Vessel movements in waves cost a crew member part of his thumb while he was trying to recover a yacht’s beach lander.
On a large yacht, the beach lander was to be recovered at the portside shell door. The beach lander was positioned under the davit hooks and secured fore and aft. The forward hook was lowered and a crew member attempted to attach the hook to the strop. At the same time, an unusually big wave that had lifted the beach lander up now was moving to its trough and the small craft descended rapidly, crushing the crew member’s left thumb between the hook and the lifting strop.
The crew member was escorted to another location on the yacht and first aid was administered.
Lessons Learned
- When hooking on in a seaway, ensure there is enough slack in the hook line to accommodate the rise and fall of the boat before attempting the manoeuvre.
- Proper work gloves might have mitigated the extent of injury.
Mars Reports
This is one of the April Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 201925, that are part of Report Number 318. A selection of this Report has also been published in SWZ|Maritime’s May issue.
Submit a Mars Report
More reports are needed to keep the scheme interesting and informative. All reports are read only by the Mars coordinator and are treated in the strictest confidence. To submit a report, please use the Mars report form and send it to mars@nautinst.org.
