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Author Topic:   Case Study for Safety Lanyard

TransAm posted 08-03-2008 09:04 PM ET (US)
When boating alone, I almost always attach my safety lanyard to something on my person. After my experience this past Saturday, I will make it a point to do so always.
Saturday, late morning, I headed out or our marina to pick up my family across the Rhode/West River, about 2 miles away. No boats in sight, quite peaceful. However, at the mouth of the rivers, I spotted something flailing in the water. As I approached, I could tell is was someone in distress. This person was clearly quite exhausted and probably didn't have a whole lot left in him. Shut the motors down and hauled him aboard fully clothed without a life jacket. He couldn't immediately talk as he was catching his breath. After a minute or two he explained he fell overboard. When I asked where his boat was, he pointed in the distance, and sure enough, there was an unmanned Carolina Skiff doing about 25 MPH in a wide, clockwise circle. The owner suggested we pull up alongside it and he would "jump" aboard and shut her down. I explained this was no James Bond movie and that only bad things would happen if I were to attempt such a maneuver. The boat was drifting towards land and that meant a very substantial (24" diameter pilings) pier and a long section of rip-wrap. The next circle, the boat hit a piling on about a 60 degree angle; the boat caromed off and headed back towards us. It then turned back towards shore, and the line of rip-wrap. It went in head-on at about 25 MPH, parked itself atop the pile. The engine ran on for about 30 seconds and died. He insisted I drop him at his boat, so I did and called DNR & Coasties.
Very fortunate there was no one else in our vacinity and the boat ended up where it did. There are many waterfront properties nearby, and the area is heavily boated by families alike. Here is what he ended up with.
http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm314/77SETransAm/ Carolina%20Skiff%20on%20Rocks/

Casco Bay Outrage posted 08-03-2008 09:33 PM ET (US)
He is lucky, thanks to you to be alive.
Good for you, on both the rescue and not trying to save the boat!!!!
CBO
seabob4 posted 08-03-2008 09:55 PM ET (US)
That's what they make them for. Glad you were able to save him. Hopefully, he has someone at home who cares about him, and he'll think twice, no, three times, about wearing that lanyard.
jeffs22outrage posted 08-03-2008 10:45 PM ET (US)
I think it is also a case for always wearing a lifejacket.
There was a similar occurrence on a large Northern Michigan Lake that did not turn out as well. The two crew members were ejected for a 29' Fountain while doing high speed test runs. The pilot was not wearing the safety lanyard when something went wrong and the boat made a sudden hard turn throwing both out of the cockpit. The boat continued to circle at high speeds and within the second or third circling had run both over and killed them. Both did have their life jackets on though.
frisco pete posted 08-03-2008 10:50 PM ET (US)
Good thing for him you were in the vicinity. He was probably walking around the boat and left the helm unattended and fell out. I never wear a lanyard when driving my 13 footer. How could you fall out sitting on a seat behind the wheel. Anyone who moves around a boat when it is in gear is a fool, even at idle. That's when they fall out. I always have my lanyard clipped to my racing life jacket when driving my race boat. A real chance of getting pitched out of that one.
home Aside posted 08-04-2008 11:27 AM ET (US)
I try to always wear the lanyard and inflatable suspenders when out alone where I know it would be difficult to get to shore if thrown from the boat.
But a perfect example is that while boating in the North Channel one day this past week we were out in some pretty snotty conditions and I hit an unexpected wave that threw me off balance, I was able to catch my balance, but if I hadn't it later struck me that there are a lot of things to hit your head on if you fall, you could easily be knocked unconscious and with the boat running with you alone unconscious what then? The lanyard is a must when boating alone.
Pat
elaelap posted 08-04-2008 12:08 PM ET (US)
An important cautionary tale. Congratulations for saving a life, and I join with CBO's comments regarding your wisdom in not attempting a crazy maneuver re the pilotless boat. Sharp eyes out there, T.A.; but you know how the ancient Chinese proverb goes--if you save a person's life you then become responsible for them until they die, so make sure the poor guy wears his lanyard if he decides to get another boat. Hats off for the rescue!
