We were cruising along in our 21' cuddy in a sheltered part of the Saint John River system. I should have been paying closer attention to the wind, which was a strong westerly. This is unusual for this time of year and we were in a portion of the river that I know well and is generally calm. As we rounded a point we were greeted by 3-4' chop. I started to power down but it was too late. One of the passengers was standing unbraced and was launched forward, landing on his big toe and resulting with an open fracture. The toe was hanging by the ligaments. It proved very challenging to navigate our boat into calm waters so that I could administer 1st aid. He is undergoing surgery to reattach the toe.
This was a foreseeable mistake on my part and I feel terrible about it. Aside from the obvious error in judgement, I realize now that our boat layout is not great. It requires people to move forward so that we can get up on plane but offers no support or grab bars. There are also a few sharp edged for people to fall on (see photos). After 5 years of running our boat I think it is time to upgrade to something that allows everyone to remain seated when getting up on plane and have a safer cockpit.
This was a foreseeable mistake on my part and I feel terrible about it. Aside from the obvious error in judgement, I realize now that our boat layout is not great. It requires people to move forward so that we can get up on plane but offers no support or grab bars. There are also a few sharp edged for people to fall on (see photos). After 5 years of running our boat I think it is time to upgrade to something that allows everyone to remain seated when getting up on plane and have a safer cockpit.
