[ Kill Cords ]

This is the moment a boater’s life was put in danger as he fooled about on the Broads.

A shocking two-minute video clip shows a man in an inflatable speedboat weaving around another boat at speed.

The man is then thrown from the dinghy which is left spinning on its own accord with the engine still running.

He then recklessly tries to swim towards the boat, a move which could have cost him a limb or his life.

The Broads Authority has launched an investigation into the incident which is believed to have taken place at the River Waveney, near Oulton Broad, where the speed limit is 5mph.

Today, officials condemned the foolish behavior and reiterated calls for people to be safe on the county’s waterways.

Adrian Vernon, head navigation ranger for the Broads Authority, said: “It was a shocking thing to see. I’ve seen some stupid things in the past but that really is something else.

“He is doing something very dangerous, cutting under the bows of the other boat. If it were me, I would be swimming in the opposite direction to safety, but at one stage he is swimming towards the boat – that propeller would have cost him a limb or his life.”

PC Paul Bassham, from Broads Beat, a team which patrols the 125 miles of rivers during the high season, said: “This is a very silly and stupid thing to do. On this occasion the person has come out laughing, but it could have been very different. From what I have seen on the footage, this person is not wearing a lifejacket and also they have not got a kill cord.”

All modern outboard boats come with a “kill cord” or lanyard which attaches to the passenger and immediately cuts the engine if they topple overboard.

Mr Vernon added: “We would urge everyone on the water to always wear a lifejacket and if you have got an outboard particularly, the kill cord must be worn exactly for that reason.

“I don’t know if the man had been drinking but drinking and helming do not go together.”

The message comes just weeks after another video sequence dubbed Summer of Madness on the Broads was posted on YouTube.

In the clip, holidaymakers on two cruisers at Horning suddenly find their peace shattered, and their crafts rocking, when another boat squeezes between them at a speed far exceeding the regulation 4mph for the stretch.

Elsewhere, the rescue boat and two fire engines were called to help two men who fell into the River Yare, near Kirby Bedon, at the end of last month after their canoe overturned. It was believed the men had been drinking.

A spokesman from Yarmouth coastguard, which has the remit to cover all of the Broads, urged people not to take “unnecessary risks”.

He said: “We do get called to incidents where people are being stupid on the water. We would urge people to wear lifejackets and be aware of what they are doing. It’s common sense really.”

Paul Greasley, managing director of Norfolk Broads Direct, which hires out boats, said: “We tell all our customers to be careful, wear the buoyancy jackets which are freely available, to show respect for others, keep to the speed limits and if they see an incident like that to report it.”

Over the past two years, there have been no boating related deaths on the Broads but of 11 injuries needing hospital treatment last season six were caused when people were stepping on and off boats.

Anyone with more information about the incident is asked to call the Broads Authority on 01603 610734.

A RUNAWAY Jet Ski caused mayhem in the sea off Herne Bay on Sunday.

The fun boat leapt out of the hands of its rider as he tried to fire it up.

It careered off and boats had to dodge the ghost craft, with it amazingly ending up near Southend. (more…)

Visitors to a boat show have told a court how they attempted to rescue a man struck by the propeller of a speeding boat.

Southampton Crown Court has heard how Tristan Douglas-Johnson died after he was hit by the rigid inflatable boat (Rib) at the Southampton International boat show. (more…)

Narrative

As a 4.5m RIB with three teenage occupants approached the beach to pick up a wakeboard, it passed a line of markers indicating the boat was entering an area in which a 4 knot speed limit applied. The driver reduced speed to about half throttle, and commenced a slow left-hand turn. During the turn, the console on which the driver was sitting, and to which the steering wheel was mounted, detached from the deck. The driver was unable to maintain his balance, and fell over the boat’s port side and into the sea.

The RIB immediately turned sharply to starboard, and a passenger who had been sitting on the rubber tube to the driver’s left was thrown into the water. He was immediately struck by the RIB’s rotating propeller. A few seconds later, the remaining passenger panicked, and jumped out of the boat, leaving the now unmanned RIB to circle in a clockwise direction, at a speed of between 10 knots and 15 knots. While circling, the RIB passed sufficiently close to the driver, who was assisting the injured passenger, for its propeller to rip his fleece top. None of the RIB’s occupants were wearing buoyancy aids. (more…)

On 7 November, three RIBS, Kestrel, Eagle, and Lanner had been involved in a corporate sea challenge event with guests embarked. The day finished at Lymington, and once the guests had disembarked, the driver of each boat prepared to return to Southampton. The three RIBS left Lymington at 1730, having called the company engineer to advise him of their ETA. About 10 minutes later, and as they were leaving the Lymington River, the RIB drivers were told over the radio that it was “all clear” to head home in formation. As they were low on fuel, and it was now dark, this would ensure they would remain in company by transiting three abreast or in-line astern. (more…)

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch have published Safety Bulletin in response to two fatalities from a high-speed rigid inflatable boat accident that happened 13 March.

A man and his teenage daughter died during a day trip on inland waters, in their rigid inflatable boat. The MIAB investigation of the tragedy revealed the hydraulic steering system of the RIB was in poor condition and the boat carried no basic safety provisions. With the onset of the summer boating season, it was considered essential to promulgate the lessons to emerge from the investigation so far, so the MAIB has issued this Safety Bulletin. (more…)