Tony
deepwater posted 08-04-2008 01:23 PM ET (US)
i thought it was if you save a persons life they buy the beer
TransAm posted 08-04-2008 02:12 PM ET (US)
Actually, not even a thank you. I'll chalk that up to the situation. This guy was pretty tired, but otherwise O.K. Probably didn't help his mental state to see his boat where it ended up either. Ironically, when I went to the back of the boat to haul him aboard, I pulled my lanyard out of the clip forgetting it was attached to me and killed the motors. I asked if he had a lanyard and he just looked at me funny. He did go off in a land based ambulance though. I think I'll buy my own beer thank you.
JMARTIN posted 08-04-2008 02:33 PM ET (US)
OK, I will start wearing the safety lanyard. I solo quite often and made a promise to my family on wearing a PFD and I have stuck to it.
I just got to remember that I have it on. If I am coming into a dock, I will leave the helm to get lines and fenders ready and kill the motor. What I really need is a kill device that will let me get 10 feet away before it shuts off the motor and one that will shut off the kicker also. That's when I am going to fall in, while trolling with the kicker going.
On a related theme, I have heard of people stopping unattended water craft going in circles by placing floating poly line in their path and hoping for total prop entanglement with motor shut down. This could be all rumour. John
Tohsgib posted 08-04-2008 02:55 PM ET (US)
We stopped my bud's Newport that he flew out of and was going in circles by jumping in it. It is actually pretty easy to do once you get the speed just right.
Whalerdog posted 08-04-2008 03:09 PM ET (US)
When I leave my canal it is on all the time. When I was a kid in the 60's my father worked with a guy who fell out of his boat and was run over and killed. Having raced boats I know the value of them.
sternorama posted 08-04-2008 03:10 PM ET (US)
Hey JMARTIN: Someone here once mentioned they wear two lengths of lanyard so they can move around a bit more.
Sheila posted 08-04-2008 04:05 PM ET (US)
JMartin, there's also this device called an autotether. It's a wireless gizmo that "kills" when it gets wet, if I recall correctly.
If anyone here has experience with this gadget I would be interested in a firsthand report.
JMARTIN posted 08-04-2008 04:16 PM ET (US)
I think there is a wireless proximity kill device also. While running solo, I will wear the one I have and I will just stop to put out the fenders and ready the lines.
Now, to get out there and see if I will actually practice what I preach. Can I take the rest of the day off? The PNW weather looks perfect. I want to go out, do some fishing and spend the night at Sucia. What the hay, spend a couple of nights out, take a bunch of pictures, post them here and say neener, neener, look at all the fun I had.
John
jeffs22outrage posted 08-04-2008 04:22 PM ET (US)
Jmartin,
I never cared to clip a lanyard to myself as I hated fumbling around trying to get it unclipped during most docking and maneuvering situations. My fix was I removed all of the clips from my lanyards and replaced them with a Velcro strap from west marine. I much prefer this as I can quickly get it off in a hurry if needed, it never gets tangled up around me any more, and if I ever need to shut down in a hurry it is just a yank of the wrist away instead of trying to locate where it is clipped. You can see it here this image. As shown I also love it because I can run the strap through my key chain and strap it all to a railing so I do not lose them.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v427/jeff_rohlfing/ 76%20Newport%20Near%20Complete/?action=view¤t=DSC_3653.jpg
frisco pete posted 08-04-2008 06:44 PM ET (US)
jmartin makes a good point. When running a kicker motor, or an electric trolling motor, there is more of a possibility of falling overboard. The main engine is off. So how do you remedy this situation. A lanyard for a non electric kicker? Run a wire from the magneto, as done on race boats? How about an electric trolling motor. A make and break switch to the battery. These things are possible, but I have never seen them. What about sailing solo on autopilot?
I think you are safer sitting on a seat behind the helm, than standing.
contender posted 08-04-2008 07:54 PM ET (US)
Saw this happen before and the owner wanted to do the same, Told him he was nuts cause if he missed the boat the prop would get him. I tied a life jacket to a end of a ski rope and towed/dragged it in front of the boat and let the engine get tied up in the rope and it stopped. No one hurt no damage to the boat but minus one ski rope that the owner payed for... good luck
TransAm posted 08-05-2008 12:48 PM ET (US)
Contender, I think you and JMARTIN have the right idea. By the time I approached the boat in this case, it was too close to shore in rocky shallows to even attempt such a rope manuever, but I will definitely remember this trick. I did have a ski rope on board, and if I had thought quicker with this in mind, perhaps the boat could have been sparred it fate.
jeffs22outrage posted 08-05-2008 01:06 PM ET (US)
I would have to say trying to jump aboard or use something to stop a friends boat is a lot different than trying to do the same for a stranger. I am willing to a greater risk (to a point) for someone I know that is for sure.
JMARTIN posted 08-05-2008 01:53 PM ET (US)
What I heard about getting a line into the prop did not have a happy ending. Supposedly, a guy got ejected from a aluminum skiff running a 35hp on a tiller. After they got the guy out of the water they decided to see if they could stop the boat. The motor had swung all the way to one side and the boat was bow up and spinning as fast as it could. They threw poly line at it but could not get it under the boat. So another boat showed up and they stretched the line between the two boats and tried to snag it. When the wayward boat hit the tight line, it turned the motor and traveled lickity split down the line and bounced off one of the boats. Then the prop got entangled and the motor stopped. So for his kind act, the good samaritan was out a line and had a big old ding in his boat.
I like the idea of towing a life jacket into the path much better. John
wbullwin posted 08-05-2008 04:39 PM ET (US)
If you don't like to clip it to yourself, get one that has a wrist band. I have two wave runners that use kill switches and the ends of the lanyards have an adjustable wrist band. It works great which I have found out the hard way winding up in the water after hitting a wave the wrong way or turning fast with the grand kids on with me.
Royboy posted 08-06-2008 10:18 PM ET (US)
I don't often have the presence of mind to remember I have the thing on when docking, so I take it off as soon as I get into the harbor, more or less. I always wear it solo and also whenever it's rough.
I'm just extra careful when trolling with my kicker, as it has no kill device. I wish it did, but for now I wear my pfd with a handheld VHF clipped to it when trolling alone. Nothing would suck worse than watching your boat drive itself away, except perhaps not being able tell anyone about it.
Roy
brisboats posted 08-07-2008 08:26 AM ET (US)
Good job, glad to hear no one was hurt. Looks like that boat ended up over by camp Wabanna. Most have been an off Saturday on the Rhode as usually the chickenneckers are 3 abreast. Wakes from the boat traffic will crest and break right along the channel edges and scare the guys in small skiffs and tinnies.
Brian
TransAm posted 08-07-2008 09:17 AM ET (US)
Yes Brian, you are right...camp Wabanna. In fact, our neighbors had just picked up their kid from camp there an hour earlier and I was heading to the beach in the background to pick them up in front of our house. I was surprised at the lack of boat traffic as well; other than the other boat you see in the picture (he was anchored with a dead battery fairly close to where the boat eventually landed!) there was no one else in the vacinity at the time.
brisboats posted 08-08-2008 08:42 AM ET (US)
I thought that looked like Wabanna. I pass by there during the week and that area is often packed with kids sailing and enjoying the beach. Usually a tournament ski boat prancing around too with a dozen screaming kids clinging to a bananna. Very fortunate that this incindebt happened when it did.

Some of those kids are accustom to a circling boat though. When my Nephew used to disappear from sight on the 13'. We would find him over there circling the young lady sailors like a collie does a herd. Lanyard attached, main brain detached and hormones brewing.
Brian
Whalerdog posted 08-08-2008 01:16 PM ET (US)
any where to get a good one as the one that came with the Waler stretched right out.
frisco pete posted 08-08-2008 02:38 PM ET (US)
I can understand wearing a lanyard attached to a kill switch, when driving a wave runner or a race boat. If fact it is required in outboard racing. Has any one ever heard of anyone falling overboard, or pitched out of a pleasure boat when driving a center or side console boat standing, or sitting in a seat at a console and driving. People driving a boat only fall or get thrown out of boats when moving around the boat when the boat is in gear and underway, and you are alone and no one is steering. If you do this you are a fool. there is a danger also of you falling over the stern when starting or running a kicker motor,as you may not be in a secure position. or even an electric trolling motor, while fishing. I have never seen an electric trolling motor with a kill switch. Might be a good idea.
