Man Overboard

In the 1970s Dr. Lee Adams and his friends were sailing enthusiasts.  Together they determined to do the transpacific sailing race from California to Hawaii.  The race would require 4 or 5 men being cooped up in close quarters for a two-week period of time on a small craft.  To see if the crew could stand one another for that length of time, and still work together well, some shorter trips and races were planned.

A race was entered in the month of July which would require a three-day trip from San Francisco Bay, around the Farallon Islands, and ending at Half Moon Bay south of San Francisco.  The seas were high.  Fourteen-foot waves were the norm, with some as high as 20.  When the sailing vessel was in a trough, walls of water closed off all views of the surrounding ocean.  When the vessel topped the crest of a wave, there was good visibility for quite some distance.

Because of the waves and the constant tossing of the boat, any crewmember that was topside was required to wear a life jacket that was tethered by a line to the boat.  The danger of being tossed or washed overboard was very real.  Waves regularly washed over the boat, so crewmembers spent time topside sitting in the cockpit, and holding on.

Lee was sitting safely in the cockpit, which is a recessed area in the deck.  Waves washed over the deck into the cockpit, and drained away through gunnels.  Standing was something which was simply not done unless absolutely necessary.  As Lee sat there holding on, he heard a voice.  The voice said, "Stand up!  There's a man overboard."

"It wasn't a voice that was audible to my ears," he said, "but it was certainly audible to my mind."

For about two waves Lee was able to ignore the prompting as the boat went into troughs and crested the tops.  But he'd definitely heard something; and though he didn't want to do such a dangerous thing, he finally stood up on the platform at the rear of the boat and hung onto the guy wire there.

"What are you doing?" his crewmate asked.

"I'm looking to see if there's someone overboard," Lee answered.

The boat crested another wave.  Lee looked in all directions, but there was nothing to be seen except waves and water.  Having satisfied his feeling, he was about to sit back down when the voice said, "Keep standing!  There's a man overboard."

Three times the voice spoke to him to keep him standing and looking.  Several waves were crested before he finally saw what he was looking for.  About 200 yards away was a man-overboard pole.  A man-overboard pole is installed at the back of each sailing vessel.  It is an 8-foot tall pole with a yellow flag and a red flag at the top, a large float at the bottom, and a life ring above the float.  It's designed to be easily detached so that it can be quickly thrown to a man who is washed overboard.  In this particular case, the man had not been wearing a life preserver, and had grabbed the man-overboard pole as he was washed off his boat.  His boat was another participant in the race.

Lee looked in all directions to see if possibly another boat might be in a better position to rescue the man.  There was nothing else in sight.  He informed his crewmates that they needed to alter their course and work their way around to intercept the man.  The sail was adjusted, and 20 minutes of maneuvering got them close.  The seas were heavy and the wind was strong.  To go straight at the man was dangerous because the wind or the waves might push him under the boat and drown him.

The man was sitting in the life ring.  As the boat got close, Lee and his friends threw a rope with a heavy ball at the end to the man.  The wind blew it back into their boat.  Two unsuccessful tries were made to approach the man.  Each failed attempt required another 10 minutes of maneuvering to get back into position to try again.

On the third attempt it was determined that more risky measures would have to be taken.  They headed straight for the man and were finally able to reach out and grab the pole.  The man, however, was hypothermic, and completely helpless.  He was a big man, and the crew was unable to lift him up and into the 3-foot high boat.  Lee went forward to get a winch; but before they could get the man hooked up to the winch, a wave simply lifted the man and set him on board.

The man was taken down into the cabin, which was cozy and insulated, and was put into all the sleeping bags they had.  It took four hours to warm him up.

The man finished the race with them.  He was a family man, with two children.  He was also the owner of the boat from which he'd been washed overboard.  He had come very close to losing his life.  He never thanked his rescuers.  He was upset, embarrassed, and obviously wanted to put the unpleasant episode out of his life and memory.  When Half Moon Bay was reached, he sold his boat on the spot.

The event saved one man's life, and changed another's.  Lee learned from the experience that there are unseen powers at work in our lives, and that there is a God in heaven who is interested in our welfare.  He attributes his experience to the workings of the Holy Ghost.  There was no other possible explanation for the unusual prompting that he received.  He obeyed the prompting, and did something dangerous and foolhardy that resulted in the rescue of a man who would have surely died otherwise.  Lee ultimately sold his own boat, returned to activity in the church of his youth, and spent the rest of his life saving other souls as a diligent worker and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.