Be carefull out there! Almost didn't make it back!

Everyone carry a rigging knife on their person (not just on the boat) at all times when on a hobie!!!

Went out last night on the 16 with a friend and was having a great time in heavy winds. It was blowing a pretty steady 25 with gusts up to 35. Double trapped out flying a hull most of the time. Pitch-poled several times and kept coming up laughing.

Was out there for about 2 hours after work, the sun was getting pretty low so we started heading back towards home. Screaming along on a beam reach, I was trapped out working the jib and tiller, crew was on the tramp working the main. Leeward bow dug in and we were able to release everything enough to prevent from going over, but I was still swung out in front of the boat on the wire.

I swung around in front of the windward hull over the bridle then hit the water. The boat still had enough forward momentum that the front of the hull hit me in the back of the head pretty good and pushed me under the water between the hulls. I came up on the back side of the bridle and somehow got pushed up and back over it with my leg tangled up between the trap wire, trap shock cord, bridle, and forestay. Not sure exactly what I was tangled up in because it all happened so fast. My head was under water and my feet were up in the air and there was nothing I could do. I was trapped and hanging upside down from where the bridles meet the forestay.

I was able to get my head up above water every once in a while to take a breath but was wearing out pretty fast and panic mode was starting to set in. My crew realized something was up and jumped in and was able to swim under me and push up on my back to keep my head above water. My leg was still tangled and wasn't getting any circulation because it was wrapped up with all my weight hanging on it. It felt like the wires were digging into my leg, very painful.

My crew was eventually able to help me get untangled by lifting me up over the bridle and spinning me around a few times as I was hanging there. If this had happened while I was single handing, I wouldn't be here typing this right now. I wouldn't have been able to get myself untangled or keep my head up above the water.

I have a pretty big lump on the back of my head, and a red/purple chaffed bruise all the way around my upper thigh, that even broke the skin in a few places, but I made it home to tell about it.

I feel like I'm usually pretty good about safety on the boat. Everyone always wears a life vest, every life vest has a whistle tied to it, and I always have a hand-held submersible VHF clipped onto my vest. I've read on here that there should be a knife on board in case someone gets tangled up and needs to be cut free, but always thought it would be a one in a million chance and that it would never happen to me.

I will never be going out on the boat without a knife on my person ever again. If I had a rigging knife on my vest, I could have reached up and cut the straps on my harness to let me drop out, and if that wasn't enough, I could have started hacking at the bridles, forestay, etc. Having a knife on the boat strapped to the mast or the tramp isn't good enough. In this case, my crew could have gotten to it and cut me out, but if I was single handing, I would have had no way of getting to it.

So now I'm in the market for a good rigging knife that will last in a saltwater environment. Something with a clip so that I can attach it to my life vest. Anyone have any good recommendations?

Be careful out there!

Excellent post. I started carrying one hooked to the front of my pfd and still replay how I would get to it, open it underwater. I imagined my boat flipped and me or another under it tangled to something, hence now wearing it. Prob wire cutters should be on there too. Glad you're ok.

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H18, H17 & Various motor boats

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Raise your sail one foot, and you get ten feet of wind.
起你的一只帆，和你10英尺的。 -- Chinese Proverb
William D. Latinette @ Latrobe, PA, USA w. H14 Turbo X 2... [email protected]

WOW! I mean WOW! What a close call. I mostly solo and have a PFD with a breast pocket. In it I keep a knife, whistle, small multi-tool (w/wire cutter), small waterproof flashlight and a waterproof lighter.

After a close call with tangled lines on a Laser I now carry a McNett Saturna dive knife on my PFD. It's a great knife and relatively inexpensive.

I changed my trap harnesses to quick release hooks a year ago due to the death of a young gun sailing in Hawaii on a skiff. His hook was caught in the wing rigging when the boat capsized.

Knifes, plyers, whistles, and signal devices may look to be overkill to some, but simple solutions to lowering risk are good ideas. Our sport is safe, but like all outdoor interest, it has risk.

I have been lucky over the years. Most of the time I have not encountered any real injury or been placed at real risk, except when sailing with Matt Miller. For some reason, I usually break something substantial or place my life at risk with him (see trying to drown while trapeezing upside down).

Use caution, take reasonable care, and have fun.

