Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

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Gazmn
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by Gazmn »

I agree with KHE.

Wounds were incurred during a firefight. She did not give up her post; And put the needs of others above hers. Truly heroic, as was your ability to adapt and overcome obstacles and circumstances as they occurred. Her battlefield promotion is highly recommended :)

Everyone makes mistakes, & while painful, this one wasn't tragic. Hopefully with time & perspective your wife will join you again. Incidentally, I've used your previous family movie postings to encourage my wife to join me :wink:

Either way, she has another story to tell friends of bravery and adventure.

Thank you for sharing; As we all learn from shared experiences, both pleasant and unpleasant.
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by a2000c »

"Recognize the hazard.... Understand the defense.... and act correctly in time!" After preaching this sermon to my crew, I promptly stood up and walked head first into the backend of the boom. My crew is still laughing about that one. :P

Rob
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by Hamin' X »

a2000c wrote:"Recognize the hazard.... Understand the defense.... and act correctly in time!" After preaching this sermon to my crew, I promptly stood up and walked head first into the backend of the boom. My crew is still laughing about that one. :P

Rob
Sounds like something from a Mel Brooks movie. :D

~Rich
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by tompolak »

I am glad everything turned out okay. I think my wife would have flipped out and made me get rid of the boat. :o

This got me thinking though. To all you shallow water X'ers out there what would have happened if this were an X? I am in no way trying to diminish the situation you were in (which you responded to with a good level head) or bash the M. Would an X just kick up the center board and you would have looked at your GPS, corrected course and then continued on your way? Your unfortunate story brings out a good point and it is always nice to know how your boat would behave. I am also asking because I have never had my boat in a shallow area, but I do plan too in the future. Is that an advantage of an X or am I over simplifying it?
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by Kelly Hanson East »

Leon - did you consider a medical pan-pan and getting a CG dustoff for her??
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by Night Sailor »

I'm glad to see a happy ending to that adventure. Hats off to both of you for making the best outcome from a dangerous situation. I'm also glad it was only a cut. The last time a friend was hit by the boom (on their Catalina 42) she had enough brain injury to require surgery and a year of rehab including learning all over again how to read, write, talk, walk, etc.

I'm curious to know what you think was the source of cutting edge on the boom.. the plate over the end? A cleat, screw, etc? I've carefully gone over things to try avoid anything that cuts or stabs and would like to know if I've missed anything on my X.
My admiral and I have had so many cuts during sailing over the years in various boats that now we just laugh and tell the other. "I must be having fun!"

The reason I chose an X and would never consider an M is the swing up feature of the centerboard. I learned how valuable that is with my first Mac, A 1974 V-222. We deliberately sail or motor in shallow water in lakes, rivers, and sea getting close to wildlife. I've hit many sand bars, oyster moungs, tree trunks, old underwater concrete stuctures before lake levels were raised deliberately or in flood, and countless unknown objects. Never has the boat been stopped completely, or had major damage to the centerboard because it rose up under pressure of ground or object contact.
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by baldbaby2000 »

Leon,

Sounds like you reacted very well after the boom incident. After sailing in The Lake of the Woods where the depth can go from 90 feet to 1 foot instantly (the depth alarm is a post grounding warning there!) I realized how important it is to constantly pay attention. Even then I still hit things. It's always good to assume that one is going to make a mistake and have contingency plans when things go wrong.

Dan
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by delevi »

Thanks everyone for all the kind words. Dawn is doing just fine.

Kevin-Wan,
Looks like you trimmed the mustache and got a few grays setting in :D Great avatar.

Cmikey,
Sorry to hear about all your troubles. That’s a lot of mishaps :o

Matt,
Thanks for sharing your story. If I removed a couple of steps and sent my wife down the cabin, she would never let me live it down. Clocking her on the head with the boom… well that’s a different story altogether. BTW. I suggest you get one of these really long pins with huge head for your forestay. Bluewater Yacths has them for around $10. It is nearly impossible for one of these to come out. For added safety, you can tape the ring-ding.
In some ways you were a lucky man.

