From the Boathouse: Giving laurels to the lifesavers

Ahoy!

Recently, two towboat captains received the Woody Pollak Lifesaving Award from BoatU.S. at a conference in Clearwater Beach, Fla. You may remember Capt. Woody, who passed away off Corona del Mar while being towed on a surfboard.

He operated Newport Harbor’s local Vessel Assist boat and was a welcome face on the water, especially to the many boaters he towed back to a safe harbor. I knew Pollak personally, and from time to time, Capt. John McCarty and I would run his boat so he could take time off from being on call 24 hours. After his death, Vessel Assist named an award in his honor.

Well, on the West Coast, Capt. Bret Thompson received the award for saving a life at sea. He was skippering Vessel Assist Shelter Island when a commercial boat captain had a stroke aboard the Heather Anne about a half a mile off Point Loma. Thompson was performing a salvage operation nearby when the mayday call broke the airwaves, and his quick response along with that of his crew saved the captain’s life.

Capt. Bob Macko was operating TowBoatUS Buffalo, in New York, when a recreational boat capsized in 55-degree waters. The three people onboard were rescued by Macko, who dropped them off onshore and then returned to dewater the capsized boat for towing back to port.

Thanks to all the tow captains who assist boaters in times of need, day or night.

Tip of the week: Did you know that many boats are stolen this time of year when the owners are not using them, and that many vessels are easy picking? If you want to know just how easy, ask the boat owners who forgot to leave me the keys when I was scheduled to leave the dock at 4 a.m. on a yacht delivery run. However, countless boats on trailers are simply towed out of driveways by thieves who just back in a vehicle and hitch up the trailer.

What made me think about this was an interesting email I received from a reader who was concerned about leaving his boat at a storage yard. The largest percent of recreational watercraft are 26 feet or less, which is a towing size with a beam that is eight feet or less.

Personal watercraft seemed to top thieves’ lists. Less-mobile vessels, such as sailboats and heavy, slow trawlers, were decidedly unattractive targets for thieves. However, boats are stolen off larger yachts. These would include the tenders and kayaks. Secure your vessels, whether in your driveway or a storage yard or on your yacht.

Additionally, in any harbor, like Newport Harbor, valuable items such as TVs, stereos, microwaves, fishing gear and electronics might be stolen even if the boat isn’t. I find it unbelievable when I walk along the docks and notice an expensive Penn fishing reel in plain view — a fishing reel worth hundreds of dollars — just waiting for someone to snatch it.

The old advice to keep your possessions out of sight will help discourage someone from breaking into your boat. Remember, sometimes the damage that thieves do breaking in exceeds the value of what was stolen.

For those who will continue to go boating during the winter, the water temperatures are low and hypothermia will be quick for someone who has fallen in the water.

Check your man-overboard throwable device; most boats are required to have a ring buoy with a line attached to it. It is imperative to get a flotation device to someone in the water fast, because in cold water a person loses muscle control and becomes unable to hold onto anything for survival. This especially makes it difficult to climb a swim ladder onto the boat.

Where is your device, and is it ready to use without the line being tangled? Remember to toss the buoy underhanded over the person’s head, pulling the buoy back to the unintentional swimmer. You can keep a spare life jacket or a floatable seat cushion by the skipper to throw.

Take a moment and think about what to do on your boat if someone falls overboard. And do not forget to plan for what to do if the skipper falls overboard.

In addition, a few people have drowned because everyone jumped overboard to go swimming and forgot to lower the swim ladder so everyone could climb back in the yacht.

As always, just keep an eye to the weather for any changes. Please be boat smart and boat safe. Lastly, please boat responsibly and look behind you before you turn the wheel at the helm.

The original boating program, “Boathouse TV & Radio Shows,” has stretched from coast to coast for more than two decades. See the details at https://www.boathousetv.com, https://www.facebook.com/boathouseradio and https://www.twitter.com/boathouseradio.

Safe voyages!

MIKE WHITEHEAD is a boating columnist for the Daily Pilot. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to mike@boathousetv.com or go to https://www.boathousetv.com.