Do boat owners ever fall off their boats?

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The only time I've fallen overboard I was not on my own. My wife, a buddy and I were motoring in to a beach in the dinghy after anchoring about 500 yards offshore. It was Australia Day so the popular beach was full of people. cWe were meeting some friends there.

There were occasional waves breaking on either side of the beach, but we lined up to come in a relatively calm section. It all looked good for a while until I noticed a swell starting to build behind us. I increased to full throttle on the little 3hp outboard but it wasn't enough. The swell was a big one and it picked up the dinghy on end and dumped the 3 of us in the surf.
No injuries, but a waterlogged outboard, and a lost pair of glasses and a few beers.
 
I was once trying to secure a power cable under a finger pier. I had to stand up in my kayak, I knew it was a bad idea when I did it.

I ended up in the drink but fortunately the water was only about a foot deep and I was under the finger per so nobody heard or saw me fall.

pete
 
Here is my embarrassing trip into the drink. I was rowing the crew to shore in my round bottom dingy I had been out on a drinking sail with friends. My father the old school sailor was on the porch watching.. We got about half way in when the oar popped out of the lock "catching a crab" and we all reached for the oar at the same time. All I heard was my dad calling me a damn fool.
 
I had just attached my 38' catamaran to the mooring in a 25 kt or so wind. The boat was pitching pretty good. I got my dinghy in the water off a ramp at the stern. There was also a pretty good current flowing. Holding onto the dinghy rope I went to climb down into the dinghy and mistimed my step. I went in the water and almost instantly I was a ways from the mothership but still had a hold of the dinghy. I made a quick decision not to swim back to the boat because of the current. The dinghy was upside down and I climbed onto it. I did have a floatcoat on. I started drifting away with the current and I don't know how many times the dinghy rolled putting me in the water. I would again get up on the overturned dinghy and try to balance but the waves kept rolling me. There were people on the dock a few hundred yards away and a Coast Guard cutter about 1/2 mile away but no one saw me. My float coat was dark blue and I kept raising my arm hoping someone would see. I saw a skiff in the distance slowly making its way against the current and wind heading toward me. Sure enough they were coming for me. When they got to me I was able to climb up into the boat using the outboard as a ladder. They told me they thought I was a killer whale, the raised arm, and came to investigate. This was in Southeast Alaska and I remember thinking that I wasn't cold but I probably would be soon. This all lasted maybe 15 minutes. My wife was at the dock and we went home, stripped and got into bed and I started shivering like crazy.
 
Fallen in?

40’ ketch, 14,000 nm: no
Current trawler: 5,000 nm: nope
Whitewater kayaking: often
Windsurfing: every other jibe
Neighbor’s dock: once was enough

Returning from a Thanksgiving dinner in Placencia, Belize a friend, in a nice dress, stepped off a rickety dock into her hard dinghy. The dinghy, with plenty of rocker, conspired to dump her into the drink. Her dress came up above her head as she flailed about. To complicate matters, she had a prosthetic leg, evidently rather expensive, as her husband’s first response was to save the leg. Ended well but became one of those indelible cruising memories.
 
Gone over 3 times. The last one was sheer luck. Head first onto a jetty rock 2 feet under. Fortunately the rock was flat. What my wrist hit was a sharp ^ that tore my watch off. I wear my inflatable pfd underway now. Makes body recovery more likely.
 
Standing on the swimstep supporting a vertical kayak we were loading to its place on the FB I figured I was ok to support it without taking a handhold. Kayak and I fell off into the water. Loud splash. Both were easily recovered,I do swimming for exercise. Well I did pre Covid,when pools were open.
 
What would have been the 4th time was a near miss instead. I left the handrail gate on the starboard side open while preparing to get underway. I came out of the cabin not watching where I was going and in a hurry. When I reached for the handrail without looking, it wasn't there. :facepalm: Funny, my knees knew to collapse at that moment landing me on the caprail instead of tumbling off between the boat and the finger pier.
 
