Caution: guests on board; Accidents sometimes occur on boats, and the claim files indicate it's the inexperienced guest who is most likely to be injured

Boat/US Magazine, March, 2005 by Bob Adriance

When his sailing guests began drifting into a soporific stupor, the boat's owner decided to liven things up by tacking. The brief flurry of activity would, he hoped, rekindle the lagging conversation, stretch a few muscles, and also take advantage of a favorable wind shift. He barked the traditional, "Ready about," threw the helm over, and then added, "Hard alee!"

The regulars in the crew scrambled to their stations and responded, "Ready!" The reaction from the bewildered guests, however, was more muted. As the boat was swinging from a port to a starboard tack, one of the ladies stood up and turned directly into the oncoming boom. Several of her front teeth were loosened.

What passes for everyday language with old salts can sound like gibberish to an unwary guest. Jibe Ho! Jive who? Booms are dangerous. Skippers must make sure commands have been comprehended before placing guests in harm's way. Any maneuver, no matter how perfunctory, must be explained carefully to everyone aboard.

WALK, DON'T RUN

Until you have developed your sea legs, boats can be floating booby traps, with things like cleats placed awkwardly around the deck to stub bare feet or even send a guest tumbling overboard. Guests, even middle aged guests, can compound the problem by behaving like kids when they climb aboard a boat--hanging onto the bow pulpit, scurrying up to the flybridge, leaping across open engine hatches, and running around the deck like Errol Flynn.

As a seasoned skipper, you know that a boat can pitch suddenly when it goes through a wake. You also know to hang on until the boat is steady again. But these situations may be new hazards to a guest.

Every year, several claims are filed for guests who couldn't even manage the short step between the dock and boat. A gentleman boarding a houseboat in Tennessee, for example, tugged on the stern line until the boat was a comfortable distance from the finger pier. He scooped up his duffle bags, and then, just as he was stepping aboard, the line on the other side of the boat dutifully yanked the boat back to the middle of the slip. He stepped into mid air, banging his head on the hull as he fell.

Guests also risk injury by wearing street shoes and clothes that are inappropriate for a boat. A lady from Texas who was visiting a friend in New York, stepped on her dress as she ascended the companionway ladder. She fell onto the cabin sole and broke her leg.

You don't need to preach or be constantly uptight to insure the safety of your guests. As skipper, you aren't expected to have an "accident-proof" boat. That's impossible. You do have to be aware of a guest's boating experience--or lack of experience--and make certain they understand various commands and maneuver.

Ask questions. Does the guest know how to swim? Every year there are accidents involving guests who didn't know how to swim and were not wearing life jackets. In many cases these guests had been drinking, often heavily, which can be tantamount to throwing gasoline on a fire. Even when an experienced swimmer goes in the water voluntarily, the risk of drowning is increased insignificantly if that person has been drinking.

While nobody is immune from accidents, the claim files indicate that it is the unwary guest who is most prone to a freak injury on a boat. Keep that in mind as you welcome guests aboard this season.

Reprinted from the quarterly Seaworthy magazine. Subscriptions are $10 per year. For information, go to BoatUS.com/Seaworthy or call 703-823-9550, ext. 3276.

RELATED ARTICLE: Guests at the Helm: TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION

Guests who lack experience should be monitored constantly whenever they are at the helm. That means that you--the boat's skipper--should remain on deck to act as lookout. There are many accounts of boats that slammed into other boats, jetties, and shoals at the hands of an inexperienced guest who had been left alone at the helm.

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One of the more unusual BoatU.S. Marine Insurance claims involved a guest who took the helm one night on a lake in New York. Before the skipper went below, he told the guest to "head for the red light," referring to a light marking a channel some distance away. Instead, the guest headed for a red light that, as it turned out, was on the back of a train. The boat bounced off of a rock jetty and wound up high and dry on the railroad tracks. A few minutes later a second train came tearing down the tracks and slammed into the boat.