iceboat fatality

[Hughman]

http://knox.villagesoup.com/news/story/rockland-man-dies-in-ice-boating-accident/295773

Mark was a charter schooner captain out of Rockland, as well.

[Harbormaster]

Here's a picture of Mark's boat - the Simplicity - built by Paul Rollins in '86

http://www.schoonersimplicity.com/images/simplicity.jpg

And a link to his web site:
http://www.schoonersimplicity.com/

Rest well friend.

[sailboy3]

Seems like every few years someone goes through the ice and dies after going through the ice while skating or iceboating too early in the season. I'm surprised that he would go out alone. What a shame.

[rbgarr]

I was just up there overlooking the pond from the Beech Nut House last week before it got so cold http://onemansmaine.blogspot.com/2008/08/beech-nut-house.html. There was no ice at all IIRC. Could that be right, Hugh? You live right by there, don't you?

What a horrible way to go in any case. Last year there was a charter captain here who drowned also.

[JMAC]

I knew Mark from woodworking circles. Also know the guys in the iceboating association that sail on that lake often. The ice was safe except for some open holes that they had marked with orange cones. It was snowing with very heavy winds when he went out by himself. He wasn't in the association although it's open to all for a cheap $5.00 a year. An iceboating friend said much time was lost in that the rescuers assumed that all the ice was unsafe. Also, many boaters wear a pair of these guys- http://www.nordicskater.com/safety.html
and although I made a pair, I'll be ordering the real deal tomorrow.
From the pictures on the Herald Gazette website, it seems like if he had a pair he'd have hauled himself right out. Really sad.

[oldsub86]

Serious ice fishermen wear survival suits. Sort of like a snowmobile suit with a wet suit type lining inside. They float and they keep one dry. I am told one can fall in and once out, keep on fishing as they generally don't even get wet. Too bad that this fellow did not acquire something like that.

Randy

[Daniel Noyes]

Sad news
Mark took us Sea Scouts out for a sail the first year WBS was in Rockland and didn't charge us.

I've gone through the ice iceboating in very similar conditions, 10 degree temps, snow on the ice.
sad it took so long for rescue to arrive.

[Dusty Yevsky]

Tragic. Here's another one. What is going on out there? I'm digging out the drysuit and the ice claws.

http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/wisconsin/ice-boating-death

[Ben Fuller]

In the Wisconsin case, at least the rescuers had the kit they needed. Here they didn't; the emergency services inland have the full gear, but not on the coast where we have relatively few lakes. As it turns out they needed 1000 feet of line to get to hole; as it was, one of the responders had to go into the water after the victim wearing only regular protective gear and a lifejacket. Ice rescue like mountain rescue is a highly specialized skill and needs special training. It is not universal. In a debrief with one of the captains he said that he'd rather fight dozens of fires than do one ice rescue.

[Todd Bradshaw]

The coroner here said today that the man died of natural causes, not from going through the ice, which is curious. The ice on Monona is still far too green to be safe though. The club has been racing on Lake Kegonsa, which is shallow and always freezes first, though the current storm is probably going to make a mess of it. The man here was 62 and I can see where if you had a heart attack or similar, an iceboat could sometimes travel several hundred yards, or into dangerous ice or open water before coming to a stop.

[Nanoose]

Sad news.
I'm trying to imagine what 'ice boating' is, i.e. was he in a boat? If so, I don't understand how he's in danger, even if the ice breaks. What am I missing?

[floatingkiwi]

Sad news.
I'm trying to imagine what 'ice boating' is, i.e. was he in a boat? If so, I don't understand how he's in danger, even if the ice breaks. What am I missing?
Picture a hobie cat with skates mounted beneath.

[StevenBauer]

Remember this thread from last winter?

http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=92842




Steven

[pingree8]

Sad news.
I'm trying to imagine what 'ice boating' is, i.e. was he in a boat? If so, I don't understand how he's in danger, even if the ice breaks. What am I missing?


http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=dn+iceboat+%2Bphoto&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=6mMzS6CsK8-ylAeVoICSBw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQsAQwAA

[Dusty Yevsky]

Sad news.
I'm trying to imagine what 'ice boating' is, i.e. was he in a boat? If so, I don't understand how he's in danger, even if the ice breaks. What am I missing?

Almost all iceboats are designed strictly for high speed sailing on top of ice. There are many different types and most will float if they end up in the drink but they are definitely not designed to spend any appreciable time in the water. All-metal construction iceboats will head straight for the bottom. One exception is the quirky and charming South Bay Scooter which is designed to cruise on ice and navigate short stretches of open water.

http://www.bellport.com/sbsc/index.htm

[Todd Bradshaw]

Our Arrow's hull is a sealed box with fairly similar volume to a Sunfish and two people sit side-by-side in a large well. It should float for the duration - but I certainly have no desire to find out what sort of stability (or lack of stability) it might have in open water with a sail up. Most likely not a pretty picture.

http://webpages.charter.net/tbradshaw/arrow-002.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/tbradshaw/arrow-006.jpg

[Nicholas Carey]

Our Arrow's hull is a sealed box with fairly similar volume to a Sunfish and two people sit side-by-side in a large well. It should float for the duration - but I certainly have no desire to find out what sort of stability (or lack of stability) it might have in open water with a sail up. Most likely not a pretty pictureI imagine that if you break through the ice or run into an open spot, given the speed at which iceboats run, if the lead runner hits water first, the iceboat's probably going to pitchpole.


The coroner here said today that the man died of natural causes, not from going through the ice, which is curious. ... The man here was 62 and I can see where if you had a heart attack or similar, an iceboat could sometimes travel several hundred yards, or into dangerous ice or open water before coming to a stop.I believe heart attacks are not uncommon side effects of hypothermia (oddly, induced hypothermia is used theraputically for heart attack victims).

[Todd Bradshaw]

Running and pushing the boat to get started in heavy clothing and boots is also sometimes pretty strenuous. I think if I ever croak from iceboating, that's probably what would do it.

[rbgarr]

More about Mark McClellan here: http://www.panbo.com/archives/2009/12/for_mark_mcclellan_a_boatguys_boatguy.html#more

[donald branscom]

Many fatalities occur when men go outside and start shoveling snow.
No warm up. And often after eating. So the blood rushes to the stomach.