Suddenly Overboard: True Stories of Sailors in Fatal Trouble - Softcover

Lochhaas, Tom

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0071803319 ISBN 13: 9780071803311

Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press, 2013

Synopsis

WHEN YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO DROWN WHILE BOATING: SAILING ON ROUGH WATERS OR DOCKING ON A SUNNY, CALM DAY?

Rough waters may seem the clear choice to you, but docking on a sunny, calm day can turn just as deadly--all you have to do is fail to think. That is what happened to author Tom Lochhaas more than twenty years ago, when he fell off his boat in its harbor and struggled to get out of the frigid water, even with help from a friend. Without a personal flotation device, he'd become a soaked dead weight within moments. Complacency had turned a simple docking into a potentially fatal endeavor. Tom realized after this that he had to change his attitude about sailing safety.

With Suddenly Overboard, Tom will change your attitude about water safety, sharing stories about sailors who experienced catastrophes when least expecting them and who were rescued, or who died, or who lived to tell the tale simply by good luck. Consider the facts:

• Only 22 percent of adults wear PFDs consistently while sailing . . .
• Only 50 percent of sailing fatalities happened while the victims were actually sailing; other sailors were docking or anchoring, etc., when tragedy hit . . .
• In 40 percent of cases, sailors drowned while their boat was still upright. . . .

Using stories from the U.S. Coast Guard and similar agencies in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere, Tom exposes the mundane yet fatal mistakes sailors make every day. You'll find yourself thinking, "If these are how most sailors actually die, then what if I was in that situation?" You'll suddenly realize that you are in these deadly situations every time you get on a boat. Reading Suddenly Overboard: True Stories of Sailors in Fatal Trouble will help you recognize and avoid unseen dangers and return to dry land safely.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Tom Lochhaas is an avid sailor with more than 30 years of experience in sailboats of all sizes, experienced in coastal cruising as well as club round-the-buoy racing and offshore voyaging. For the last three years, Lochhaas has been the sailing writer for the Internet information site About.com. In this capacity he has already written extensively about seamanship and sailing safety issues, including both equipment reviews and behavioral/attitudinal safety articles. Lochhaas was the editor of Treacherous Waters and Intrepid Voyagers.

Review:

[Five-star review] Reality check? Author Tom Lochhaas doesn't take anything for granted when it comes to sailing and neither should you. Be you an experienced sailor, or someone just starting out, this is a sailor's bible you won't want to leave home without. Twelve Chapters filled with a plethora of stories of tragic sailing accidents where he picks apart each tragic incident and points out what went wrong and how many of the tragedies could have been prevented, often times as easily as wearing a personal floatation device (PFD). "One of you old farts remember sandwiches? This is by no means a scare tactic to prevent people from setting foot upon the ocean. In fact it is the complete opposite. As a highly skilled sailor with over thirty years of sailing beneath his belt, he simply wants to inform those who are water bound of the often times tragic accidents that don't always have to be and that being prepared and aware is the best way to ensure survival. Having a desire to someday live upon the big blue ocean, this book is a vital resource and survival tool best not left behind. I know I valued every word and feel better about my future endeavors. Reviewed by Kim Heimbuch San Francisco Book Review 20130708

About this edition

• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0071803319
• ISBN 13: 9780071803311
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208