MAN OVERBOARD! ...Wait, that’s me!

REPRINTED FROM YACHT-ITY YAK THE JOURNAL OF LONG BEACH YACHT CLUB September 2008 By Judy-Rae Karlsen, LBYCSF Boardmember --
Many of you “on-the-water types” heard the news of the
Rattle & Hum (Antrim 27) near-disaster with crew overboard
during the recent 2008 Santa Barbara-to-King Harbor Regatta.
Well, that seasoned sailor, rescued 22-miles offshore after sunset
was me.
How did it happen? I made a mistake that nearly cost me my
life. Here’s the story:
Our team entered the Santa Barbara-to-King Harbor race as a
practice for next year’s Transpac. The four of us sailing Rattle &
Hum are members of the "Nauti Chicas" Sailing Team and we all
are experienced offshore racers.
After a slow start, the winds picked up as expected and we
were having an awesome ride past Anacapa Island to King
Harbor (Redondo Beach) in 25- gusting to 31-kts of wind running
at 15+ kts boat speed. That Antrim flies in the wind and it
was an exhilarating downwind sail. For several hours, we were
flying off the tops of the waves we did not plow through, and the
green water over the deck finally encouraged me to put on my
foul weather pants to stay dry as I trimmed the main. Then it happened.
One powerful gust of wind and a violent roundup stopped
the boat, and launched me (main trimmer) and Sue Senescu (driver)
right over the low side of the boat and into the ocean. Two
of four crew members went overboard. The boat was pinned on
its side, with the spinnaker still full and dragging in the water, but
the boat continued sailing at 11-knots of boats speed!
Sue was able to grab the aft stanchion and held onto the boat,
but I got caught alongside the boat, trapped by the ankle and
dragged underwater. I knew that I had to get free or I would
drown. I managed to get myself untangled in time to find the surface
and breathe. It was then that I realized I was no longer
attached to the boat… it was sailing away.
For a moment, I was dazed and confused… still reeling from
the panic of almost drowning and a sore shoulder from the fall. I
took a quick inventory. I had no life support, no communication,
and no safety gear. Then it hit me. I was now completely alone in
the water, the sun was setting and I was 22-miles offshore in an
active shipping lane.
What was my costly mistake?….I had put on my foul weather
pants and ignored my life jacket and harness. Huge mistake.
I knew the girls would come back to look for me, but whether
they could see me became a major concern. Two racing sailboats
on a downwind course came within 100-yards of me and they
sailed right by. They never saw me and never heard my screams
for help.
Fifteen more minutes went by and I could see one more spinnaker
on the darkening horizon approaching me on a downwind
course. I learned later that the crew on Sidekick (J37) was already
looking for me in the water. The skipper Bill Webster, had just
turned on his radio and was monitoring Channel 16 when he
heard the location of an MOB on the race course. His crew was
on deck searching for me in the water. One crew member identified
me screaming and waving for help. The team executed their
man overboard drill and pulled me onboard. The rest is history. I
was reunited with my sailing team the “Nauti Chicas” in King
Harbor several hours later.
The point of sharing this experience is simple…my mistake
could have ended in disaster. I learned a valuable lesson…
“Safety First” means from now on in every offshore race and
when conditions require inside the harbor, I will “make the time”
to put on my harness and PFD. Sailing with my friends is an
absolute thrill… treading water alone in the ocean without safety
gear is not. I hope that by sharing my experience, it will encourage
you to practice “Safety First”and enjoy the rest of the summer.
Your family and friends will be glad you did.