Boating Safety

Sailor Rescued After Falling Overboard

Even the most experienced sailor can get caught off-guard by unexpected turns in the weather.

In the annual 333-mile sailboat race from Chicago to Mackinac Island in Michigan, Mark Wheeler was the tactician and navigator on the sailboat Meridien X. The race had started around noon with good weather that continued into the evening. “Nothing suggested that the breeze we got over the next half hour or 45 minutes was to come,” said David Flynn, helmsman of the Meridien X. Wheeler was one of two crewmembers resting below decks when the weather kicked up to 40 knots. All hands were called on deck and Wheeler donned his lifejacket, but couldn’t buckle it. Flynn struggled to keep the yacht under control and as Wheeler tried to make his way aft to the helm station, he was thrown overboard.

Remain Calm

With the boat moving at more than 20 mph, Wheeler knew he was going to be in the water for a while. He had gone overboard around 11:20 p.m. and the first thing he did was manually activate his lifejacket. Once he accomplished that, he retrieved a locator light from his pocket  and illuminated it to let his crew know that he had inflated the lifejacket.

 

The Meridien X got off to a clean start and was enjoying calm conditions.

The new light and battery that powered it died in minutes. Still unable to buckle his life jacket, Wheeler held his arms across his chest and had a safety whistle in his mouth that he blew with each breath. “I had no illusion that they would be back in the near future,” he said. “My job was surviving and that’s what I concentrated on.

 

A simple whistle turned out to be a lifesaving device for Wheeler.

 

As the team tried to work its back to Wheeler under power. Flynn said they tried to follow lights until someone said they heard a whistle. He killed the engine and they picked up on the whistle. “That was finally hope,” said Flynn. Another boat coming north put a spotlight on Wheeler and the Meridien X crew hauled him aboard.

Be Prepared

While the crew of the Meridien X didn’t break or violate any of the COLREGS Rules, the incident did reinforce somethings. First, COLREGS Rule 32 states that any vessel longer than 12 meters (39.37 feet) have a whistle on board. We would take things farther and make sure each crew  member’s lifejacket has a whistle. In a race that goes overnight, it would also be a good idea to have a personal locator beacon on each lifejacket as well.

 

Wheeler should have made sure that his lifejacket fit before the team started the race.

Speaking of lifejackets, each crew member needs to ensure that his/her jacket can be properly buckled and everyone on a boat during any kind of race or event like a poker run should wear a life jacket at all times when underway.

Finally, practice man-overboard drills frequently and never give up hope.