Years ago on Lake Monroe I witnessed a drowning due to a capsized sail boat. Somehow he got the shroud wrapped around his leg a couple times before the boat or during the boat capsize. At this point the flotation compartment slowly started to fail. He ended up drowning just a few inches under the surface of the water because none of the 5 boats surrounding him had a single set of pliers capable of breaking unscrewing or releasing the shrouds in any way.

Ever since I've always carried a multi tool tethered to my person, cuz it don't float. As well as a rigging knife clipped to my vest. Cheap tools don't cut it either, no pun intended. A medium size leatherman makes VERY quick work of steel cables.

We also have bright led lights and whistles on our vests. In hopes that we don't get run over by a big yacht by accident. I still remember the day a coast guard boat pulled up and alerted us to watch for body parts floating up over the next couple days due to a power boat accident... Plus the lights help with tear down after dark!

I found a fairly decent (and cheap) Kutmaster folding knife online (wish I could remember where...probably Amazon or eBay). I wanted it stainless steel, short and compact, open with one hand, have belt clip and a lanyard hole. As others have stated here you really need a lanyard. If you fumble the knife while removing it from your vest or while opening it, it goes right to the bottom. I doubt it will cut through steel cable though. It will cut any piece of clothing off and, if necessary to save my life, I guess I could cut my foot or hand off.

kswis001 and others-Thanks for pointing this out. You've made your case and I just bought a rigging knife with a serrated and smooth blade on ebay for $8.79 + $3.61 S&H=$12.40 total. Cheap life insurance for me and anyone that crews for me. I guess I've been lucky so far sailing for over 30 years without any serious incidents. Like any life insurance (helmet on a bike; rigging knife on a sailboat....) I hope I never need it, but I feel better having it.

SCUBA divers always (should) carry such small knives on their BCD (buoyancy control device). They are a single, non-folding, small blade with partial or complete serration and slide quickly out of a plastic sheath into which they lock in place. You could easily attach on of these to your PFD at the shoulder point or just below. This would allow for fast removal in an emergency. Such dive knives are numerous, cheap, and easy to find. Glad to hear you made it back safely!

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2010 Papaya Oasis
2010 Hibiscus TI
A wallet with a hole in it!

I am the Safety Chairman for my sailing club. For each of our (3) safety boats and the committee boat, I bought folding serrated knives (West Marine) and attached a yellow float by a loop of cable. The float makes it so it can be thrown to someone in distress, without it immediately going to the bottom of the lake. I engraved and painted "Rigging Knife" on each float, so it can be seen easily and there is no doubt what it's for (and maybe discourage theft).

Fortunately, they haven't been needed, but we try to be prepared, just in case. Obviously, it would be best if everyone had their own always at hand.

Kswis001, I'm glad to hear you made it back with only minor injuries!

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What - Me Worry?


2006 Hobie Wave 7358
"Ish Kabibble"

I think the float connection is a great idea but...
folding?

Maybe like this- http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=99455&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=10108&subdeptNum=10487&classNum=10488

After reading this account- thanks again for the warning- I'm going with a 'river' type, fixed, serrated knife to carry.

More like this- http://www.westmarine.com/1/1/17360-fixed-serrated-safety-knife.html

I wouldn't want to chance my coordination in opening a folder!

_________________
Raise your sail one foot, and you get ten feet of wind.
起你的一只帆，和你10英尺的。 -- Chinese Proverb
William D. Latinette @ Latrobe, PA, USA w. H14 Turbo X 2... [email protected]

That's the one I chose. It opens easily, probably about as easily as opening the sheath on the fixed one, and seems more usable once it's open. Plus, buying 4 at $20 each verses $70 each... I do have a budget, and we're talking mostly mono sailors here! (Kidding!)

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What - Me Worry?


2006 Hobie Wave 7358
"Ish Kabibble"

on my PFD.

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Rich Vilvens
F-18 5150
[email protected]
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/f-185150sailing/

Ok so all these are great knives but if your leg is caught in the standing rigging you need something better than that. I don't think theres a knife made that would cut though 3/16 stainless rigging?? I guess you could carry both the knife and some kind of wire cutter.

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06 getaway -- always remember, man with both feet in mouth have no leg to stand on.