I keep my boat tied at a friends dock where we grill and have a few cocktails. Often I’ll stay on the boat overnight. Rarely drink it but was enticed to have a couple of Tequila shots before calling it a night. Was getting ready for bed and thought I’d step outside for a leak. Well, I stepped of onto the walkway and just kept going into the water. Not deep, no damage done just soaked. Had some music on in the boat so the girlfriend never heard the splash. Got back on the boat and decided I’d strip down rather than walk in dripping wet. Walked in naked as a jay bird and got the wide eyed WTF is wrong with you? look from the gf. I quickly explained why. She laughed her ass off. Haven’t touched tequila since.
 
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I read a story of an older couple that were at their marina cooking up at the clubhouse deck well the mrs went back to the boat to get something and when she was gone for awhile her husband went to see what was taking so long he found her face down between the dock and boat. She had hit her head when she fell and was ko'd when she hit the water. Very sad.
 
Near the same thing happen to an acquaintance after a fishing trip. Stepped of his boat tripped and hit his head. Didn’t fall into the water but the fall killed him. Truly sad day as his son witness the passing.
 
Wife fell between the swim platform and the dock last year, and from the gunwale to the cockpit floor this year. Fortunately, she works out regularly and has only endured some nasty bruises and a bit of embarrassment.

I have been in the construction industry for years and have endured many safety talks on "three points of contact" when entering or exiting a piece of equipment.

We now have talks on the boat about "three points of contact".
 
I think of 'falling in' and 'falling off of a boat' as two very different things. I've slipped on a wet swim platform or tripped over a davit several times and fallen in while the boat was at anchor. Jumping from the dock to the boat or boat to dock as well.

Falling off seems to infer (While the boat is underway). Like you're treading water as the boat heads toward the horizon growing ever smaller. Ya, That's happened to me too. I was probably 12-13 and I treaded water until I could no longer see the boat, or see my unaware grandparents as they sat forehead to forehead arguing over the chart. That is a very lonely feeling as you look around trying to decide which direction you think is the best way to shore.....calculating just how many miles that shoreline actually is. I was wearing a vest style PFD at the time, which was not completely common in the early 1980's.

Incidentally, they figured it out and came back and found me. No idea how long I was there, but I'm sure it was significantly less time than it actually felt like.
 
Shrew, you sure they weren't arguing about whether or not to turn about and pick you up?:whistling:
 
Hello everyone,
It’s not “if” ".....it’s when.
Same as your not a real Captain until you go aground. Yup..

Ha, but everyone needs a swim now and then.
 
I watched a guy playing on his cell phone walk straight off the end of a dock. He lost his phone and a good bit of his pride that day.
I did fall in once with a poor stair set up. Now we have proper boarding stairs with a hand rail.
 
I have not fallen in but since I boat alone most of the time, I ALWAYS have a personal locator beacon in my pocket or around my neck.
 
In front of my entire sailing class, no less!

FF said:
I stepped off into the water in Port Royal while dockside.
The indignity was my crew would not lend a hand getting back aboard till they had photos.
Click to expand...

I did the same, not off my own boat mind, but during my week of CYA sailing certification. As I recall, the instructor responded by pointing out to the class how I properly observed the important rule of remaining with the boat while I dangled hilariously on the side of the hull
 
Twice, so far. First time was trying to dock at a boatyard. I tried to hop off the boat onto the dock to secure lines and slipped on the wooden dock. Bounced off the boat rail (breaking a rib) and then the dock. Luckily, under the dock was open so I swam underneath and to shore. Hubby was extremely freaked out and worried he ran me over with the boat. I’ve been MUCH more careful since then.

Second time was stepping off my side-tied dinghy onto the swim platform. Really have no idea how but apparently I missed the step. One second I was stepping and the next I was looking up to see my dry bag purse floating towards the surface. Figured I should probably follow it. I was very thankful we live in the Florida Keys, as it happened around mid-December and the water wasn’t even cold.

Not a drop of alcohol was involved either time.

My husband has gone overboard twice on this boat (that I know of). Once, he was trying to applying something to my old water tender dinghy, didn’t realize how unstable it was and fell off the side with hearing aids in and the cordless drill in hand. Somehow, he kept the drill above water but ruined the hearing aids. The other time, he was carrying one of our ungodly heavy transmissions down the stern ladder for repair. He lost his balance and landed in his inflatable dinghy with the transmission on his chest. That one had to have hurt!
 
