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From: Lew Hodgett (no email)
Date: Tue Aug 22 2006 - 22:42:52 EDT
The following was just sent to me, I pass it on to you.
Sounds like any other weekend at Catalina Island.
I have known this gal for almost 16 years.
She is a very experienced racer and cruiser.
She has donated countless hours of her own time teaching a lot of
women how to sail without having men on board.
IMHO, this can only be put in the S**T HAPPENS file.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
August 16 - Two Harbors
We heard about one of the most gruesome boating accidents while at
Catalina Island last weekend.
A late middle-aged woman, with lots of boating experience, returned to
her 29-ft Tollycraft in the wee hours of the morning, and somehow
managed to slip or fall in such a way that one of the pins of the
hinge-like inflatable-dinghy lifting bracket on the transom platform
went through her eye and hooked the inside of her skull.
Half in the water and half out, and in obvious horrible pain, the
woman couldn't detach her skull from the pin.
As her boat was closest to the dinghy dock at Two Harbors, several
others quickly swam over to try to help, but couldn't figure out how
to unhook her skull from the pin either.
Depending on the report, the poor woman's skull was hooked for
anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes before the paramedics could get her
loose.
She was taken over to the USC center a short distance away, where a
helicopter picked her up to rush her to a mainland hospital. The
woman survived, but lost the eye.
One of the late night shoreboat drivers told us it was the worst
accident he could remember in the 17 years he's been there.
Despite this terrible accident, folks tell us this has been one of
the greatest summers ever at Catalina, with air and water temperatures
about the highest anyone can remember, and lots of sunshine.
We can vouch for the water temps. When we went swimming at Emerald
Bay, the water had to be at least 76 degrees. So have fun - but for
God's sake, be careful out there!
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