SINGLE-HANDING

A friend of mine just told me about an incident that he witnessed on the water in the recent past. He watched as the operator of an open powerboat was "thrown out" of the boat while "single-handing" (operating the boat with nobody else onboard). Needless to say, the boat continued on without him.

This is a topic that should be of interest to all of us. Many of us are out on our boats alone at times. There are some risks that go along with "single-handing" any vessel. In fact, it is so widely believed to be risky that manufacturers have included safety devices to shut the engine down automatically if the operator falls overboard.

Many powerboats and all personal watercraft are equipped with a "lanyard cut-off switch." This switch looks like a button mounted in the vicinity of the throttle. The button has a red lanyard attached to it. The lanyard looks a bit like a spiral telephone cord. There is a clip on the end of the lanyard that should be attached to the operator's belt or belt loop.

At the button end of the lanyard is a "U" shaped clip that when pulled out of the button allows it to be depressed by a spring-loaded mechanism. Depressing the button shuts the engine down. In the event that the operator falls over the side, passes out or moves away form the helm station, the engine will shut down.

This day and time there is no excuse for an operator be "single-handing" without the protection of lanyard cut-off switch. This type of equipment has been available for years and is a proven lifesaver. By the way, it is not just for single-handing a boat. It should be used at all times on powerboats. 

The Coast Guard Auxiliary publishes statistics on boating safety. According to their information, capsizing, sinking and falls overboard account for 70% of boating accidents and fatalities. Excessive speed is also a factor among the root causes of capsizing, sinking and falling overboard.

In addition to the obvious problem of your boat continuing on after you may fall out of it, there are a few other things to think about. In the event that you are traveling at 30 knots (that's +/- 34.5 MPH) and fall over, your boat will continue to travel at the rate of about 50 feet per second. In five seconds you will have traveled 250 feet, which is certainly far enough to have collided with a dock or another boat.

In the first few seconds after you may pass out or collapse, while your friends and family are trying to figure what's happening, a lot more can happen. However, if the lanyard cut-off switch is working, the engine will immediately stop thereby eliminating many unpleasant possibilities.

Falling overboard can be caused by other than a physical condition. Jumping over wakes, being surprised by a wake or simply a rough sea state can easily knock you off balance. Also, standing while in a boat raises the center of gravity of your overall situation. Raising the center of gravity causes instability. It is wise to keep your center of gravity as low as you can in rough water.

So when you're single-handing, connect the lanyard. You'll be glad you did!

Until next time, I wish you clear skies, fair winds, and calm seas!