Risks of yachting ?

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Boo2

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Hi,

How risky is yachting compared with other sports ? I know that's a bit of an open ended question, but I am not talking about offshore racing - just general coastal cruising like probably most people do.

Thanks,

Boo2
 
Does bankruptcy count as a risk?

I guess it depends on the comparison sports. It may be comparable to something like skiing/snow boarding. It is an educated guess on how much risk is involved. I guess you have to just educate yourself through courses and practical experience to try and reduce the risk as much as possible.
 
Boo2 said:
Hi,

How risky is yachting compared with other sports ? I know that's a bit of an open ended question, but I am not talking about offshore racing - just general coastal cruising like probably most people do.

Thanks,

Boo2
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No riskier than going to work.

After 10 years, the worst that's happened to any of us is a couple of cracked ribs (my eldest).
Plenty of bruises all round though. :o

Funny story there:
Wife had a company medical a few years ago.
After she'd been checked out, the doctor asked her if there was anything she wanted to tell her 'in strictest confidence'. :eek:
Mrs Guapa somewhat baffled.
Doctor: 'You know, the bruises'. :o:o:o
 
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I think it's risky like motorcycling, in that it's quite safe until something goes wrong, in which case there's a strong probability you're going to die. I would contrast it with playing rugby, where there's a high risk of getting hurt, but a low risk of dying. Or tiddlywinks, where there's a high risk of breaking a nail, but a low risk of getting hurt.

I don't know, but I imagine offshore racing in a crew is safer than pootling about single handed.
 
Injuries

My wife always seems to find bruises after sailing. I think this is a result of over enthusiasm rather than real danger. Sunburn is a real risk here as is dehydration. But you can deal with these.
Other dangers are of death as in drowning, falling overboard or being hit by the boom. We have had deaths from both of these in our sheltered waters over recent years. But that is very uncommon.
It is safer than driving and certainly safer than other physical sports. (Like Rugby)
good luck and don't worry olewill
 
From the moment you begin yachting you start to learn how to make it safer. Its a constant process from learning navigation at home to hands on experience where you end up being capable of making trips which before you started you would not have contemplated. The risks are there but you soon learn that with forethought and planning the risks are minimised to such a degree that in general coastal cruising you go out and enjoy yourself and when you get back after a perfect day you feel a sense of accomplishment from having put into action all the knowledge and learning you have opened your mind to assimilating.
I could go on but remember at 6 knots its far safer than driving on a public road.
 
“Better drowned than duffers, if not duffers won’t drown”
 
I read once that statistically it's safer than Netball, but I think that's injuries rather than deaths. I'm pretty sure nothing that happens in Netball can kill you.

I think RKJ, said something like "I never go to sea without a sense of anxiety - it's what keeps me safe"
 
elton said:
I think it's risky like motorcycling, in that it's quite safe until something goes wrong, in which case there's a strong probability you're going to die. I would contrast it with playing rugby, where there's a high risk of getting hurt, but a low risk of dying. Or tiddlywinks, where there's a high risk of breaking a nail, but a low risk of getting hurt.

I don't know, but I imagine offshore racing in a crew is safer than pootling about single handed.
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A bit ott for coastal cruising methinks, unless you sail whatever the forecast.
 
Even looking at the death figures is a bit misleading.
Plenty of yachtsmen carry on until medically at more risk that from yachting.
We had a 73 year old guy found dead near his mooring on Windermere last year. The supposition is that he had suffered a medical problem and fallen in. I can't remember the inquest outcome.

There was the tragic loss a few years ago of a YBW forumite but that was sheer stupidity.
 
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Someone will be along with the statistics soon.
I think sailing is seen generally as a high risk activity and the media love to portray it as such.
In the South West we had a bad run of diving fatalities, a few years back, with a diver being killed almost every year. If they had been sailors there would have been outrage but the press were silent.
So my answer would be; risky but not dangerous.
 
Lakesailor said:
Even looking at the death figures is a bit misleading.
Plenty of yachtsmen carry on until medically at more risk that from yachting.
We had a guy found dead near his mooring on Windermere last year. The supposition is that he had suffered a medical problem and fallen in. I can't remember the inquest outcome.
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In a very high proportion of gliding fatalities happen the death precedes the crash, for the same reason.
 
Sailing is certainly waaaay less dangerous than fell walking.
We have had more than a fatality a month at some times of year in the Lakes. Broken limbs and serious head injuries are commonplace.