When setting up my new Merc, I noticed a lanyard attached to the controls I threw the lanyard away.
If I had a boat with a tall tower or flybridge, I would wear a lanyard, because of the extreme motion when running in rough or even moderate seas. I new of a charter captain thrown off a flybridge, while coming in Jones inlet on Long island back in the fifties.
BTW I always wear seatbelts when driving or riding in a car.
rich
MontanaWhaler posted 08-08-2008 02:52 PM ET (US)
While I agree it is a rare occurence, I met an older gentleman last year who fell out of his 13 sport in a turn and got run over by it and severely injured by the prop. His boating days are over both for physical and psychological reasons.
I wear mine and a life jacket when in rough conditions at higher rates of speed.
floridaskater posted 08-08-2008 05:16 PM ET (US)
I know of two bad incidents down here in FL and Bahamas. One fella we assume took a bio break in the middle of the Gulf Stream, solo, fell over the stern. All they found was an empty boat.
Another guy, with epileptic seizures, fell overboard, boat ran him over, and almost killed him, chopping him up badly.
I'll wear it when I'm alone, as well as a preserver. Ya never know.
swist posted 08-08-2008 05:22 PM ET (US)
Yeah, yeah. I should use the lanyard, and I should wear a PFD at all times. And I should not go out when there is a 2% chance of thunderstorms. Etc. Etc.
Makes life a lotta fun. We should probably all don suits of armor when we wake up because something bad might happen...
I use my safety lanyard to hold my corkscrew.... that's what it's good for.
JMARTIN posted 08-08-2008 06:16 PM ET (US)
"People driving a boat only fall or get thrown out of boats when moving around the boat when the boat is in gear and underway, and you are alone and no one is steering. If you do this you are a fool."
Jeepers Rich, does that mean I can not troll while fishing any more?
John
Whalerdog posted 08-08-2008 06:52 PM ET (US)
Frisco Pete you have not seen me play in the inlet. I need a lanyard
frisco pete posted 08-08-2008 06:58 PM ET (US)
Swist, I feel the same way as you do. glad we agree on something once in a while.
John
Jeepers Rich, does that mean I can not troll while fishing any more?
Well, when I`m trolling alone, I shift the boat in nuetral when I hook up. When you set the outriggers or let the line out on the rods, and are hooked up to a lanyard to a kill switch? That would be a sight to see. The lanyard would have to be so long that if you fell overboard you probably could never swim that far back to the boat, or else the lanyard would snag on something, and never pull the switch.
That's what I`m trying to say, basically they are useless. If you an epilectic or a feeble old guy, don`t go out alone or else get a seat belt, not a lanyard.
rich
Chuck Tribolet posted 08-08-2008 07:40 PM ET (US)
"People driving a boat only fall or get thrown out of boats when moving around the boat when the boat is in gear and
underway, and you are alone and no one is steering. If you do
this you are a fool."
Gee: I once say BOTH guys go flying out of about a 24' RIB.
So not alone. One guy was standing up steering, the other
was sitting on the tubes. No lanyard in use, but the driver
managed to get one engine in neutral and the other in forward
idle as he went out, and they both had their PFDs on. They
were about .6 nm offshore in Monterey.

Chuck
frisco pete posted 08-08-2008 08:56 PM ET (US)
I would put low sided RIBS that bounce over the waves especially with twins in the same category as wave runners and race boats and high speed bass boats. Lanyards are a good idea.
I still don`t think they are of any use in a moderate speed boat like a whaler, and if you have a lanyard on that enables you to leave the helm, and the engine in gear and stand up in a 13 foot Whaler,and walk around, you probably deserve to fall out and most likely will, and yes I know how stable they are. Chuck you have said before you scuba dive alone, which is known to be dangerous, yet you tie yourself in your boat when alone, when you most likely are in no danger. A clumsy careless person might fall overboard, but scuba divers generally are not that type.
