Boat Safety at the Dock

jer2 · Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 2:02 pm Post subject: Boat Safety at the Dock

11/16/12 C-Brats-

FYI...a drowning tragedy incident report from our local area.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/crime-scene/post/woman-identified-cheryl-ann-alston-of-fairfax-in-accidental-death-at-occoquan-boat-dock/2012/11/08/080ead44-29cc-11e2-96b6-8e6a7524553f_blog.html

Reportedly, woman was leaning off the dock while casting lines and pushing boat off, when she must have lost her balance, struck her head, and drowned. A real tragedy because she was alone and no one saw this accident happen at the marina!

John Roark
R&R
Upper Potomac River (VA) Fleet

thataway · Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 3:09 pm Post subject:

From the above: “It’s as if she leaned over, put her purse on the boat, and was going to unlatch it … and [the boat] probably pushed away from the dock and she lost her footing and fell,” Hebert said." She was last seen at 7 PM. This does not sound like she was casting off--especially since she was due home and did not appear.

Yes, dock side safety is very important. Without knowing exactly what happened, it is hard to criticize what this unfortunately lady did. It is also possible that she had a cold water shock phenomenon. There is also the possibility that she could not get out of the water, had hypothermia and succumbed to that. It is always a good plan to have a way to get back on the boat and dock if you fall off. Yep, I had experience of both falling off the boat and dock when I was young...We have had a friend who died when he fell off the boat (probably had been drinking).

Captains Cat · Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 7:07 pm Post subject:

Too bad. The water here is around 60 degrees and going down pretty fast. I fell off our dock a few years ago leaning over to unscrew the water fill cap on my first TomCat. Hit my body on the beam that holds the boat on the lift. It stunned me briefly and I went under. Got a snoot full of water and struggled before I figured out that the water was only 4' deep and I could stand. The problem was getting out of the cold water onto the dock again b/c of wet clothes and the height of the dock above the water. Solved that after a short cold while when I waded around the boat (in the mud) to the swim ladder on the other side of the boat on the other dock arm. And no, before anyone asks, I had not had a drop of anything stronger than water or tea to drink when it happened. You can bet I did after I got out though... Wink

It can happen, pays to do things in pairs when you deal with boats/water.

Charlie

hardee · Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 1:24 am Post subject:

A good reason to wear a PFD of some sort, even on the dock.

A bump on the head, and/or the cold water shock sound like plausible explanations. In a marina, IF she could be thinking, there should have been ways to get out of the water..... another boat with a ladder or swim platform, at a launch dock, swim or wade to the ramp and walk out. Sad to see a life lost.

Boating alone means we should be taking extra care.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

chucko · Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:03 am Post subject: boat ladder

Just another good reason for a swim step/ ladder. I wouldn't want a boat without that option to climb out quickly.

ghone · Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:30 am Post subject:

Timely. 15 minutes ago I rushed out as we are seeing 25 knots strait into Delta Marine. A guy in a Bayliner 3888 with canvas to the moon and twin engines was attempting to leave. He started off strait into the wind at his berth but lost it and ended up beam on ahead of us. I could see a c dory crushing coming. Didn't grab a PDF, it is pouring rain and gusty high winds. I motion to the skipper who is in his fly bridge. Wanna bow thrust? He says yes so I push his bow as far as I can from the dock. I am seriously outstretched. I came so close to going in I am shook. I pushed aft and managed to stay on the dock while skipper buddy put both engines in forward! I know not a bunch about twins but if he had stbd in reverse and port in fwd he would have had it easy. As it was he barely made it past Kerri On and turned before taking out the fuel dock. I thanked God to leave me dry it was close. It can happen in an eyeblink. Good reminder about dock safety. I have been in once and it is no fun. Fortunately the water here is 59 F and I was not so afraid of going in and unable to get out, what shook me more was the idea of going under a twin screw Bayliner while the skipper watched from his lofty perch Not a good end! George

Captains Cat · Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 4:07 pm Post subject:

