hemilis
Forum Replies Created
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Because I like to frequent the Bay St. Louis area, I did a deep dive into the case of Basil Kennedy a77-year-old lifelong resident of BSL and ardent sailor. In early July of this year, Basil was at home and scraped his leg on his boat trailer parked in his yard that had recently been used to launch his boat. As most diabetics know, wounds to extremities need to be cared for immediately which he did. He rinsed the wound with hydrogen peroxide and put a band aid on the wound. This is the generally accepted method of wound care for diabetics. Basil contracted a vibrio infection and died on July 21 of organ failure.
So what can we learn from the death of one of our fellow watermen? First off, and shockingly, he was not as I first thought launching his boat. He was at home in his yard when he scraped his leg on his boat trailer. Vibrio can survive on wet surfaces like trailers, gear and clothing. Second, and equally alarming, is that cleaning the wound with hydrogen peroxide was ineffective. My research suggests that hydrogen peroxide can actually cause further damage to the wound tissue making it easier for Vibrio to invade.
Here is a suggested protocol (search term: coastal wound protocol):
1. Rinse with clean fresh water e.g. bottled water.
2. Wash the area with a mild non-antibacterial soap.
3. Clean the area with Hibiclens, a non-cytotoxic skin cleanser (won’t further damage the wound tissue).
4. Apply Betadine to the wound briefly, then rinse and dress.
5. Cover wound with a waterproof dressing (as Devin mentioned in another post)
6. Treat as high risk: monitor closely.
7. Even the latest third and fourth generation super antibiotics and even when used simultaneously are not effective treating vibrio.
8. Tissue removal surgically and limb amputation are often required to prevent death.
What is also noteworthy in Mr. Kennedy’s case was he was diabetic which means a significant immune deficiency (read: his chances were low for an optimal recovery). If I read the research correctly, a quick response to wound care is critical. And as was noted in an earlier post, rush to the ER if things start to go south.
And lastly, while it is very clear to me to follow coastal wound protocol at all times, it might be just as important and possibly even more important is to perhaps follow Devin’s advice to take care of yourself and do the right things to build personal fitness and a vigorous immune system. At the end of the day, it may well be that Devin’s advice is what saves your life or limb.
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In shore fishing is all about casting as opposed to off shore which is mostly deep drop with not much casting. For inshore fishing, I would think a 24′ boat would be a minimum to fish a t-top with two people casting comfortably. As mentioned earlier, weather elements are the biggest plus– shade, rain and cold. If you fish with spouse and kids, a top will be a great thing and if you fish in August during the day ducking in under the top is a great way to stay out on the water longer. I think tops are great but you probably would not want to try to fish 4 people casting. Tops also can have life jacket storage and other items. Radar and antenna mount. Some tops even feature additional rod holders. I guess I’m throwing shade on this one…
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Couldn’t agree with Devin more. Maybe consider a good jack plate to which you could later add power poles. I think the choice of trolling motor might take into consideration as Devin said spot lock first but I think I would want to look at models that have the chart plotter transducer included in the trolling motor’s lower unit. And/or when configuring your boat, a model that will accommodate a transducer in the bow section of the hull. Bass boats have had that feature for a while but bay boats don’t seem to have a transducer hull mount in the bow area. You will probably need at least 4 batteries so a really good on-board charger will be a necessity. A feature that I had in my offshore boat was a washdown hose. I miss that in my bay boat. It was powered by the livewell aeration system which a good aerator would be needed preferably with two live wells. I’m not a big fan of Garmin even though I’ve had many of them. I suggest Humminbird or SimRad but my decision would be driven by what configuration would I need to have for a bow area mounted chart plotter with a transducer mounted up front. Side scan sonar on a forward mounted transducer would be a really nice feature. A good trailer is always nice to have to retrieve the boat after a long day on the water and for the drive home.
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Some other thoughts for you… As our illustrious Captain likes to say, “Ask me how I know this”: take care with charging your batteries. Each battery type, lead acid, AGM and Lithium has a different charging strategy and a different charging rate voltage. Match the charger type to the battery type. And it is not a good idea to mix battery types in a battery group e.g. a three battery 36 volt group. I ruined an expensive Optima battery putting it in with a lead acid battery in a battery group not knowing any better. And actually can cause a battery to explode during charging. I spent the $$$ and acquired a Minn Kota 4 bank charger. On this charger each battery has a separate lead and each lead can have a separate charging strategy. If you use a single lead charger for charging different battery types you would want to make sure to select the correct battery type.
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I suggest that you try to get some recent battery comparisons because batteries are definitely not created equal. I would stay far, far away from those Duracell AGM’s. I have had 12 of them in the last 4 years and they all failed inexplicably prematurely. That’s not counting the replacements. I got some from Sam’s and some from Batteries + both honored their warranties. Cold weather doomed them and I had them on the charger during below freezing weather. I replaced my starting battery with an X2 AGM from Batteries + and it has been a really good battery. I would have opted for something lithium but could not justify the costs for my occasional usage. I did, however, go all in on my starting battery. Were I to do it again, I think I would go lead acid from Interstate for my trolling motor but definitely never more for Duracell.
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The conventional wisdom with the offshore folks is “Mecury will get you there first, Yamaha will get you home.” I’ve seen a lot of guides out of Matagorda & Port O’Connor that run Suzuki’s. Better price point from what they tell me. My boats were all Yamahas just because they came that way. You will have to remove a plastic panel on a Yamaha to change the oil though. Were I to do it again, my current motor is a 2002 F225, I would get the motor that had the longest free guarantee. Some of the boat show deals went out six years.