I hope your admiral heals clean and quickly, with no ill effects.

could have been much much worse.

Best of all to both of you.
Great point Darrin. Thanks man.
I think this story is a good reminder, of how none of us are vigilant enough.....all the time.

Thankyou for sharing your family's pain. I hope me and my family learn from you. (we have been learning the hard way by ourselves way way too often.)
Well said.
To all you shallow water X'ers out there what would have happened if this were an X? I am in no way trying to diminish the situation you were in (which you responded to with a good level head) or bash the M. Would an X just kick up the center board and you would have looked at your GPS, corrected course and then continued on your way? Your unfortunate story brings out a good point and it is always nice to know how your boat would behave. I am also asking because I have never had my boat in a shallow area, but I do plan too in the future. Is that an advantage of an X or am I over simplifying it?
Yes, the CB on the X would probably kick right up, as Nightsailor pointed out, and you may be just fine...But remember that your rudders draw about 4 feet, so once you get below that, all bets are off. Not sure if you would know it if your CB kicked up and where I was the depth was dropping fast, so rudders would have been next. May not have had the same affect, but who knows?
Leon - did you consider a medical pan-pan and getting a CG dustoff for her??
I have no idea what a medical pan-pan and coastguard dustoff is.

Nightsailor,

Awful what happened to your friend. Made me squirm just reading, considering what just happened.

I have no idea what part of the boom actually hit her. Neither does Dawn. I have plenty of blocks for reefing lines and outhaul so may not be possible to have a perfectly smooth boom. Probably doesn’t matter. When it gybes, the forces can be so extreme, a blunt boom can do plenty of damage. I’m considering getting a boom brake. http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... 199&id=184The Catalina 42 I race on has one and I think it's a great piece of equipment. I'm liking it a whole lot more right about now.

When under load, it works as a preventer in light to moderate air. In heavier air, the boom can still gybe but will come across slowly. It can be set with different levels of tension or released outright.

Fair winds all,
Leon
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by SkiDeep2001 »

Delevi, I will be heading out on Puget Sound for my maiden voyage on my :macx: for 3 days shortly and will be single sailing (except for the cat) and one of my fears was being blindsided by boom and being knocked overboard. Even with an auto inflate vest and lifeline it is probably my biggest concern. I think I will see if I can get one of those boom brakes shipped out pronto. Thanks for the link :) My other concern is being rammed (see my strobe for visibility post). Hope all is well. Oh, and kitty has his own vest and has no fear. Travels everywhere with me whether it's skiing,golfing,fishing,etc... now if I could just get him to do some of the work and pay his share it would be great. At least he knows how to use the head :D except for the flushing part :P
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by Kelly Hanson East »

Leon - I meant getting on the VHF and calling in the Coast Guard to come get her and wisk her off for medical attention. Sorry for the cryptex.
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by delevi »

Ski,
Don't worry too much about the boom whacking you. What happened to me was extremely unusual. The only time to really be concerned about an accidental gybe is when you're sailing within 20 degrees of dead downwind. In this case, you can set up a preventer. An easy way to do that is to set up your vang with a snap shackle. Release it from the mast and clip to a stanchion, then tighten up. Boom won't gybe. Of course, you'll need to release it before a planned gybe or heading up. The boom brake seems like an ideal solution, but it is a bit costly and requires additional hardware and some setup... probably not sometihng that can be done in a rush. Enjoy your maiden voyage.. kitty too.

Stephen,
Had the situation been more serious, I would have done that. Dawn would never let herself be hauled away like that. I would only be able to insist on this if she had been more seriously injured. I think she and I asessed her situation accurately and decided to plow forward on our own. As Laurie pointed out, she is a trooper.

