Girl drowns while sailing in Severn

Girl drowns while sailing in Severn
By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer, www.hometownannapolis.com
Published 06/24/11

A teenage girl drowned after her boat capsized during sailing lessons in the Severn River Thursday afternoon, police said.

The 14-year-old girl’s boat capsized in the river near the Naval Academy at about 5:15 p.m., said Sgt. Art Windemuth, a spokesman for the Natural Resources Police.

The girl was wearing a harness that got caught in the boat’s rigging. A counselor eventually freed the girl and performed CPR until rescuers arrived, Windemuth said.

The girl was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center and pronounced dead.

The incident remains under investigation and is the ninth boating fatality in Maryland waters so far this year, Windemuth said.

“It’s an unfortunate tragedy,” Windemuth said.

Wow...that sucks...

Sucks big time.

Thomas Pt recorded winds of 14-15kts and prevailing out of the SW at the time of the accident. So the sea conditions were acceptible for Annapolis harbor and a Club 420. Wonder what kind of harness she was wearing?

My father's day gift from my eldest son this year, tethered to my PFD all the time. Spyderco SpyderHawk Salt, supposedly this one will not rust. Everyone should carry one in our sport. It could save someone's life or yours.

I got trapped under water by my safety line when I capsized in the GT300 this year. It was pretty freekin scary. I carried a knife but it was in my zipped up pocket and I couldn't get to it with full fingered gloves on. My lanyard had a quick release snap shackle and I still couldn't find the release. If you have kids sailing, maybe doig a few drills may save the next life.
Thank God my boat fully turtled and gave me enough slack to get a quick breath.
I'm so sorry to hear about this girl's death.

Watch out for that point. Safety knife should have a blunt tip. The owner of the Corsair 43 that I sail on ,knew a guy who flipped his kayak, couldn't get rolled back over so he cut himself out of the spray skirt with a pointed knife and cut a major artery and bled out right there.
Really sad to hear about anyone dying sailing especially a youth.

I hear ya. I would not have approved it if the point was sharpened and protruding straight. I liked the "hooked" style to hold onto the cable/line/tramp and the ability punch through the tramp if needed. Still could cause trauma if held at the wrong angle and used in an unsafe manner, so can a pencil.

Wonder if this would fit somewhere close to your chest in a quick-open pouch? It would buy you a minute or two (which is huge under water) to figure your way out of the mess...?

•1.7 cubic feet of air
•Tank finish in Neon Yellow for safety
•Easily refills from your own SCUBA tank with included refill adapter (patent pending)
•Easily attaches to your BC with included holster and safety leash
•Small, hands-free, nearly neutrally buoyant
•Breathe on demand regulator -No complicated instructions

http://www.murrays.com/catamaran/catamaran.html

I like it. Doesn't poke holes in the boat when reboarding.

I was under a H16 from a high speed pitchpole for a while when the trapeze shock-cord(bungy) wrapped around my legs that keep me under water not the hook.
Perhaps a quick release between the trap wire and bungy?

Here's my question, where do you keep the knife?

I keep one in my zip pouch on my PFD, but that's not that easily accessible. Better than nothing I guess, but you get my drift.

I have put a knife on the front of my harness before where it was very easy to access, but it would poke me in the stomach the whole day, which wasn't good. It was closed, so at least it wasn't the knife sticking me.

Mike

Benchmade Triage.

Now if they will just use the same material as they use in their H2O Griptillian.

From stories like Lee's of cat sailors fortunate enough to escape a lung-full of water or worse, the best guidance was to have a non-folding knife easily reachable by either hand. If you only have one hand available, a folder is going to be a problem. Also, recognize that it is highly likely you will have less than a full lung of air when you go under...so you can't count on the 60 sec or so that you can normally hold your breath.
One story I was told (firsthand) by a guy getting trapped unther tramp of an I20...he had to cut through the tramp to reach the surface. He will now only carry a non-folding knife with at least a 4 inch serated blade.

I have a titanium River knife affixed to my pfd horizontally along the waist. I can access with either hand and it is out of the way when not needed.

That is what I do. Fixed blade knife with the sheath attached to my PFD in a vertical position, handle facing down. Can get to it with either hand without having to unfold it. I try to keep in mind that if I'm trapped under a tramp or sail I can cut through it for air. From my own little slightly scary experience at the beginning of the year I was reminded that it takes a bit of effort to keep panic back.

I am not sure I like the idea of being tethered to a cat. I would perfer to be left behind with a radio and epirb. If you get tangled, you are screwed.