When catamaran sailor Jaco Baak falls from his boat, he has to swim for his life for hours. KNRM volunteers find him just off the coast of Urk. He now knows from his own experience: wearing a life jacket can mean the difference between life or death. Rescuers also experience this during rescue operations. “It increases the chance of survival in cold water by a factor of four.” Read his story To sail edition 05/2024.
It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon in May, 2023. Jaco Baak decides to go sailing on the IJsselmeer with his 23-foot Wharram Hinemoa catamaran. There is a wind force of 4. Baak has left the port of Lelystad and is sailing towards Urk. When he wants to tack, he cannot get the catamaran through the wind properly. So he makes a jibe. During that maneuver the mainsheet landing suddenly moves quickly over to the other side. Baak loses his balance and falls backwards into the water. He looks around and sees his boat floating away towards the Ketelbrug.
His life jacket has now inflated. “I tried to swim behind the boat to get back on board, but it drifted away too quickly. I estimated the distance to Urk at 3 kilometers and quickly concluded that there was no other option than to swim to the harbour.” Baak swims towards Urk, alternating on his stomach and back. The sailor rests every fifteen minutes. “I used the buoyancy of the life jacket.” He wears a T-shirt with a Goretex sailing jacket and shorts. His sandals are still on the boat. “I am not an experienced swimmer. I had trouble controlling my breathing. After a few hundred meters I adjusted the life jacket so that it was less tight and I could breathe better.”
Baak understands the seriousness of the situation, but does not panic. “I have often snorkeled long stretches in Curaçao. I know that swimming a kilometer is always longer than you think. Mentally I was prepared for the 3 kilometers to be disappointing.”
© Matty van Wijnbergen
Critical condition
Around 9 p.m., when it starts to get dark, Baak sees something black in the water. The Urk harbor head, he thinks. As he gets closer, he sees that it is an anchored barge, filled with sand. “I didn’t have any acute cramps, so I could theoretically swim through to Urk. But it was almost dark and I was tired.” Baak climbs onto the barge. In the distance he thinks he sees a sailboat. He has lost his glasses and has limited vision at minus three. He grabs the whistle from his life jacket and tries to attract attention. In vain.
Sailing 05/2024
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Cover photo: © Vincent Snoek
Text: Floortje Gunst
Tags: life jacket Last modified: April 24, 2024
Tags: Difference life death