Cheers,
L.
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by waternwaves »

L

Last night we had the vigilance-fatigue-accident discussion on board the boat. I had brought the old dinghy back down with a new cover, brought another tarp for the boom tent, and brought back some of my SS welding/repair stanchions. Refilled the propane tank. Boat was on the dock, we were continuing our deck dancing, removing gear and replacing parts. Thought it was a good time to have the discussion. A more accurate description would hve been 'timely'.

I described the shortened gist of your sequence of events, while I was removing the EPDM bungies from the blisterpack, placed them on a cockpit bench. I described again on how a sailboat requires more diligence than any other kind of boat (except for maybe a submarine... since surfboards or sailboards do not have a lot of deck hardware to trip one up) I got the boom tent up, and went forward. proud that I was keeping admiral Bettina on the port side of the boat (The side that still had stanchions and safety rails up.....) during our outfitting activities. We paused a moment to look at our boom, and the dangers, as well as discussion things we could do to make it safer.... noting that the mac boom is a little lower than the hunter boom etc.... more sharpies on the mac, heavier on the hunter.... and marking our clip in points.....

We were so focused on the non-cockpit deck areas, and the percieved safety of the cockpit (at least while sitting) and the continual vigilance required to operate a sailboat, that I failed to note that I did not put the sharp metal hooks (EPDM bungies) away..... having left a half open package on the bench .. which as in alll sailboats is the first step down into the cockpit. My fine admiral is a tall shapely woman, and when she had transited that path a few minutes before, it had not been obstructed or impeded by that lout of a captain.....and somehow our healthcare plans do not include maintenance of xray vision to see through opaque tarps over the cockpit or armored safety shoe pants and leggings to protect from steel hooks......

I had been remiss...........yeah me.......the guy who has more winch handle pockets than winch handles.....Yeah......... Me. everything in its place please pick that up..... ... you know the guy who makes a point of trying to have the storage location of everything picked out before it comes on the boat....... yeah that guy.......

Now you would think after boating 35 years of boating....... I would not place things where people step.... but I was in a hurry, we stopped by the boat on the way home from work.... on a night we were not going to stay onboard....

Yeah.......not a very good excuse....and of course I left those 15 bungies (with 30 hooks) laying out right where she took her first step down.....

and did I mention.....

She had one arm full of stuff from our foredeck work....

After drawing blood, wounding the admiral in the foot/leg, Foot where the deck shoe was cut, and leg where she fell on to the combing/winches. I had to pay for my reality check. I was rather gently reminded of my initiating events. The admiral was done for the evening. I knew there was no more discussion of safety issues. We both reflected on the events on our way home.

AS Leon has pointed out....

it can be anytime, anywhere, with anything. I should not forget my crews safety is more of a priority than the 1 minute I saved not put away unused equipment .

Thanks again for the lesson....... maybe I will learn it a little better this time.

|>
Last edited by waternwaves on Tue May 12, 2009 3:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
SkiDeep2001
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by SkiDeep2001 »

:) Thanks delevi, eases my mind some 8)
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by bastonjock »

Leon im so glad that it all ended well,i was hit by the boom on the head last year,i was going forward to tie the sail down,i had the boom in the mast crutch and the mainsheet in tight,my wife was on the helm and a wave came through and turned the boat it was enough to cause the boom to jump out of the crutch and boy did it hurt.I made the situation safe then my daughter broke open the first aid kit and cleaned the cut up.

with my x i keep my rudders loose when im in shallow water as they act as a depth guage,my electronic depth guage is not reliable in shallow water,i think that the sediment causes it confusion.

im booked in to do a first aid course this year that is geared up for sailing,its not a legal requirement but something that i consider a wise move.

im very happy that it all ended well, and your wife gets an attagirl :D
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Re: Injured Admiral, a MacHero, The story must be told

Post by delevi »

Darrin,

Youch! Sorry to hear that. True, we should all be more vigillant, but I guess the moral of the sotry is; sometimes sh*t happens no matter what you do. Life is kind of like that.
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