name: Mark Gatty Saunt

Near-special burns unit experience at sea

23 July, 2006

The other day, a small group of us went out in a friend’s boat for a spot of sundown wakeboarding.

We stopped off at the floating marina petrol station in Dubai Marina and filled ‘her’ up to the brim with the juice.

All appears to be normal when ‘she’ stalls about 20 meters or so from the floating petrol station. So my friend turns the engine over several times but nothing.

On about the fifth attempt at starting ‘her’ up again, there is an explosion, and below-the-knee-height flames come out of every gap inside the boat (from the front and the back).

Within two seconds, without even having time to shout “abandon ship”, all four of us where naturally over the side, startled, burnt and treading water in the marina.

Next there is an even bigger bang, at which point we all duck under the water and when we surface, the boat is pouring out grey smoke and it stinks of burning plastic.

A marina security boat comes burning up to the scene and tells us to start scooping water into the boat (a really wise idea with a petroleum fueled fire!). We refuse, so he backs his outboard engine near the boat and starts churning water up and into it. Then another boat comes onto the scene with CO2 extinguishers and thankfully begins to put out the fire.

We drag ourselves out of the water and onto the dock of the floating petrol station, all with legs and feet burning and not a hair to be seen from the knees down.

We’re still not sure what created the explosion but the local fire department is investigating.

Posted by dr.winkle 15:20 | Sport | Comment(12) | Permalink