Reader Rant

Criminal

A quick comment on the tragedy at Sunsail. Everyone should stop and take a minute to reflect when we lose a sailor. Many of us have been close a time or two ourselves. So what went wrong? While the masthead floats on cats have made capsize recovery a much more enjoyable task it does not and will not ever eliminate the dangers of trapeze sailing, especially on catamarans. Without all the details I find it hard to believe that three instructors are now criminals. If you have ever tried to "rescue" a crashed cat in a lumpy sea it sucks ass. Besides, if the crew is flung forward during a pitchpole they can be wrapped tighter than a mummy around rigging and gear before the whole thing comes to an end, and if there is vertical pressure on your hook you're screwed.

Undoubtedly freaked out, probably underwater, and more than likely gasping for air (maybe none available) the likelihood that a "safety" trap harness with "quick release buckles" will save you. I still sail trapeze boats often, and date back to continuous trap systems on FD's. Tagged as "deathtraps" by non trap sailors, mine had a nice little trip shackle on it. Gee, that's hard to get out of... I have been trapped several times in bad wipeouts on various crafts, and twice saved myself with a very simple, very inexpensive method.

Regardless of whether you have or haven't left the stone age and gotten rid of your wire trap wires and replaced them with spectra the last three feet or so should ALWAYS be some sort of line. I carry two rigging knives when I trapeze (one has a shackle key I really like and the other one is primarily for self defense.) Twice, wrapped in shit and pinned under a shroud I have simply and calmly reached for my knife and cut the trap wire tether. Great way to get separated from the boat, but remember quickly that it is a GREAT WAY TO GET SEPARATED FROM THE BOAT. Both times I got away from the boat and then the boat promptly got away from me. Well, I'm still here to talk about it. But unless there was some sort of gross misconduct (drunk, not present, stoned, whatever) finding the instructors guilty of a crime is a crime in itself. I'm sure her parents don't think so, but hell, it's America and it has to be SOMEBODY'S fault. Our sport doesn't have enough instructors or coaches as it is and setting the precedent that you can be criminally prosecuted for teaching someone how to sail is outrageous.

Here's a news flash - Sailing can be dangerous. Not often, but people die doing it (including one lucky Kiwi who died of old age at the helm of his trapeze dinghy.) Kids fall. People get hurt. Teeth get knocked out. People get knocked on conscious. People take their lifejackets off to avoid bad tan lines. Many people drink BEFORE DURING AND AFTER sailing just to get in the groove. And that's not even mentioning those that take to the seas in a "hey ya'll watch this" cry only to crash and burn. Do we learn? Hell no. We are standing in line for the next ride on some 30 pound skiff with 400sqft of sail area begging to scream, "man that wasn't shit!" So leave your lifejacket at home, wear floaties for your swim test, and cheat on your basic seamanship test. Just make sure you sign your freaking waiver so when you kill your own dumb ass we don't loose any more instructors. Ever hear of the guys renting Jet-Skis or other zoom-splats going to jail when the yahoo redneck riding one face plants into a piling at 70mhp? No. Leave the instructors alone. Even if they didn't do their best, or got something wrong in the heat of the moment they were there, trying to save your butt.

I am very, very sorry sailing lost a young girl. I'm even more sorry that we lost 3 instructors and god knows how many more when we all find out we can go to jail for trying to enhance the sport. Disclaimer-- The article said she was lost after all best efforts to save her. If there were true extenuating circumstances where the instructors were obliviously way out of line, disregard the last 4 paragraphs and fry em'. The only thing worse than loosing three instructors was hiring 3 incompetent ones in the first place. But in that case- why isn't Sunsail on the hot seat?

03/31/06