Fatal fall off

Sad. Moral to the story - wear a life jacket. A friend, seasoned sailor of many many years but alone on board this one afternoon , out to enjoy a brief sail, somehow went over. Found overboard still tied to the boat with a line wrapped around his leg. It never seemed to right to say, "well, at least he died doing something he enjoyed."............
 
Ahoy there. If you have had a big boat and you have some age on you I would say there is a great chance you have. Captains who say different are the same ones that are likely to say they have never been sea sick......and are probably lying. The worst culprits are non floating finger docks which means inconsistent boarding and deboarding relative to the tide. Second biggest culprit are too many cocktails.
Cheers
 
Head butt at three feet

I'm watching this guy in the marina having all kinds of trouble with his anchor chain. It had kinks in it, the side of a softball. I've never seen such a thing before. His cussing and antics had me thinking ..... " I better help this guy before he sinks himself and the yacht next to him.
By the time I got over to him, he had about 70 feet of chain piled up on his deck, right on top of rope, part of a fender and a blanket of some sort.
I offered to help him out, and the look of "thank God" came next.
I got the chain somewhat organized, given the limited deck space. The chain
locker hatch was covered with other stuff. I saw the anchor coming up to to the surface which told me I was near the end of my efforts.
The guy comes over to me, pats me on the back... as much to say... you're a lifesaver, then coils up about four feet of chain with the anchor at the end, and then says, " now I'll get this chain straightened out."
He does this ... 1.. and a.. 2... and a .. let lose the anchor out into the water, about eight feet away from the bow. The chain on the deck does this whirling.. clank... clank.... gets the rope caught... with me standing on the rope. The rope pulls me overboard. I instinctively spread out my arms and try to resurface, going back up, when the guy jumps in after me to help me.
I'm coming up and he's coming down... BONK. The rope pulled my deck shoe off and I made it to one of the dock lines, treading water.
I made it back to my spot on the pier, sat in my folding chair. Later the guy comes over, apologizing like crazy, He comes back a few minutes later and offers me a beer, again apologizing. "No sweat... glad to help." (Yeah right)
He leaves, I crank open the bottle.. warm beer gushing all over me. *#@!
I smell like a wet brewery. The Mrs. swings by to pick me up, takes one look, starts this sniffing thing and is about to ask... What the...
All I could think of was.... I FELL IN.
 
Ok, I know I've gone in a couple times. Once on my ski boat. The tow ring was quite low. I was clipping a mooring line onto it and was leaning so far over I started to slip. Inertia took over and I was swimming.

I don't know if this counts but recently I was at Avalon harbor on Catalina Island and there we are supposed to tie a long dock line so others can squeeze in. So we are coming back to the dink and my boat is now in a back row of boats with my dock line hung up on one in the front row. So I climb into this Boston Whaler style boat to then climb into the next one that has my dock line hung up. I was crawling. Suddenly I had my weight on my two hands in one boat and my legs in another and the surge began separating the boats. My friends on the dock thought I was goofing around acting like Spiderman while yelling "my phone, my phone". Yes it was in my pocket. I could only hold that position suspended between boats over the water for a short time. I dropped into the water, immediately pulled my iPhone out of my pocket. There was still no saving it.

One funny one was on my Lien Hwa 47. We were coming into the slip and I had an experienced sailor aboard. I asked him to jump off and grab a dock line. He jumped (not far), hit the dock, and rolled off the other side.
 
Prefer to Fall In Not Off

Took a work phone call in middle of boat project and upon reentering dark salon forgot engine room hatch open. Went down saying “not again”. But the new cut was on the same shin and new stitches eradicated old ones from another engine room rapid descent and match fish trap injury stitches on other shin. Modeling days may be past me now though.
 
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I believe most everyone that's worked on a tug towing logs in S.E. Alaska has gone in at least once, including me. lol.
 
I have two separate stories. In my younger days I was on a 24 foot i/o. We were coming to the dock and I was going to step off the boat to keep it from bumping the dock and tie it off. Just as I started stepping a gust of wind came and stopped the forward movement of the boat so I landed in the water, laughing all the way done.

