MAIB report on RIBQUEST rib.

[AlJones]

This is the report on my accident on the Thames.

I've cut and pasted the document so please excuse the type.

 

[goochie]

Hang on, isn't time flies the name of the MBM rib kept on the South Coast?

 

[jfm]

Eek. Is Ribquest a brand of RIB? Sounds a bit shoddy construction?

Ref killcord, it said "not fitted correctly". Didn't understnad that part. Was some mistake made attaching it, in which case can you explain, so that others don't repeat the mistake? I tend to attach it and not think very hard about how I've attached it, under the possibly incorrect understanding that you cant really fit it incorrectly!

 

[AlJones]

It was, I bought it this year!

Here it is being used by them

 

[AlJones]

I found a write up on it after the event here

http://www.rib.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-19698.html

Al.

 

[Kipper]

Dodgy bunch the previous owners if you ask me!

 

[chuckaduck]

Thing is with ribs is that they are pushed hard and can break I myself was in eire a few years ago and helped Stuart on wavehumper who was doing the round eire race and had a fractured fuel tank

Re the kill cord I dont always connect it on our binnie

 

[Renegade_Master]

bad luck Al sorry to hear about this. Hope all goes well from now

 

[AlJones]

The new kill cord, the telephone cable type, was very new and stiff, and although looped back on its self was not pulled up tight around my wrist.

I put my hands up to the fact that I hadn't given that extra bit of attention to the tightness of it, a situation that I keep re-living over and over again.

It was a shock to be in the water after a slowish turn to stbd, and then being in a 'washing machine' being tumbled around about a metre under the surface. We had the equivalent of the REME divers from Austria as safety divers and they are the ones that jumped in and saved me, and made the leap onto Time Flies and killed the engine.

A massive learning curve after nearly thirty years of power boating.

Al.

 

[BrendanS]

Far better to put it around your thigh than your wrist, for exactly this reason. This is the way I was taught on the RYA courses I took

 

[jfm]

Ah, ok, thanks for explanation Al. I will take note and use this story as reminder to double check it on wrist. None of us is at top of any learning curves. While you had some bad luck on the killcord thing, I'm glad you had the good luck of the Aus REMEs close by and that it was all brought under control quickly.

 

[goochie]

Indeed. That was the rib they used for the 2006 season. This year they were using a Ribeye rib I think, but it was still called 'Time Flies'. Does that mean there are two ribs of that name currently in service? (not a crime I know - just wondered)

 

[AlJones]

I agree Brendan,

I usually clip it to the D-ring on my life jacket but because I was running allover the boat it wasn't operationally effective to have it there on this occasion.

I had it around my thigh for the previous three days, but alas because it was new and fresh out of the box it kept killing the engine, because it was so stiff, throwing every one aboard forward. A bu@@er to work with.

We had a tide of about 4-4.5 knts coming around the corner at the Millennium Dome, due to the spring tides and the heavy rain fall flooding the banks up the Thames in July. Ferry gliding along side the Pontoon at the start finish gate during the Red Bull Air Race, having to manouvre between the anchoring cables, we had to ferry glide away by at least 20m before we could turn to stbd. With that much tide on the nose and the 'chop' boat handling skills were put to the test for the five days.

A lesson leaned by me, kill cord-kill cord-kill cord!!!!

Al.

 

[AlJones]

Must be!

The repairs came to £11,800 and is being carried out by Alan Goodfellow at Essex Boat Yard, a guy that I will highly recommend for any work.

Our Sigma 38 called Kindred Spirit sails out off Haslar and is part one registered at Lloyd's, and when I've been out on one off our other school boats and called her up I have had other Kindred Spirit's answer!!!!!!!!!! A popular name me thinks, but we are Part 1.

Time Flies, our one, is registered on the SSR, how many other are out there I don't know????????

 

[AlJones]

Time Flies was brought under control by the superb boat handling of a RNLI coxswain on his rib. He 'chased' TF and put his port bow onto the stbd quarter and the diver jumped across, pulling the kill cord.

The river Police were there, the PLA and three other safety/transport ribs in the vicinity. Thats how lucky we were!!

I have only been on the water twice since, lost my bottle a tad. It will come back, I hope, but I know I just have to get out there on my own and do it. Each time I have been out there on the water and the boat, which was a 45ft steel built dutch motor boat and a rib, rolled more than 15 degrees my toe nails shot out of my deck shoes and clasped the deck!

I feel like a big girls blouse about it, but it scared the life out of me. Thirty years of boating, including boat coxswain in the Royal Navy, using them all over the world, in many oceans, in many sea states, for many different reasons including anti drug patrols, with boardings at speed etc, ......... all gone!!

Bugs me that I haven't got back in the saddle properly yet.

Al.

 

[jfm]

Heck. I would have to have walked a mile in your shoes to offer any sensible thoughts on that, and I haven't, but I wish you the very best of luck in getting back in the saddle and feeling happy there. Remember, everyone else has made loads of mistakes but the difference is most times you get lucky. I have for sure, there but for the grace of god, etc. If your rib seat screws hadn't ripped out (which wasn't your fault) the fact you hadn't put the kill cord on well wouldn't have mattered. I reckon I have been sloppy with the killcord plenty of times but got away with it becuase I didn't get the coincidence of the seat breaking, or whatever. You just got unlucky with a combination of events, and it is VERY unlikely ever to happen again. Best of luck, and if you find yourself in France drop by for a trip out to sea

 

[AlJones]

Appreciate that thanks.

Al.

 

[AlJones]

When we found her.

The event, and the start finish gate.

The tide.

The aftermath

Steering wheel, that nearly came with me!!

The bottom of the seat pods, which should of had sykaflex (sp?) on them with a keyed surface.

Please check the seats in your ribs, three turns of the screws bitting into the deck is not enough, with what appears to be bathroom sealant!

I would like to thank the Forumites that have PM'd me with their support and kind words for getting back out there, its much appreciated.

Regards

Al.

 

[goochie]

This is not the first time something like this has happened I believe. I know that people order different seating/console arrangements, and therefore they are something added after the basic build, but surely someone can come up with something better than self tappers and sealant to fix them to the hulls!!