Cruising is quite safe

[Kettlewell]

Taking a look at the latest USCG 2022 Recreational Boating Statistics report (https://www.uscgboating.org/library/...stics-2022.pdf) the "Auxiliary sailboat" category (page 42 of report) shows only 6 deaths and 217 accidents. I thought it was interesting that by far the largest number of accidents (108) are classified as "collision with recreational vessel." I wonder if those could be sailboat racing collisions? After that it looks like "collision with fixed object" and "groundings" are the biggest causes. In any case, a pretty safe sport.

[Mike OReilly]

Agreed. I've been saying this for years. Looking at available stats, cruising life is very safe.

There's a good online database that compiles all these reports. You can dissect it by year, or by groupings of years. When you combined factors like "sail" with boat size, it is clear that the real risk for most cruisers is exceedingly low.

[thinwater]

Note that the report states that they believe non-fatal accidents and damages are under reported in the data by 10-20 times.

[Kettlewell]

Note that the report states that they believe non-fatal accidents and damages are under reported in the data by 10-20 times.

I'm sure it's the same for most types of accidents, including non-marine. I always say that the most dangerous part of boating is driving to the boat. Once out cruising you stop doing that!

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Note that the report states that they believe non-fatal accidents and damages are under reported in the data by 10-20 times.

No such uncertainty is ascribed to mortality data. As it says in the same section, "It is recommended that any researcher focus on fatal data since the confidence of this data is very high." (p. 13 - Limitations on collection)

Looking only at mortality data provides an even rosier perspective on the safety of cruising-level boats.

[Iron E]

From my own personal experience serving at Lifeboat Stations, this is unsurprising.

Sailors were (almost) always highly prepared and operating in a safe manner, while recreational boaters left memories that would stick with you like a high school Driver's Ed film.

When we were boarding and training between SAR's, we would stay busy enough with powerboats.

[DEAN2140]

I wonder if this data took into account accidents involving "credit card" sailors on charter yachts.

[Tedd]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

I always say that the most dangerous part of boating is driving to the boat.

Food for thought for us trailer sailors!

[NorthCoastJoe]

The most dangerous part of white water rafting was getting in and out of the boat. Most injuries happened then.

[sailorboy1]

I am 100% positive we have had this topic before.

In my experience the most dangerous parts of sailing involve getting on/off the boat.

[thinwater]

Also interesting that all of the top causes boil down to "not paying attention."

[Kettlewell]

Also interesting that all of the top causes boil down to "not paying attention."

It's the same for car accidents. We all worry about and discuss endlessly all sorts of safety things that almost never lead to disaster, while we often ignore the basics. I do wonder what that cause "collision with recreational vessel" means. What is the common thread there? Powerboats colliding with sail? Sailboats running into each other?

[JPA Cate]

In all the years we've been out sailing, with the exceptions of the sinkings of Quartermaster in the Queen's Birthday Storm and La Nina in the Tasman, and the deaths in the '98 Sydney to Hobart race, I know of only two deaths aboard:

1) A man called Don when his crew took the boat between a tug and a barge at night, struck the cable, and he was asleep below when the boat sunk. This was obviously a failure of the crew to understand what she was seeing.

2) A Frenchman had a heart attack in Pittwater, and died aboard.

Ann

[Kettlewell]

One loss that hit home was when Peter Tangveld lost his boat on Bonaire and both he and his young daughter, Carmen, died. I had helped him just previously warp his engineless boat across Charlotte Amalie harbor and we had the daughter onboard who left a sweet drawing in our logbook. Tangveld was a notorious character, who also lost two wives at sea. Peter's son managed to survive this wreck, but later disappeared. Interesting and true sea stories:

https://www.sailmagazine.com/cruisin...-thor-tangvald

https://www.yachtingmagazine.com/cru...omas-tangvald/

[Jim Cate]

Re Ann's post above: we also knew a fellow who died aboard from malaria in the Solomons, leaving his unmarried partner, a lady from Fiji with a difficult situation. Never found out how that resolved.

And another one in the Sollies, where a German cruiser dove into the water to check his anchor and, right before his horrified wife, was taken by a saltwater croc.

I suspect that we will remember a few more as we think about it... but do note that most of these deaths were not from sailing, per se, but from the cruising life itself. We are exposed to a wide variety of hazards but mostly manage them successfully (touching wood surreptitiously).

Jim