Lessons Learned--Man Overboard

On a beautifully calm fall day (with water temps in the 70s), we ventured out for a sailing lesson with our instructor, Will Flannery.  As Will reviewed many basics for Gay's benefit, we again recited the steps and procedures involved if someone goes overboard.  We proceeded through the lessons and ran through numerous systems and checks.  After several hours of sailing, Will ducked below (presumably to use the head).  When he came back to the cockpit, Gay made a mental note that he was shoeless, but just concluded that it was such a beautiful day that barefoot was the way to go.  Will said he wanted to check the leech line and ducked out of the cockpit.  Ken was at the helm and Gay was in the cockpit reviewing a chart.  The next thing we heard was a gigantic splash and Will yelling, "Man overboard."  After several seconds of stunned silence, the training kicked in.   Gay pointed at Will with her right hand while grabbing things that might float to throw overboard.  Recent canvas modifications had left the lifesling below decks (won't happen again), so Gay started tossing loose fenders from the aft lazerette.  Ken spent several long seconds trying to comprehend what had happened and ruled out that Will was actually injured or incapcitated.  Ken tried to engage the man-overboard function on the electronic charts and then started to bring the boat around.  He came close enough that Gay was able to toss a line to Will on the starboard side of the boat.   Although Will could have climbed back aboard using the sugar scoop, he mandated that we use the stays'l halyard--which was on the port side of the boat.  Between Ken's maneuvers and Will's swimming, Will was finally in position to be hoisted aboard.  One problem, Will did not have on a life jacket and without the lifesling, there was nothing to fasten to the halyard.  Will told Gay to toss her life jacket to him, so she did.  Will did not realize it was an autoinflate, so when it hit the water it deployed.  Will had to work to get it in place as the inflated jacket wanted to do nothing more than stay completely on top of the water.  Once on, the halyard was fully deployed and we could see that Will was not close enough to the boat to hook in.  Once he was close enough, we saw that the clasp was not easy to use.  Once he was hooked in, the electric winch did its job and Will was aboard.  Once he dried off and the fenders retrieved, it was time to review all the questions and procedures and determine what modifications might be necessary.

Lessons Learned:
1.  Don't trust Will--Just Kidding.  This was probably the most important drill of our training.  A real person, floating in the real water!!  Although he was not incapcitated and the water was very warm, we learned quickly the real risks and difficulties of a man overboard rescue.  In colder water, even with all the advantages we had (including calm seas), we might not have been able to get Will out in time to save him.
2.  Never leave the slip without the LifeSling in its proper place and appropriately secured.
3. We were fortunate to have two people on board to conduct the rescue--after we went through the issues raised in this rescue, we discussed what would have happened had it been either Ken or Gay in the water with only the other on the boat.
4.  Our Mustang Auto-Inflatable Jackets should be worn anytime we are the only two in the boat.  This would give the person on the boat a little additional time to effect a rescue.  Even if the person overboard were unconsious.  The jackets are minimally intrusive compared to the potential benefit.
5.  We need to increase the length of the halyard as the rescuee must be very close to the boat to hook in at the current length.  We also need to put on a clip that is easier to use.  In rough conditions, these could be the difference in completing a rescue.
6.  We discussed whether it would ever be wiser to launch the dinghy to effect a rescue.  There would be circumstances where that could be useful, but not if the key and other necessary items are stowed below.  When you leave the dock, even with the dink on davits, you should have all items in the dink that you might need so you could launch quickly.
7.  We need a sturdy knife lashed somewhere in the cockpit so that we could cut lines if necessary in order to get floating things in the water, including perhaps the dink.
8.  In even moderately challenging conditions (or in cool water), keep people in the cockpit to decrease the risk of going overboard.
9.  All parties on the boat should know how to operate the man overboard function on the electronic charts.  Gay needs to practice close-in manuevering so she is prepared should Ken be the person in the water.
10.  Head for warmer waters when the water temps in Oriental start to drop:)

Early Boat Lessons

Gay to Ken:   What is a Small Craft Advisory?
Ken:  It means that small craft may want to seek safe harbor as wind, water and weather conditions could make it dangerous for small craft.  Why do you ask?
Gay:  Because according to the weather report I just checked, we are in one.
Ken:  Well, we weren't this morning.  And with that, Ken returns to the task at hand.
Pause
Gay:  So, are we a small craft?
Ken:  Our dinghy is for sure.  Don't know about the boat--it depends I suppose--different sources contain different definitions.

Lesson Gay learned:  Ken likes it when waves crash over the bow!

Patina Rules--Running Aground

Patina Rule:  If you are not touching the helm when the boat runs aground, then it is not your fault that the boat ran aground.

So, the one time Gay was at the helm and the depth dropped below 6', Gay simply said "Your turn" grabbed Ken's hand and put it on the wheel;  then she walked away.  Luckily, Ken quickly moved the boat to the center of the channel so there was no one to blame since the boat did not hit the bottom.

If you have sailed a monohull much in Coastal Carolina waters, you probably have had your own close encounters with the bottom.  Patina draws 5'1".   The depths on Broad Creek, even in the marked channel can be close to 6'.  Move a little out of the channel and you will run aground.  We have actually hit the bottom more than once, but have always been lucky enough to be able to reverse direction and get out without using Tow Boat US.

