Debilitating injury while single handing.

[mawm]

I'm interested to know how many single handers have had an injury that has incapacitated them to such an extent that they have been unable to look after themselves and/or their boat.

This follows an incident I had while my boat was on the hard and I injured my back. My boat's engine had been moved into the cabin to enable a repair of the stern tube and shaft seal. I took the opportunity to clean the engine compartment and paint it white. After two days of scrubbing and degreasing probably 40 years of muck I was almost ready to slap on some paint and with that last bit of cleaning I injured my back just by reaching upwards at an awkward angle. It was instantaneous and the muscle spasm was so severe that it took me at least half an hour to slide back 1 meter to get out of the compartment. I somehow hauled myself through the companion way into the cockpit and lay down. I must have spent an hour there before I was able to move enough to get back into the cabin and find my phone to call my wife. It was a further 2 hours of agony before she arrived with some analgesia and help to get me off the boat. Four days on I'm still fairly incapacitated with a tear in a back muscle and spasms precipitated by awkward movements. Fortunately I have no disc injury.

I single hand most of the time and shudder at the thought that this could have happened to me under sail in adverse conditions away from ready help. The cause of the injury was so minor and so unpredictable. I also hope to be sailing alone for a couple of weeks at the end of Feb.

 

[Egbod]

Not my injury but I know of a sailing club member who has twice had a severe back problem develop while the yacht was ashore being maintained. On both occasions he used his mobile phone to summon assistance. Both times the fire brigade had to then be called to evacuate him.

 

[EdWingfield]

Food poisoning. Luckily I was in a safe harbour at the onset. Two days in to it I was about to ask a local to take me to hospital but postponed until next morning, when I began recovery. Its the stuff of jokes, but It'd be no joke out there single-handed.

 

[Georgio]

It is something I do worry about and as a result sail more conservatively when on my own. It is still possible to slip and fall but I tend to think ahead more, drop the spinnaker earlier, reef earlier and take my time when on deck.

 

[ghostlymoron]

Keep a good supply of painkillers on board. They will enable you to continue operating but may result in the injury not healing so quickly.

 

[westhinder]

It is something I do worry about and as a result sail more conservatively when on my own. It is still possible to slip and fall but I tend to think ahead more, drop the spinnaker earlier, reef earlier and take my time when on deck.

+1

 

[vyv_cox]

Not on the boat but fell about 3-4 ft off a ladder alongside the motorhome. I broke both my heels, spent two weeks in hospital, three months unable to walk and nearly four years later still in a lot of pain at times. I am now a lot more careful on ladders!

 

[Concerto]

Recently I slipped at the back of the engine. I was lying sideways and dropped about 8 inches and landed on the point of an anchor in the sail locker. Result was not too bad at first but 5 days later diagnosed as a cracked rib. Naturally I was on my own onboard, but could have used my mobile to get help.

20+ years ago I was sailing singlehanded and got severe food poisoning, but luckily I was anchored 10 miles from my mooring. I remained there for a day but could not call for assistance as I had no VHF and mobiles were almost unheard of. It was a major effort to motor home and get ashore.

Still sail singlehanded, but usually have a degree of caution and plan all things in advance to avoid problems. I feel this makes me a better sailor as I make far less mistakes than many fully crewed boats.

 

[awol]

Over the years I have had a variety of self-induced traumas while sailing single-handed ranging through sprung ribs on a laser, back spasm sim. to OP's, CO poisoning, sciatic nerve spasm, severe nose bleed and probably more. With some of these, like the OP, I felt totally disabled but adrenalin is wonderful - when shit is about to happen it is amazing what you can overcome. The other remedy for muscle spasm is, of course, muscle relaxant and I have found that a decent shot of whisky or, for the crew, cheap Portuguese brandy (why waste good whisky?) can work wonders.

 

[Alpha22]

Not a sailor, but I know a Mobo owner that did something similar to you, but had no phone. He spent 2 days in agony on his back before he could get out of the cabin and raise the alarm. Quite a eye opener ... it reminds us how vulnerable we really are.

Best of luck with the recovery.... backs are tricky but surprising things... with good care you will be back on board soon..

 

[bluerm166]

This account by Ron Preedy describes a debilitating injury which he barely managed to cope with on his Atlantic crossing in Super Seal 'MIss Fidget' in 1985.As a yacht delivery skipper his book 'Sail and Deliver' which covers some of that voyage is fairly entertaining.
http://www.parkerseal.org.uk/articles/magazine/missfidget.aspx

 

[Spirit of Glenans]

I'm interested to know how many single handers have had an injury that has incapacitated them to such an extent that they have been unable to look after themselves and/or their boat.

