People fall On Boats. Be Careful Out There

rickalan35 · Post by **rickalan35** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 11:58 pm

Well, it never rains but it pours.

My wife and I decided to spend the week-end on the boat and arrived on Friday late evening in the pouring rain. She climbed the three fiberglass steps you see pictured here in the photo on the left and then as she stepped across onto the boat she slipped and went flying ass over tea kettle, backward first onto the boarding steps, then glancing off the dock, she finally dropped down between the boat and the dock into the water.

I thought she was never going to come up and was in the process of slipping in feet first at the point where she'd entered, when she finally surfaced behind the swim platform, but she was too disoriented to do anything but simply hang on. Nearby volunteers and I muscled her out.

Bruised ribs and thighs. Very fortunate that she didn't crack her noggin or tear herself up for stitches.

Lesson again for me and for her. People fall on boats. Hurts every time, especially as we get older.

rooferdave · Post by **rooferdave** » Mon Jun 14, 2010 8:20 am

Yikes! Glad she's alright.

k9th · Post by **k9th** » Mon Jun 14, 2010 11:20 am

The exact same thing happened last summer over the 4th of July holiday with my sister-in-law coming aboard our tri-cabin. She had two packs of Pepperidge Farm cookies and was more worried about the cookies than herself. We salvaged one pack but the geese got the other one.

We laugh about it today but it was no laughing matter then. She had bruises all up and down her body. Her purse was on her arm when she fell in and was still there when she surfaced and her glasses were still on also.

We now call her "Splash" as a nickname. Her priest got wind of the name and he calls her that also.

turtlem1969 · Post by **turtlem1969** » Mon Jun 14, 2010 11:33 pm

The number one cause of accidental deaths on boats is from people boating by themselves falling over board with out a life jacket, so falling on a boat not only hurts but it can end in an accidental drowning. Glad all she got was some bumps and bruises and a little embarrassment.

rossjo · Post by **rossjo** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 8:21 am

I sold a skiff with a tiller Johnson 40 motor to a friend, who proudly restored her (new gel coat and all) and brought her by to show her off.

1st he got caught in a huge thunderstorm on an oyster bar within sight of my dock at low tide. He was miserable. When the storm passed he was able to get the boat off of the oysters (minor scratches in his new gel coat) and bring her to the dock.

When he left, he reached the mouth of our creek (about 3/4 mile down) where the "creek" is about 100 yards wide. At full throttle, he leaned forward to pull a bumper in, and fell overboard. The little boat kept going, and eventually slowed and turned. It then circled him like a shark coming in for the kill, and he managed to hang on to it as it drug him around. He says it took him about 20 minutes of effort to finally climb in, and the boat never hit anything, so he was lucky - especially considering the stainless steel prop that could have cut his foot off!

No life preserver & no kill switch ... just luck. Boating alone is fun - if you're prepared.

randyp · Post by **randyp** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 12:40 pm

Ya know, I was thinking about going over to the gas dock and pump out the head, get water, etc. As usual, I do these things by myself during the week instead of the busy weekends. And, as usual, I do them without a life jacket on. This just made me rethink that whole thing. Thanks for the reminders.

turtlem1969 · Post by **turtlem1969** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 6:03 pm

rossjo- it could have veery easily drug him back across that oyster bar again.

foofer b · Post by **foofer b** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 6:59 am

I would never have tried to board a moving boat- the thing Ain't worth my foot or my life.

Wearing the kill switch lanyard is mandatory on my 40hp skiff as well as my 2.5hp dinghy.

I fell into the drink at my Dad's dock last year and still have the scars to show for my trouble. I bought and installed under the swim platform a telescoping four rung swim ladder. It can be deployed from the water in case I am alone.

How many of you go down to the dock alone? Could you get out of the water if you fell in ?

I want to get one of the self inflAting preseervers. Ayone know of a cheep one?

randyp · Post by **randyp** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:29 am

Yeah, I go down to the boat on my lonesome during the week, now that I'm retired. We have 115 slips at our place and it's usually just me and maybe one or two ROB's hanging around. I know I could fall in and there are a couple of swim ladders off the ends of slips nearby, as well as I have one on the platform of the boat. I know it just takes one slip, and I never wear a life jacket. I do have a auto-inflator jacket but you have to pull the tab to activate it. My wife gently (???) reminded me that it would be useless if I fell over and konked my head. Recently a guy drowned when his kayak got flipped in Lk George. He wasn't wearing a life jacket and got hit hard by the boat and prop. Neither his wife or the boat operator, who jumped in the water, could keep him from sinking. WM has those auto inflators that activate when then hit the water, but I bet you can get them cheaper. Of course, it helps if you are wearing one when you go in......Old habits are hard to break.

wowzer52 · Post by **wowzer52** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 11:26 am

Inflatables are light and comfortable and your life is worth more than what ever the preserver costs, just ask someone who loves you. A new house, $400,000, alive to live in it, priceless. Even if you have to take out a lone ,,,,,buy one and wear it.