Am I overly cautious around water?

[barnakiel]

I think most of us sail out to live.

Killing oneself by doing stupid things (a.k.a. sitting on the scoop, unleashed, with gopro on my head) is not conductive to staying alive much longer. Hence, to most of us, this is not sailing.

Why the word I elected to stress is 'stupid' rather than 'sailing' explained in my other post.

I say hey have fun and do CRAZY things, not STUPID things.

b.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I think most of us sail out to live.

Killing oneself by doing stupid things (a.k.a. sitting on the scoop, unleashed, with gopro on my head) is not conductive to staying alive much longer. Hence, to most of us, this is not sailing.

Why the word I elected to stress is 'stupid' rather than 'sailing' explained in my other post.

I say hey have fun and do CRAZY things, not STUPID things.

b.

I'd rather be a stupid idiot having the time of my life, enjoying every day.... Than a couch potato living safely behind a desk staring at a computer screen or TV. Boring.

We sit on the sugar scoop all the time, no tether. I also enjoy sitting on the bow with my legs dangling over the side. Freediving is also a favorite pastime. (See avitar). And bike racing is a blast!

[barnakiel]

My worst accident at sea happened because I did a stupid thing.

Not because I love freedom and get edgy when some people think they have the right to tell other people how they should live.

Sit on the scoop, remove the leash, slip overboard and have the remaining one press the red button.

Then think about the cost and the risk the search and rescue party (more often: search and recovery party) will face.

STUPID = STUPID = STUPID.

I say do everything onboard in the safest applicable manner. And do not worry, the adventure will find you anyways, when you least expect it.

Cheers,
b.

[Fiveslide]

The wife and I have both fallen in between the boat and the dock with nobody around to help. My wife spent the amount of time it took me to finish a beer and pay the tab at the bar, in the winter water hanging on to a fender. Her clothes weighed her down too much for her to make it to our swim ladder. I came along and drug her out, finally.

I was strong enough to climb out on my own.

Wife and were dinghy racing one winter. My wife capsized her sailing dinghy once with no vest on. It drifted away without her, she couldn't catch it. I tossed her a vest she could reach while I tacked, turned around and got in position to get her on my boat.

I've saved her life on the water a few times, she hasn't had to save mine.

My two year old son and I go boating by ourselves all the time. I always wear a pfd when it's just us, and of course, he does too. He can't save me if I need it.

If someone is capable of turning the boat around and paying attention, I don't see the need for a tether.

Sent from my XT1080 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Honestly, how do any of you have any enjoyment in your apparently dull worrisome lives. There's risk in everything, driving a car, crossing the street, eating too much, walking down stairs, running with scissors, and sailing etc.

I'm surprised you're not overcome by worry about the lithium battery in your computer or cell phone blowing up in your face. Jeez.... Start enjoying life. Quit worrying, so much.....we'll all be dead eventually.

To be worried about what other people do is just plain weird IMHO.

Yeah... don't worry about it... it's good for the gene pool.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by rwidman

As far as being dead eventually, I would rather put it off as long as I can. There's a lot of fun things I haven't done yet.

Like what? Knitting?

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

Yes, Overly Cautious is a Hyper-Infectious, Insidious, Creeping, Disease. Like Political Correctness. And it CAN (& is) easily be overdone.

Funny how most folks so angry about 'political correctness' are well to do white guys who've never been systemically, insidiously, and thoroughly marginalized.

You old cranks can keep whining about what a burden it is to be PC. The rest of us are going to keep considering how our words and actions profoundly affect others.

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Like what? Knitting?

Dont knock it till you have tried it. Sure, the risk of death is small but it you could combine free diving and knitting. It would help keep you from getting bored on your slow ascent.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Fiveslide

The wife and I have both fallen in between the boat and the dock with nobody around to help. My wife spent the amount of time it took me to finish a beer and pay the tab at the bar, in the winter water hanging on to a fender. Her clothes weighed her down too much for her to make it to our swim ladder. I came along and drug her out, finally.

I was strong enough to climb out on my own.

Wife and were dinghy racing one winter. My wife capsized her sailing dinghy once with no vest on. It drifted away without her, she couldn't catch it. I tossed her a vest she could reach while I tacked, turned around and got in position to get her on my boat.

I've saved her life on the water a few times, she hasn't had to save mine.

My two year old son and I go boating by ourselves all the time. I always wear a pfd when it's just us, and of course, he does too. He can't save me if I need it.

If someone is capable of turning the boat around and paying attention, I don't see the need for a tether.

Sent from my XT1080 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Thanks for posting this.
It caused me to think of how your wife must have felt in the cold water clinging to something and waiting for help to come. I only once before thought of how someone could fall in while a boat is docked or in a marina, but now I can see how that could be a problem in less extreme conditions..

