STAYING ALIVE
The pushpit rails on this Catalina 425 extend to the front of the cockpit
Contrary to popular belief, the risk of falling overboard is not at its greatest when you are battling high seas and ferocious winds. That’s when you’re keyed up, clipped in, acutely aware of the dangers and prepared for the worst. I have seen two people fall overboard from sailboats, and gone over the side myself once. In all three cases, the weather was mild, the sea state was calm, and the sailors involved weren’t doing anything risky. They just had their guards down.
One was walking along the cabintop when the boat lurched to a wave. He grabbed a dangling reef pennant, the sun-perished line snapped, and over the side he went. Another was leaning over the side pulling a dinghy up when the top lifeline gave way; he somersaulted right into the dinghy, didn’t even get wet. As for me, I was bent over threading a new lifeline through a stanchion and lost my balance when a wake rocked the boat. Splash. Good thing I was on a mooring.
That’s how easy it is. I bet countless other sailors have similar stories. The lesson is a simple one: your baseline defense against falling overboard is situational awareness. However, that is just one part of the equation; there are many other ways to minimize the chances of