In 2006
Rescue organisations in the district dealt with a record 28 deaths last year, the highest number for 17 years – and of the 28 fatalities, 18 were walkers, with a further 144 injured while walking. One fell runner died and one person perished while scrambling.
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Source
 
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You can start to delve into the hospital A&E admission statistics using codes ICD10, and subsections V90–94, W15–16, W65–74, X38, X92, Y21.

Between 1998 and 2004 there were 6,793 episodes resulting in a total of 32,520 bed days with an average of length of stay of 5.0 days. Males made up 73.7% (n = 5,006) of episodes and females 26.1% (n = 1,787).

Annual trends peaked in 1999–2000 at a rate of 2.4 per 100,000 and have fluctuated on alternate years there after. In terms of relative risk males are at a 2.3 to 3.0 increased annual risk of being admitted compared to females, relating to a water event. The highest annual rates were observed within the 0 – 14 age group, ranging from 3.1 to 4.2 episodes per 100,000.

Based on these findings, for every one drowning that occurs per year there are three hospital episodes. Each of the age groups identified within the study reported an increase in hospital episodes between 2002 – 2003 and 2003 – 2004, when considering the fatality information available it would appear that although fatalities are decreasing in the similar time period, hospital episodes are increasing.

For the 0–14 age group, the cause of the injury had changed over the years, moving away from bath tub and swimming pool, to watercraft incidents (V91 – 93).

For the 15 – 59 age group there had been a decline in the frequency of watercraft and water transport episodes, however, an increase in diving and jumping injury and incidents.

In the over 60 age group water transport episodes remained the most frequent, with swimming pool related episodes declining and other specified drowning and submersion increasing.

Then set these figures (refined perhaps to take out drowning in the bath or in a car or swimming pool) against figures for the number of people who take part in water sports (define THAT how you will, and find the figures from somewhere !) , and break it down by sex and age. That should give you a correlation for sex and age to the historical accident figures, so you might then be able to say (for instance) that you as a male of 32 years could sail 247.5 hours per year for 17.8 years before requiring a medical intervention.


Please complete this assignment by next Thursday, and email to Dan.



I offer no conclusions beyond referring you to the RNLI for advice on how many bacon sandwiches to eat before sailing round and round the rugged rock..


FWIW in nearly 60 years of mucking about in boats of various sorts, I have been involved in 3 drownings, about 10 events requiring hospitalisation, and a hundred cases needing first aid.

FWIW #2. Farming is a damned sight more dangerous. The 2009 figures for deaths are 38, and were accompanied by a similar rise in the number of people suffering serious injury (640). That's one death every nine days.
 
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My medical insurance has a clause about dangerous sports. I asked them whether that included sailing, and they seemed surprised that I even entertained the idea.

My wallet disagrees, of course.
 
Lakesailor said:
Sailing is certainly waaaay less dangerous than fell walking.
We have had more than a fatality a month at some times of year in the Lakes. Broken limbs and serious head injuries are commonplace.

In 2006

Source
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That's good to know, I love hill walking and scrambling.

good to know my new sport is safer (but that doesn't mean I'll stay off the mountains)

In something like 30 years of mountain walking, I've never come close to having an accident or injury.
 
A marina near me, as sheltered as possible to imagine, had last I heard a few years ago claimed 3 lives of liveaboards - so probably more by now.

Each happened during wintry conditions, and trips to one of the many local pubs must be mentioned as a common factor...

I knew a couple of guys who used to 'pub crawl' around Falmouth then shoot home across the harbour in the dark in a speedboat ( they were normally sailing types ); on one such occasion the windsreen suddenly shattered, and they just had presence of mind to duck; they'd gone at speed under the mooring chain of a ship !!!

Neither are with us now, but perhaps oddly it was natural causes that got both, though that could be said to include 'high living toll'.

Such jaunts don't seem to happen so much nowadays, as people are catching on that the trip in the tender is the most dangerous part of sailing; at my club, though the moorings are close and sheltered, the majority of people wear lifejackets in the dinghy.
 
Boo2 said:
Hi,

How risky is yachting compared with other sports ? I know that's a bit of an open ended question, but I am not talking about offshore racing - just general coastal cruising like probably most people do.

Thanks,

Boo2
Click to expand...
It has always struck me how cheap the insurance is for our boats compared with cars. My Pug 406 this year £330 fully comp. My Bene 381 £268
So for an asset valued at more than 20 times the car, the insurance is cheaper. Does that not say something?
Stu
 
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