Not Man Overboard

[carstenb]

About a month ago, we were exiting the Chesapeake Bay when we spotted this


OUr first thought was: person in a lifevest - not moving
'
OH Christ - a body.

We came around to investigate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDNA41kcLNI

and it turned out that it was a manniquin in a life vest - so obviously a practice dummy that someone lost during a man overboard excercise.

we called the coast guard to report it - but they weren't terribly concerned, telling us we could just pick it up and throw it away when we got to land. We were on our way to New York, told them that and that we didn't have room to carry this thing for the next couple of days.

So they said leave it

I'm surprised - anyone one spotting this is going to think exactly like us - man overboard and investigate.

Shouldn't the CG have come out and picked it up?

[John_Trusty]

Don't know where you were in the Chesapeake, but considering the abundance of Navy on the south shore and the cost of something like that, it was probably a military dummy. No private training company like ASA would invest in something like that - they use a fender, or an old bucket tied to a PFD.

[Tkeeth]

Originally Posted by John_Trusty

Don't know where you were in the Chesapeake, but considering the abundance of Navy on the south shore and the cost of something like that, it was probably a military dummy. No private training company like ASA would invest in something like that - they use a fender, or an old bucket tied to a PFD.

LOL, True. I use an old wore out life jacket.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by John_Trusty

Don't know where you were in the Chesapeake, but considering the abundance of Navy on the south shore and the cost of something like that, it was probably a military dummy. No private training company like ASA would invest in something like that - they use a fender, or an old bucket tied to a PFD.

We were right at Green Buoy #1. We also thought it must be a navy item

[Tkeeth]

Should have strapped him to the mast!

[Twidget]

You found OSCAR..

[chris mac]

Something similar happened to me this weekend. Out single hand, just enjoying a nice day sail, when I saw bright orange bob up a ways up. I started heading that way. About a hundred yards off, I could make out that it was a life jacket. A hundred feet, I could tell it was a kids life jacket... Face down.
Not until about 20 feet away till I as sure it was empty.
That's one of my biggest fears of sailing alone, finding a body, nevermind a kid.
Most likely it just flew out of a motor boat at speed. I retrieved it, just so no one else would go through the same process and feelings.
I can't imagine being in your situation where there was an actual "body" It would be hard to tell the difference until real close.

[PortClydeMe]

Intersting. JAWS 4-D, maybe? Does Spielberg have a summer house around there? Any mechanical sharks in bay that day?

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by chris mac

Something similar happened to me this weekend. Out single hand, just enjoying a nice day sail, when I saw bright orange bob up a ways up. I started heading that way. About a hundred yards off, I could make out that it was a life jacket. A hundred feet, I could tell it was a kids life jacket... Face down.
Not until about 20 feet away till I as sure it was empty.
That's one of my biggest fears of sailing alone, finding a body, nevermind a kid.
Most likely it just flew out of a motor boat at speed. I retrieved it, just so no one else would go through the same process and feelings.
I can't imagine being in your situation where there was an actual "body" It would be hard to tell the difference until real close.

It looked exactly like a real person until we were ready to grab it with a boat hook

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by carstenb

It looked exactly like a real person until we were ready to grab it with a boat hook

Carsten, this reminds me of an all-time funny VHF conversation heard in SF Bay years ago:

It involved the day trip fishing charter boat "Wacky Jackie", which was run by the only female charter skipper around at the time. She called the CG in the early morning saying that she had found a floating body off the city front. CG told her to stand by until a CG boat arrived to retrieve the body. She said "I've got paying customers who wanna go fishing... now". CG said "you WILL stand by until we arrive, and don't loose track of the body". After a bit of grumping she agreed, and they again mentioned not loosing sight of the floater. She replied "Oh, stop worrying... I've got a gaff in it"!

Channel 16 does have its light moments, even when a tragedy is taking place.

Jim

[David M]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Carsten, this reminds me of an all-time funny VHF conversation heard in SF Bay years ago:

It involved the day trip fishing charter boat "Wacky Jackie", which was run by the only female charter skipper around at the time. She called the CG in the early morning saying that she had found a floating body off the city front. CG told her to stand by until a CG boat arrived to retrieve the body. She said "I've got paying customers who wanna go fishing... now". CG said "you WILL stand by until we arrive, and don't loose track of the body". After a bit of grumping she agreed, and they again mentioned not loosing sight of the floater. She replied "Oh, stop worrying... I've got a gaff in it"!

Channel 16 does have its light moments, even when a tragedy is taking place.

Jim

Jackie really is a character.

[Kenomac]

"Wilson!"

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

"Wilson!"

????

Jim

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

????

Jim

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wO_MYX_Oto0

[toddster8]

I can understand why they wouldn't want to scramble personnel over a piece of floating trash, but would think they might put out a Securite call.

From the way the VHF was chattering away over the holiday weekend, it sounded like the Coast Guard had their hands full. (I had the scanner on in the office. While I was wurking. Inside. ) There were at least two Pan-Pan reports of "persons in the water." Followed some time later by, "be advised that the persons in the water are not in need of assistance."