28ft Grady White Accident Camp Lejune NC

[Carl Severinghaus]

Hi All

Around July 17th there was a report of an over turned 28 ft.GW without the boater in NC. I have been out of town and was wondering if there was any news.

[efcbob]

Hi All

Around July 17th there was a report of an over turned 28 ft.GW without the boater in NC. I have been out of town and was wondering if there was any news.

I found the following article on the Internet.....perhaps this will give you the informaiton you are looking for?

I know most of you have heard about the missing fisherman out of Atlantic Beach on Thursday that has not been found. The below brings to mind several items we should all know, but I feel we need reminding from time to time.

“Coast Guard officials said Michael Dodick, 67, left his summer home in Indian Beach around 5:30 a.m. Thursday for a day of fishing, departing from Anchorage Marine in Atlantic Beach. Reports indicate that he was headed to Big Rock, about 42 miles offshore, and did not return at 4 p.m. as scheduled the Coast Guard was notified.”

“On Friday 28-foot Grady White fishing boat belonging to a missing fisherman was found with the engines idling near shore at Camp Lejeune around 12:50 p.m.”

“Authorities said Mr. Dodick had a cell phone and a VHF radio on board his vessel, but neither would be very effective beyond a range of 20 nautical miles.”

“According to officials, boats that venture offshore and move beyond the normal communication range experience static and breaks in communication from cell phones and VHF radios and recommend boaters going beyond 20 miles to consider the use of a single side band high frequency radio that can transmit up to 200 miles. These radios are capable of worldwide communication, making them practical for even small boats.”

[triumphrick]

Interesting report about the vhf radios...I regularly run to a spot 32 miles out in the Gulf and am able to maintain radio contact with BoatUS, my tow company. Actually, each time I anchor up I make sure they can read me. Surprised the article said that radio reception was sketchy at 20 miles....

[Curmudgeon]

That's really interesting. Of all the admonitions the officials could have come up with, they come up with 'get a SSB if going outside 20 miles'. How about 'don't fish alone in what was probably 4-6' (which really means 3-7), or maybe 'always wear a Type I pfd when not tied to a dock', or 'no fish is worth dieing for'? Nope, it's about a radio the guy probably wouldn't have been able to use if he had 10 of 'em. Guess they saw no reason to belabor the obvious ...

[leelindsay]

Where was his Auto Tether?

[one4water]

Actually it doesn't sound like an Autotether would have helped, though they are awesome, I won't head out with out mine.

The boat was found with engines idling so if he fell overboard the boat would not really be motoring away from him. To me its more of a case of not being physically capable of climbing back on board. Maybe he had a heart attack or something, or slipped and tumbled over and maybe he simply had no ladder in place to get back in the boat. I know climbing up an outboard motor with wet slippery hands can be pretty tough, especially for a 67 year old guy. Impossible if no outboard or outdrives or anything to grab on to.

Lessons learned: Autotether or lanyard always and have a ladder in place just in case. I also have a waterproof vhf and inflatable vest on my person when out alone. Though at that distance you would have to be lucky enough to get another boat within range for a handheld radio to be of any use. Oh yeah, and don't pee over the side in rough water! I think I read once something along the lines of that most guys that drown after falling overboard are found with their fly down.