51 Foot Sportfishing Yacht, Jupiter Inlet, Captain Killed

[twyacht]

A very bad day indeed. Crew and guests were inside when this all happened. There was a photographer on the beach and took amazing but tragic photos, as it happened.

Capt. Tom Henry, a 61-year-old charter captain, died Sept. 6 from injuries he sustained when he fell off the 51-foot S/F Waterdog. Entering Jupiter Inlet on Florida's east coast, a waterway he had traversed many times before, according to colleagues in the sportfishing community, the yacht endured a violent broach in rough surf on Sept. 3. Capt. Henry lost his footing, hit the gunwhale and fell overboard, hitting the deck before falling into the water. This series of photographs was shot by photographer Stuart Browning. -- Editor

http://thetriton.com/gallery/v/bosuns-locker/jupiter/?g2_page=1







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More terrible photos at link.  RIP Capt. Tom Henry. May you find your following sea.

[billt]

Poor guy. I wonder if he drowned, or the fall did him in?  Bill T.

[twyacht]

Poor guy. I wonder if he drowned, or the fall did him in?  Bill T.

Could be a combination, of the fall, and in the photos after the ones I posted, it seems he went under the hull, directly under the port side, and the boat rolled over him.

Between the fall, the port prop, or the hull, it was very bad. Amazing how fast things can happen.

[Badgersmilk]

Stinks, But I have to say, not a bad way to go in my book!  Out enjoying a beautiful day at sea on his beautiful ship.  He was in good health, was over pretty quick, fairly painless. 

When my day comes I hope I'm as lucky!

[tombogan03884]

I tend to agree with BM here, beats the hell out of Cancer or Alzheimers.

TW, you're the Pro here, was judgement an issue or was it just a case of "sh!t happens" ?
I ask because there isn't much "boat" showing in that first picture. Should he have been wearing a life vest, or safety line ?
Agree about the quality of the image. After growing up with Brownie's and Land Camera's, the quality of modern photography, especially zoomed from a distance as in this case, or a lot of the air craft photo's we see, just leaves me spell bound.

[Sponsor]

[twyacht]

TW, you're the Pro here, was judgement an issue or was it just a case of "sh!t happens" ?
I ask because there isn't much "boat" showing in that first picture. Should he have been wearing a life vest, or safety line ?

IMHO, I think looking at the photos leading up to the "ejection" of the Capt, the vessel is in between the breakers going in the inlet at an angle to the beach. Timing, tide, speed and wind are always a factor, and perhaps he misjudged the distance between breakers. He was familiar with this inlet.


This shows the next breaker almost laying her down, than getting stuffed into the wave to her port side, violently righting herself, at least three times.

He was riding through a washing machine. The higher up you are the more violent the pitching and rolling. Something happened in an instant, you have to fight the wheel to hold course, the boat wants to fall down the wave and it takes alot to stay on the back side and "surf" the boat into the inlet, may have to pull the throttles back, or gun them to maintain your course.

He slipped, lost his grip, standing up at the helm, the helm seats sit pretty far back.  He was "riding" her in, and got snap rolled port than stbd. than stuffed, it, going from 15-20 kts. to "0". Spray has everything soaked, and he got thrown like a bullrider.

I've never seen a lifeline, or seatbelt on sportfishing vessels. Not considered "manly".. In this case a harness with some dog leash style catches, attached to the helm would have kept him at the wheel. A life jacket would have made recovery easier, but he went under the hull, and was probably hit by the port prop. I figure he was unconcious when he hit the water.

How precious life is, and how fast the SHTF.

[jaybet]

Nothing like an inlet to ruin your day. I'm not a big boater but we have some inlets along the NJ coast that have had clammers flip over. The inlet takes whatever is going on and magnifies it then mixes it up then magnifies it again. Bad place to have a lapse in attention or judgement. That's really a shame.

[rat31465]

"It is not a tragedy to die doing something you love...The tragedy lies in dying and having never really lived."
R.I.P. Capt.

[ratcatcher55]

Nothing like an inlet to ruin your day. I'm not a big boater but we have some inlets along the NJ coast that have had clammers flip over. The inlet takes whatever is going on and magnifies it then mixes it up then magnifies it again. Bad place to have a lapse in attention or judgement. That's really a shame.

We put life jackets on to run in Barneget Inlet on two occasions. There was a little dog leg you needed at the end of the jetty. To make it  you had to time it or you could get side ways to the break. If it was that bad we would not go out. I remember two different sportfisherman that swamped and washed on to the jetty on the south side. In both cases there were people lost before the Coasties could get to them. I'm pretty sure in both cases the skippers got cold feet and tried to turn around half way through the inlet.

There was a very famous set of pictures of George C Scott rolling his 100 foot boat in the Columbia River inlet. His captain said it was too rough and Scott was an ahole and decided to run it any way. The Coast Guard was right there and plucked them  o f before it sank.

Sorry to read about the loss. Sometime things just happen.

[jaybet]

Hey Rat, you near Barnegat? That's one of the one's I was thinking of. Crazy water there...