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PG Islanders Boat ClubOCTOBER 3, 2013
SOME THOUGHTS ON BOATING SAFETY IN AMERICA
BY
KIKO VILLALON
CAVEAT
ALTHOUGH I HAVE TAKEN STATISTICAL FIGURES FROM UNITED STATES COAST GUARD DATA, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE MY OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY AGREE WITH WITH THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS.
OUTLINE OF MY TALK
INTRODUCTION
A SNAP-SHOT OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SAFETY ON AMERICAN WATERWAYS
WHO DID THIS JOB?
WHAT’S LEFT TO BE DONE?
THE TIGER TEAM WORK
PG Islanders Boat Club
A SNAP-SHOT OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SAFETY ON THE AMERICAN WATERWAYS
WHO DID THIS JOB?
WHAT’S LEFT TO BE DONE?
THE TIGER TEAM WORK
PG Islanders Boat Club
WHO DID THIS JOB?
WHAT’S LEFT TO BE DONE?
THE TIGER TEAM WORK
WHO DID THIS JOB?
PG Islanders Boat Club
WHAT’S LEFT TO BE DONE?
THE TIGER TEAM WORK
WHAT’S LEFT TO BE DONE?
HOW TO INTERPRET STATS. AND ASSESS POTENTIAL WORK TO REDUCE FATALITIES
2005 TOTAL BOATING DEATHS….. 697
REPORTED DROWNED…………….. 491
DROWNED W/O PFD ……………….. 427
“DROWNED” W/ PFD………………… 64
POTENTIAL LIVES SAVED……….. -427
IF THIS HAD BEEN THE CASE,
THE NUMBER OF BOATING
DEATHS IN 2005
COULD HAVE BEEN……..………….. 270
PG Islanders Boat Club
THE TIGER TEAM WORK
“CYNTHIA WOODS”A CAPE FEAR 38 OWNED BYTEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY
ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE 8, 2008
THE CYNTHIA WOODS, WHICH WAS RACING BETWEEN
GALVESTON, TEXAS AND VERACRUZ, MEXICO, LOST HER KEEL AT 2300 HR. AND IMMEDIATELY CAPSIZED. A “SAFETY OFFICER” PUSHED TWO OFF-WATCH STUDENT
CREW OUT OF THE CABIN BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO SAVE
HIMSELF.
THE RACE-CREW OF THE CYNTHIA WOODS MOMENTS BEFORE DEPARTURE
ROGER STONE
THE MARINE SAFETY UNIT OF US COAST GUARD STATION GALVESTON WAS CHARGED WITH THE FORMAL INVESTIGATION. THIS UNIT ASKED THE USCG OFFICE OF BOATING SAFETY (MY BOSSES) FOR HELP, AND I
WAS ORDERED TO JOIN THE INVESTIGATION IN GALVESTON UNDER LIEUTENANT COMMANDER JAMES ELLIOTT
I PROCEEDED AS FOLLOWS:
INSPECTED THE SUBJECT VESSEL AND HER SISTER SHIP
COLLECTED A LARGE NUMBER OF SAMPLES OF THE BOAT FOR LABORATORY ANALYSIS
PROCEEDED TO MAKE ALL DESIGN CALCULATIONS APPROPIATE TO THE INCIDENT
INTERVIEWED ALL PARTIES RELATED IN ANY WAY TO THE INCIDENT
TURNED A DEAF EAR TO ALL CRITICS ON THE SAILING BLOGS AND FORUMS
WROTE THE REPORT OF MY FINDINGS AND MY CONCLUSIONS
REFUSED TO MEET WITH THE UNIVERSITY’S OFFICIALS, WHO WANTED TO “NEGOTIATE”
MY FINDINGSTHE VESSEL SUFFERED A HARD GROUNDING ONE YEAR BEFORE THE
CAPSIZING ACCIDENT
DAMAGE INCLUDEDKEEL SEPARATION ON THE LEADING EDGE
AND ALSO DAMAGE TO THE TRAILING EDGE
OF THE KEEL
MY ASSESSMENT OF THE GROUNDING DAMAGE
AFTER THE FATAL CAPSIZING WE FOUND THE KEEL, USING AN ROV, 114 FEET
DOWN, ON THE BOTTOM OF THE GULF OF MEXICO
HULL DELAMINATION DAMAGE DUE TO GROUNDING ON THE LEADING AREA OF THE
KEEL IN TENSION
AND TO THE TRAILING EDGE AREA OF THE KEEL
IN COMPRESSION
CONSEQUENCES OF THE CRACKING OF NO. 5 FLOOR
MRS. BROWN PLEA
MY JOB DEALS WITH DEATH ALL THE TIME. I TRY TO INSULATE MYSELF AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FROM THE HUMAN ASPECT OF EACH
CASE.SOMETIMES THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE.
MRS. BROWN WAS ONE OF THOSE.
IT HAPPENED ON A LAKE ABOUT ONE HOUR EAST OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA.
MR BROWN HAD BEEN IN IRAQ AND WAS COMING HOME FOR A TWO-WEEK VISITWHEN...............
A COLLISION AT 115 MPH
THE NASHVILLE CATZ WAS A NORTECH 42 FT RACING CATAMARAN WITH BIG POWER
THE BOW AREA
THE ELIMINATOR WAS A CALIFORNIA-BUILT40-FT. CATAMARAN CAPABLE OF 167 MPH
THE TWO VESSELS WERE ON A POKER RUN ON LAKE TEXOMA, OKLAHOMA RUNNING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AND ABOUT TO CROSS EACH OTHER.
EACH VESSEL WAS GOING 115 MPH. IN THE FLASH OF AN INSTANT, SOMETHING WENT WRONG WITH THE ELIMINATOR. IT SPUN 180 DEGREES
DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE NASHVILLE CATZ, WHICH PROCEEDED TO PLOW OVER THE ELIMINATOR, BLOWING BOTH BOATS APART AND KILLING
EVERYBODY BUT THE DRIVER OF THE NASHVILLE CATZ, WHO REMEMBERED NOTHING.
THE OKLAHOMA MARINE UNIT SALVAGED THE BOATS, SET THE PIECES IN AN OPEN FIELD, AND CALLED THE COAST GUARD TO FIND THE CAUSATIVE
REASON FOR THE COLLISION. A CASE FOR THE TIGER TEAM !
THIS IS WHAT I FOUND:
ALL NEATLY PILED UP
PART OF THE STRINGER SYSTEM
MY HEAD WAS THROBBING
FORGOT TO TELL YOUTHE ELIMNATOR WAS EQUIPPED WITH TWO
HELICOPTER JET TURBINE ENGINES
THE TIP OF THE ARNESON DRIVE AND THE PROPELLER IMPACTED THE FUEL TANK OF THE
NASHVILLE CATZ
OOPS--ALL OF A SUDDEN I DISCOVERED THIS PART (4 PICTURES OF SAME)
AND EVERYTHING CAMEINTO PLACE:
THE OWNER OF THE ELIMINATOR HAD MODIFIED THE ARNESON TRIM TABS BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THEY WERE
TOO BIG.
UNFORTUNATELY ONE FAILED.....
THE STORY ENDS WITH A VERY SAD EPISODE:
TWO WEEKS AFTER MY
INVESTIGATIONA GENTLEMAN CALLED,
ASKING ME TO DO HIM A FAVOR.HE WAS CRYING, AND WANTED TO
KNOW HOW AND WHY HIS DAUGHTER AND SON-IN-LAW DIED?IT TOOK ME TWO HOURS TO TELL
HIM.