PG Islanders Boat ClubOCTOBER 3, 2013

SOME THOUGHTS ON BOATING SAFETY IN AMERICA

BY

KIKO VILLALON

CAVEAT

ALTHOUGH I HAVE TAKEN STATISTICAL FIGURES FROM UNITED STATES COAST GUARD DATA, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE MY OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY AGREE WITH WITH THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS.

OUTLINE OF MY TALK

INTRODUCTION

A SNAP-SHOT OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SAFETY ON AMERICAN WATERWAYS

WHO DID THIS JOB?

WHAT’S LEFT TO BE DONE?

THE TIGER TEAM WORK

PG Islanders Boat Club

A SNAP-SHOT OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SAFETY ON THE AMERICAN WATERWAYS

WHO DID THIS JOB?

WHAT’S LEFT TO BE DONE?

THE TIGER TEAM WORK

PG Islanders Boat Club

WHO DID THIS JOB?

WHAT’S LEFT TO BE DONE?

THE TIGER TEAM WORK

WHO DID THIS JOB?

PG Islanders Boat Club

WHAT’S LEFT TO BE DONE?

THE TIGER TEAM WORK

WHAT’S LEFT TO BE DONE?

HOW TO INTERPRET STATS. AND ASSESS POTENTIAL WORK TO REDUCE FATALITIES

2005 TOTAL BOATING DEATHS….. 697

REPORTED DROWNED…………….. 491

DROWNED W/O PFD ……………….. 427

“DROWNED” W/ PFD………………… 64

POTENTIAL LIVES SAVED……….. -427

IF THIS HAD BEEN THE CASE,

THE NUMBER OF BOATING

DEATHS IN 2005

COULD HAVE BEEN……..………….. 270

PG Islanders Boat Club

THE TIGER TEAM WORK

“CYNTHIA WOODS”A CAPE FEAR 38 OWNED BYTEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY

ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE 8, 2008

THE CYNTHIA WOODS, WHICH WAS RACING BETWEEN

GALVESTON, TEXAS AND VERACRUZ, MEXICO, LOST HER KEEL AT 2300 HR. AND IMMEDIATELY CAPSIZED. A “SAFETY OFFICER” PUSHED TWO OFF-WATCH STUDENT

CREW OUT OF THE CABIN BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO SAVE

HIMSELF.

THE RACE-CREW OF THE CYNTHIA WOODS MOMENTS BEFORE DEPARTURE

ROGER STONE

THE MARINE SAFETY UNIT OF US COAST GUARD STATION GALVESTON WAS CHARGED WITH THE FORMAL INVESTIGATION. THIS UNIT ASKED THE USCG OFFICE OF BOATING SAFETY (MY BOSSES) FOR HELP, AND I

WAS ORDERED TO JOIN THE INVESTIGATION IN GALVESTON UNDER LIEUTENANT COMMANDER JAMES ELLIOTT

I PROCEEDED AS FOLLOWS:

INSPECTED THE SUBJECT VESSEL AND HER SISTER SHIP

COLLECTED A LARGE NUMBER OF SAMPLES OF THE BOAT FOR LABORATORY ANALYSIS

PROCEEDED TO MAKE ALL DESIGN CALCULATIONS APPROPIATE TO THE INCIDENT

INTERVIEWED ALL PARTIES RELATED IN ANY WAY TO THE INCIDENT

TURNED A DEAF EAR TO ALL CRITICS ON THE SAILING BLOGS AND FORUMS

WROTE THE REPORT OF MY FINDINGS AND MY CONCLUSIONS

REFUSED TO MEET WITH THE UNIVERSITY’S OFFICIALS, WHO WANTED TO “NEGOTIATE”

MY FINDINGSTHE VESSEL SUFFERED A HARD GROUNDING ONE YEAR BEFORE THE

CAPSIZING ACCIDENT

DAMAGE INCLUDEDKEEL SEPARATION ON THE LEADING EDGE

AND ALSO DAMAGE TO THE TRAILING EDGE

OF THE KEEL

MY ASSESSMENT OF THE GROUNDING DAMAGE

AFTER THE FATAL CAPSIZING WE FOUND THE KEEL, USING AN ROV, 114 FEET

DOWN, ON THE BOTTOM OF THE GULF OF MEXICO

HULL DELAMINATION DAMAGE DUE TO GROUNDING ON THE LEADING AREA OF THE

KEEL IN TENSION

AND TO THE TRAILING EDGE AREA OF THE KEEL

IN COMPRESSION

CONSEQUENCES OF THE CRACKING OF NO. 5 FLOOR

MRS. BROWN PLEA

MY JOB DEALS WITH DEATH ALL THE TIME. I TRY TO INSULATE MYSELF AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FROM THE HUMAN ASPECT OF EACH

CASE.SOMETIMES THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE.

MRS. BROWN WAS ONE OF THOSE.

IT HAPPENED ON A LAKE ABOUT ONE HOUR EAST OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

MR BROWN HAD BEEN IN IRAQ AND WAS COMING HOME FOR A TWO-WEEK VISITWHEN...............

A COLLISION AT 115 MPH

THE NASHVILLE CATZ WAS A NORTECH 42 FT RACING CATAMARAN WITH BIG POWER

THE BOW AREA

THE ELIMINATOR WAS A CALIFORNIA-BUILT40-FT. CATAMARAN CAPABLE OF 167 MPH

THE TWO VESSELS WERE ON A POKER RUN ON LAKE TEXOMA, OKLAHOMA RUNNING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AND ABOUT TO CROSS EACH OTHER.

EACH VESSEL WAS GOING 115 MPH. IN THE FLASH OF AN INSTANT, SOMETHING WENT WRONG WITH THE ELIMINATOR. IT SPUN 180 DEGREES

DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE NASHVILLE CATZ, WHICH PROCEEDED TO PLOW OVER THE ELIMINATOR, BLOWING BOTH BOATS APART AND KILLING

EVERYBODY BUT THE DRIVER OF THE NASHVILLE CATZ, WHO REMEMBERED NOTHING.

THE OKLAHOMA MARINE UNIT SALVAGED THE BOATS, SET THE PIECES IN AN OPEN FIELD, AND CALLED THE COAST GUARD TO FIND THE CAUSATIVE

REASON FOR THE COLLISION. A CASE FOR THE TIGER TEAM !

THIS IS WHAT I FOUND:

ALL NEATLY PILED UP

PART OF THE STRINGER SYSTEM

MY HEAD WAS THROBBING

FORGOT TO TELL YOUTHE ELIMNATOR WAS EQUIPPED WITH TWO

HELICOPTER JET TURBINE ENGINES

THE TIP OF THE ARNESON DRIVE AND THE PROPELLER IMPACTED THE FUEL TANK OF THE

NASHVILLE CATZ

OOPS--ALL OF A SUDDEN I DISCOVERED THIS PART (4 PICTURES OF SAME)

AND EVERYTHING CAMEINTO PLACE:

THE OWNER OF THE ELIMINATOR HAD MODIFIED THE ARNESON TRIM TABS BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THEY WERE

TOO BIG.

UNFORTUNATELY ONE FAILED.....

THE STORY ENDS WITH A VERY SAD EPISODE:

TWO WEEKS AFTER MY

INVESTIGATIONA GENTLEMAN CALLED,

ASKING ME TO DO HIM A FAVOR.HE WAS CRYING, AND WANTED TO

KNOW HOW AND WHY HIS DAUGHTER AND SON-IN-LAW DIED?IT TOOK ME TWO HOURS TO TELL

HIM.