Little Arun - Littlehampton Tragedy :-(

tinker · 11 June 2007, 01:59

Words cannot describe, I pity everyone involved in this tragic event.
May he R.I.P
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/6739653.stm

prairie tuber · 11 June 2007, 04:56

This is horrible news. My condolences to all relatives and friends of this boy and the others who are still missing

The Jackeens · 11 June 2007, 08:09

Very, very sad. Condolences also to the family.

K & P

Sarah G · 11 June 2007, 17:47

I don't think that words can express how awful this must be for everybody involved - including the emergency services who have to deal with the end result.

May we all remember that, however calm or nice the weather may look - don't ever allow a child to wander around outside in a boat without a lifejacket on. Children and weather are unpredictable and things can go wrong so quickly.

Can't imagine what his poor mother is going through.

Nauti Buoy · 11 June 2007, 18:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah G

don't ever allow a child to wander around outside in a boat without a lifejacket on

This is very sad indeed. It was quite surprising last night at the IOW Festival watching the amount of parents who let their kids go out in the tender, no life jackets and row about the other boats. There were to little girls rowing in a tender in the dark, when the tender came past us anchored up and they were swimming in amongst all the other boats towing the tender behind them. They can only have been 6 and 8.

What were the parents thinking letting them:-

a) Go out in the tender amongst all those people in the dark

b) NO lifejackets

c) To allow them to swim amongst all the other boats in the dark when either of them could have been killed by a boat not seeing them in the water. Must have been easily 2-300 boats up there last night. Crazy scenario.

Anyway rant over.

vince · 11 June 2007, 18:12

Some more news here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/6740637.stm
Turns out he wasn't wearing a lifejacket, but a sunblock suit. Tragic waste of a young life. It neednt have happened.

nikster · 11 June 2007, 23:40

I dont know about anyone else, but, as a father with a 4 year old little girl, i have been thinking about this poor little boy all day - and have to admit to being close to tears at some points....

In reality there is not much we can do to change things - and i certainly will not stop taking my little princess out on the boats we operate, but i ask you all no matter how big or small your rib is, and no matter how much you think it wont happen to you - NEVER let a minor on your rib without a proper minors lifejacket on - i spent £130 on a Crewsaver one for her that has the self righting collar and crotch strap on, i wont let her even walk near a pontoon unless she has it on...

I spent ten hours on the water yesterday and was in a unique position to be able to listen to Solent / Portland and Brixham all at the same time - what a day.....

It was like being back in the gulf war in 91 - listening to casualty reports every few minutes from different parts of the theatre.... bloody awful - dont want to be in that position again, ever, really..... NOT a good day :-(

RIP little fella........

codprawn · 12 June 2007, 00:21

It is incredibly sad - especially for the yachties who found the baby and the poor mother left behind.

I think there may well be more to this than meets the eye though. it said the dinghy was a zodiac - so obviously some form of SIB and they are pretty stable.

As regards kids always wearing lifejackets fair enough but plenty of kids play in the sea without them. I really don't want it to get to the stage where kids are wearing lifejackets at the local swimming pool. There is a very real danger of being too protective.

Kids need to learn to swim - a lifejacket is no substitute. I was brought up by the Red Sea and could swim like a fish by the time I was 3. I often sneaked out of the house early in the morning to go swimming on my own - I was 7 or 8 years old by then.(the worst part was the hammering I got afterwards) No sign of a lifejacket and I fell into the sea many times off boats. One big advantage was the water was 99F though - hotter than blood. Then again not many sharks here!!!

nikster · 12 June 2007, 07:16

my suzy swims like a fish also, and swimming is not the issue - being a mile off the beach in a SIB with no lifejacket on is unacceptable - i am only trying to make a point about kids in boats - not kids on a beach...

John Kennett · 12 June 2007, 08:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

I think there may well be more to this than meets the eye though. it said the dinghy was a zodiac - so obviously some form of SIB and they are pretty stable.

The later of the BBC reports linked above refers to a "5ft-long dinghy" in which case it sounds more like beach toy than a serious SIB. "Zodiac" may just have been used as a generic term for an inflatable.

John

havener · 12 June 2007, 08:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikster

I dont know about anyone else, but, as a father with a 4 year old little girl, i have been thinking about this poor little boy all day - and have to admit to being close to tears at some points....

In reality there is not much we can do to change things - and i certainly will not stop taking my little princess out on the boats we operate, but i ask you all no matter how big or small your rib is, and no matter how much you think it wont happen to you - NEVER let a minor on your rib without a proper minors lifejacket on - i spent £130 on a Crewsaver one for her that has the self righting collar and crotch strap on, i wont let her even walk near a pontoon unless she has it on...

I spent ten hours on the water yesterday and was in a unique position to be able to listen to Solent / Portland and Brixham all at the same time - what a day.....

It was like being back in the gulf war in 91 - listening to casualty reports every few minutes from different parts of the theatre.... bloody awful - dont want to be in that position again, ever, really..... NOT a good day :-(

RIP little fella........

Totally agree mate - we were mid Channel all day yesterday with a tow heading west, so couldn't divert to the search, although we did run some sweeps with both RIBS for a while.