Glad you're OK George. Stay safe and quit helping Bayliner skippers! Laughing

Oh, and wear a PFD on the dock like Harvey says... Thumbs Up

thataway · Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 5:32 pm Post subject:

I have a rule on boats--everyone aboard, who is on deck, has to be visible to the skipper. This was especially true when we had a Symbol 42' sun deck , where when docking it seemed easier for some one to go down the ladder from the raised aft deck to step off onto the dock from the large swim step. The problem with that, is that I could not see that person, and if they slipped and fell in the water the 26" props and Cat 3208's would make mince meat of a person in very short order! We have seen several folks fall off the bow of boats and be run over.

A life jacket may keep your afloat--but getting back on the dock or boat may be much harder than you think. There are number of cases where a person was half in and half out of the water, and eventually succumbed to hypothermia--even in high 50's water.

Even more importantly is the cold water shock syndrome: There are actually as many deaths attributable to that in Kayakers as from drowning.

The cold water shock phenomena can cause death rapidly (within 2 to 5 minutes). At 60 degrees most people will experience some degrees of the cold water shock syndrome--which is a rapid heart beat, rise in BP, rapid respiration (up to 50 breaths a minute), severe vasoconstriction, decrease in breath holding ability and disorientation. In a percentage of people there will be immediate death. Others may have failure to swim or self rescue. There is also a "gasp" reflex, which causes inhalation--and if you are under water, it means water inhalation--perhaps drowning. This syndrome is completely out of your control, and may occur in some people in water temperatures as high as 77 degrees! The life jacket may hold you above water, and may allow the cold water shock syndrome to disappear--which usually takes 3 to 5 minutes.....

So self rescue is not as easy as you might think. I fell overboard at sea when I was about 10 (I had gone foreword to sweat up the halyards, and the deck was very slippery--no life lines or pulpits. My father was able to rescue me in several minutes, and he was strong enough to pull a scrawny kid out of the water. I also stepped from the boat to a dinghy right after WWII, when there were no docks and we were moored to pilings--but the dinghy was not there--and I remember pushing off the bottom--in about 10 feet of water. Again my dad rescued me. A few years later, I fell in off the dock--as I recollect I was helping someone push off their boat--much as described above. The last 60 plus years I have avoided falling overboard, but as I age, the risks become higher again...

Sea Angel · Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 6:16 pm Post subject:

After reading these and reflecting on my dunking in the Boston Harbor area in April abt '58, I do not want to redo it.

While working on the Weymouth, MA. town police boat we would make some extra money off season by setting and retrieving moorings in the yacht club basin. This was done by moving the boat in toward the beach after low tide and picking up all newly assembled slack rigging and tying it off to the bow post, then backing out into deeper water and then into position. A safety line would hold the chain in place till we were in position, at which time the chain was taken off the bit and the anchor would be suspended by the safety line.

All the rigging was snaked across the forward deck. I had just cut the safety line to the mooring chain and pennant when the 1" line whipped around and caught me - in I went, in 30' of water. I was never so glad that I had the presence of mind to get a deep breath and hold it. i cut the line as it came down on me so I could surface. I popped to the surface like a cock, I don't know how with all the clothes I had on.

The skipper was as scared as I was when I popped to the surface. He found me when I jammed my knife into the side of that old wood lobster boat with a lot of noise and yelling. I had no idea how 'strong he was - he hanked me out of the water with one hand and onto the deck.

I think the worst part was having to take off all my clothes in that unheated cabin and being wrapped with a wool blanket - I'm allergic to wool, UGH.

I guess it is time for me to get serious and buy a mustang suite and stop challenging events, especially after 54+years. The float coat is a good start, but may not be enough in the Lower Ches. Bay as we are already below 60 degrees.

The rule on Sea Angel is, and has always been, everyone wears a PFD. I put mine on as soon as I get aboard(that is where they are stored) so I can set the antenna and any rigging that may be needed.

Charlie, glad to hear that yours was only an experience and not an event.

Art