Accidents Do Happen To Any Of Us

[Bound2Please]

Yesterday on taking my cousin and her hubby Keith out for the day (possibly his last on ever) on approaching and passing the island, the engine started to over heat. No a problem says I well pull over on that wild mooring and sort it. (the first one on starboard side as you reenter the Ant from barton broad). The wind was gusting terribly there, anyway smooth in off i gets secures the bow line, not the wind had edged the stern out about 6 - 8ft. So me being me ive done this so many thousands of times, walks alone gunnel, takes hold of stern line to walk forward to get off and pull in and secure stern.

All of the above sound familiar?. Yup sure does to me, but on this occasion the gust had blown a small section of the canopy back onto ther gunnel unknown/see by me or any of the other 3. Well my foot wearing deck shoes and the pvc of the canopy and me more looking at where to step off wernt all on the same song sheet. Foot leg then me go riverways, stupidly i was thinking 6ft from bank shallowish, on trying to stop myself, ive hurt my knee and shoulder rather badly. Well the river there side there at a guess is in excess of 12ft, i never touched bottom, but the under side of Bound 2 Please is a lot cleaner than i feared.  The water was rather warm on going in, but at about 9ft down my foot felt the freezing temperature of the water down there, I opened my mouth in shock and took in copious amounts of the river ant, dont taste nuffin like wine, beer or G & T.

Any way i got to the surface to the relief of the other three, got hold of the gunnel for getting my breath back and the river Ant out. I then worked my way back the bank, and managed to scramble out which was a job in itself. My jeans were on the verge of being discarded to take some the weight off my lower body to get out, but in the end i found some tree roots to enable getting out.

The point I am trying to get across here, accidents do happen, you never know where or when. SO WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKETS when mooring up. . How did my super all singing all dancing life jacket help me, it didnt work didnt inflate, so it was me verses the river Ant at probably its deepest point.

Why didnt my all sing all dancing LIFE JACKET HELP ME why didnt inflate, well simply put it hadnt come out of the cuboard since Hemsby Life boat checked in spring meet 2016 to be worn. I WASNT WEARING IT ....................... SO PLEASE PLEASE WEAR YOURS ALL THE TIME....... I KNOW I WILL BE FROM NOW ON, as if the water on the surface was cooler not sure id have made it out or to the surface with lungs filled with water.

Charlie

[deebee29]

Hope you're not too badly hurt Charlie.

This just goes to prove that none of us should get complacent no matter how experienced we are.

[riyadhcrew]

Glad you are OK Charlie. One good thing to come out of it is that you won't do it again. 

[Gracie]

Hope you're okay darlin, I expect you've ruined the fishing now

Grace

[Bound2Please]

5 minutes ago, Gracie said:

Hope you're okay darlin, I expect you've ruined the fishing now

Grace

Well if I didnt the dam great dog otter that surfaced has, he then took either a duck or swan from under trees, to load squeals from it then all quiet. It was the Wenchs first sight of a real life otter she wont forget that one in a hurry

Charlie

[Bound2Please]

8 minutes ago, riyadhcrew said:

Glad you are OK Charlie. One good thing to come out of it is that you won't do it again. 

Thats for sure Eric

Charlie

[Bound2Please]

13 minutes ago, deebee29 said:

Hope you're not too badly hurt Charlie.

This just goes to prove that none of us should get complacent no matter how experienced we are.

No not to bad ta Dave all the bruises are coming out now.

Well lesson learnt Ive that so many thousands of times at sea on the broads and other rivers, never so much as an off balance moment. It will never happen again with out a LIFE JACKET ON

Charlie

[Poppy]

56 minutes ago, Bound2Please said:

I opened my mouth in shock and took in copious amounts of the river ant, dont taste nuffin like wine, beer or G & T.

Charlie

You'll be OK Charlie, not too many above the Broad with their sea toilets  

[ChrisB]

I hope that you soon recover. Since being single handed I have learned a few tricks. I carry one in the car because Broadsedge in the depths of winter can be very deserted. If I remove my jacket to use the heads or eat below I hang it on the cabin door so that I am not tempted to go on deck without it. 

If you have not been a regular wearer like me it does not automatically become second nature to put it on, so best not kept in a locker.

[vanessan]

Just shows how easy it is to get caught out, hope you're not too badly injured. That is a very popular spot for fishing but even so I'm surprised at the depth there. Did you manage to sort the engine problem?

[HEM]

The thread title reminded me of this book (which I have loaned to somone & cannot remember who):

I can recommend this book - many stories are about aviation but a number involve sailing.

The tenor is: just about all accidents have already happend.

To list just two:

1) A collision between a submarine & a bicycle

2) A yacht got its bowsprit run over by a train...

[Bound2Please]

6 minutes ago, vanessan said:

Just shows how easy it is to get caught out, hope you're not too badly injured. That is a very popular spot for fishing but even so I'm surprised at the depth there. Did you manage to sort the engine problem?

Yes Engine sorted in about 3 or 5 minutes after drying off change of clothes, and a hot coffee. Dam eel grass in weed filter...

More pride hurt than serious injury grazes, brusies and muscles, The muscle strains more from pulling my self out of the drink. So was I thought as i went in oh set jeans, I couldn't touch bottom till at the bank.....

[coolcat]

Glad you're okay apart from a few cuts and bruises and dented pride.

