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Man falls off party cruise in Boston Harbor, drowns

State Police report that around 1 a.m., divers off Peddocks Island near Hull recovered the body of a man who'd fallen off a "Get Lei'd" party cruise on the Provincetown II. The Coast Guard reports he fell off the boat around 8:30 p.m.

In a statement, Bay State Cruises says the man was engaged in horseplay when he fell in, that a crew member told him to knock it off and that he resumed what he was doing when the crew member turned his back.

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In a statement, the company said the passenger, who was not immediately identified, fell into the water after "engaging in horseplay aboard the vessel."

According to the cruise company, minutes before the victim fell from the vessel, he engaged in a type of vertical push up from the bulwark. The company said a crew member approached him and told him to climb down from having been sitting atop that same bulwark.

"Although the passenger initially appropriately responded to the warning of the crew member and climbed back down onto the deck, when the crew member turned to go back into the interior of the vessel, the passenger started in on the even more dramatic form of dangerous play

https://www.wcvb.com/article/search-crews-responding-to-report-of-man-ov...

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Red Sox great Danny Darwin had some award or something for sad stories like this.

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especially after you were cautioned not to continue doing them, unfortunately, does not qualify you for a Darwin (Charles or Danny) Award.

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Maybe booze cruises should have a life guard on the boat.

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In addition to trying to get the guy down, they say they had people in the water, with life preservers, within a few feet of him - and yet still couldn't save him.

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I've done business with the boat's owners and have rented this same vessel for events. The company and their staff were always extraordinary to work with, professional, focused on safety and at the same time, knew the boundaries between a fun event and a dangerous situation. Anything involving the railing of the boat was always 100% off limits for just this reason. That they singled out this individual for such bad behavior just moments before says something about his determination to disobey

I once was boarding guests for an event on the Provincetown II and a guy held his wrist out for me. I explained that there was no wristband or hand stamp needed to board the boat and that for this event, we weren't even selling liquor. He then asked me, "but what if I want to leave and come back?". I explained that since we'd be miles at sea, offshore at late at night, that once you left the party, there would be no re-admission.

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Not so much a lifeguard, but a rescue diver. The last thing that should have happened was someone jumping in after the person. I believe it was one of the security guards and not Bay State Cruise staff.

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Jumping in, especially if you are a strong swimmer, is always a temptation.

"Not jumping in" is something that people who do lifeguarding/rescue drills are taught. It is a first impulse, but one that you sometimes have to fight if you know better, and know how to deal with the situation (alert the crew to turn back, throw flotation devices, etc.).

So, yes, it isn't a good idea unless the boat is stationary, you know the conditions, you know how to jump from ship safely, and you are ready to secure a panicking or potentially seriously injured person. Even then, only as part of a coordinated rescue effort.

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Never said it wasn’t a temptation, just said it was the last thing that should have happened. The crew does man overboard drills, they have a procedure. Last night the wind was blowing 10-15; gusting up to 20 kt, you’re dealing with the current, 2-4 footers, it’s dark, and trying to maneuver an almost 200ft boat with almost 1000 passengers on board, not a situation to jump in.

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As Swirly said.

Lifeguards have rescue buoys on a line for a reason. They throw the line to the distressed person and specifically tell them to keep their distance and grab the buoy.

A person who isn't even drowning, but thinks they are, can easily and unknowingly struggle with and drown a rescuer who gets too close.

Do you want to be near a flailing adult who is in fear for their life anywhere? No. And definitely not in the water.

I'm a strong swimmer/ bodysurfer and know the water at the beach I live at.

I've seen many sketchy situations and have thought about it:

I'll go in after a toddler/ small kid.

I usually have a backpack and would go after a bigger kid/teen and tell him to grab the bag and not get close to me.

Might go after a small adult if they weren't yet panicking.

911 and keep an eye on them after that.

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Maybe this guy needed a babysitter? But he was supposedly an adult and he was warned and went right back to it and there are witnesses for that.

At what point do people become responsible for their own recklessness?

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Right when the V and S words became magic talismans. Clearly this guy was a Victim of improperly designed Safety mechanisms and procedures.

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International waters start at 12 miles out.

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I feel bad for his family. I've been on the P-2, there's life preservers everywhere. Maybe they should have a quick 'man overboard' drill when setting sail. Thirty seconds.
If you're ever in that position, just access the life preservers and start throwing them at the man overboard. Throw a bunch. You will not get into trouble. Even if he doesn't access them, there's a trail of them to indicate his general position in the current for other boats (if nearby) to follow.

I guess people know how to use smart phones, but I didn't see any life preservers in the water near the victim.

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If you're ever in that position, just access the life preservers and start throwing them at the man overboard. Throw a bunch. You will not get into trouble. Even if he doesn't access them, there's a trail of them to indicate his general position in the current for other boats (if nearby) to follow.

This.

There is a reason that these things are not kept locked up: they are set up for anybody and everybody to have quick access.

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Also have at least one person continuously point at the victim, and do nothing else. It's very easy to lose sight of them as the vessel is turning, or with wind and waves, when only their head is visible. (Doesn't sound like this was an issue in this case.)

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I seem to recall a few of these cases over the past twenty years or so. There have probably been many close calls we haven't heard of. Inevitable with booze, partying and ocean water. Other than head back to port and ruin the trip for everybody else, there's not much the crew can do with an unruly passenger in the middle of the voyage. I'd be curious to see what their liquor liability policy says. I'm not sure if these cruises have any City License Board supervision or even state ABCC either. I knew a guy who ran a smaller party charter boat (50-75 capacity) and got all of his booze in tax free NH. The ocean-going cruise ships have a cell block and small morgue on the lowest decks. People fall off of the big ships all the time.

Last night when this news was breaking, one of the channels (I forget which one, I was switching around) had cell phone video of a man in the water near the boat. Was that the victim or the staff member? Either way, questionable a) to be videotaping that and b) showing it.

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Over the course of the boating season, 10's of 1000's of people manage to board tour boats, ferry's and private craft on Boston Harbor without falling into the water.

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Passing out life jackets that are mandatory to wear during the voyage?

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Maybe security netting like Fenway park has to protect fans from errant foul balls would work?

Maybe stay on shore if you can't act appropriately on a boat.

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