MAIB report on RIBQUEST ribs.

[AlJones]

This is the report on my accident on the Thames.

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

 

[awol]

I'm glad it was "only minor injuries" - could have been so much worse.

Now, about the kill cord - what went wrong? We all think we use them properly but ....

 

[SailorFrank]

the classic mistake (which may not be the case here) is around the wrist when you fall overboard it slips off - round the thigh or through the d ring of a life jacket is my preferred option

 

[moondancer]

Souldn't something like seats be bolted to the floor?
I would have thought captive nuts bonded into the loor and through bolted from the seats would have been far more appropriate than bonding and self-tappers..

 

[Sixpence]

Al , it might be worth posting on the Ribnet Forums too , in case anyone there uses the same rib , they might want to be aware of the potential hazard caused by poor workmanship , sounds like the leaking sealant was the cause , which is good news in some ways

 

[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.

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 I was jumping all over the place and 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!!!!

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.

 

[alant]

how old??

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

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif









Have you been fibbing about your birthday's all along then Al.




Now seems that you must be the same age as me!
/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[AlJones]

Re: how old??

Not at all kind Sir,

I was 11 yrs old when I first started going on the water with my Grandfather. We had a strange build craft which had an Austin 1100 engine in it and a crank start!!

Then motor cruising with the family when in secondary school.

Sailing from 14 yrs old, starting of at Thames mead lake then the Thames at Erith.

Royal Navy from 18 yrs old in Hurley 21's and Gemini's, Tornado's, Pacific's,

.........Need I go on?

Up to my age of a mere 41 yrs young!!!!

Happy now?

Don't be age-ist. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Al.

 

[AlJones]

Before and after shots!

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.

 

[Superflid]

Re: Before and after shots!

It's hard to believe that a manufacturer could build in such a shoddy way, I thought some of my work was a bit "iffy" /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif. Even sikaflex keyed to the surface properly wouldn't be my choice of fixing with the amount of leverage possible from such tall seats. A few self-tappers would be laughable if not for the consequences....
Just glad you are OK Al.

Hope you get "it" back asap.

 

[jhr]

Re: Before and after shots!

Eek!

It wasn't built by Trader, was it? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[fireball]

Re: Before and after shots!

no - they were stainless screws!! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif