WOW did this thread get a response? When I went home last night there were just three replies, this morning there were 67!!.
Although I fully sympathise with the fact that an eleven-year-old child died, I still have to say that I consider it one of those very unfortunate occasions that do and will happen, regardless of whatever steps we take to avoid. Whether we like it or not. Circumstances outside our control or as some would call it “fate”, does seem to play a part in all our lives. From personal experience I was placed in a “life and death” situation on a cat some years ago, where I was “trapped” not as in this case by the rigging or trapeze wire, but by a mainsheet line around the ankle. I was on a small cat on fresh, flat water with a wind of only about 6 knots when I had to make a sudden tack to avoid a dingy on starboard. When going under the boom my foot became entangled in the main sheet and some how I found myself in the water on the other side of the boat being dragged along by the ankle with my head under water. This was a very worrying situation as, for some reason unknown to me to this day I couldn’t get my head above water and the force of the water was very powerful even in those light conditions. It didn’t help that the rope attached to my ankle kept pulling the main on tighter and tighter. I couldn’t reach forward to get the line against the water flow and I couldn’t raise my head above the water. Just as I had visions of not seeing my family again, the line suddenly went slack and my head bobbed above the surface. Another cat sailing close by had seen what had happened and run his boat into my bows so putting it into irons. As soon as the pressure had ceased the line literally just fell off of my ankle. I think back on that time occasionally and realise that IF the grim reaper really wants you there are no regulations, no steps, no circumstances that you can put into place to avoid his steely grip. Should all mainsheets be eliminated? Even if I had a knife I couldn't have used it (other than cutting off my leg - if I could have reached it -). Some tragedies “just happen” regardless of what we do. It’s called LIFE, and all who live will someday die and no one can change that.