Injured Sailor

Hi all, I have been enjoying reading these pages for a while and would like to say G'day. Also relay an incident in which I was injured while sailing off Mooloolaba yesterday. Having my elderly parents and 15 year old daughter on board we were having a great sail skipping along at 6 knots in about 15 of breaze. Around 1.5 meter sea. Going below to grab a beer, with my right hand gripping th post on the port side as the boat fell into a trough, I lost balance somehow became airborne, landing on my back heavily on top of the galley sink. Fortunately although in a fair amount of pain I was still able to to bring the boat home. Exrays today are clear though I was concerned I had broken my coxics. Laying up today contemplating the doctors prognosis of two weeks until the bruising subsidies I get to thinking. What if I was unable to continue to sail the boat. In my brief safety briefing I didn't instruct anyone how to use the radio and if you're out of mobile service it would be a serious situation for novice crew to get help. What do you guy's think
Cheers Phil

Thanks for the reminder Phil that we all have to be vigilant. Hope you get better soon and back out on the water

The yacht is a 1984 miller and Whitworth 32. Which will remain tied up to the dock for a couple of weeks. Just had her out and cleaned her bum too. Bugger

Gee Phil, I didn't think you were looking for sympathy. I thought you were just sharing your experience so that we might learn from your experience instead of having to go though a similar experience to learn the same stuff. I wish I was game enough to put all my learning experiences on the forum. I even hate thinking about some of them, let alone putting them into print. Thanks again for posting. Cheers

Thanks for the support fellas. Actually didn't get to have that beer and it was to be the only one for the day. Not looking for sympathy either. Simply wishing to convey what has been a painful reminder to myself and to others of how quickly things can go pear shaped even in seemingly calm begnin conditions. Also to take on board the advice and experience from other forum users. So next time I'm below I'll be holding on with both hands. Keeping it under 0.05 in my view is being responsible. You're still gotta drive home after.

Who the f@ck is this frant person. . Grrrrr.....

Hope you're feeling ok Phil. I live on ibroprofen. They allow me to keep training at my age. HGO2 knows the same story. Keep popping them mate.
My dad popped his shoulder out on his boat a while back, the bay was flat , just the wrong angle. so easy to hurt yourself on yachts.
Get better mate!

The way the first post was written it was fair to assume the only sailing capable person onboard was drinking. Later posts may change that assumption but the first post stands as is.
Drinking while managing a yacht at sea is very much a way of life for many.
It is still a stupid thing to do.
In his abusive post Brizzydave notes it is easy to get hurt on boats. And drinking helps??

A first time poster comes on after having an incident, says what he thinks he's learned, and asks for people's opinions and advice so that he can learn more and he gets shot down in flames. That isn't going to promote an open, supportive community. Frant, it seems like you've got some valuable experience and knowledge to share, but honestly mate if you come in here without developing any relationships with anyone, talk other people down and yourself up, I don't think people are going to give you the time of day.

Getting back to the topic;

Accidents can happen when you least expect as I found out,after a days sailing I was 200mts from my berth and fell over board with the wife on the helm.
I was packing away the mainsail and stepped off the coach roof onto a rope and rolled my angle and before I knew what had happen I was in the water.
It was so quick the wife kept the motor in gear, I managed to grap onto the tender and was being dragged along while yelling to the wife to take the motor out of gear.

I'm glad it didn't happen while under full sail. I now wear a angle brace and a life jacket.

So I think we should all brief our crew and talk through the process if the skipper was go over board .

I now practice man overboard recovery with my wife once a year.

My opinon is , that since I was a youngster it was a Friday tradition for Dad and his mate to grab a couple of six pack with a hot chook and sail out to the fairway and back .

I also follow this tradition and still sail and drink with moderation .

In forty years I have never had any accident to my own self and cancer took my Dads life before a boating accident.

My amature sailing Mate hit His head with the boom which happened while I was drinking and he was sober I said are you right mate when he replied yes I just laughed and told him that's why it's called a BOOM he replied really?

Another time i had a Chinese woman fall down the companion way stairs and disculate her ankle this was in Narra inlet on a flat calm night she wasn't drinking and neither was I As I was in command of a commercial vessel at this time.

When the 0.05 drinking laws came into play I beleve it was to protect the drunks in Sydney harbor that don't know how to operate vessels after having a few to many beverages. I'm sure the stats where not based on coastral sailors and passage makers!

Anyways nothing is going to stop me sipping on a few coldies when sailing just hope I don't run into a RBT 10 mile of the coast !

Even following the "one hand for you, one hand for the boat" theory accidents happen.
Good to hear you weren't busted bad.
It happened that I was making coffee at midnight coming down from Gladstone to Bundy and wore a hot cup, and making a sanga on a tug in 2 metre seas can be dodgy too.
Be cautious and have fun.

Well thanks for sharing anyway washed up. It was a timely reminder for me to make sure everyone at least knows how to operate the radio.

I have had 3 beers over 3 hours blown in the bag and not exceeded the limit. How could he be committing a offence on one beer?