The second story wasn't about me but my Golden Retriever. There is a metal plate at the end of the ramp on the floating dock. It makes a noise when you step on it. The dog, Maceo, and I were walking to the ramp. I stepped on the ramp 1st. It made a noise. Maceo got spooked and walked off the floating dock into the water.
 
I grew up sailing, and fell overboard a few times off my dad's 26' sailboat, with slick decks and no life lines. The first time was right after WWII, and I was 10 years old. The only "docks" were pilings in San Pedro CA. I had the "ships clock" (a Waltham Railroad watch which had been owned by my grandfather, a watchmaker and jeweler) in hand, as I stepped from the deck into the .....dinghy was not there, and I went straight to the bottom--as I came up--the watch emerged first tightly gripped in my hand. Fortunately some fresh water and gasoline, plus a re-oiling and the watch lasted a number of years. I fell overboard at sea a few years later when I had gone forward to "sweat up the halyard". Halyards were manilla line, and would stretch--periodically one had to "Pull and tighten". 'Fortunately my dad was strong, and he was able to sail back and pull me out of the water on the fly (no life jackets that were comfortable in those days).

About 9 months ago (I am 83 years old), we were side tied to a dock. and a storm was coming in. I wanted to double up the lines, and went forward on the dock, rather than on the narrow side deck of our C Dory 25. As I put a foot on the deck to climb back aboard, I slipped. I probably hit the Calf of my left leg on the dock as I went into the drink. I was able to hold onto the bow pulpit initially, and the commotion got my wife on deck. I slipped down into the water, still holding the base of the pulpit--and any strength in my arms was fading fast. I could not get out on the dock, and feared letting go of the pulpit. I instructed my wife to bring the inflatable around, but I was not able to get into that even with her help. She walked the inflatable to the swim platform. We have a 4 step folding boarding ladder and I as able to get out. I had badly injured my calf muscle, and could not walk without crutches for several months--but we continued our cruise.

As we age, our capabilities of strength and balance deteriorate. We are at greater risks, and need to plan our movements--looking at the potential pitfalls.
 
Just noticed this thread and here's my doofus story. A few years back was rowing out to my sailboat on her mooring with a dinghy full of tools and parts for an afternoon of idle maintenance. Boat has a stern ladder but, over time, rather then lower it and climb around the backstay I'd gotten in the habit of just unhooking a lifeline and climbing over the side into the cockpit.

Standing up in the dinghy, passed a few things into the cockpit then started to climb over the side with another box of parts under arm. With one foot part way up, lost footing and stepped back onto the dinghy gunnel, capsizing the boat and falling into the water between sailboat and dinghy. Grabbed the dinghy and righted it - full of water - as oars and parts slowly drifted away. Not in any real distress, first thought was of course, "God, I hope nobody is watching this!"

Able to hand-splash enough water out of the dinghy to gain some freeboard and climb in, and then hand paddle after the oars and the plastic box, empty of the parts that were in it. At least the box served to bail out most of the remaining water in the dinghy and I started rowing around the harbor retrieving the gear that hadn't sunk. And yes, noticed then that there was indeed an audience on the marina docks enjoying the show!
Joe
 
I have been boating for 54 years and have never fell over so far. I almost fell in once while working a boat show for a boat dealer. The boat next to the one I was on started to pull out of the slip with an after bow spring line was still attached. So that boat started to swing into the boat I was on. I jumped up on the side and put a foot on the side of the other boat to fend it off. I was holding onto the bimini with one hand and had a foot on my boat when someone on the dock released the spring line and the boat took off. I was left hanging onto the bimini and hanging off the side of the boat. I was able to climb back onto the boat because the bimini was very well made and held my considerable weight.

Whenever I am boarding, moving around the boat or departing the boat I am aware of the surroundings and make sure that I have one hand for myself and have a handhold. I also surveyed our boat when we first bought it and looked for places that a handrail was needed or would be helpful. I added 4 handrails to make travel around the boat safer and easier. But I taught boating safety for 30 years so I am constantly looking for what could go wrong and what can I do to prevent the danger or to minimize the danger. Whenever we dock or undock we have a plan and communicate while doing it. And communication means two way communication, one person says something and the other person acknowledges the communication. If there is no acknowledgement then we didn’t communicate.
 
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