Saving lives at sea - observations on TV prog

ylop said:
And I'm not sure which of last nights casualties would have been better served by slowly rigging a recovery system and hoisting them aboard even if such things were carried
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The comment was a response to the crew who clipped both ends of a yacht-style lifejacket tether to the manrope on top of the D-Class tube, to try to make a step for the casualty (the one who fell off a sit-on-top kayak but was still with his mate). It didn't really work as it was too short for him to reach, then when he did manage to get his foot high enough it slipped through so that he was straddling the tether instead of standing on it. Bit of a waste of time and they just yanked him on board in the normal way. Never seen it before, possibly someone on the crew's personal "cunning plan".

Pete
 
prv said:
The comment was a response to the crew who clipped both ends of a yacht-style lifejacket tether to the manrope on top of the D-Class tube,

Pete
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We sometimes use it on Atlantics as an alternative way for crew to re-board the boat from the water unassisted.

The more usual method is to re-board over the stern, either between the engines (on a 75), or round the outside of the A-frame (on an 85).
 
Using a short piece of webbing like that is taught in kayak self rescue courses - if the kayakers had something like that with them they might not have needed the lifeboat. But as you say, setting the length correctly is important if the swimmer is cold or fatigued.
 
I don't think the RNLI have had that much input into the production of the programme. They have given the BBC the reports of rescues with good video and notable rescues.
A friend of mine was one of the casualties in episode 1. Pulled from the Medway by Sheerness RNLI after 2hrs in the water late at night. The filming and interviews were done in bits and pieces and pieced together. When Ken was interviewed the interviewer had a list of questions to get him talking. Strangely, Ken was interviewed in our club house. The team spent ages trying to make it look like a residential living room that was blurred out. Another team interviewed the crew and another did some location filming out on the creek.
In Ken's case he made it clear that he believes he is only alive due to his Lifejacket and the RNLI. More could have been made about his Lifejacket, but the BBC didn't follow it up. The RNLI did make their own video that was released the day after the programme was aired for their "Useless unless worn" campaign.
Back to the comments about rescue aids, many years ago I was involved in rescuing a young lady very close to losing consciousness into a speed boat. 2 of us just grabbed her and pulled her in. She was just dressed in a bikini and bouncy aid. The first part of the lift was easy under the arms, we then had nothing to grab. A quick glance between the two of us without a word spoken we had no option but to grab her crutch and pull her into the boat. I doubt that any form of sling would have made it any easier. We were both late teens or early twenties, the girl quite slight and a similar age. it wasn't easy getting her aboard. Brute force is probably the only way in the situation.
After we got her ashore and warmed up she made a full recovery.
 
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dancrane said:
SWMBO wants to know what that is. I'm not asking for myself. ;)
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Ha ha, still didn't spot my spelling mistake when I read your comment the first time.

She had been sailing a Topper dinghy in an off shore breeze and couldn't get back to the beach, so decided to try and swim ashore. We were asked by her friend to go and help her. When we reached the upturned boat there was no sign of anyone. After a quick search we couldn't find her so went ashore to get someone to alert the Coast Guard. No mobile phones or portable vhfs then. We resumed our search and eventually found her about 1/2 a mile from the boat at right angles to the beach. The tide and wind were carrying her in the wrong direction. After getting her ashore we went out again to recover the boat that had partially de-rigged itself. We had to strip down before we could tow it. We had taken her friend out and I asked him to put the anchor over, a folding grapnel. A RAF helicopter turned up and after waving to us hovered around about a mile away. When we got the Topper towable I discovered we had been towing a folded grapnel for the last 1/2 hour and was about 3 miles offshore. Once we got closer inshore the RAF overflew us with a parting wave. That had been keeping an eye on us without getting in the way. We got ashore to find numerous CG personnel, 2 ambulances and Police waiting for us. This happened late 70s early 80s before there was many ILBs so the RNLI weren't involved as they would be now.
Oh, and we got a crate of beer later in the day from the casualty and her friend.
 
