Open Water-Adrift (the movie)

[T37Chef]

Do you have a way to get back aboard your boat if you fell overboard or like the movie, just went for a quick dip? After watching the movie ( Open Water 2: Adrift - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) last night I am reminded I really must give it more thought. I've come to the conclusion that getting back on board my boat in anything but a calm sea could prove to be very difficult, if not almost impossible?

It's evident to me now that a swim platform is as much a safety feature as it is a convenience, unfortunately our boat does not have one .

Of course I have a swim ladder on the stern, which is nicely folded up to the stern rail with a string attached and trapped between the rail and the dingy hanging from the davits, another ! (sure, when we go for a swim I lower the dingy into the water and access the ladder but? )

What an idiot right? (okay no need to really answer that)

First thing I am going to do is keep the ladder only half folded up on the stern. Second, drag a floating line behind the boat, and third ______? Would you please fill in the blank for me.

I hope that this thread may have some others consider the same thing, there is a lot of us who are out there sailing boats with no easy re-entry from water without some undoing of things I suspect? Maybe not, everyone has thought of this already am I am the only one whom hasn't got a reliable plan?

BTW, I know, wear harness/tethers right and this is a mute point...I don't think so Watch the movie!

[sailingdog]

My swim ladder is only five inches above the water, and easily retrieved to get one back aboard... then again, pulling oneself up onto the ama deck is also an option on my boat...

[deniseO30]

heck, just swimming while on the boat is anchored it's hard to get back on the boat. I think a harness really would be the only way. Make it near impossible to fall off rather then wonder how to get back aboard? I have seen a few old timers in smaller boats trailing lines behind them. Pretty sure my boat would start circling if it's motoring. but under sail? don't know!

[okawbow]

I keep a homemade 2" strap with 3 foot loops rigged on the stern of the boat. I can reach it from the water, and have used it to get back into the boat when kedging out an anchor.

[SJ34]

That movie was painful to watch. Too many holes and leaps of logic for me to get into it. I know it would be difficult if not impossible to get back aboard a yacht that size without any tools...but they had plenty of tools. They had a knife, clothing, at least one PFD, several strong athletic men and several petit women who could have been hoisted to the rail.

I know I know, they needed potential solutions to create some drama but I just couldn't stand to watch it in one sitting.

[SJ34]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot they had an anchor. Well, there was at least one shot in the movie that showed an anchor rode in the water. That may have been a blooper.

[T37Chef]

Yea, it was not an Oscar worthy movie thats for sure, but I believe it was "based" on a true story? Have you ever tried jumping out of the water with nothing to push off of? Ain't easy, maybe for Phelps, but not me.

Edit: All I could find about the truth of the story is yes, all the people on board jumped over before preparing the boarding ladder, all died, the rest of the movie was fiction. I would be curious how common that sort of thing happens though?

Its not really my intention to debate the quality of the movie, the acting, the plot, etc etc...but to use it more as a topic of discussion related to ones safety aboard. It made me think more about how my wife and I conduct ourselves underway and the precautions we currently take and ones that maybe we should revisit?