Captain watches rescue, warns boaters to be prepared

Capt. Lawrence Baum reminds boaters: “The sea does not care about you so you must care for yourself.” Last week, I had the opportunity to observe Stanwood Camano Fire and Rescue conduct an actual marine-accident rescue on the waters of Saratoga Passage.

A small single-handed catamaran sailboat had capsized upside down close to the Whidbey Island side of the passage, opposite Camano Island State Park. The weather was very challenging for such a small boat with a skipper who was unprepared for the wind and wave conditions.

The fire department’s crew did a superlative job with its small rescue boat in nasty conditions. They made it to the catamaran and righted it. Unfortunately, the sailboat skipper, either because of hypothermia or lack of skill or both, re-capsized and had to be towed to shore.

As the operator of the sailboat concession at Camano Island State Park, I always stress in our lessons that you must be prepared for 1) a capsize and 2) for immersion in cold water.

“Cold water” is legally defined by the US Coast Guard as any water colder than 59 degrees F. Saratoga Passage is never, ever that “warm.”

Any water colder than normal body temperature will rob body heat and eventually cause hypothermia and, in extreme cases, death.

If that person on the small sailboat had not been rescued that afternoon, there would have been a high probability of a fatality due to hypothermia. That person was very lucky that someone on the Whidbey side saw what was happening and called it in.

We at the park could not see it. The first indication we had of a problem was when the “Coasties” showed up in their helicopter and hovered for an extended period over the capsized sailboat. Shortly thereafter, our fire and rescue folks showed up.

Even with the chopper directly over the sailboat, I had to look very hard with binoculars to spot the capsized boat. If no one had seen the problem and reported it, the sailor, in all likelihood, would not have been rescued in time.

We see many people leave the park for a day of fishing with their PFDs (personal flotation devices) on the floor of the boat, not on the people. It’s always interesting that the kids in a family are wearing PFD’s — it is the law — but the parents often do not.

If you capsize or something else happens, the chances of grabbing that PFD and getting it on properly during the stress of the moment are very slim. The only good PFD is the one you are wearing.

Also, a “float plan” is always a good idea: Leave information with someone ashore about where you are going and when you expect to return.

All of our small boat sailors are dressed in wetsuits, booties and gloves to minimize hypothermia, and they all are taught how to right a boat from a cap size and keep on sailing.

Our motto is, “The sea does not care about you so you must care for yourself.”

You must be self-sufficient when out in a sailboat, or any boat.

It is wonderful to have fire and rescue handy, vigilant and well trained.

However, that does not excuse any of us from being prepared when going to sea.

Capt. Lawrence Baum is a US Coast Guard-licensed master operating a Washington State Parks sailboat charter and sailing lessons concession program, Camano Sail and Power, LLC, at Camano Island State Park.