Whilst in the Medina river (IOW) just opposite the Folly Inn, one summers afternoon in the mid 90’s, I heard a splash and scream. Turns out a couple, probably in there 60’s had capsized there dingy while trying to board their MB which was on a swinging mooring and both ended up in the water. I jumped into my tender and rowed hard to there location, when I arrived the lady was under the water and her husband was just about clinging onto the MB’s mooring chain, I obviously grabbed the lady first and then turned my attention to the chap and also hauled him into my tender. I’m big lad and fairly fit, I guess in the heat of the moment and with a little adrenalin running weight didn't even come into it – they were getting saved. I returned them and their semi submerge tender back to the folly and all was well. I had to go past the said couples boat as I returned to my mooring and a chap shouted out from a yacht tied up to the visitors pontoon ‘well done nipper’ :)
Oh, no bikini's unfortunately
 
prv said:
Agree - and I think the answer is "don't need kit" as I've never seen any suggestion of such kit being carried or used. Three fit lifeboat crew are able to get people over a low inflatable tube without any complicating appliances, and don't forget they're all in drysuits so can easily get into the water to help if needed.



To the extent that they do it (and I don't think "slagging off as standard procedure" is accurate), I think that's a shore office PR function rather than the crews on the water.

The one that surprised me this week was the yacht with engine trouble in the Dover Straits - there seemed to be a nice breeze and there was no sign or mention of any rig problems, so why weren't they just sailing? The skipper did mention "trying to use the front sail" which made me think perhaps they were just a pair of incompetents, but then we found out they were returning in their own boat from two weeks sailing around Holland, which presumably is not something anyone would undertake while unaware of how to set a sail.

Presumably there's some rational explanation which was missed out of the programme as uninteresting to shore people.

Pete
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Some years ago I had engine failure just inside the traffic zone. Using the outboard and dinghy the yacht was pushed out of the zone until the petrol ran out. There was no wind. After about half an hour, by which time we were off Folkestone I got the engine going again and we returned to Dover to the berth we had left 4 hours before. Telling the tale to the Marina Staff as we booked in again we were told that had we reported our plight to the Coastguard they would most likely have sent the lifeboat to tow us in because of the risk of being run down.
 
Kurrawong_Kid said:
Some years ago I had engine failure just inside the traffic zone. [...] There was no wind. [...] had we reported our plight to the Coastguard they would most likely have sent the lifeboat to tow us in because of the risk of being run down.
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The bold part is the important difference. In the present case, there was a nice force 3-4 blowing.

Pete
 
MoodySabre said:
No knocking of the RNLI.

They seem to missed the opportunity to give any advice. The last episode showed them rescuing two kayakers in open sea after being alerted by a person on land. No comment made that in open water that they should had some means of communication with them.

When we ran an MOB recovery session last year we invited the local lifeboat to send someone and they declined as they had no expertise in recovery to yachts. Well they obviously have no expertise in recovery to RIBs either. I've have expected better than using a floating lifeline as a foot strap or relying on the belt loops on jeans to get a handhold. A bit of a shambles.
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Firstly the LB in this incident was a D Class ILB 1, an inflatable not a rib, (5 metre by 2meter) secondly we do not know what was said once ashore, the local CG mobile might have been present to offer some advice, again such is the editing in a programme like this the full picture is not always shown. We have given advice on MOB recovery in the past when requested to yacht clubs, I suspect that the hand of H&S and public liability might have played a part. Was it an ALB or ILB station?

I suspect the ILB crew in question do have expertise in hauling somebody out of the water since that is the main task of that class of boat. One comment about the incident though, with the casualty apparently cold and wet though I might have rushed him ashore and gone back for the kayak.

You state no knocking of the RNLI but the use of the word shambles suggests just that. The training given to LB crews today is extensive and very through.

With regards to the Channel yacht incident we do not know what the initial contact with Dover CG said, however the conversation with the DLA of Dover LB would have been something along the lines of " yacht, 2pob, engine failure in SW traffic lane, (one person unwell perhaps) request launch." No LB DLA will refuse such a request. Whether he could or should have sailed is another matter.
 
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