Extreme conditions? I remember seein a blog about a family of liveaboards living on a docked boat in New York or New Jersey, and the photos showed a dock finger was covered in ice. It made me think of the difficulty they must have had getting to and from their boat, and it had high freeboard, and what a simple slip on the icy dock or deck could do to cause them or their young kids to fall into that icy water.

[Snore]

Originally Posted by SV DestinyAscen

Today I watched a YouTube of a seemingly nice couple celebrate crossing the equator, and as far as I know they're alone. They were drinking, dressed up in costumes and having a good time. But then they migrated to sitting together on the transom steps with their feet dangling in the water. While drinking.

It sent chills down my spine.

I can't be the only one who never sits like that while underway without a tether? Or is just the thought of watching the boat sail away too irrational?

The amount of risk we take is a PERSONAL DECISION. There are some on this forum, who take any use of protective equipment as un-masculine. Those of us who had careers in jobs where workers can get seriously hurt or killed, take risk more seriously. You identify the risks and take actions to mitigate them. Obviously, things like the boom or winches cannot be mitigated, but require situational awareness.

On my boat, if we are in the ocean and it is kicking, you clip on. Why? I am responsible for you. The same way I was responsible for the people who worked for me before I retired. The result of using safety gear in both situations is a lower probability of a serious accident, and an increase in productivity (hurt people are not productive). No one wants to bury an employee, or lose a crewmember. As a captain/person in charge you are responsible for the crew.

I frequently single-hand my boat. Depending on conditions, I use a harness and clip to a jack-line that runs down the middle of the boat. After dark, I clip to a hard-point I installed at the wheel. When alone, I never where a PFD/harness since if I really mess-up ain't no one there to bring the boat back. When I have crew we do were PFDs.

While some may say "he is afraid", my answer is that there is no fear- only respect for what can kill me and my crew. This has served me very well for many sea miles over 45 years of near shore and blue water boating.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by chris95040

Funny how most folks so angry about 'political correctness' are well to do white guys who've never been systemically, insidiously, and thoroughly marginalized.

You old cranks can keep whining about what a burden it is to be PC. The rest of us are going to keep considering how our words and actions profoundly affect others.

If you're referring to me with this, you have the ethnicity thing ALL wrong. About as wrong as is possiible actually. LOL There have been some funny comments about this throught my sailing life!!!
Time for you to go find a new crystal ball


PS: On the other bits about my "background". Don't bet your rent money. And BTW, sterotypes suck period.

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by chris95040

Funny how most folks so angry about 'political correctness' are well to do white guys who've never been systemically, insidiously, and thoroughly marginalized.

You old cranks can keep whining about what a burden it is to be PC. The rest of us are going to keep considering how our words and actions profoundly affect others.

That's fine but please don't burden us with the details.

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

If you're referring to me with this, you have the ethnicity thing ALL wrong. About as wrong as is possiible actually. LOL There have been some funny comments about this throught my sailing life!!!
Time for you to go find a new crystal ball


PS: On the other bits about my "background". Don't bet your rent money. And BTW, sterotypes suck period.

Ha! oops.

[IMACSS]

Just to try to add some balance to the discussion which has some interesting responses although for me a bit confronting as a safety professional.
I have sailed alone many times but always in enclosed waters.
I'm over 65 and reasonably stable on my feet (I think) but while walking down the path this morning I backed away from one of our dogs only to end up on my bum in the garden.
Yep there were witnesses but they were too kind .
My second thought (after "how in the hell did that happen?") was maybe I shouldn't sail single-handed again. >...........????
We do tend to look at ourselves (and others) occasionally and try to get a reality check, but often it's us reminding ourselves to take more care I believe.
I feel the question asked was absolutely correct, but I also think that the answers were also well-meant AND constructive.
I often drive on an undivided road at 100kmh and pass oncoming vehicles (also going 100kmh) with a separation distance of around one metre. Now that is also a reality check but I'll do it again without blinking.

I can imaging me wetting my feet as quoted occasionally but I'm sure that my gut feeling would prevent me from doing it each morning at 10am (say) just so that Murphy's law doesn't come true .
Will I sail alone again? - of course. Will I be reminded of my reality check (in the garden on my bum)? - You bet!!
Very timely discussion for me, so thank you one and all.

[Sea Dreaming]

To the op...you have to do what is right for YOU. Never mind the people who choose to take more risk than you are comfortable with. Or less risk. They dont have your experiences that help to make you a unique person. No ones opinion, on any subect, matters more than your own.

I dont think there is any point to make comparisons with others (you know who you are). It just doesnt serve a purpose. Some folk just cant help themseves.