Man Overboard

The traitor amongst us

 Like most boaters, we have tried to be prepared in case someone falls overboard. We even have one of those handy man-overboard boxes with a lifesling inside mounted on the transom just in case one of us tumbles into the water. Little did we know it would turn against us.

The other evening Vlad was standing on the transom talking on our iPhone to a friend back in Texas via Skype while waiting for the engine to charge our batteries, and he leaned back on the plastic man-overboard box. Perhaps the plastic was old and worn from the sun, but I'm thinking the gods of humor must have played a part as the three attachment pieces holding the box to the stainless steel railing broke all at once. In an ironic twist, our man-overboard box sent him overboard.

Unfortunately, Vlad hit the dinghy outboard on his way down and hurt his back. Don't worry, though. Except for a small bruise, it has almost healed. The iPhone went into the ICU and returned to life after several days in critical care. Thankfully, no one was gravely injured and thankfully our only man-overboard experience to date has been in an anchorage. However, watch out for those plastic man-overboard boxes. They are not to be trusted.