Just shows you how easy it is for any of us to come a cropper.

Good to know the anti foul is holding up well though 

[boycee]

Glad your'e ok Charlie- just goes to show it can happen to even experienced boaters like you. Hope the bruises and strains go quickly 

Boycee

[addicted]

Sorry to hear about your unscheduled swim Charlie hope the sore muscles don't give you a problem for too long. These things are funny when told but actually not in reality. The only time I went in the water was many years ago I got off the boat when coming in to moor not realising that the river had undercut the bank at that exact spot I stepped out in and the remaining bank was only about 4" deep it  gave way taking me with it and I found myself layingin the water, parallel to the hull , between the boat and the bank, but to my credit I still had hold of the rope. Tony was a few years younger then and leaned in and just pulled me out by one arm.

 

 

Carole

[Wench]

At least his teeth and glasses stayed in and on lol

all on board were panicking and useless to help him to get ashore , and hoping the boat did not crush him and no head injuries .

[ranworthbreeze]

So far my only time I have been hanging waist deep in the water was many years ago, it was the year of the gales where all those piers collapsed, we were late getting back to the boatyard just above Stenson Lock on the Trent & Mersey Canal. We rounded a bend and went through a bridge but the wind caught us with a few yards and blew us into the bank. One broken barge pole later we managed to reverse back under the bridge and further down the canal into a sheltered section. Full revs on we bolted back through the bridge and managed to keep in the deeper water.

As I said we went up Stenson Lock, quite a deep lock, I needed to pull us against another boat which had been left at the top of the lock, I stepped over to the other boat with a rope, I ended up with one leg over the rails of both boats, something had to give and I ended up hands clasped around the other boats rail, my legs and torso very wet. 

A change of clothes and the boat keys pushed through the office door, we headed back to Sheffield.

The joys of boating, its great being on the water, but being in the water should be restricted to bathing or being on the beach.

Regards

Alan

[Gracie]

Hiya Inge, great to have you back

I know I made a bit of a joke about scaring the fish but I do realise it must have been frightening for all of you, I hope Charlie is feeling better, bless him

Glad you were ok Alan, that must have been ruddy scary falling in at a lock. I've been lucky so far and not fallen in at all, both my Brothers have, although we have a giggle about it now, it wasn't funny at the time. I do apologise if my remark came across as insensitive

Grace

 

[Bound2Please]

Just now, Gracie said:

Hiya Inge, great to have you back

I know I made a bit of a joke about scaring the fish but I do realise it must have been frightening for all of you, I hope Charlie is feeling better, bless him

Glad you were ok Alan, that must have been ruddy scary falling in at a lock. I've been lucky so far and not fallen in at all, both my Brothers have, although we have a giggle about it now, it wasn't funny at the time. I do apologise if my remark came across as insensitive

Grace

 

Grace in over 50 years messing about on boats sea well coastal and river, its the first n last time i hope to go in. The top 6 - 7ft was like bath water below that the coldness just took my breath away, hence all the ant water in me. So i can see how kids drown jumping in its the cold shock that gets you.

Not insensitive at all, but this has opened my eyes more to LIFE JACKETS and ways to get out. But today im larfing at it all but when it happened panicking would just have made it worse., hanging onto a fender for a few minutes to get my breath back then find a way out while all around were panicking and loosing their heads.

Strange ive always said any one going in throw life belt to them, did i get ours thrown any where no its still stitting in its cradle. Als well thats ends well, shoulder still not good but im alive (no thanks to who ever had their foot on me head (i Joke BTW) and offered me the mud weight ) ....As to fishes didnt see none only the big dog otter

Charlie xx xx

[Timbo]

23 minutes ago, Wench said:

no head injuries

Is that before or after? Glad the old sea dog is OK!

[CambridgeCabby]

Glad you're all ok after your mishap , certainly opens our eyes to the dangers of boating when we take our eyes off the boil for even a second.

[addicted]

Inge so glad Charlie was pulled out intact with nothing  having fallen off, great relief especially with tbat otter about. Glad to see you back posting again

 

 

 

Carole

[Bound2Please]

Pulled our CarolE pulled out, i climbed out eventually while all around me was in hysteric panicking shouting. Talk about shattered peace n quiet. Big old dog Otter then went into bushes and either had a duck or swan, as both were swimming around there, the squeals from the bird horrendous.

Yes let the wench out of her box lol....

Charlie

[ExSurveyor]

Hope you are on the mend Charlie.

 

I keep a four rung hooked ladder onboard,  we are both strong swimmers but do have elderly guests from time to time.  We are fortunate to have high sided walk around sides and back but you never know.

With my wobbly head this year the balance was a bit off at times so better safe than sorry.  Getting up a high boat side in wet clothes is not easy.

[Bound2Please]

Just now, psychicsurveyor said:

Hope you are on the mend Charlie.

 

I keep a four rung hooked ladder onboard,  we are both strong swimmers but do have elderly guests from time to time.  We are fortunate to have high sided walk around sides and back but you never know.

With my wobbly head this year the balance was a bit off at times so better safe than sorry.  Getting up a high boat side in wet clothes is not easy.

Yes mending quite well no after effects.

Well on our Elysian when i find one it will have one, as to get back aboard was impossible. The bank was hard enough and that was a wild mooring.

Charlie