3 boaters lucky to be alive !

[kaelc]

Were the boaters wearing PFDs? If so, that’s very likely why they didn’t drown.

For those who don’t know, that shore area is very well-guarded by rocks; same as much of the west coast. I had a hairy time there myself, in the mid-70’s, on a commercial troller coming back from Big Bank to Ucluelet. We could not see our way. Most of our electronics were dead (boat was a POS and owner was a fool), fog was like pea soup, and night was closing in. We had no radar, Loran, or depth sounder, and GPS wasn’t invented yet. All we had were our eyes, our ears (listening to Amphitrite Point foghorn), paper chart, spotlight, and our trolling gear. Ahead dead slow. I was in the stern, repeatedly lowering a line until the cannonball hit bottom, and shouting our depth to the skipper, as he looked at the chart and out his window for waves breaking on the rocks. Suddenly, at the same time as I shouted out a sharply shallowing depth, we both saw a rock and surging white waves, just a few metres ahead. Full astern, then turned to port a short distance, then back to starboard, and repeated the process. We made it into harbour, never even seeing Amphitrite light.

Thanks for reading an old guy’s memory, and remember “there’s nothing out there until Japan”, so there’s 7,000 km for weather systems to build up before hitting our coast. I still remember my dad telling me that, over 60 years ago. Funny how some things stick in our memory, eh? I always remember that, when I see videos of ignorant tourists standing out on the rocks “storm watching.”

Be safe.

Agreed on the life jackets. Can't stress it enough and I always rib my buddies when they get on and don't reach for one right away.

I still owe my old skipper a thank you and a gift. He was the opposite on boat maintenance, although I think we had submersion suits we never tried on or knew how to get, kept the boat and old school electronics running tip-top. I remember being a year old 16 in a storm so bad, drifting and the boat crashing up and down, thinking "I think we might die, but I worked hard and need the sleep" so I rolled over and went to sleep.

Come by and take a look at my totes I really need to go down one salmon tackle bag and one halibut tote!

 

[tinboatrobb]

Agreed on the life jackets. Can't stress it enough and I always rib my buddies when they get on and don't reach for one right away.

I still owe my old skipper a thank you and a gift. He was the opposite on boat maintenance, although I think we had submersion suits we never tried on or knew how to get, kept the boat and old school electronics running tip-top. I remember being a year old 16 in a storm so bad,excepyiobs drifting and the boat crashing up and down, thinking "I think we might die, but I worked hard and need the sleep" so I rolled over and went to sleep.

Come by and take a look at my totes I really need to go down one salmon tackle bag and one halibut tote!

No one gets on my boat without wearing a PFD. No exceptions.

 

[Foxsea]

No one gets on my boat without wearing a PFD. No exceptions.

A PFD or vest is your one chance to stay alive.
"Cold Water Shock is a cause of death that many people fail to appreciate. Adequate clothing and a lifejacket will potentially help you to survive long enough to be recovered. Understand that after two minutes in cold water you will soon become effectively paralyzed. You cannot swim, keep your head up or help in reboarding.

When the body is suddenly immersed in cold water it experiences a number of physiological responses that can rapidly incapacitate and even kill. The sudden lowering of skin temperature is one of the most profound stimuli that the body can encounter.

The biggest danger is inhaling water and drowning, even if the water is flat, calm and you know how to swim. Cold Water Shock causes an immediate loss of breathing control. You take one or more huge gasps, followed by hyperventilation – very rapid breathing that is hard or impossible for you to control.

As blood vessels contract, increases in heart rate and blood pressure will often result in cardiac arrest, even in people who are in good health. At the same time a “gasp” response may result in water being inhaled into the lungs and your breathing rate may increase by as much as tenfold.

The condition causes involuntary body reactions that can be as swift as they are deadly – and the ability to swim well has no impact on these responses. It is far deadlier than hypothermia, yet far less understood by boaters in general.

Hypothermia kills over time as heat is conducted away from the body leading to a gradual decline in body core temperature and loss of swimming ability, unconsciousness and ultimately death. Conversely, most people who are susceptible to Cold Water Shock will die in the first minute of immersion.

In the majority of cases, victims aren’t stupid or intentionally reckless, and many are strong swimmers. They simply have the misfortune of getting caught in an exceptionally lethal trap. Cold water preys on the unsuspecting and the careless, but it also waits patiently offshore for those with plenty of experience but who don’t take it seriously."

 

[Foxsea]

Following up on cold shock:
100 years ago, Harry Houdini wanted to perform a stunt while immersed in freezing cold water. He was aware of the shock effect and discovered that he could condition himself by putting his face into very cold water for many days prior to the stunt. He later performed successfully with no cold shock effect.