Took A Dip at the Dock

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

If you fall in the water, make it good. Arms flailing, eyes wide, and the 'Oooh Noooo!' loud enough to draw attention of the boats two piers down.

I was getting ready for a hurricane, jumping on and off my boat, a Bristol 29.9 ( no lifelines). Anyways, the darn water hose was lying on deck and rolled out from under my bare feet. My feet were kicking like an olympic swimmer before the water even touched me, you would too if you knew how many people pumped overboard in that marina!

Ah, the nasty marina water effect. I have a great pic somewhere of a coworker who fell into the ship canal and came up with what we call a "Lake Union Whitefish" plastered to his head (used condom). This is the most commonly caught fish on Lake Union.

[Fortytwo]

If you want to survive out here, you've got to know where your towel is.

[Neo]

Originally Posted by HopCar

As I recall there was also something in the Hitch Hikers Guide about always having a towel.

LOL!! That's right, always have a towel. To funny.

[Pathfinder509]

Don't feel bad...I was running a charter on a 35 ft Cat and after a very detailed safety briefing (including being careful of phones/cameras).... a gal later lost her new Iphone overboard. Seems after a couple glasses of wine, she had the novel idea of nestling it inside....er....her bikini top! Well, maybe that worked for Mae West or Anna Nicole Smith in their prime....but this gal's Iphone slipped out when she bend over to grab the lifeline to steady herself.....I told her...."Well, you're not a mariner til you've lost something valuable overboard! Now, I tell all clients....."Do Not Put Phones in your cleavage/bikini, even if you are Anna Nicole Smith!!

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Neo

I've finally got one of those fancy new smart phones courtesy of a unplanned dip at the dock. Last week while single handing my new, larger boat into a slip for the first time, I over estimated the length of my arms. So with my feet on the dock and my hands on the rail, and nothing in between but Salem Harbor, I had an infinitely long 3 seconds to ponder my fate. All I could come up with was, "Oh Sh#t". Not very creative. But once I pulled myself out of the cold water I realized I broke rule number one from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and a handy rule when boating, "DON'T PANIC".

If I had stopped for just one second I would have seen that I could have slowly walk around the slip to the bow to grab a line.

Well anyway, I am a first time owner of a Pearson 31 and a new smart phone.

Cheers

I've heard of rough first docking but ... yowsa. I think the most dangerous thing about boating is getting on and off the water. You really don't want to fall between the dock and the boat. Glad you weren't hurt!

I have a pretty failsafe way for docking my 31' Hunter by myself. I have a double-ended spring line. The line has to be considerably longer than the length of your boat. You put a figure 8 loop in the appropriate place (my toe rail is perforated so it didn't really matter for me). Before tying that loop, you put a carabiner in the end of the loop. Then you latch that carabiner on to a suitable point on your boat, and then tie both ends off, typically at an aft piling and a forward cleat on the dock. once you've placed it well, it acts as a double-ended spring line. It prevents the boat from going into the seawall and prevents it from scooting back out into the fairway.

Then when you come in, you stop the boat (using reverse as necessary) anywhere within the slip, grab that double-ended spring line with a boat hook, and latch it on to the preselected spot on your boat. It can be a piece of hardware you installed for that purpose if you don't have a perforated metal toe rail. With one movement you have secured your boat and you can now do the rest of your lines at your leisure. I have carabiners on all my spring lines as well as harp latches on the toe rail to receive them so they're always set in the right place, but it's that double-ended line that make docking foolproof for me.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by sweetsailing

Taking a dip at the dock is something like running aground. Most sailors will experience both events at some point in time. It's just a little easier if the water is warmer. I fell off the dock in April in Minnesota one year. There was still ice on portions of the lake. After that, I now have a great appreciation for cold water and the effects of hypothermia.

I walked right off the end of a dock once. A friend was cleaning his bottom with scuba gear at the end of a T-dock. When he was done, he was exhausted and his tank was empty. I had made a loop with a bowline, and i gave that to him tied to the boat so he could rest, but he'd tied his boat so close to the dock he couldn't get to the ladder. There was no wind, so I loosened his lines and started at the stern of his boat, and started gently pushing it out a little, working my way down the boat so it would leave enough space at the bow, where the ladder was.

I didn't notice that the bow stuck out past the end of the dock, and kept walking and pushing and ... kersplash! i was in the water hanging with one hand from his lifeline. Got kind of bruised up but not really hurt when I banged into the side of his boat. But at least he was able to get out of the water.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by minaret

At our boatyard the long standing rule is that he who falls in must buy beer for all those who witness it. It is a rule which has been religiously adhered to for many years.

This is a very clever practice, as it could become self-perpetuating and keep everyone's thirst quenched all night!

[tbodine88]

Every time I have an uninsured phone, I lose it, it gets stolen or I get go swimiming with it. As soon as I insure the next one, nothing happens to it.

[captainKJ]

Originally Posted by tbodine88

Every time I have an uninsured phone, I lose it, it gets stolen or I get go swimiming with it. As soon as I insure the next one, nothing happens to it.

thats why I do not insure my mother-in-law

[thinwater]

I've drown 2 phones. It's a pisser. No hope of resuraction in salt water, freshwater generally yes (I've done that too).

Once I jumped down onto the tramp of my cat and my daughters Ipod was instantly catapulted off the oposing side, 15 feet away.

[roverhi]

I knew it was only a matter of time before I went for an unintended swim with my phone. Got a Casio GZ one from Verizon. It's water, shock and dust proof. In short built like a tank. Only problem is they don't float. First thing I did after I got it was accidentally drop it in the water. Fortunately it was in shallow water, still had a hard time finding the black phone in the muck. I now have a tether on it which has had two benefits. First, if I drop the phone, the tether keeps it from hitting the ground. Second is it doesn't go swimming if I drop it over the side. Oh, I tested it and it is waterproof.

Have been thinking of getting an Iphone but have held off because of the non waterproof, limited shock resistance of the Apple product. This case is reported to be excellent to protect the phone from water and abuse. Unfortunately, it's $79.99 but that's way cheaper than replacing an unprotected phone.

[Longtall]

Yep, they are called "Lifeproof" iPhone cases. http://www.lifeproof.com/ Excellent product. Had mine now for a few months and its saved the phone from countless times hitting the concrete/paving as well as being submerged. Not connected in any way with the company, just a satisfied customer.
Cheers
Colin

[Reveille]

I dropped my iPhone in the Chesapeake last week. I had it in my shirt pocket. Took it out of my shirt to slip it into my pants pocket. Dropped it, one bounce on the deck and in it went.

[Reveille]

It was three months old

[rtbates]

bummer..

You should be able to rig your HOME slip so that, with the help of a "boat hook", no one, including you when single handed, needs to leave the boat to tie up.

good luck going forward