D INGHIES
R OCK
O VER
W HEN
N O ONE
I S
N EARBY
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G ONE
OK, it’s far from perfect, but you get the message.
It’s winter now here in Sydney and that means that most sailors and boaters are spending time ashore. So it’s surprising how many drownings there have been recently in New South Wales. David Lockwood, boating columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald, noted last Saturday that at least seven boaters, aged 14 to 80 have drowned in the last month.
Henry Adam, aka 'Arry Driftwood (photo by Don Hartley, c/- AFLOAT Publications)
Among the number was ‘Arry Driftwood, who wrote a monthly column for Afloat magazine. His real name was Henry Adam, aged two days short of his 81st birthday. It was his practice to stand up while steering his outboard-driven dinghy – not one that I would ever recommend. While travelling between the marina and his yacht, Driftwood, he fell into the water and drowned.
Robin Copeland’s July 2011 column gives a warm picture of ‘Arry’s colourful life.
‘Arry’s final column, reflecting on the death of a fellow waterman, includes this pertinent quote that you “need to never let up on your vigilance or you will swiftly become LATE”.
Sudden and unexpected immersion in cold water is, literally, breath-taking. An article, The Truth About Cold Water, on the gCaptain website tells how the body shuts down very quickly as hypothermia sets in.
So, please take care on the water.
I’d seen the ‘Boot Camp’ video before, but not the article. Both should be a mandatory part of any water safety course.
I reckon it is quite likely that ‘Arry Driftwood’ died of a heart attack. As witness his account of accidentally careering around at full throttle after hooking up the starter cord, humans have a powerful survival instinct. Great to go doing what he enjoyed.