I couldn’t feel my hands anymore and using them was impossible. The shivering was uncontrollable and violent. “That’s a good sign,” I thought to myself. I remembered from my studies of hypothermia that shivering stops before you lose consciousness. “If I’m still shivering than I’ll live for a while longer”, I reasoned. But mostly I was wondering about how I got myself into that mess.
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I’m going to come right out and tell you something that almost no one in the maritime industry understands. That includes mariners, executives, managers, insurers, dock workers, for certain – fisherman, and even many (most) rescue professionals: It is impossible to get hypothermic in cold water unless you are wearing flotation, because without flotation – [...]
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If you only think about the weather when the National Weather Service sends a warning, you may be thinking about it too late. Small craft advisories are issued for different conditions depending on your location. In Louisiana, for example, small craft advisories are issued when winds are expected to exceed 20 to 33 knots and/or [...]
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(Notes: Spanish translation revised by Luis Miguel Pascual, Escuela Segoviana de Socorrismo ESS Technical Manager Traducción al español revisada por Luis Miguel Pascual, Director Técnico de la Escuela Segoviana de Socorrismo.) El nuevo capitán saltó desde la cubierta, completamente vestido y esprintó en el agua. Como antiguo Socorrista, mantuvo los ojos en la víctima [...]
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Translations: – English - 汉语 – tiếng Việt – Español – Français – Português – română – Deutsch – Svenska – Čeština – Русско – Audio Version Hann stökk alklæddur út í sjóinn, – skipstjórinn, fyrrum björgunarmaðurinn. Hann hafði ekki augun af manneskju, synti að fólkinu sem svamlaði milli fjöru og bátsins sem lá við [...]
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At the beach at Cape Canaveral, nineteen-year-old Josh Scurlock looks out at the water. The larger than normal waves look rough but not too rough so he and a friend go out in them to play. A strong swimmer – Josh loves the ocean and his new Florida home just five blocks from the beach. [...]
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One of my readers was kind enough to translate “Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning” into Spanish. Thank you, Arturo! http://www.alchilazo.net/2010/07/el-que-se-ahoga-no-parece-ahogarse.html
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The best place for boaters to be when heavy weather strikes is back at the marina – but weather changes can happen fast, the unexpected can extend your voyage, and in the middle of your first bad patch of sea is not the time or place to learn how to handle things in rough water.
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There is simply no way to imagine that the Sunderland’s decision to allow their sixteen-year-old daughter (and seventeen-year-old son before her) to venture out to sea alone was not influenced by the modern EPIRB. She was carrying two of them aboard. “Radio’s – check; SATCOM – check; Way to pinpoint your location and call for help if things go wrong? – check and check.” The electronic “Time-Out” button provides a LOT of comfort to all of us who go to sea and I’m certainly not complaining; again, I love the things. However, mariners need to address the growing and unspoken trend to rely on these devices as a replacement for an abundance of caution and judgment.
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汉语 – tiếng Việt – Español – Français – Português – română – Deutsch – Svenska – Čeština – Русско -Íslenska – Audio Version (Finnish Translation by Kaj Söderholm) Tuore kapteeni hyppäsi kannelta vaatteet yllään ja juoksi veden halki. Entisenä hengenpelastajana hän piti katseensa pelastettavassaan ja suuntasi rannan ja veneen välissä uimassa olleen pariskunnan luo. “Luulen, [...]
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