfoxbuger"
<fi… [at] aol.com> writes:
heaven help anyone overboard;
let-a-lone in rough, cold, and or less-than tropical dock-side
sort of conditions. i suppose when i think about it, sailing can be
dangerous. but it need not be, and i see that as a very *Important*
distention!
fiver recently posted a short story of a sailing adventure she
had on the Puget Sound aboard *Nemesis* (Cal 3-30), with Fred Haas
(Owner & Capt.). at the Skipper's meeting before that days race, i
took note of the *PFD's* the different people had worn to the meeting
(required). mostly i think *inflatable* as they were hidden under
jackets.
i thought to myself; Ok, not my first choice. not in these cold-
ass waters. as much to my surprise i had the only *float-coat* in
the bunch. and i'd have had a small inflatable under that if i had
the money too! one of those belt type. but first i need to get a par
of CG approved overalls if i am going to keep sailing in the winter.
after all, it's not just keeling your head above water that counts
in the north. the cold water will kill your ass pretty bloody fast
too! and i would rather be too hot while i am sailing than too cold
while i am swimming. this as one is for fun, and the other is for
life.
but just the same, a couple of the fellows at the meeting had on
real pretty (matching) red bad weather sailing suits. the sort that
if one float-tests, will simply fill-up with water and sink like a
sub. but i must say, they sure looked pretty! probable cost more than
i paid for BB-54. but hay, they must have had some sort of inflatable
under it all (for all the good that would have done them). each to
their own, right. i am just using this as an example. for all i know
the red suits may blow-up like the one Woody Allen wore in that old
movie where the lady road him across the lake......
so now that i have this nice bomber-style float-coat and matching
floating pants/coveralls; what if anything should i put in the
pockets? will, a real good cutting instrument of some sort. if i go
in the drink, i may need to cut myself free of something. and if
there is an emergency onboard, i may need to cut a line, or even a
halyard. such as in a blow-down. next a whistle, but not just one. i
would also get a gas-powered min-horn and stick that i a pocket too!
i have heard a story or two of boats hearing a whistle and not being
able to tell where it's coming from. or a person whistling at a boat
and the boat not hearing them. so next it's the best auto-strobe
light i can find. that goes on the outside. and then a good (small)
led water-proof led style flash-light for the pocket. and then the
most important point, if nothing else; put your damn cell-phone in a
zip-lock plastic bag and stuff that in a pocket. you just never
know......
Oh, and if they ever invent a orange instant-inflatable balloon
on a string, i'll get one of them too!
now, start thinking about how the hell you are going to get out
of the water again. it just mite be a bigger problem than finding you
after you fall in you know. like last Saturday with Capt. Fred and i.
if fiver had gone for a swim, how the hell was Fred going to get me
out of the water once He me again? if He ever found me in that swell
and wight-cap. it sure as hell wasn't likely that i was going to be
of any help after even 5 or 10 minutes in Puget Sound. given that,
what should been His first move, call the CG or go looking? it's
certain He would not have been able to keep an eye on me and handle
*Nemesis* at the same time.
you all want to know the truth....
i have been around enough that i knew going out that day.
if i had gone for a swim, i was dead the moment i hit the water. not
off a sailboat......
there are things that the seaman can do to improve his or her
survivability in the water. and i do all of those things i can. but
when it comes right down to it, experience at sea makes all the
difference in the world. that and the understanding that every part
of that boat or ship is *Expendable* in the pursuit of safety. that
means that if someone goes over the side; i don't take time to get
the sail down. cut the bloody halyards, get the engine started and
get that boat back to that person. i need a line; Wow, there is a jib
sheet! now i got a line!!!! bill me for it..... if i can't get that
person on board, tie a line around me and i'll go in and get em. then
at lest we both got a line tied around us. if your near-shore, and
you can't get them aboard, tie on to them and drag them to the shore.
what is worth more, your boat or the life; you figure it out budds.
where i come from, we don't leave a body to die alone. i never have,
nor will i ever. i couldn't live with myself.......
so what does all of this have to do with the tragic loss of the
J-35 and her crew; well, beside the fact that every crew member has a
responsibility to them selves to come aboard equipped and ready for
his or her own personal safety. and with the guts to insist on it! i
also feel that modern sailboats need to be outfitted for safety.
something that i am sad to say they are not today. take a simple
thing like the propeller. the feathering prop may be fine for a lake
or up some small river. but it sure as hell isn't fine for place's
where one may encounter heavy weather. i don't see how any boat can
be expected to recover a man-over-board if the ship can't maneuver in
the conditions under which it is likely to be out in when the man is
lost in. but then what racer is going to hang a good high-thrust 3 or
4 blade screw under his tail unless the rules require all boats to do
so? it's not unlike banning chemical weapons, isn't it. and then
there is that cock-pit full of tiller that all of you sailors seem to
just love so much. as far as i am concerned, it's bloody dangerous!
lets ban the tiller in all boats above a given length and or weight.
that way everyone will be playing with the same toys. and if not
banning the tiller, then require the cock-pit to be twice the length
of the tiller.
these are just two simple observations that i have held for a
long time. one of which was confirmed Saturday. but maybe people have
gotten so used to boats the way they exist now that change is
unthinkable. it isn't you know. just try coloring out of the box once
in a while, or does it take the loss of a few more J-35's......
fiver,
Master of The "BB-54"
one of the famous Cal-28 flush-decks
out of Sierra-5, Papa Hotel (in days gone by)
now hove-too, not 10' south of my front porch;
in my Sister Karen's one acre back yard.......
(built like a Battleship; sails like a Sub......)
********************************
--- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, david dobbs <tmft567@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> Note: forwarded message attached.
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> We lost three sailors last night. Full details are not yet
known, but the basics of the story are that a J-35 left Monroe Harbor
last evening around 6pm, in VERY bad conditions, gale warnings, over
25 knots NE winds, over 6 feet waves with short intervals. They
sailed to the Calumet Harbor breakwater, some 11 miles. While trying
to take down the sails a crewmember went overboard. The boat sent a
Mayday and began an attempt to recover the crew. They may have been
capsized by the waves, but ended up being crushed on the breakwall.
They were in the water about 45 minutes or so, and only one
survived. They were all wearing PFDs. The water temp was 58 degrees.
> They were on their way to the boatyard for winter storage. They
were not novices, the boat had done the Chicago-Mackinac race this
year.
> In Chicago, in October, you pay very close attention to the
Lake. It's been blowing from the NE for 3 days and you pay attention
to that.
> I don't know why these guys made the decision they did, maybe we
will find out from the survivor, but you can always reschedule your
haulout, or whatever. It can always wait. It's not worth a life.
Much less three.
> I had a personal experience once, when I was very green, and I
made some decisions that I shouldn't have made, and was saved by some
powerboaters. I became really conservative about safety, and am to
this day.
> Just remember, as Jerry Powlas says, sailing is risky business,
and you have a responsibility as an owner/captain toward your crew
and ship.
>
> Regards,
> David Dobbs
> Cal29 411
>
>
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