MOB

[thataway]

We have discussed MOB, in both hoisting, dinghies, life jackets etc. This piece is somewhat condensed but is from the current issue of Sailing magazine--and part of this was posted on Scuttlebutt. I am not making any judgements, but it illustrates how rapidly things can go wrong. This is why we all need to have plans for emergencies and the equiptment to impliment the plans.

"‘A Terrible Mistake’
3 sailors die when J/35 crashes into Chicago breakwall during man overboard rescue

Three sailors died and a fourth crewmember was treated for hypothermia when the J/35 they were on smashed into a breakwall during a man overboard rescue in Chicago, Illinois, October 24.

The accident happened at about 8:15 p.m. near the end of a short trip to a local boatyard for the winter.

Three were wearing Type I vest-style life jackets and another wore a properly functioning self-inflating jacket. They were not wearing harnesses.

NOAA reported 21 to 30 knot winds and seas of about 9 feet.

Finn and his crew attempted to take down the only sail they had set—a No. 3 jib—outside of Calumet Harbor near the southern end of the breakwall, instead of entering a gap at the northern end of the harbor or tucking in around the south end of the wall to douse the sail. Childers was on deck pulling the jib down when he fell overboard, Finn immediately turned the boat to rescue Childers, and the crew called the Coast Guard.

The crew was able to reach Childers, but did not get him back on board, “They were able to recover the guy enough to latch back onto him, but then they started having problems with the sea state,” Arnold said. “The winds were pushing them into the breakwater and they had the engine on full power but it was not enough.” He estimated the waves at 10 to 12 feet high as they rebounded from the breakwall.

It was about 45 minutes from the time of the man overboard radio call to when the Coast Guard spotted the men on the wall, he said. The water temperature was 54 degrees, according to Arnold.

All four sailors were close to each other on the riprap, and the Coast Guard was able to retrieve the men by dropping rescuers off on the wave-washed breakwall from the harbor side.

Sailors and the Coast Guard said there are lessons to be learned from the tragedy. Weisman said the combination of Finn’s decision not to take the sail down inside the harbor, coupled with Childers’ lack of a harness were disastrous.

“I’m really upset about this. Three people died because first, someone went forward without a harness, and second, why would you take your sails down there in the first place?

Arnold, of the Coast Guard, said the importance of wearing life jackets is demonstrated even in tragedies such as this.

“All four of them had life jackets on, and that’s what allowed us to pull them out of the water,” he said. “If they hadn’t had them on we wouldn’t have recovered anyone. At least we were able to recover their bodies for the families.”

[ccflyer]

If I'm reading this correctly, from the time the call was recieved by the CG to the time they were on the scene was 45 minutes and, in this period of time, three souls perished while huddled on the rocks.

So short of better seamanship and using a harness, they should have been wearing wet, or better yet, dry suits to survive?

I mean it's Chicago, October, they got themselves out of the water and onto the breakwater and all three perished in under an hour?

No doubt it happened but I wondering if there may be a piece missing?

[ccflyer]

I checked the Chicago Tribune and found the story. In part it says:

"Rescuers from the Coast Guard, Chicago Marine Unit and a tugboat converged on the scene. They had trouble finding the crew in the choppy water. But then a wave crashed onto a rescue boat, shining its light onto the break wall, where the men were splayed on the rocks, rescuers said Thursday."

It makes more sense to me that being thrown onto the rocks caused/contributed to the deaths.

So sad.

[Old Jim]

After one particularly snarky October crossing of Lake Michigan, we were faced with negotiating a narrow breakwater opening on a lee shore with 35 knot NE winds and 10' seas in the middle of a pitch black night.

We were making 8 knots with only a stays'l up and the inshore seas were breaking back from the riprap. I turned on the motor and gave it full throttle as we approached the upwind side of the opening and that, combined with the drive from the sail, gave us plenty of power to surf through into the harbor which, of course, was like a mill pond.

The guy made two critical mistakes. Taking down the sail and not having everyone in harnesses. No one should have been on that foredeck in those conditions. For an experienced sailor, which it appears he was, those were major errors that, unfortunately, cost him and two of his friends their lives. He could easily have made the opening in the Calumet Harbor breakwall which is about 500' wide. There was absolutely no reason for taking down his sail before reaching the safety of the harbor and doing so robbed the boat of all maneuverability. The waves then did what waves do and tossed the boat and its hapless crew on the rocks. It's amazing even one man survived.

Ted Turner once sailed a Chicago to Mackinac Island race back in his America's Cup days. He was quoted beforehand as saying sailing on Lake Michigan is like sailing on a pond. After his boat was dismasted in a storm, he changed his opinion.

Jim

[westward]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Bob. Tragedies like this one remind us all to have our trip plans, including emergency contingencies and reserves, fully thought through before casting off. My condolences to the surviving families. Mike.

[Sea Angel]

Another twist occurred yesterday, 30 June 2011, while we were out cruising in Virginia Beach.

While returning from a short run to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel's First Island we had the Va. Beach Police race north out of Lynnhaven Inlet and headed east to the Va. Beach beach ocean front area.

About 10 minutes later a helocopter ambulance appeared hovering in the area east of us. The USCG dispatched a vessel and the local dive team and rescue unit was also called.

Seems that a young girl had somehow gotten her leg stuck between the 2 props of the vessel she was on while 'tubing' about 200yds off the beach surf line. The facts are still sketchy.

She was saved thru some dramitic team efforts by removing the props, but leaving one in her leg till she could be helped at the local hospital.

The point of this is that a MOB can be just a wet dump, OR, it can be much more serious; especially when anyone works off the stern of a vessel - whether working, tubing, water skiing or swimming, etc..

I assume that the engines were not engaged when this happened, else it would have been much more tragic. But, again, I do not know.

The brief article here touches on what happened: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43597369/ns/local_news-portsmouth_va/

I did notice that radio traffic was subdued during all this. There was a lot of support and effort by everyone involved in this rescue. .

Art

[thataway]

From reading the article, I summise that the boat had a "Duo prop" I/O set up. These props are close together, and it is very possible to get a leg caught in between them. I had a Bravo III unit, in which the gears were damaged when a 1 1/2" stick was caught between the two blades at idle (after hurricane Ivan). These mostly have SS props, which are often quite sharp, and could penetrate the skin.

[Chester]

A lee shore and no sea room...
If only they had, or hadn't...
My condolences to family and friends.