Re: Eight goes over in Cincinnati Ohio

On 08/04/2011 12:30, mruscoe wrote:
On 08/04/2011 12:04, Carl Douglas wrote:

We're covering 2 incidents in this 1 thread, hence cause for some
confusion. Try this one:
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/va_beach/crew-team-becomes-stranded-in-broad-bay



That one is definitely a swamping, but the Cincinatti one is not clear.
The account below sounds more like they got trapped by strong stream on
fixed obstruction in the river (a tree, rather than hitting a floating
log) and ended up in the water - "but the last boat got stuck sideways
and then was sucked underwater, throwing its rowers into the river."

http://www.wlwt.com/news/27434057/detail.html

Thanks for that better information, Mark. As you say, it looks like that boat snagged & broke around an obstacle. Which takes it outside the generality of swamping accidents - but capsize is again an inappropriate description of the events.

The stream is certainly rapid. To train in such a stream, supposedly early enough that you can't see too well, seems unwise. It may also have been unwise to have suggested that the obstacle deflected the flow to promote the accident.

I'm particularly struck by the reporter's comments at the end of the video - underlining that rowers can & do ignore USCG safety rules. This sort of event & the room it gives for that kind of commentary make it more likely that rowing will find itself subject to the same safety regs currently applied to leisure craft.

Note that a tin fish was the coaching launch. This certainly could not have uplifted 9 crew, even before it, too, was incapacitated.

Carl

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