Then again, if I suddenly stop posting, you will know what happened to me. Or maybe jimh has banned me again. Who knows. LOL
rich

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Author	Topic: Case Study for Safety Lanyard
TransAm	posted 08-03-2008 09:04 PM ET (US) When boating alone, I almost always attach my safety lanyard to something on my person. After my experience this past Saturday, I will make it a point to do so always. Saturday, late morning, I headed out or our marina to pick up my family across the Rhode/West River, about 2 miles away. No boats in sight, quite peaceful. However, at the mouth of the rivers, I spotted something flailing in the water. As I approached, I could tell is was someone in distress. This person was clearly quite exhausted and probably didn't have a whole lot left in him. Shut the motors down and hauled him aboard fully clothed without a life jacket. He couldn't immediately talk as he was catching his breath. After a minute or two he explained he fell overboard. When I asked where his boat was, he pointed in the distance, and sure enough, there was an unmanned Carolina Skiff doing about 25 MPH in a wide, clockwise circle. The owner suggested we pull up alongside it and he would "jump" aboard and shut her down. I explained this was no James Bond movie and that only bad things would happen if I were to attempt such a maneuver. The boat was drifting towards land and that meant a very substantial (24" diameter pilings) pier and a long section of rip-wrap. The next circle, the boat hit a piling on about a 60 degree angle; the boat caromed off and headed back towards us. It then turned back towards shore, and the line of rip-wrap. It went in head-on at about 25 MPH, parked itself atop the pile. The engine ran on for about 30 seconds and died. He insisted I drop him at his boat, so I did and called DNR & Coasties. Very fortunate there was no one else in our vacinity and the boat ended up where it did. There are many waterfront properties nearby, and the area is heavily boated by families alike. Here is what he ended up with. http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm314/77SETransAm/ Carolina%20Skiff%20on%20Rocks/
Casco Bay Outrage	posted 08-03-2008 09:33 PM ET (US) He is lucky, thanks to you to be alive. Good for you, on both the rescue and not trying to save the boat!!!! CBO
seabob4	posted 08-03-2008 09:55 PM ET (US) That's what they make them for. Glad you were able to save him. Hopefully, he has someone at home who cares about him, and he'll think twice, no, three times, about wearing that lanyard.
jeffs22outrage	posted 08-03-2008 10:45 PM ET (US) I think it is also a case for always wearing a lifejacket. There was a similar occurrence on a large Northern Michigan Lake that did not turn out as well. The two crew members were ejected for a 29' Fountain while doing high speed test runs. The pilot was not wearing the safety lanyard when something went wrong and the boat made a sudden hard turn throwing both out of the cockpit. The boat continued to circle at high speeds and within the second or third circling had run both over and killed them. Both did have their life jackets on though.
frisco pete	posted 08-03-2008 10:50 PM ET (US) Good thing for him you were in the vicinity. He was probably walking around the boat and left the helm unattended and fell out. I never wear a lanyard when driving my 13 footer. How could you fall out sitting on a seat behind the wheel. Anyone who moves around a boat when it is in gear is a fool, even at idle. That's when they fall out. I always have my lanyard clipped to my racing life jacket when driving my race boat. A real chance of getting pitched out of that one.
home Aside	posted 08-04-2008 11:27 AM ET (US) I try to always wear the lanyard and inflatable suspenders when out alone where I know it would be difficult to get to shore if thrown from the boat. But a perfect example is that while boating in the North Channel one day this past week we were out in some pretty snotty conditions and I hit an unexpected wave that threw me off balance, I was able to catch my balance, but if I hadn't it later struck me that there are a lot of things to hit your head on if you fall, you could easily be knocked unconscious and with the boat running with you alone unconscious what then? The lanyard is a must when boating alone. Pat
elaelap	posted 08-04-2008 12:08 PM ET (US) An important cautionary tale. Congratulations for saving a life, and I join with CBO's comments regarding your wisdom in not attempting a crazy maneuver re the pilotless boat. Sharp eyes out there, T.A.; but you know how the ancient Chinese proverb goes--if you save a person's life you then become responsible for them until they die, so make sure the poor guy wears his lanyard if he decides to get another boat. Hats off for the rescue! Tony
deepwater	posted 08-04-2008 01:23 PM ET (US) i thought it was if you save a persons life they buy the beer
TransAm	posted 08-04-2008 02:12 PM ET (US) Actually, not even a thank you. I'll chalk that up to the situation. This guy was pretty tired, but otherwise O.K. Probably didn't help his mental state to see his boat where it ended up either. Ironically, when I went to the back of the boat to haul him aboard, I pulled my lanyard out of the clip forgetting it was attached to me and killed the motors. I asked if he had a lanyard and he just looked at me funny. He did go off in a land based ambulance though. I think I'll buy my own beer thank you.