I do hope the "meeja" don't villify the parents though - one's dead so there's little point, and the rest of the family will have enough to live with without sanctimonious rantings in the papers...if a lesson can be learnt, all well and good. We've been involved with fishing vessel safety projects which have been led by those left behind by pointless deaths - a brilliantly constructive way of channeling grief and making some good come out of an horrendous situation.

If anyone related should ever read this, deepest sympathy to you all from the crew of the Hellespont Plato.

Simon

Tims Osprey · 12 June 2007, 11:02

Very very sad, even more so that the poor little kid was totally innocent.

PeterM · 12 June 2007, 12:59

Sad day for all concerned - surely the only thing that we shoudl all learn is that NO ONE ( kids or adults ) no matter how good a swimmer should be in a boat of any kind without a proper life jacket. My kids are 9 & 12 and dont go on the water of anykind without them.

The whole thing is tragic no matter what the circumstances. I know very little detail but assume that the crew who found the 'dinghy' - if proper SIB /Boat or beach type toy, called it in to be invetigated ? All anyone can do is try & ensure it doesn't happen again & luckily we are all in a position to keep an eye open for anything ' odd' on the water .

Phil Chitty · 12 June 2007, 13:08

This is all very sad.

Having been based at Littlehampton for 5 years I know the area well and it never stopped surprising me just how many people took their children out on the water with no life jacket on.

I don't let anyone on my RIB without a life jacket.
8 year old Rosie doesn't even go onto a pontoon without wearing hers. She was the only child I saw at RIBex wearing a lifejacket whilst on the pontoon.

I just got 3 month old Isabelle her first life jacket. I wouldn't have taken her on the RIB without it.

The Jackeens · 12 June 2007, 19:46

Agree totally with the general views re: safety. Sometimes feel we are being a pain/killjoy trying to stick to some safety measures for children on board but it's better to insist on a few things beforehand and put up with a bit of eyebrow-raising before an outing rather than try to learn from tragedy after an event. It doesn't ensure everything will be hunky dory but it may help to minimise risk for children?

Phil, your advice is worth taking with regard to your extensive experience in the health & safety world.

No family would have wanted this to happen however and we are so sorry for the poor relatives in this time of tragedy.

Kathleen & Paul

chris123 · 12 June 2007, 20:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Kennett

The later of the BBC reports linked above refers to a "5ft-long dinghy" in which case it sounds more like beach toy than a serious SIB. "Zodiac" may just have been used as a generic term for an inflatable.

I think the BBC were wrong when they said 5ft dinghy. The boat looked like a Zodiac from what I saw, maybe 3m, with a small outboard (Johnson?).

Agree with the safety comments - on a slight tangent, I've launched at Itchenor a few times and some people don't seem too clever - little kids standing right next to tow ropes / boats being hauled out on ropes seems quite common, and last time there was a rib being hauled out on a rope whilst their child was sitting on the tube with their legs outside the boat, about 3 feet in front of the trailer wheel - not a good idea anywhere, but particularly not on a rough gravel slip.

Chris

Phil Chitty · 12 June 2007, 22:14

I guess its easy for us all to make comment on the safety issues as most of us have experience and are hardened boaters.

This looks like a young family with their first SIB and little experience leaving them ignorant of the potential dangers.

I know the RNLI, Coastguard and and other agencies / services publicise the safty message well but they only do this in the marine based media.

Don't you all think this message should be broadcast beyond those publications that only boaters read?

Without wanting to start a previous heated debate, remember the thread about the RIB rides in Lulworth Cove? How many of those people on that RIB would wear a life jacket if warnings about safety at sea were more widely publicised in the daily press and on TV I wonder.

codprawn · 12 June 2007, 22:21

Just a thought - how many of us on here ever wore a lifejacket as a kid???

Strangely I managed to survive all manner of mishaps as a kid and am still around to annoy people..............

Don't get me wrong I insist on kids wearing lifejackets on my boat but I do sometime wonder if nannying is going too far. There is apparently a massive rise in the number of young adults having serious injuries from tree climbing etc because they were prevented from doing so as a kid. And as I proved kids are a lot tougher than they look!!!

Nos4r2 · 12 June 2007, 22:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Chitty

I guess its easy for us all to make comment on the safety issues as most of us have experience and are hardened boaters.

This looks like a young family with their first SIB and little experience leaving them ignorant of the potential dangers.

I know the RNLI, Coastguard and and other agencies / services publicise the safty message well but they only do this in the marine based media.

Don't you all think this message should be broadcast beyond those publications that only boaters read?

Yes. Where though? A board next to slipways and beach accesses might do it?

codprawn · 12 June 2007, 22:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Yes. Where though? A board next to slipways and beach accesses might do it?

I doubt it very much........

At Worms Head there have been loads of people cut off by the tide - I would just leave them there until the tide goes out but the silly sods try to swim back - they never make it!!!

There are now signs everywhere - a special telephone - a warning bell - and yet they STILL get cut off in record numbers!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4127543.stm

18 rescued in one go!!!

http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail...0&NewsAreaID=2