This follows an incident I had while my boat was on the hard and I injured my back. My boat's engine had been moved into the cabin to enable a repair of the stern tube and shaft seal. I took the opportunity to clean the engine compartment and paint it white. After two days of scrubbing and degreasing probably 40 years of muck I was almost ready to slap on some paint and with that last bit of cleaning I injured my back just by reaching upwards at an awkward angle. It was instantaneous and the muscle spasm was so severe that it took me at least half an hour to slide back 1 meter to get out of the compartment. I somehow hauled myself through the companion way into the cockpit and lay down. I must have spent an hour there before I was able to move enough to get back into the cabin and find my phone to call my wife. It was a further 2 hours of agony before she arrived with some analgesia and help to get me off the boat. Four days on I'm still fairly incapacitated with a tear in a back muscle and spasms precipitated by awkward movements. Fortunately I have no disc injury.

I single hand most of the time and shudder at the thought that this could have happened to me under sail in adverse conditions away from ready help. The cause of the injury was so minor and so unpredictable. I also hope to be sailing alone for a couple of weeks at the end of Feb.

I injured my back some years ago, (not on a boat), to the extent that the thigh muscles in one leg ware in spasm. I attended a chiropractor, until I came to the realisation that these guys are almost on the same level as snake oil salesmen,( IMHO). The only benefit to this experience was that I discovered that firstly, time cures all ills, and the application of an ice pack for 10-minute periods a few times a day helps bring down the inflammation. A daily programme of stretching the back, stomach and leg muscles, rigidly adhered to, and maintaining a reasonable level of fitness, will help to stave off further back problems.

 

[Skylark]

Similar back story but, fortunately not single handed. We were a crew of 4 crossing Biscay, about 4 days out. In my bunk thinking about getting up for my watch rota. As I moved a felt a sharp pain in my back. I remember thinking "that hurt" but I got up anyhow. Next thing I remember was the other 3 guys picking me up off the floor. I immediately dosed with ibuprofen but couldn't move for about 24 hours.

 

[Sarnia]

I know how debilitating a back pain can be, led to a disc removal, been perfect since.
My comments are more about approaching your couple of weeks with almost trepidation, we all need to be cautious and aware of course when single handed, but I would not recommend starting out with a focus on the bad that may happen, and which probably will not, negative has a way of happening, what you tell yourself is so important, and you could set yourself up mentaly for that to happen, negative thoughts lead to negative results, the reverse is very true about positive thought.
Sorry for the rant trying to put things in perspective.

 

[GHA]

No injuries to report but sailing solo i take things very easy. After every passage there's always some new little trick which can make life easier and safer onboard. The cooker is a scary thing as well, that and the boom are near the top of the list for things to be very wary of, IMHO.

 

[elton]

I lost my last boat and barely escaped with my life, partly as a consequence of having six fingers broken and crushed by an anchor rode.

 

[Greenheart]

I wish the OP a speedy recovery.

Given that a wholly unforeseen, seriously debilitating injury used to leave singlehanders in mortal danger, is it worth pointing out that a phone or handheld VHF is still no use unless it is within easy reach when the worst happens...

...I glued myself to my side-deck, late on an early summer evening in the dinghy park. My phone was on the deck about 7 ft out of reach, cheerily playing music downloads...

...in the event, I bit the bullet and wrenched myself free - otherwise I'd have been literally stuck there till someone else came by. I know it was scarcely an injury, but I felt very stupid and terribly alone when I couldn't reach my phone.

Keeping a phone or handheld VHF permanently in a pocket or belt-clip isn't hard to get used to - and even if you don't need it for twenty years, nothing could be worse than not having it when eventually you need it very urgently...whereas, knowing it is ever-ready will help scare off any out-of-proportion fears which the singlehander might develop.

 

[Ruffles]

...but I felt very stupid and terribly alone when I couldn't reach my phone....

My nightmare is getting locked in the cockpit locker.

Re back injuries. I used to get bouts of lower back pain often triggered by trivial movements. The only solution for me is maintaining core fitness and flexibility. Taking up a physical sport makes it less of a chore. I took up triathlon a couple of years ago and I've not had a recurrence since. Mind you, everything else is fairly sore....

 

[GrahamM376]

A partially disabled friend (needs walking stick after previous strokes) left Faro to sail back to UK single handed. Hit bad weather off Cape St Vincent, fell and broke some ribs. Instead of turning back, he took to his bunk for 4 days and eventually wound up somewhere off the Bristol Channel after some very bad weather. Turned south, fell again, broke another rib and injured his head. Managed to contact Falmouth who had been keeping watch for him as late and Sennen Cove lifeboat towed him in, boat to Newlyn, him to hospital. http://rnli.org/NewsCentre/Pages/Storm-lashed-sailor-rescued-by-Sennen-Cove-RNLI.aspx

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I cracked a rib by slipping on the companionway ladder, while I was single. Fortunately I was tied up alongside in my home marina, and my brother lived 10 minutes drive away; he was able to come and ferry me to hospital. I then spent over a week waiting to heal enough to be able to drive 400 miles home! It was bad enough that even getting onto the pontoon was extremely painful.

If that had happened while I was sailing, I guess that adrenaline would have enabled me to keep going long enough to get to safety; that and pain-killers. But equally, it probably wouldn't have happened under sail; I was probably being a bit careless because I was in a safe place, and would have been taking more care going into the cabin under sail.