JMARTIN	posted 08-04-2008 02:33 PM ET (US) OK, I will start wearing the safety lanyard. I solo quite often and made a promise to my family on wearing a PFD and I have stuck to it. I just got to remember that I have it on. If I am coming into a dock, I will leave the helm to get lines and fenders ready and kill the motor. What I really need is a kill device that will let me get 10 feet away before it shuts off the motor and one that will shut off the kicker also. That's when I am going to fall in, while trolling with the kicker going. On a related theme, I have heard of people stopping unattended water craft going in circles by placing floating poly line in their path and hoping for total prop entanglement with motor shut down. This could be all rumour. John
Tohsgib	posted 08-04-2008 02:55 PM ET (US) We stopped my bud's Newport that he flew out of and was going in circles by jumping in it. It is actually pretty easy to do once you get the speed just right.
Whalerdog	posted 08-04-2008 03:09 PM ET (US) When I leave my canal it is on all the time. When I was a kid in the 60's my father worked with a guy who fell out of his boat and was run over and killed. Having raced boats I know the value of them.
sternorama	posted 08-04-2008 03:10 PM ET (US) Hey JMARTIN: Someone here once mentioned they wear two lengths of lanyard so they can move around a bit more.
Sheila	posted 08-04-2008 04:05 PM ET (US) JMartin, there's also this device called an autotether. It's a wireless gizmo that "kills" when it gets wet, if I recall correctly. If anyone here has experience with this gadget I would be interested in a firsthand report.
JMARTIN	posted 08-04-2008 04:16 PM ET (US) I think there is a wireless proximity kill device also. While running solo, I will wear the one I have and I will just stop to put out the fenders and ready the lines. Now, to get out there and see if I will actually practice what I preach. Can I take the rest of the day off? The PNW weather looks perfect. I want to go out, do some fishing and spend the night at Sucia. What the hay, spend a couple of nights out, take a bunch of pictures, post them here and say neener, neener, look at all the fun I had. John
jeffs22outrage	posted 08-04-2008 04:22 PM ET (US) Jmartin, I never cared to clip a lanyard to myself as I hated fumbling around trying to get it unclipped during most docking and maneuvering situations. My fix was I removed all of the clips from my lanyards and replaced them with a Velcro strap from west marine. I much prefer this as I can quickly get it off in a hurry if needed, it never gets tangled up around me any more, and if I ever need to shut down in a hurry it is just a yank of the wrist away instead of trying to locate where it is clipped. You can see it here this image. As shown I also love it because I can run the strap through my key chain and strap it all to a railing so I do not lose them. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v427/jeff_rohlfing/ 76%20Newport%20Near%20Complete/?action=view¤t=DSC_3653.jpg
frisco pete	posted 08-04-2008 06:44 PM ET (US) jmartin makes a good point. When running a kicker motor, or an electric trolling motor, there is more of a possibility of falling overboard. The main engine is off. So how do you remedy this situation. A lanyard for a non electric kicker? Run a wire from the magneto, as done on race boats? How about an electric trolling motor. A make and break switch to the battery. These things are possible, but I have never seen them. What about sailing solo on autopilot? I think you are safer sitting on a seat behind the helm, than standing.
