In 2006, on fathers day, we were anchored out at Silver Glen springs. I was rafted up with another boat, and about 75 to the west of us, was a group of three boats. We went to bed about 10 ish or so, and when we woke in the morning, I turned on the marine VHF for a weather report. On 16, there was a guy calling for: "Coast Guard, sheriff, marine patrol, anybody..." I answered and explained that the VHF does not work here because there are very tall trees around it. He said that's why his cell don't work either. Then he said we need police and rescue here we have a couple who are dead from CO poisoning. I ask if he was sure and he said one of the others is an operating room nurse. I said stay on this channel I will call it in on my cell. My cell had an external gain antenna and 911 came right back to me. They were dead when the fire rescue got there.
I asked the FWC officer for a copy of the report, because I write safety articles, and he said sure. I got a copy of the 16 page report from them about a month later. They hired a group which the C G uses to re-create the incident.
The three were rafted with camper canvas up. The canter boat had a built in genny with a side exhaust, and he had a mooring fender between his boat and the victim boat. There were other things which were contributors, but the glaring thing was: the couple had ripped the wires out of the CO monitor on their previous outing because "it was squealing". The mans mother tried to sue the boat manufacturer, and they got a court order to let them see the boat, with her and their lawyers with them. Upon seeing the ripped out wires, they told the mother she had no case
The victim couple were not stupid, but maybe a bit intoxicated. The man was a degreed electric power engineer, and the wife a supervisor at a large bank, and had a business degree.
The point of this is: along with whatever safety devices you have, it requires a bit of common sense, and test them every once in a while. I do so every outing. WE will not let boats without CO monitors raft with us. Just common sense. Once, we had a large group rafted, and several monitors went off. We separated the boats into small groups and no monitors squawked.
I asked the FWC officer for a copy of the report, because I write safety articles, and he said sure. I got a copy of the 16 page report from them about a month later. They hired a group which the C G uses to re-create the incident.
The three were rafted with camper canvas up. The canter boat had a built in genny with a side exhaust, and he had a mooring fender between his boat and the victim boat. There were other things which were contributors, but the glaring thing was: the couple had ripped the wires out of the CO monitor on their previous outing because "it was squealing". The mans mother tried to sue the boat manufacturer, and they got a court order to let them see the boat, with her and their lawyers with them. Upon seeing the ripped out wires, they told the mother she had no case
The victim couple were not stupid, but maybe a bit intoxicated. The man was a degreed electric power engineer, and the wife a supervisor at a large bank, and had a business degree.
The point of this is: along with whatever safety devices you have, it requires a bit of common sense, and test them every once in a while. I do so every outing. WE will not let boats without CO monitors raft with us. Just common sense. Once, we had a large group rafted, and several monitors went off. We separated the boats into small groups and no monitors squawked.
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