A Momentary Lapse of Reason

[Tampabayfireman]

Yes, I can relate to open hatches... I am a big one to state, shoes up top, dont leave things on deck and watch open hatches... well failed on the last one... pulled the reacher down a few weeks ago, no sock, so was all balled up on the front deck, and went to gather it up and .. how did i end up inside???... and why does my foot hurt.. you got it, right thru the open hatch.. and listening to the gf laughing going u ok... all i heard for two weeks was what did you say about open hatches.....

[Palarran]

I'm surprised you where able to function with the broken rib. When I broke one I thought I'd punctured my lung. I had to take 4 Vicodine to make the drive to the hospital. You know your a klutz when you can rate your level of pain graphically.
"Does it hurt like having boiling oil spilled all over your feet?"
"No, it hurts like cartwheeling down a double black at Jackson Hole into some trees"
"Oh, that's not so bad then".

[defever]

whenever we open the lazarette on our trawler, we yell "hole in the floor" to let the other person know it's open. a few years ago at banco chinchorro (yucatan coast), i opened the lazarette and as i walked by it turned my head, yelled "hole in the floor" and fell right into the "hole", severely spraing my wrist...what a knucklehead...

[robw_fl]

I was fueling in Key West on a research vessel I run occasionally and there is a hold access right behind the lower helm. The fuel additive is kept in there. The mate came in, as I was logging the fuel stop, and opened the hatch behind me to get the additive without saying anything. I finished, and as I turned around and started walking aft...well...you know that feeling when you think you've reached the bottom stair and there's one more...yeah, that last step was a doozie. The hold is about 6' deep. Straight down. It was a very strange feeling to just put your foot down...and down...and down. Caught myself w/my arms just shy of shoulder deep, after running the corner area of the hole up my right side the entire way, compressing and crackign 4 ribs. Good times. Made for a long visit to Fisherman's on Marathon, and an even longer recovery. Thankfully, the water was pretty calm during the work down there. But the ride home, naturally, was one of the roughest I've had on that boat. Go figure...

ANyway, I feel your pain...Noooo fun falling into a hold...or a water tank!! And yep, ever since then, it gets yelled to everyone every time the hold is open!

Rob

[Masquerade]

Dear one and all...
I am really pleased to know that I belong to a community of like minded people... those who can do really stupid things without thinking

And... to Rigamarole... I am sure the adrenaline kicked in before the booze... but six weeks passed before I could roll over in bed without obscenities ...

Lets hope none of us make the same mistakes again...
but you have to laugh at others who do
Colin

[Masquerade]

Anjou
Normally I am one of those methodical people... hence my post... a momentary lapse of reason...
Colin

[blu]

Sailed the boat from Auckland to Bay of Islands in NZ, for the customs bit, before crossing the ditch back to Oz. Needed to do some minor replacement of lines so organised a pile mooring in Opua. Winds to aboout 25kts, checked drift etc prior to going in and took it slowly. Aft Starboard mooring line is snagged on the pole hook, so stupid lets go of tiller and climbs atop the pushpit railing. Just as I release the mooring line the bow decides to bring the boat to a stop by nudging the forward mooring pole. Just enough of a nudge, to unbalance stupid who wasn't holding onto anything, from his perch. Down into the cockpit bounced and down the open hatch. Smashed depth sounder on the way through. Bits of bark and blood everywhere, still have to moor the boat. Realise now I can't stand, due to pain in left foot. Crawl out and around the boat and finally secure it. Foot is now the size of a rugby ball, so into the tender and find a taxi, and off to hospital. Foots broken, bruised ribs and a lot of scabs. Boats moored for the next month, I've flown home for Xmas recovering for retry in late Jan. Family are sympathetic and can't stop hanging **** on me.
Bottom line 34hrs single handed straight to get to Opua, tired and lack of judgement.
To the girls at the marina, Jess and Antoinette and the girls at the cafe, Tiny with the taxi, the nurses and cruisers who all offered help, my sincerest gratitude. See you all in a few weeks for round 2.
Blu

[Trebek1]

Oh my god Blu! And this was the Herreschoft 28 you just purchased? Get well soon and merry christmas to ya mate! Your new gal, moored in Opua will faithfully wait for you until you return.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Masquerade

I have a confession to make. Two weeks ago I did something on my boat that resulted in a broken rib and I have only myself to blame.

I took out 20 litres of fresh water to top up the water tank. Lifted the floor hatch and undid the tank cover and let the water drain from the container into the tank. The hatch it right at the bottom of the stairs into the saloon. When the container of water emptied I took it topside and then placed it in the dinghy. Raised the main and mizzen sails and threw the boom covers into the cockpit, started the engine and left the mooring and motored slowly into the channel of the bay and out into the main channel towards the Gladesville Bridge in Sydney Harbour.

The boom covers needed to be put down below so I grabbed them in my arms and when I was well clear of things I backed down the stairs, stepping off the second from the bottom step straight through the hatch and straight through the open tank cover. My leg descended into the water tank to my knee and I fell onto the sharp edge of one of the seats breaking a rib (though I didn't know this till later).
So... there I was... the boat was motoring in the channel. I was stuck with my leg in the water tank. For a few moments I had no idea what had happened and then realised the gravity of the situation. I pulled myself up and tried to extricate my foot from the water tank to find that it was stuck because the shoe that went in so easily would not come out. I knew that I had hurt my back but I had to get back topside so I just bent my ankle and ripped my foot out... The shoe came off and I was free. I rushed back topside in a panic to see what expensive fibreglass I was about to collide with. What seemed to take an eternity below must have been only 20-30 seconds. I put the boat back on course, put the autopilot on and went below to cover my stupidity and retrieve my shoe which was actually floating in the tank.

Having regained control and composure I then felt a little pain and decided that a glass of comforting and numbing spirits would be in order... for medicinal purposes. There was little wind so I motor sailed for a while. One glass of spirits worked well and three worked even better.

It wasn't till I had to row back to the beach and lift the dinghy onto its rack that I really felt the pain. A visit to the doctor and an xray revealed a broken rib in my back.

So... you can imagine how dumb I felt and the painful rib has reminded me of my momentary lapse of reason for the past fortnight.
Colin

You are actually very, very lucky -- that (a) nothing serious happened to your leg or foot; and (b) you were able to get unstuck. A truly nightmare scenario would have been gashing your shin to the bone and not being able to get your foot back out, then going onto the rocks . . . I shudder to think about it. Your guardian angel was alert that day! Merry Christmas!

[Masquerade]

Blu
You do have my sympathies. Apart from the broken rib I was still able to move around albeit with some pain. But, that realisation that your loved boat is pilotless and could be wrecked because of that momentary lapse of reason is one that I will never forget.

I am sorry to hear that you injured your foot so badly. It must have ben excruciating to drag yourself about the boat to do anything after that. Not what I would call a good Christmas break.

Colin

[Masquerade]

After reading some of the experiences of others it make me glad that we are not all in the same waters at the same time....
Colin

[rtbates]

No, you're definetly not the only one. I used to take my bilge hatch off so the bilge could air when I left the boat. I quit doing that after stepping off the companion way step into the bilge. It wouldn't have been so bad except my Cape Dory has a bilge that's 3 feet deep.

[fishwife]

It's always the moment of inattention to detail that gets us. I was once 300ft from the top of Mount Kinabalu in Borneo when I fell and fractured my wrist and 3 ribs. That was just after I'd looked up and decided that another ten minutes and we were at the top, in my mind, already there. It was good fun (not) getting back down.

P.