Bruce --- Thanks for finding this article. It is a must read for anyone who cruises in the Salish Sea. He backs up just about every argument I have had for years regarding rescue. What makes our boating experience different here is that the water is ALWAYS COLD. As some of you know, Pat and I taught sailing around Seattle for many years. This included teaching Lifesling Rescue. We were with a group that was asked to do a second round of testing of the Lifesling after it was developed. We started with all the local USCG incident reports where someone died while sailing. We worked them backwards to see what went wrong.
Here are some of our findings: MOB loses ability to aid in rescue at about 20 minutes. Largest group that died were attached to the rescue boat. No boat in the reports had the capacity to lift MOB out of the water. Wet foulies and pfd add over 100 pounds to MOB. All deaths occured to people who were in excellent physical condition and known to be good swimmers. Everyone should know what to do with someone suffering from hypothermia because the next group died on the boat after being rescued. The article explains this well.
I'll admit that it has been many years since I read these reports and some stats may have changed but the important things stick with me.
Pat and I have performed over a hundred of these Lifesling rescues while teaching and, believe me, there is no one way to do it. Every boat and every situation requires a different approach. So far we have only done this on sailboats, so I can honestly say I haven't a clue what to do on the Ranger. But I have some ideas.
