No PFD and Hypothermia Kill

[DCatSea]

Here in Deale MD we recently had a drowning tragedy:

A fellow slip holder was out fishing alone on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, near the southern tip of Kent Island. Water Temperature was in the 40s. Sea was running at about 2 feet and there was gusty wind at 5 - 10 knots.
He was apparently not wearing a PFD. At sometime in the PM he fell overboard while fishing. The engines were running. Although a reportedly strong swimmer he was unable to fight the tide, and was swept away from the boat.
His boat was reported as coming ashore unattended that evening, and Coast Guard divers found his body the next day, reportedly 18 miles from where his boat was found. There were four lines out over the swim step and fresh fish onboard.

He leaves a wife and two children.

Fellow Albineers, please always wear a PFD whenever you are alone on your boat, especially if you are working over the side or fishing from the swim platform. A simple clip-on tether will prevent your losing contact with the boat if you go overboard. Both will enhance your chances of survival, even in cold water.

Your family will appreciate it.

[Tree]

I must admit, I don’t use a PFD when other people are on board but if I’m fishing alone, it goes on before I even take one step on the pontoon. If I were to go overboard, with the cold water now I wouldn’t stand a chance but it would give my family a chance of closure should I be found. My personal one is an automatic so should inflate regardless.

[DCatSea]

Me and mine too. I also like the idea of a carabiner tether. Years ago I did a bit of fishing off the Needles out of Gosport, and because I was 23 and immortal I didn't wear a PFD at all. Now I'm 71 and more mortal; I should probably should wear one all the time.

[Tree]

Well you know what the tide is like round here Doug. You’d be miles away before anyone found you.

[PeterYOW]

Guys. NOT saying this was the scenario in this tragedy but in a large number of cases men who have been recovered from the water have their zippers down. Men fishing alone might have the need to urinate and the easiest place will be over the side. Combine that with possible alcohol consumption, no PFD, tether or kill switch and rough seas...

Bring a "pee can" and dump it over the side, if you must.

[DCatSea]

PeterYOW's comments are very valid - if your freeboard is high (like mine) a pee-can is a good thing to have. I also go before I go, and even at 71 still have a pretty good range.

BUI is as bad as, if not worse in my books than, DUI. Mazboot is dry before departure and under way, and then I have to drive home when running stag, so I'm pretty screwed until I get home The Commodore is a non-partaker, except for Peach Schnapps in fruit salads and a single fine Amontillado at Christmas, and like me is not keen on driving at night (or anywhere in Maryland esp. I-495 )

[Mike Ebert]

When I am fishing alone I always attach a handheld, floatable VHF.

[MadMoney]

I attached one of these little PLB's from ACR to the inside of my Mustang PFD.

https://www.acrartex.com/products/resqlink-plus-plb

Man... a lot of acronym's in this post!

Anthony Warren
1999 28' Albin MadMoney

[catalina_mike]

I attached one of these little PLB's from ACR to the inside of my Mustang PFD.

https://www.acrartex.com/products/resqlink-plus-plb

Man... a lot of acronym's in this post!

Anthony Warren
1999 28' Albin MadMoney

Very smart and if I start fishing by myself I shall do the same.

[Mark Laurnen]

What a very sad story, and unfortunately not unusual. I recall a comprehensive review of drownings, and near drownings. The conclusions were somewhat surprising, and quite alarming. In a significant number of cases (+/- 25%) the victims went under and did not come up. Much like high altitude climbing, the physiology of the victim is a crucial, and variable, determinate of survival. Some persons, when suddenly immersed in cold water, are immediately incapacitated and unlikely to survive. This appeared to be largely unrelated to age, stature, or physical condition. Among patients with tachycardia (rapid heart rate) one technique to slow the their heart rate is to put their face in a bowl of cold water. This evokes the physiologic “diving reflex”, which significantly slows the heart in some people and not in others. This is left-over primordial reflex and of little use for humans today. I wonder if perhaps the people who fall into cold water and don’t resurface have an extraordinarily strong reflex response to cold water shock This could explain an almost immediate loss of consciousness. I’m a devote proponent for PFD’s ... everyone, at all times ... especially in cold waters such as the PNW where I cruise. With the new generation of inconspicuous self-inflating units there is almost no reason, except perhaps cost, not to have one on. Also, they only meet the USCG requirement for life preservers if they are actually worn. Additionally, although I have yet to do it, I have wondered about the merit of trailing a long length of floating polypropylene line when running solo offshore.

