Three boys in a sailing class at Centerport Yacht Club on the north side of Long Island, New York were out sailing in Northport Harbor Tuesday afternoon 18 July, 2017. Their boat was capsized on purpose as part of a man overboard exercise. Two of the boys stayed with the sailboat. The third boy was picked up by an 18 year old sailing instructor on a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat).
When the boat operator began to gradually accelerate the boat, the boy fell overboard and was fatally injured by the propeller.
Details are still sketchy, but some accounts say his life jacket was entrapped in the propeller and he was struck in the chest by the propeller.
The 18 year old instructor was able to get the boy back in the boat and performed CPR on him.
One news report mentioned the yacht club instructors were all trained in CPR.
The injured boy, from Northport, was taken to Huntington Hospital where he died.
Propeller guards are sometimes used to prevent youth sailing propeller accidents such as this one. We talk further about their use near the bottom of this post.
The instructed that performed CPR on the boy suffered shock and was taken to the hospital.
The boat was a Zodiac powered by a Yamaha outboard motor.
Centerport Yacht Club RIB involved in the accident
An Associated Press image
