A Course for Safe Boating

118

California Boating

Chapter 5

Accident Prevention and Rescue

If the skier is re-entering the boat, the operator should turn the engine

off before the skier comes on board. You may be able to leave the engine

on if your boat design has the propeller a good distance away from the

skier. For instance, many boats specially designed for water skiing have

a swim step on the stern and a propeller that is mounted amidships. In

either case, the water skier should be brought into the boat over the stern.

Case Study

A person had just finished skiing and was sitting on the swim step of a

vessel, pulling in the ski line. The ski flag was raised, as there was still a

ski line in the water. A second vessel came very close to this vessel at a

high rate of speed and ran over the ski rope, which became caught in the

propeller. The line then broke, and snapped back, striking the person on the

swim step in the stomach and leg. She sustained third degree burns and a

fractured pelvis.

Questions:

1. Identify the mistakes that the people made and the proper actions they

could have taken.

2. What could this person have done differently to prevent this accident?

3. What steps could you take to rescue the victims and/or make the

situation better?

REMEMBER

the b

oat is put into neutral while

the engine is running, the propeller

may continue to spin for a short time

and cause serious injury. You should

make sure that the propeller is no

longer spinning before allowing a

skier near it.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Adaptive Recreation Center