[DesertAlbin736]

Mark is absolutely right. In cold waters like up and down the Pacific coast where water temps in the summer range from mid 50s to mid 60s to even as far south as San Diego, that's pretty cold but survivable for several hours with a PFD. Cold water severely restricts your motor skills, especially the shock of falling in, but hypothermia isn't near instantaneous unless the water is near freezing. So a PFD can be the difference between life & death. Forty degree water, especially in rough conditions gives you less time to be rescued than warmer water. I know personally of two retired career Navy guys who fell off their sailboats and drowned while docked at their marina slips. One thing about the Navy is the ability to swim is a requirement from boot camp on. One was this gentleman acquaintance shown below, a retired career Navy captain (equivalent to full bird colonel in other services) and member of our Lake Pleasant Sailing Club who was hosing off the deck of his Catalina 25 sailboat one night while docked in his slip and somehow fell overboard unseen and unnoticed and drowned. No one knows exactly how it happened because there were no witnesses. Three days later his body was recovered by divers in 85 feet of water under the floating marina docks. He was an Annapolis grad who had competed on the academy swim team back in the day. This accident happened in April, 2014 when lake water temperature was around +/- 60 degrees. We think maybe he hit his head or something, but don't know for sure why he drowned. His name was Greg and he was in his early to mid 50s.

gregfine3.jpg

The other was a first cousin of mine. My father and his mother were siblings, but we didn't grow up together because we lived in New Jersey and later New York and his family lived in Maine prior to his going off to join the Navy. He was a retired senior enlisted submariner who lived in Marysville, TN at the time and had a C&C 32 sailboat on Concord lake near Knoxville. Similar situation, fell off his boat at the dock while doing some cleaning or other chores. Very experienced & competitive racing sailor. Wasn't found until later when he didn't return home and his wife reported him missing and a search was conducted. He was 60 years old.

He's seen here with his wife giving us a boat ride on his wife's uncle's Chris Craft center cockpit off Chatham, MA when we visited them while on vacation in 2017, the last time I saw him a year before his demise.

20170918_162416.jpg

Myself I have solo sailed across Chesapeake Bay in a 15 foot pocket cruiser sailboat from Tyler Cove boat ramp by the Fishing Creek inlet & Honga River to Solomons on the Patuxent River in 2 foot waves and 10 to 15 knot winds, but I kept a handheld VHF with me and wore an inflatable PFD. This was June, 2002 when the water was pretty warm, but that's a 10 mile crossing. As seen in this photo by the ramp dock it looked calm, the day after a thunderstorm. But looks were deceiving, since once out on the open bay waves were higher than the transom of this boat.

2002 Monty cruise.jpg

Then in 2016 we had to get towed six miles back from Nelson Island back to Pender Harbour, BC on Canada's Sunshine Coast in rough seas when our hard shell dinghy broke loose, fouled our prop & jammed up against the rudder leaving us adrift on a lee shore. I rode up on the forward cabin top to tend the tow line, but also wore my inflatable PFD which had harness D rings and a tether to clip me in to a deck fitting.

20160711_091513-1-1.jpg

Note about inflatable PFD's, they should be tested every year or so & replace the auto inflate bobbin. We generally don't wear PFD's when in the wheelhouse or cockpit, which is deep and pretty safe from falling overboard, but I do generally, (but I confess not always) wear one, either inflatable or ski vest type when going topside. We also have full lifelines which many if not most A25's don't have and lots of folks don't like but I do.

[DCatSea]

Regarding the trailing line (and tether), back in the late 70s I was volunteering as a shallow reef diver in Qatar, catching reef specimens for the Qatar National Aquarium. We were swimming with weights and snorkels off a Rotork SeaTruk and each of us had a long tether to the large “landing craft” bow opening. There were also floating lines out. These lines were not really for safety but to allow for rapid return to the boat while carrying trapped specimens. Hand over hand hauling allowed us to get quickly back to the boat, far more efficiently than swimming back, even with fins.

[larryrotta]

Mark, Your post reminds me of an experience in the spring of 1979 while preparing for the first solo race from Port Huron to Mackinac Island by the Great Lakes Singlehanded Society. My children were freaked out that I would attempt this and so to ease their concerns for my safety we had discussions of the steps I would take to remain on board. In addition to the tether and auto inflatable PFD, I promised to deploy a 75 foot poly trailing line with a plastic milk jug and light stick attached to the end. Later when the time came I deployed this rig and instantly realized that only a miracle would permit me to reach this line if needed. I was sailing at about 5 knots at the time. I recall being sobored.

Larry
TE28 RAFFLES
Cummins 370B, Ak bulkheand
ex RUDDY DUCK

[DesertAlbin736]

In addition to the tether and auto inflatable PFD, I promised to deploy a 75 foot poly trailing line with a plastic milk jug and light stick attached to the end. Later when the time came I deployed this rig and instantly realized that only a miracle would permit me to reach this line if needed. I was sailing at about 5 knots at the time. I recall being sobored.

As a former single handed Montgomery 15 sailor (see posts above), the best thing one can do with a sailboat, or any boat for that matter is STAY IN THE COCKPIT AT ALL TIMES when underway to the extent possible. Besides the above mentioned crossing of Chesapeake Bay (one of the narrowest mid bay sections between Hooper Island on the eastern shore and Solomons at the mouth of the Patuxent River on the western shore), a year later in 2003 I did a single handed 30 NM crossing with the same 15 foot sailboat between Marina Del Rey and Catalina Island in southern California, although not totally alone but in company with another boat. I had rigged that boat with halyards led aft to the cockpit, including a jib downhaul line & jiffy reefing setup, so sail raising & dousing could all be done from the cockpit, no need to go up to the mast. Still, a PFD with tether and having a waterproof handheld VHF is good insurance. The handheld VHF I have now is not only waterproof, but floats, has built in GPS, and DSC Rescue 21 distress call capability with MMSI programmed in.