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The
Officers, Directors and Members of
US SAILING
are
pleased to present the
ARTHUR B. HANSON RESCUE MEDAL
to
for the rescue as follows:
On
May 29, 2004 at the Ida Lewis Yacht Club and Sail Newport Memorial Day
Regatta, winds were 17-20 mph with a 1'- 3' chop, water temperature at
43-degrees and air temperature at 53-degrees. Christopher Withers
on Angela, a Shields was trimming main at the first windward mark
where he lost his balance and fell overboard.
The
Ida Lewis Yacht Club mark boat Limerock immediately came to
assist with John Hall and Patrick Kennedy on board. Between the wet clothing, inflated PFD, weight of Withers, and the effects of
hypothermia, Hall and Kennedy could not lift him out of the water.
The fourth place Shields Ann, saw what was occurring and steered
to Limerock's position. Skipper Peter Muir, left the helm
on Ann to another crew and jumped aboard Limerock.
Now with the strength of three on board Limerock, Muir gave
directions to Withers to get one leg up within reach and the three were
able to pull Withers on board after he had been struggling in the very
cold waters for 5 minutes.
Congratulations to Peter Muir
for coming to the aid of a mariner in distress, giving directions
and saving Withers from the clutches of hypothermia and potentially
fatal consequences. US SAILING is pleased to present the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue
Medal in recognition of this event.
Bill
Munster
Safety
at Sea Chairman
by direction
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The
Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal was presented July 8, 2006 at Sail
Newport
by US SAILING Board Member Susan Epstein. |
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DETAILS:
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During the Memorial Day Regatta organized my Sail Newport on May 29th
2004; I was a crewmember and coach on "Angela" Shields # 164.
As we rounded the windward mark in the lead in the first race, I lost my
balance and fell overboard. Fortunately the mark boat belonging to ILYC
saw the incident and immediately came to my aid. Since I was wearing full
foul weather gear, warm clothes, and shoes with a body weight of 250# two men were unable to get me into the mark boat despite the fact that I
had inflated my life jacket. Due to the cold water and struggling to
inflate my life jacket I was completely exhausted and could not help my
rescuers. Luckily Peter Muir who was skippering "Ann" shields
# 163 in about 4th place saw the struggle and instead of rounding
proceeded to circle around the mark boat and pulled alongside. Leaving
the helm to another person he jumped into the mark boat and came to my
aid. After telling him to grab my leg he and the other two persons were
able to get me into the boat.
I
feel that without his quick wit and selfless action I could have been
lost or seriously injured.
To add further insult to injury, Peter Muir was in a later race knocked
unconscious and knocked overboard during an accidental gybe. One of his
crewmen knowing he did not have on a self-inflating life jacket jumped
into the water and pulled the tabs inflating his lifejacket. By separate
letter the alternate skipper of #163 will be recommended for a life
saving award as well.
Date
of Incident: 29 May 2004
Event Name: Annual Newport Memorial Day Regatta
Sponsoring Club: Sail Newport, Newport, RI
Body of Water: Narragansett Bay
Was this Day or Night? Day
Air Temperature?: 50-55
Water Temperature: 40-45
What was the wind speed?: 17-20
Sea State?: 1-3 ft
Victims Name?: Christopher Withers
Boat Name: "Angela"
Shields #164
What position was the victim working in: Main Trim, coaching
Was a PFD Worn?: Yes,
inflatable
Rescuing Boat #1
Skippers Name: John Hall
Crews Name: Patrick Kennedy
Boat Name:
Limerock
Boat Type: 22' ARC inflatable
Rescuing Boat #2
Skippers Name: Peter Muir
Boat Name: "Ann" Shields #163
Nature of the Incident: MOB
What Happened: See Above
Did the victims boat lose sight of the victim: No
Was a GPS or other MOB tracking device employed:
No
Was a rescue swimmer put in the water: No
What color clothes were visible from the water:
Red
Was the victim able to assist in the recovery:
No
How did the victim get hoisted from the water: The two crew
members of boat #1 and the Skipper of boat #2 physically pulling.
Did the victim sustain any injuries: No
Was a lifesling aboard : No
How much time did the victim spend in the water:
5 mins
Did a mayday call go out: No
Was the race sailed under ISAF special regs including US Sailing
prescriptions? No
Nominators Name: Christopher
Withers
Do you give permission to have this story published: Yes
Do you have any copies of Articles about the incident to share:
No |
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