Top 10 Things Oriental-ites should know about River Dunes

Having split our time between Oriental (in a rental condo) and River Dunes over the fall, we ended up hearing the same kinds of questions and comments from the non-River Duners.  We that we thought we should post some of the answers.

10. River Dunes is not so far away.  Seriously, 10 minutes or less from the The Bean.
9.   The Harbor Club serves fabulous food.
8.   Robert's Shrimp and Grits are to die for(and friend chicken and steak and...).
7.   There are more than 5 houses there.  Honest. 
6.   When completed, the harbor will have 400 slips.   The transient facilities are exceptional.
5.   There will be approximately 600 homesites when the community is completed.
4.   Additional docks have just been installed.
3.   Just as in Oriental (see prior blog post about Top 10 Things River Duners should know about Oriental), the people who think they know it all are very annoying to the other people who think they know it all.
2.  When we purchased at River Dunes, we became part of a community, not just a lot owner.  You can  really feel and see the sense of community developing and growing.  We love that Oriental has such a strong sense of community and we love that River Dunes does too.  We love being a part of both communities.
1.  Throughout the year, there are numerous events and activities at River Dunes.  It is not "boring out there"!

Last post about the anchoring saga

To understand this post, you should first read the previous post "Anchoring Smankering".  Gay left Oriental before Ken did as he needed to stay and complete some additional work on the boat (or at least that is what he claimed).  One evening, Ken sent a rather cryptic message to the effect that a full grown adult can, indeed, fit in the anchor locker.  Gay is very relieved to know that she can hide in there when the boat needs cleaned.  Or when the Somali pirates board the boat. 

On a family note, Ken made it back to Denver on Halloween night and was met at the airport by his two very theatrical and costumed granddaughters.  Fortunately, he was not a moment too soon as we added another granddaughter to our family at 9:30 this morning, Megan Camille Crosier.  Mother and baby are doing well.  Dad, Grandma and Grandpa are exhausted:)  In an effort to insure she maintains her supremacy, Big Sister Lauren has declared that she actually married her father long ago.  Poor Megan is going to have get up pretty early in the morning to keep up with Lauren.

Boat Talkers vs. Non-Boat Talkers

In some of the previous posts, you have seen references to the confusion that can exist between Boat Talkers (that would be the group of people who do not call a rope a rope) and Non-Boat Talkers (that would be the group of people who would ask "do you mean the red rope or the black rope?").

Boat talkers never call something by its land name.  For instance, a room with a bed would never be called a bedroom, it would be called a cabin.  The area where you cook would never be called a kitchen, it is the galley.  Of course everyone is aware that there are no bathrooms on a boat, merely heads.   But, at least in most cases, if you have a decent sailing primer, a Non-Boat Talker can actually figure out what a Boat Talker is saying if they use the proper term for something on the boat.  Things become much more complex when a Boat Talker moves to "Boat Slang".  For instance,  the primer calls the sail at the front of our boat a jib.  Except most Boat Talkers call it a ginny.  Try looking that up in the primer.

And then, there are so many words that seem to mean close to the same thing.  Take the back of the boat.  Pretty simple concept--t-h-e--b-a-c-k--o-f--t-h-e--b-o-a-t.  Just a few of the Boat Talker words for that general area include aft, stern, transom, sugar scoop (and there are more). 

Just when you think you might have the hang of some of this slang, ask your captain how fast you are going and their reply is likely to be, "Over water or over land?".  Ask how hard the wind is blowing and the reply might be "True or Apparent?".  Ask what the compass reading is and you will likely get "True or Magnetic?"  Oh my, the Boat Talkers really must not want anyone else to understand them.  Maybe they could devise the next code for the NSA.

Then there is the world of non-verbal communication so many Boat Talkers use--but I will save that for another post.

Top 10 Things River Duners should know about Oriental

10.  Oriental is the sailing capital of North Carolina with about 850 residents and over 3000 boats.
  9.  http://www.towndock.net/ is one of the best local websites.  It contains:
                           -Local and Marine Weather Forecasts
                           -Webcams showing several areas of town including one showing the Neuse
                           -Information about upcoming events
  8.  Oriental is an area where many people retire.  The average age is (how to say this diplomatically) old.  Seems like the younger people live in surrounding areas.
  7.  The Bean has killer coffee and homemade baked goods (as well as ice cream) and  gets a limited supply of the Sunday Washington Post and New York Times.  You will not be a stranger for long if you stop in for morning coffee at The Bean.  June can help you with your morning puzzles.
  6.  If you are brave enough to dock at the town dock (across from The Bean), the people sitting on the front porch of The Bean will be discussing your technique and possibly the way you have outfitted your boat.
  5.  Of the regulars at The Bean, you will see that the people who think they know it all are pretty annoying to the other people who think they know it all.   To those of us who know we are dumb as bricks, it is pretty amusing.
  4.  There is a rich varierty of "goings on" in Oriental, from farmers' markets to art shows to musical and theatrical productions.  There is an outdoor Sunday morning church service at the local park overlooking the Neuse from May to October.
  3.  Dogs wander freely in Oriental. Most of them are known by name and are so "famous" that a calendar was produced "The Dogs of Oriental."
  2.  There are two competing local weekly papers.  You have to read them both to really understand what is going on.
  1.  There are at least weekly sailboat races.  Some of these are serious and at others, everyone who finishes puts their name in a hat and a winner's name is drawn.