Well, after a slightly violent pitchpole this week, my crew has two scraped arms and a bruise the size of a softball on his hip. (I came out fine since I landed on him--that's what crew is for, right? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />) Anyway, it got me to wondering what the worst injury anyone here has sustained (or seen sustained by crew) when pitchpoling. Anyone care to share?

I girl broke her toe on my boat once. I got caught in the return shockcord. Other than that just some bruises.

My crew once broke his rib on the shroud. He was a newbie out for his first sail on a multi (with little to no sailing experience at all)and wasn't out on the wire. I f'ed up by not realizing how windy it was out of the lee of the beach we launched from. Anyway, we pitchpoled, he flew into the shroud with his flank and cracked a rib. It wasmy all time worst day on the water as this was/is one of my best friends in the world.

I once slammed my hip into the trailing edge of the daggerboard whilst pitchpoling and could barely walk due to the softball sized welt raised on my hip. That hurt for weeks.

Other than that, just your typical bumps and bruises.

I was sailing as crew for a friend on a Prindle 19. Heavy air, rounded the weather mark so fast that he flew away from the boat only holding onto the tiller. This caused the boat to pitchpole. He was on the wire and was swung around and hit the mast, which broke his neck. Foretunely it did not sever his spinal cord. He spent 6 months in a halo, he had to give up sailing (cats anyway). However he was very lucky and is not paralyzed.

Last summer I was filming people fly the hull over my head and thought it was so cool I had to do it. I knew in the back of my mind this was the PERFECT opportunity for something to go wrong.

I gave the camera to someone else and jumped on my cat. I sailed past the camera with barley enough wind to get the hull up. As I turned around for another pass... I hooked up to the trap wire hoping for a puff. I did not go out on the wire, but was ready.

I passed the camera without wind to fly and then a puff hit me and lifted the hull. As I pushed the tiller away from me to head up.... the extended tiller simply collapsed. Then as a desperate move to avoid capsizing, I pushed off with my feet to go out on the hull, my foot slipped down the trampoline and whoosh, over I went.

Well I was still hooked to the wire, hanging momentary until it unclipped. Somehow I fell onto the lower shroud wire…yup you guessed it… between the legs! SOMEHOW…. It only hurt a little. It is true I had a few drinks in me but it was really only my pride that was hurt. I had just capsized in front of a few dozen people on the island, and worst of all it was caught on film!!!

And now for your viewing pleasure… (I have no shame) - YouTube Video

Holy crap.....

Broken rib

Back in 1975 I used to take tourists out for rides on a Hobie 14. US$10/hour. Had just convinced a potential customer that you only flip if you're careless, or don't know what you're doing. He said he'd try it after lunch. That was about 90 mins away, so I figure I could get-in another trip before then. I pushed off the beach to go prospecting and was just slumming sitting comfortable on the trampoline looking down when a strong hit me. The 14 took off. It went up quickly on one side and then before I could react to release the the mainsheet, it dove-in deep. You know how those 14s and 16s don't like to come out of the hole. Before I knew it, both rudders came up and over we (hobie and I) went, nose first. I got long gash on my right thigh from hitting one of the stays, but I'm not sure which. It was violent and bloody. Needless the say, my potential customer saw the whole thing. I wonder why he didn't show up for the 12:30 appointment. I could have explained the whole thing favorably. Honest.

All it takes is killing 1 person accidentally without insurance or a premit and I bet you would rethink the value of your $10/hour rate.

Sailing at Rio Vista 2 heavy weights on a h-18 pitched and took the ride arround the bow. My harness stayed connected and as the boat turtled in the current and wind began dragging me under. I had to undo my life jacket to relieve the force on the trap handle. Then I sprang free from about 2 feet under. I almosy became a statistic that day and got new traps right away.

During the Annapolis to Oxford race last year a N-20 drove into the back of wave at high speed. The crew flew into the trailing edge of the daggerboard and suffered a major injury to his lower leg (initially reported as a compound fracture, in fact a cut and peel of tissue down to the bone along the front of his shin. That apparently happened through his drysuit and under clothing.

Ouch!

$10/hr

1975 was a very different time.

I have been waiting to hear this story. I knew it had to be out there. I am never raising my boards again!

Boat nearly pitch poled, crew flew across the trampolin and hit something with her cheekbone. It was not broken, but she got a huge black eye and a scar as souvenir, still better than a lost eye. She sailed again with me... tough girl. Maybe I was more shocked than her.

Cheers,

Klaus

I used to not sail with sunglasses because it always irritated me whenever any water got on them. Now I alwasy wear them for protection reasons. A lot of high tension stuff flying around and eyeballs are difficult to repair. Trey also helped me with this decision.

I think this is an important aspect, as somebody in our fleet suffered a pretty severe injury to the eye from a flying trap dogbone. I was surprised to see how few eye wear models have any kind of impact resistance. The sunglasses themselves could be the thing that causes the injury.

I think most "name brand" (whatever that means <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ) glasses have some level of impact protection. I guess I can't back that up with any data though.

I've started to look at the packaging specifically for this. It's interesting to note that, for instance, a lot of goggles designed for PWC use have no impact resistance. In looking into to this I figured that given a PWC's performance that impact resistance would be a good thing in goggle. Apparently not. I notice my Barz state impact resistance, but the Dirty Dogs I've been wearing for awhile would most likely push the lens into my eye if it took a hit. In fact I lost one of the lens in a minor whack during a capsize. Just something to look at and consider. (and yes I do own a PWC...)

I've almost thought that buying a pack of shaded polarized work shade from Home Depot might be a good solution - impact resistance, and cheap (don't worry about losing them, just grab another out of the pack).

Lacerations on my left thigh after being thrown against the mast when pitchpoling downwind.

Ruptured eardrum after hitting water at an awkward angle during A mark rounding.

That was 1975 on a tiny Caribbean island. Back then nobody got sued for anything. Even now, I'd bet all those wave runner operators don't have liability insurance.