See anything wrong with this picture?

[Woodnaut]

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

- My INSTINCT and REFLEX (not thought involved) would have been to turn the bow into the wave. But a narrow channel or obstructions sometimes can prevent an evasive action like that.

- Everyone on my boat always wears PFDs at all times. No exceptions, ever.

- I don't let people sit on the gunwales or the bow when the boat is underway unless were idling in a canal or other benign conditions.

- If we're headed offshore, the PLBs get attached to the life jackets. (In addition to a bunch of other stuff.)

Boating is a ton of fun and I love it, but of course it's full of potentially dangerous conditions. Sometimes these can be worse in larger bodies of water, along the coast, and offshore. Really sorry to hear about this.

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

A 45 degree approach would roll you in a heart beat. No more than 30 degrees. In this case, head-on would have been my choice.

Notice his motor is picked up and the wave is breaking. Both are signs of him being in shallow water. From what I understand he got himself into shallow water and once you do that you?re doomed. No water to maneuver in and the waves start breaking.

Ah, good to know. I typically take a slight angle with bow up as my boat has a very low open bow. Also the hull design (sort of a modified V) is extremely stable and it really doesn't lean over much even in a very sharp medium speed turn. The nose of the boat dips down (apparently to improve visibility when excellerating) so if I take a wave like that straight on it'll swamp my boat even trimmed all the way down (bow up). Although I usually have the bow cover on which takes most of the water off the boat when a wave breaks over the bow. Fortunately I've never been forced into a wave like that, if I see rollers that big she stays on the trailer and I go home.

Agreed, if they are in the shallows it's game over, you'd be sure to be hitting bottom between each swell.

Ian

 

[nitsuj]

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

I have a question for those of you who insist on all passengers wearing PFD's at all times. Is that an ocean rule, or do you also enforce that rule on small lakes and rivers where there is no rouge waves to worry about? I ask because I always wondered if I should have a similar rule, but I only boat on rivers, make lakes once in a while. No rouges. I always have enough PFD's readily available, but I've never made everyone wear them at all times.

 

[werthert]

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

I have a question for those of you who insist on all passengers wearing PFD's at all times. Is that an ocean rule, or do you also enforce that rule on small lakes and rivers where there is no rouge waves to worry about? I ask because I always wondered if I should have a similar rule, but I only boat on rivers, make lakes once in a while. No rouges. I always have enough PFD's readily available, but I've never made everyone wear them at all times.

My personal opinion is it depends on your passengers. Are they fit? Can they swim? Do they respect the water but not fear it? At will, could they jump off and at any time still swim to shore? If the answer is no to any of these, then I'd have them wear a PFD.

 

[Ned L]

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

Sad story.

If you're going to work inside the surf line you'd better know what you're doing. ... They didn't.

 

[dingbat]

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

My personal opinion is it depends on your passengers. Are they fit? Can they swim? Do they respect the water but not fear it? At will, could they jump off and at any time still swim to shore? If the answer is no to any of these, then I'd have them wear a PFD.

I would add an additional requirement to this list. Can they swim to shore while being severely injured and unconscious?

 

[skargo]

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

I would add an additional requirement to this list. Can they swim to shore while being severely injured and unconscious?

I agree, no one can predict unconsciousness.

 

[Robs88]

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

Seeing as this is a Rogue wave, It was up to the skipper of the boat, to point the bow toward it, not head on but angle, In this case inexperience got the best of him as the boat is too much sideways.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

This occurred in my home town. Here's the deal.
He hit his head when the boat pitched broadside and was thrown out, unconscious. A pfd may have saved him; 50 surfers couldn't find him.
I think the driver stayed in.
It is a very seaworthy boat--I have one similar--but still not safe for those conditions. But with a good driver and luck it can handle it. Observers were amazed that it didn't roll. I ran mine up a "rogue ship's wake" close to that size and did OK (came at my stern while I was fishing; fired up did a 180 and made it over the top just in time).
It was not a "rogue wave." They were like that all morning and he had to run through them at the inlet to get out there. This was close inshore at the beach with a jetty on one side--the jetty runs 90* to the shore and he was inside it. The swells were large due to Danny; in fact the surfnig championship was happening right there. He was too close to the surfers and the shore and the jetty in conditions too big for his boat. Safety patrol on the bullhorn told him to leave.

So far no reports that he was in too shallow to manuever but that happens and then its all over.

Clearly he was inexperienced; he should not have gone out or once he got out, should not have gone up to the beach by the jetty.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

I read in one of the outdoors magazines years ago that there are a certain number of people each year who fall off a boat and who drown without ever coming to the surface for some unknown reason. Sometimes happens even in calm, warm water.

Not too many years after reading that an acquaintance of mine did just that - fell of a boat in a calm, fresh water, lake and never came up. I no longer remember the time of year or how cold the water was.

I fell off my boat while casting for bass in deep water without a PFD. Narrowly missed hitting my head on the corner of the aluminum gunwale as I went over. Since then EVERYONE in my boat wears a PFD unless we are stopped in very shallow water.

 

[LiL' Chop Hopper]

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

I would like to inform the original Posters of this Forum, that as of yesterday at around 12 Noon the Boat VA9292BE 2000CC MayCraft pictured has had the opportunity to redeem itself after the tragic event of August 2009.
I am the the current owner of the boat, and am happy to report that it was used yesterday, 2 October 2010 to rescue 4 men from the waters of the York River yesterday after the boat these men were on was capsized.
All suffered from slight to serious shock and mild to serious hypothermia, but all are doing well. One was retained over night for observation. I would also like to note that I am very proud of my first mate, at the time Tommy Juerguson Jr. for his actions and efforts in assisting in the rescue. Nice job T.J.

 

[skargo]

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

That is awesome news!

 

[badbossyellow]

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

Would this be the main reason that a boat dealer would not want to sell me a 19.5 foot boat to use in the ocean? They are telling me it is too small. of course the picture says it all about not being safe.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

I think some may have missed this, or perhaps I'm reading into it.

This happened at the inlet. Anyone who has ever gone through an inlet know that even calm seas can and often do create large waves through an inlet. It works like a venturi effect. When the water gets pushed into a narrower space than it's origin, the water will speed up and create larges waves. I don't think it was a rouge wave at all. I'm sure if you sat there, every other wave will be much larger than the exterior ocean current. Even with calm seas, inlet currents and waves are going to be larger, especially on incoming tides.

Also, he should have taken that wave head on. His angle was guaranteed to broach the boat with that wave. It's sad that happened.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: See anything wrong with this picture?

Bad boss, a boat like that can handle many adverse conditions IF it is operated by an experienced skipper. But not all. That boat can handle more than others of same lenght, different design. And even the most experienced skippers can have fatal accidents, even in larger boats or smaller conditions.
For example, the boat in the photo did fine; the passenger did not. I don't recall that the driver was thrown out, although he easily could have been.
So generally speaking, a 19.5 is not recommended for ocean use. The operative word is "generally." The dealer would be thinking about an inexperienced skipper and "most days" for the area, rather than the exceptions.