No Swimming

[hollywood8118]

It happened in Portland a couple years back.. mom watched her son starting to "drown" and went into the water to save him.. she was also hit and incapacitated.. luckily she was within reach by someone on the dock and was saved.. her son wasn't so lucky. Electricity and fresh water are a bad combo..and it only takes a trickle to be deadly.
I got hit when I did a favor and unwrapped a pot warp that got tangled around my buds passenger ferry that needed to be done in a hurry to make a scheduled run... I think I pissed in my wetsuit when the electricity went through me.

It made me a believer
HOLLYWOOD

 

[Underway]

A few years back we observed a looper boat anchoring out in a small harbor that adjoins Lake Michigan. Within minutes of setting the anchor, the couple jumped off the stern and began soaping down. Unfortunately they didn't realize that the sewage plant at the head of the harbor had a sizeable spill the night before and had dumped thousands of gallons of raw sewage into the inlet. I stopped a passing dinghy and suggested they motor over to the "bathers" with the news. They looked like two of those Sea World performing dolphins coming straight up out of the water.

 

[kthoennes]

Boy, if anybody were to suggest no swimming at our marina, they'd think you had lost your mind. 400 boat marina. People have elaborate blow-up swim toys and platforms, houseboats have slides into the water, people have those scooter/puller things that pull a swimmer around. Every time we come and go I have to check wind speed, direction, and swimmers in the water.

 

[Richard W]

Electricity aside ... swimming in the marina is like kids playing at the residential intersection. Is it safe? No. Is it smart? No. People still do it ... and blame the driver when accident happens.

 

[koliver]

Hollywood: "I think I pissed in my wetsuit"

I thought that was required, to get the water temp up in a hurry.

 

[BandB]

Electricity aside ... swimming in the marina is like kids playing at the residential intersection. Is it safe? No. Is it smart? No. People still do it ... and blame the driver when accident happens.

For just those reasons, almost all marinas we frequent do not allow it. The nicer ones have a beach area of some sort for it or a pool, but no swimming by the docks. Also no fishing off the docks as most boaters prefer not having fishing line wrapped around their props.

 

[eseyoung]

I gotta tell you. I am a will be checking out our boat this weekend.

Can anyone suggest a quick and easy way to spot check around boats? I understand the procedure but where can you pull ground from while standing on the dock?

Swimming, at a marina is not a good idea. I can agree to that. what about if someone falls in? or reaches in to grab a dropped item? it is nothing for me to take my long handled (aluminum) net and scoop trash.

 

[ulysses]

The marina I am at has it done on a regular basis, once a quarter, I believe. You may ask your marina if they do and obtain the records. While the one I am at does do that, they did nothing to a boat other than to ask them to isolate their problem for over a year. As a steel boat owner that lack of enforcement cost me.