November 29, 2011
Capt. Scott Gaffga learned a surprising lesson when he helped a stranded kayaker miles from shore recently: make sure you record what happens. An act of kindness could be used against you.
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon in October, Capt. Gaffga was bringing the 116-foot Lazzara M/Y Serenity down to Ft. Lauderdale when he noticed a man laying sideways on his kayak about two miles from shore.
Gaffga stopped -- not the easiest of tasks with a 31-foot tender under tow -- and he and his crew helped the man aboard. He was shaken but unharmed, Gaffga said. They emptied his flooded kayak, but he refused a ride to shore.
So Gaffga gave the man his cell phone number and asked that he call when he made it safely ashore. Then the man paddled away.
About two hours later, the man called to say he might have to report the yacht and wanted insurance information.
“He said we were the ones who waked him, that he lost his fishing pole and wallet because of us,” Gaffga said. “He was nice about it. He just wanted us to help him out. He said ‘I know you guys are insured. I don’t want to have to call the coast guard.’
“This is the phone call I get after saving this guy’s life,” Gaffga said. “He was basically asking me to do insurance fraud.”
Gaffga refused, and reminded the man that he had recorded everything in his log after it happened, as did his crew. Plus, onboard video cameras recorded the whole thing. At the time, the man thanked the crew for saving him, that he had just caught a dolphin and wasn’t paying attention when a wave knocked him over.
“He must have talked to someone when he got ashore,” Gaffga said. “It was just a big shock that someone would do that. There I was, sitting back thinking I’ve done my good dead for the day. The last thing you think is he’s going to sue you.”
Luckily, Gaffga said he didn’t have to learn these lessons the hard way, but he’s sure his fellow yacht crew might not consider this while focused on saving someone. The lessons he learned:
1. If you attempt to save someone at sea, have people around as witnesses, especially crew members. “Make sure your end is covered as well as saving the person,” Gaffga said. “It’s a shame that you have to think of that, but you do.”
2. Be aware of any injuries to the person before you bring them aboard. And note them in the log or notes about the event afterward.
3. Ask a lot of questions -- what happened? are you OK? does that hurt? -- and document them, or at least have them corroborated by witnesses.
“Some people see these pretty white boats and they see dollar signs,” Gaffga said. “I hate to think that, but I hadn’t thought about it before. When you save someone, they’re happy. Then they get ashore and they think maybe they can make a pretty penny.”
About the Author
