Trawler Lifestyle | PassageMaker Magazine & Events

Lowell Stambaugh thought there had to be a better way to steer a boat after his sank with 10 tons of fish aboard because its rudder stalled and wouldn't turn the boat to safety.

"I sank the boat," Stambaugh explains. "It was fast and maneuverable, but it sank in 65-knot winds while fishing in the surf in Alaska. If I'd had a little more maneuverability, I'd have been out of there safely."

As a member of the committee that hosts the Safety at Sea program at the U.S. Naval Academy, I am continually reminded of the need to develop and practice rescue techniques. Unlike a sailing vessel, with its booms, winches, lines and sails to threaten onboard crew, the safe environment on a trawler makes the very thought of a man-overboard situation highly unlikely. However, as we teach and demonstrate each year during the two-day event, it is much more likely that a trawler's crew might come upon someone already in the water. So the need to determine a proper rescue strategy is just as vital for a trawler owner as for owners of any other kind of craft. And as much as we might think we've done a proper job of thinking it all through, when a rescue opportunity develops, just as in combat and other stressful situations, things rarely go as planned. So it is vital to stay loose and be ready to adapt to a changing situation. I hope the following true story makes you think of what you might do in the same situation and motivates you to develop a strategy that works on your boat. -BillP.