Death by Dinghy : Risks and Best Practices

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Chris Whitney

Copied over at the request of the leader. We all think bad things cant happen. Well think again.

A different twist on "new isn't always better."

I was not going to post this story from shear embarrassment, but seems appropriate here. After three years with the big boat I considered myself a little salty. My old dingy engine was a little 5 hp and was always a problem, stalled a lot and never idled. After more that a few times of taking apart and being disappointed again I broke down and bought a new 9.9hp Mercury at a boat show on discount.

So as a good responsible skipper, I took it out for a test run in calm waters doing all the slow engine break-in stuff with my spouse. All went well and got back to the boat, she gets up on the big boat while I am holding the big boat with one hand and for some reason the tiller on the engine with the other. She gets safely aboard.

A bit of history is my old engine always stalled upon arrival at the big boat, so I didn't really have a shutdown procedure. On this instance the shiny new engine just purred waiting for it's next instruction. I still haven't pieced together ( just 10 days ago of this posting) what caused me to lean back and turn the throttle or why I held onto the big boat trying to hold it back, but this new shiny engine roared to life and made a hard turn to starboard away from the big boat.

In an instant I lost grip of both boats and into the water. Silly me thinking "that dingy is going to run away" and as it came around for the first time I grab it by the bow handle and off we go. The dingy at top speed stayed hard to starboard clearing the big boat to do perfect circles in the anchorage with me now dangling underneath. All this while my bride is on deck of the big boat frantically screaming with nothing she can do. In a flash my mind calculates the length of my dingy 10'-6" and how long i am 6'-2" plus the extension of my arm pondering the length of safety between my extended toes and the shiny new propellor.

Fortunately, I was able to hang on for 15 circles or so. While I was having my ride other boats came and tried to stop the dingy by ramming.. grabbing and generally trying anything to stop this before things could go terrible wrong.

Just for the record, as you have already guessed, I did survive the experience. While under the bow I was able to tug one side to the other causing the engine to suck some air out of the fuel tank and kill the engine. The engine was so new I hand not even bought fuel for it yet, I was running out the test gas that came with the free fuel tank. Thankfully there wasn't much in it, allowing the gulp of air.

Now I am sure most of you by now are screaming "where was your lanyard?" As I mentioned i saw myself as a little salty.... pffft.. who needs a lanyard..just out for a test run...yada yada yada. My old 5hp would not start without the clip on the lanyard in place. For some reason my new Mercury does not require this to start. But does have a fancy lanyard that works a kill switch. Now I doubt I would have had attached it to me as I didn't with the old one. Not as salty(wise) as I thought.

I have always been the pain in the arse skipper about safety including briefings about man overboard drills before departure with new people on the boat. I suspect that now I will be even more committed to safety including wearing my lanyard.

Now although my new engine is a world better than the old one, i am the same old skipper set in my ways. Even a Old Dog needs to learn new things. Happy to report still in one piece despite all my best efforts.


Captain Chris
SV Drawn to See

Good that you survived unscathed.

Two lessons learned. One, ALWAYS , clip the saftey lanyard to you securely. Two, adjust the throttle friction so that it wont stay in position by itslelf. A little friction makes it easier to hold in position, but not so much it will just stay open by itself.