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I like the mini starlink idea. Anything satellite based would be better in the areas that you frequent. While i like the cell phone app idea, here’s the deal. Capability and usability are two different things. While your phone is a more than capable display device, I’m not sure i see you putting your rod down and getting out your phone to check on the weather. What was good about my Garmins was they were integrated with radar, xm weather, vhf etc. All of that technology could display on the chart plotter. I had mostly xm weather overlayed over the garmin navigation chart. Same with radar although I did not run radar and xm weather at the same time. And i did have an inreach that would display text messages on the chart plotters. Using my phone was out of the question and Elon had not released Star Link at that point. But now, I would have device integration very high on my list for selecting a new chart plotter system. I don’t particularly care for Garmin and their so called “integration” but having it all in one place that i could see and use was the ticket. Something mounted on the dash that you can see at a glance while driving and then maybe something mounted on the front of the console or up in the bow where you stand so you can glance down and get information quickly about the water and the sky.
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Another aspect not mentioned are storm clouds. Can see thunder heads moving your way. XM Weather has a lot better distance of course but a good 24″ radome can see to just past the horizon depending on high it is mounted. Mine was up top so say 12- 15′ above the water line. The actual radar returns I could see in the 20 mile range. I found and chased a shrimp boat 80 miles out because the radar system could paint the boat’s AIS signal. With the settings turned down to say 1/8 or 1/4 mile range you would definitely see a blip for the piling.
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Since your next boat probably will not have a t-top, please take into consideration the mounting location of the unit. In the photo above, the radar unit is mounted at the same height as the person’s head in the bow of the boat. Here is why that is noteworthy:
“Marine radar emits non-ionizing radiation in the form of microwaves, typically in the X-band (8-12 GHz) or S-band (2-4 GHz) frequency ranges. These microwave signals are used to detect objects by bouncing off surfaces and returning to the radar receiver.
While marine radar does emit electromagnetic radiation, it is generally considered safe for humans at normal operating distances. However, prolonged exposure at close range—especially near high-powered radar systems—should be avoided to minimize potential risks.”
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You’ll probably be looking at a Radome radar and probably not the Open Array radars which are more powerful. Even the Radomes come in different sizes and powers. I had a Garmin GMR 24 that had extended range. I didn’t use it very much but when I did it was very handy. In your case, think of a very foggy morning on the MRGO. Your radar will illuminate both shorelines and anything in front of, and behind, you. I suspect that given your past, you are no stranger to radar. Second, my Garmin could locate and paint AIS transponders. In my case I was receive-only, but say you were looking for a trawler. They will emit an AIS signal that you will be able to see on your radar with an id too that you can look up on the internet. Third, bird tracking. I did not use the bird tracking feature but several of my friends did. It saved two 35+ mile fishing trips out of Matagorda when the visibility due to fog was less than 100 yards. Heavy rain is another good example of when radar can be handy. Be prepared to install a marine LAN to hook up your devices or just make sure that your chart plotter can handle several rj-45 inputs. I had my two transducers on an rj-45 of each chart plotter and the radar on the second rj45 of the other. VHF radios, sirius xm marine, and etc were on the lan. It is a true comfort to come and go in the dark and have a breadcrumb trail and radar. Breadcrumb will tell you where to go and radar will tell you if there is anything in your path. FLIR? Amazon.com : SiOnyx Nightwave Camera, Rugged Ultra-Low Light Night Vision Marine Camera, Flexible Connectivity, Temporary and Permanent Mounting Options, DIY Installation, Black : Electronics. Good luck looking!
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A more detailed look at Elon’s offering:
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I found this interesting:
DIRECT_TO_CELL_SERVICE_FEB_25.pdf
Devin: this probably wouldn’t work for you because your data requirements are beyond simple text messaging. But for LAFBEliters who have T-Mobile cellular service this might be something of interest that might be a low or no cost option for emergency communications.
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I don’t go offshore any more and I pretty much stay in the Mississippi sound areas so I can’t verify this but I nevertheless found this interesting: https://www.tampnet.com/gom. If any of you have friends that work offshore maybe they can help verify.
If you insure your boat with Geico you will get a free Boat US membership that includes unlimited towing on the water and while you are trailering your boat. Boat US will dispatch Sea Tow if there are no Boat US operators in the area.
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From Co-Pilot (search phrase: Should I use Hibiclens or Betadine)
Hibiclens (Chlorhexidine)
• Use before exposure to prep skin and reduce bacterial colonization.
• Long-lasting protection—great for planned beach or boat days.
• Avoid on open wounds or mucous membranes.
✅ Betadine (Povidone-Iodine)
• Use after exposure if a wound occurs or contamination is suspected.
• Apply for 1–2 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
• Avoid prolonged use—can delay healing if left on granulating tissue.
Your Coastal Protocol
1. Before beach/boat trip:
• Clean legs, arms, hands with Hibiclens.
• Cover any wounds with waterproof dressing.
2. After scrape or exposure:
• Rinse with clean water.
• Apply Betadine briefly, then rinse.
• Dress with sterile gauze or hydrogel.
3. Monitor for Vibrio signs:
• Rapid swelling, pain, fever, discoloration.
• Seek urgent care if symptoms escalate.
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What about half moon?