contender	posted 08-04-2008 07:54 PM ET (US) Saw this happen before and the owner wanted to do the same, Told him he was nuts cause if he missed the boat the prop would get him. I tied a life jacket to a end of a ski rope and towed/dragged it in front of the boat and let the engine get tied up in the rope and it stopped. No one hurt no damage to the boat but minus one ski rope that the owner payed for... good luck
TransAm	posted 08-05-2008 12:48 PM ET (US) Contender, I think you and JMARTIN have the right idea. By the time I approached the boat in this case, it was too close to shore in rocky shallows to even attempt such a rope manuever, but I will definitely remember this trick. I did have a ski rope on board, and if I had thought quicker with this in mind, perhaps the boat could have been sparred it fate.
jeffs22outrage	posted 08-05-2008 01:06 PM ET (US) I would have to say trying to jump aboard or use something to stop a friends boat is a lot different than trying to do the same for a stranger. I am willing to a greater risk (to a point) for someone I know that is for sure.
JMARTIN	posted 08-05-2008 01:53 PM ET (US) What I heard about getting a line into the prop did not have a happy ending. Supposedly, a guy got ejected from a aluminum skiff running a 35hp on a tiller. After they got the guy out of the water they decided to see if they could stop the boat. The motor had swung all the way to one side and the boat was bow up and spinning as fast as it could. They threw poly line at it but could not get it under the boat. So another boat showed up and they stretched the line between the two boats and tried to snag it. When the wayward boat hit the tight line, it turned the motor and traveled lickity split down the line and bounced off one of the boats. Then the prop got entangled and the motor stopped. So for his kind act, the good samaritan was out a line and had a big old ding in his boat. I like the idea of towing a life jacket into the path much better. John
wbullwin	posted 08-05-2008 04:39 PM ET (US) If you don't like to clip it to yourself, get one that has a wrist band. I have two wave runners that use kill switches and the ends of the lanyards have an adjustable wrist band. It works great which I have found out the hard way winding up in the water after hitting a wave the wrong way or turning fast with the grand kids on with me.
Royboy	posted 08-06-2008 10:18 PM ET (US) I don't often have the presence of mind to remember I have the thing on when docking, so I take it off as soon as I get into the harbor, more or less. I always wear it solo and also whenever it's rough. I'm just extra careful when trolling with my kicker, as it has no kill device. I wish it did, but for now I wear my pfd with a handheld VHF clipped to it when trolling alone. Nothing would suck worse than watching your boat drive itself away, except perhaps not being able tell anyone about it. Roy
brisboats	posted 08-07-2008 08:26 AM ET (US) Good job, glad to hear no one was hurt. Looks like that boat ended up over by camp Wabanna. Most have been an off Saturday on the Rhode as usually the chickenneckers are 3 abreast. Wakes from the boat traffic will crest and break right along the channel edges and scare the guys in small skiffs and tinnies. Brian
TransAm	posted 08-07-2008 09:17 AM ET (US) Yes Brian, you are right...camp Wabanna. In fact, our neighbors had just picked up their kid from camp there an hour earlier and I was heading to the beach in the background to pick them up in front of our house. I was surprised at the lack of boat traffic as well; other than the other boat you see in the picture (he was anchored with a dead battery fairly close to where the boat eventually landed!) there was no one else in the vacinity at the time.
brisboats	posted 08-08-2008 08:42 AM ET (US) I thought that looked like Wabanna. I pass by there during the week and that area is often packed with kids sailing and enjoying the beach. Usually a tournament ski boat prancing around too with a dozen screaming kids clinging to a bananna. Very fortunate that this incindebt happened when it did. Some of those kids are accustom to a circling boat though. When my Nephew used to disappear from sight on the 13'. We would find him over there circling the young lady sailors like a collie does a herd. Lanyard attached, main brain detached and hormones brewing. Brian
Whalerdog	posted 08-08-2008 01:16 PM ET (US) any where to get a good one as the one that came with the Waler stretched right out.
