Rope around a neck

[Geo2008]

I had the rope get wrapped around my wrist while the boat driver was straightening out the boat. Driver did not notice it sinch tight around my wrist and start dragging me me a little. It would have been really dangerous if the driver had taken off like that.

It got me to wondering if any skier has been hung by the rope getting wrapped around the neck and the driver taking off. I am guessing it has definitely happened before, if so that wold be a harsh way to end a ski trip.

Safety first my friends.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Rope around a neck

that is one of the dangers of skiing. how did you get a rope wrapped around you. the driver should always approach the person in the water so that he can see them. if the rope is properly attached, it will follow the boat. when the rope reaches the skier, they should pick the rope up and move it over their head. by the time the handle gets to the skier, they should be ready to ski.

we in our bolder times, used to put the handle over our head, and ski with no hands. those were bolder times. had a friend get her finger in a loop, and the rope just squeezed it off. she was skiing with some one else that day.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Rope around a neck

Every pairing of boat driver and skier needs to have an agreement about hand signals. There is no possible excuse for a driver hitting it without getting the signal from the person being dragged.

Any time you ski or board behind a boat with a driver who you don't normally ski or board behind, you need to have the discussion. There are too many opportunities for injury.

Here's a site with good info on standard signals:

http://www.boatus.org/onlinecourse/ReviewPages/BoatUSF/Project/info7b.htm

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Rope around a neck

TD,

No way would my father have let us ski with the rope over our heads. He'd have cut the engine instantly.

However, we often used to ski with the handle behind our knees, at least on a pair of skis. It was a good, relaxing break. We used to see if we could run one of the tanks out of gas.

Endurance skiing was a favorite contest between my brother and I. One time, we skiied on pairs from Santa Barbara to Oxnard (about 25 miles) in calm seas. Neither of us would give up. We finally got back on the boat at the harbor entrance.

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: Rope around a neck

I know a guy that yanked his brother-in-law's thumb off a couple of years ago.

 

[ibreathwater]

Re: Rope around a neck

hmm...i haven't had anything happen to me yet, but i've heard of crazy stories

 

[nagasama75]

Re: Rope around a neck

i wakeboard behind my wife or one friend that i taught to drive myself. no one else. body parts being torn off or strangled by the rope is unacceptable. not to mention retarded, lol.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Rope around a neck

I haven't water skiied since I was a kid but we never did so without a spotter in the boat. As far as I am concerned, the driver should never begin a run without the spotter confirming that the skier is ready.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Rope around a neck

It's illegal in some states to ski without a spotter. The driver can't always watch the skier and navigate safely.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Rope around a neck

Here in Minnesota, you must have a spotter or a factory installed mirror on the boat. They're very clear that it must be a factory mirror designed by the boatmaker, for some reason.

A spotter is much safer, as long as he or she pays attention all the time.

 

[EricR]

Re: Rope around a neck

Bro in law had a bad wipeout some years back hydrosliding, then the rope got around his arm before the driver pulled back. Broke the blood vessel in his arm, the one people slit in the wrist! Spend a week on a compression cast, very painful.