Crew's Medical information

[DogWatch]

I was wondering if he carried a polygraph machine in his chart table to be honest. This imaginary pestilence, war, famine, and death scenario every time an alien is on board is depressing. People are inventing scenarios and creating problems that just don't exist. It's like they want to be miserable, how sad.

Me, I'd rather make my guests a welcome coffee and laugh a bit, sail a bit, eat and be merry. I don't treat other people in the ways being described above, I certainly don't wish to even attempt to exert some kind of alpha male power trip on anyone and if I was treated in this way, there would be no embarrassment about leaving me ashore, I'd run a feckin mile! Then again, I wouldn't befriend people like this anyway.

 

[[70521]]

Me, I'd rather make my guests a welcome coffee and laugh a bit, sail a bit, eat and be merry.

We all do that, I have a bottle of my favourite whisky on board that is shared with those who enjoy a dram.

A few months back we had a chap at work who had an epileptic grand mal that lasted over 20 minutes. The First Aider knew he was epileptic, but was concerned at the length of the grand mal so did the right thing and dialled 999.

So here we are three miles offshore and another 15 miles to the nearest harbour bouncing along in a nice F5 when out of the blue one of your crew has a grand mal. You, the skipper, has no idea that the crew member is epileptic and is having a grand mal in the cockpit, or far worse on the foredeck! Do you know what is happening? Do you know how to treat the grand mal? Are the rest of your crew thinking "what the F***?" A quiet please let me know of any medical condition before you leave and for that crew member to take you aside and say "skipper, I'm epileptic, but its not been a problem for five years and I am taking carbamazepine is going to give you a head start if it ever happens.

Of course I have no ideal if you are a medically qualified skipper and diagnosing all sorts of medical issues, while on the high sea, is something you do every day, but as as long been said on the Internet "Our mileage may vary." Talking in the past to people who witnessed their best friend dying in front of them and being helpless to help is a harrowing experience; I do hope you are never faced with such an event.

Yes sailing and mountaineering is great fun, a fantastic adventure and a hugely social event, but from time to time somebody does not come home to their loved ones.

 

[capnsensible]

Anyone who fails to understand that knowing about your crew is as important as knowing about your boat is missing a fundamental part of good seamanship. Try golf instead of boats.

 

[KenMcCulloch]

I'm unsure if DogWatch is just being provocative or is really an arse but I have some sympathy with his concern about authoritarian control freakery. Let me be clear. My practice is to offer crew the opportunity to make this kind of information available for emergency use. It's entirely up to each individual how they respond to that. For myself if I am unconscious or more than usually incoherent I would like my mates to be able to have a sensible conversation with oneanother or whomever else might be helpful, informed by some basic information about my increasingly colourful medical history. If like my diabetic crew member you choose to keep that to yourself that's your choice of course. I would defend anyone's right to die of stupidity but I would insist that it should be their own stupidity and not mine or any third party's.

 

[bikedaft]

We all do that, I have a bottle of my favourite whisky on board that is shared with those who enjoy a dram.

A few months back we had a chap at work who had an epileptic grand mal that lasted over 20 minutes. The First Aider knew he was epileptic, but was concerned at the length of the grand mal so did the right thing and dialled 999.

So here we are three miles offshore and another 15 miles to the nearest harbour bouncing along in a nice F5 when out of the blue one of your crew has a grand mal. You, the skipper, has no idea that the crew member is epileptic and is having a grand mal in the cockpit, or far worse on the foredeck! Do you know what is happening? Do you know how to treat the grand mal? Are the rest of your crew thinking "what the F***?" A quiet please let me know of any medical condition before you leave and for that crew member to take you aside and say "skipper, I'm epileptic, but its not been a problem for five years and I am taking carbamazepine is going to give you a head start if it ever happens.

Of course I have no ideal if you are a medically qualified skipper and diagnosing all sorts of medical issues, while on the high sea, is something you do every day, but as as long been said on the Internet "Our mileage may vary." Talking in the past to people who witnessed their best friend dying in front of them and being helpless to help is a harrowing experience; I do hope you are never faced with such an event.

Yes sailing and mountaineering is great fun, a fantastic adventure and a hugely social event, but from time to time somebody does not come home to their loved ones.

yes, but (sorry, that but again!) would you not take the epileptic who had not had a seizure for 5 years away on the boat? s/he is ok for driving...

and if/when someone does have a grand mal does it make a difference if you knew about it beforehand, to your course of action? if soemone is well controlled they are unlikely to have "rescue medication" in their kit whereas if they are having seizures all the time, and have "rescue medication", you are more likely to be told about it/know of it.

stuff happens, there's sod all you can do on a boat/up a hill other than be supportive,get a history, and arrange casevac. statistically most events are likely to happen to folk who have not had them before. part of the reason (for me anyway) for sailing/mountaineering is to get somewhere by definition inaccessible. if folk with medical conditions want to come too, they are aware of the risks, including death. i'm ok with that, but can see that some folk are not. it is pretty traumatic for anyone to be on a small boat/up a hill when someone died that maybe would not have died if they had been on the high street, but that's the environment we choose to enter.

ps love the phrase "our mileage may vary"

 

[alant]

Anyone who fails to understand that knowing about your crew is as important as knowing about your boat is missing a fundamental part of good seamanship. Try golf instead of boats.

Agreed!

Would have thought, that even leisure skippers, would give 'unknown crew' a safety brief before casting off & simply asking "has anyone got any medical condition/taking any medication, which might affect our trip", would be part of it, just like asking "does anyone get seasick", or "are you a non-swimmer".

No need to be Capt Bligh about it - most appreciate the reasons.

 

[[70521]]

yes, but (sorry, that but again!) would you not take the epileptic who had not had a seizure for 5 years away on the boat? s/he is ok for driving...

Personally, I would, but with the knowledge that they have had a grand mal

and if/when someone does have a grand mal does it make a difference if you knew about it beforehand, to your course of action? if soemone is well controlled they are unlikely to have "rescue medication" in their kit whereas if they are having seizures all the time, and have "rescue medication", you are more likely to be told about it/know of it.

I've found it helpful knowing that somebody I am on the water or hill with has a condition. Should, for example, a grand mal happen you are aware it could and are not stood there in a red mist just as the boat gybes! The treatment is not going to change, but you dragged the memory of what you need to do from the little grey cell.

stuff happens, there's sod all you can do on a boat/up a hill other than be supportive,get a history, and arrange casevac. statistically most events are likely to happen to folk who have not had them before. part of the reason (for me anyway) for sailing/mountaineering is to get somewhere by definition inaccessible. if folk with medical conditions want to come too, they are aware of the risks, including death. i'm ok with that, but can see that some folk are not. it is pretty traumatic for anyone to be on a small boat/up a hill when someone died that maybe would not have died if they had been on the high street, but that's the environment we choose to enter.

Totally agree, its all about reducing the risk, just a wee bit.

ps love the phrase "our mileage may vary"

It's an old Internet one, probably American, meaning we all have different experiences. As long as we all get back to the pub having had a good time that is all that matters.