frisco pete	posted 08-08-2008 02:38 PM ET (US) I can understand wearing a lanyard attached to a kill switch, when driving a wave runner or a race boat. If fact it is required in outboard racing. Has any one ever heard of anyone falling overboard, or pitched out of a pleasure boat when driving a center or side console boat standing, or sitting in a seat at a console and driving. People driving a boat only fall or get thrown out of boats when moving around the boat when the boat is in gear and underway, and you are alone and no one is steering. If you do this you are a fool. there is a danger also of you falling over the stern when starting or running a kicker motor,as you may not be in a secure position. or even an electric trolling motor, while fishing. I have never seen an electric trolling motor with a kill switch. Might be a good idea. When setting up my new Merc, I noticed a lanyard attached to the controls I threw the lanyard away. If I had a boat with a tall tower or flybridge, I would wear a lanyard, because of the extreme motion when running in rough or even moderate seas. I new of a charter captain thrown off a flybridge, while coming in Jones inlet on Long island back in the fifties. BTW I always wear seatbelts when driving or riding in a car. rich
MontanaWhaler	posted 08-08-2008 02:52 PM ET (US) While I agree it is a rare occurence, I met an older gentleman last year who fell out of his 13 sport in a turn and got run over by it and severely injured by the prop. His boating days are over both for physical and psychological reasons. I wear mine and a life jacket when in rough conditions at higher rates of speed.
floridaskater	posted 08-08-2008 05:16 PM ET (US) I know of two bad incidents down here in FL and Bahamas. One fella we assume took a bio break in the middle of the Gulf Stream, solo, fell over the stern. All they found was an empty boat. Another guy, with epileptic seizures, fell overboard, boat ran him over, and almost killed him, chopping him up badly. I'll wear it when I'm alone, as well as a preserver. Ya never know.
swist	posted 08-08-2008 05:22 PM ET (US) Yeah, yeah. I should use the lanyard, and I should wear a PFD at all times. And I should not go out when there is a 2% chance of thunderstorms. Etc. Etc. Makes life a lotta fun. We should probably all don suits of armor when we wake up because something bad might happen... I use my safety lanyard to hold my corkscrew.... that's what it's good for.
JMARTIN	posted 08-08-2008 06:16 PM ET (US) "People driving a boat only fall or get thrown out of boats when moving around the boat when the boat is in gear and underway, and you are alone and no one is steering. If you do this you are a fool." Jeepers Rich, does that mean I can not troll while fishing any more? John
Whalerdog	posted 08-08-2008 06:52 PM ET (US) Frisco Pete you have not seen me play in the inlet. I need a lanyard
frisco pete	posted 08-08-2008 06:58 PM ET (US) Swist, I feel the same way as you do. glad we agree on something once in a while. John Jeepers Rich, does that mean I can not troll while fishing any more? Well, when I`m trolling alone, I shift the boat in nuetral when I hook up. When you set the outriggers or let the line out on the rods, and are hooked up to a lanyard to a kill switch? That would be a sight to see. The lanyard would have to be so long that if you fell overboard you probably could never swim that far back to the boat, or else the lanyard would snag on something, and never pull the switch. That's what I`m trying to say, basically they are useless. If you an epilectic or a feeble old guy, don`t go out alone or else get a seat belt, not a lanyard. rich
Chuck Tribolet	posted 08-08-2008 07:40 PM ET (US) "People driving a boat only fall or get thrown out of boats when moving around the boat when the boat is in gear and underway, and you are alone and no one is steering. If you do this you are a fool." Gee: I once say BOTH guys go flying out of about a 24' RIB. So not alone. One guy was standing up steering, the other was sitting on the tubes. No lanyard in use, but the driver managed to get one engine in neutral and the other in forward idle as he went out, and they both had their PFDs on. They were about .6 nm offshore in Monterey. Chuck
frisco pete	posted 08-08-2008 08:56 PM ET (US) I would put low sided RIBS that bounce over the waves especially with twins in the same category as wave runners and race boats and high speed bass boats. Lanyards are a good idea. I still don`t think they are of any use in a moderate speed boat like a whaler, and if you have a lanyard on that enables you to leave the helm, and the engine in gear and stand up in a 13 foot Whaler,and walk around, you probably deserve to fall out and most likely will, and yes I know how stable they are. Chuck you have said before you scuba dive alone, which is known to be dangerous, yet you tie yourself in your boat when alone, when you most likely are in no danger. A clumsy careless person might fall overboard, but scuba divers generally are not that type. Then again, if I suddenly stop posting, you will know what happened to me. Or maybe jimh has banned me again. Who knows. LOL rich