toledoblade.com --

They call it the invisible killer.

The victims of carbon monoxide poisoning don't feel any pain, except perhaps a sick headache or drowsiness.

The deadly gas is odorless, colorless, and tasteless, so if there's no CO alarm on your boat, you have no idea you're in danger.

"You don't realize all the things that can happen," said Lorene Bixler, whose family recently suffered CO poisoning on their 26-foot powerboat.

Lorene and her husband Jim were cruising to Put-in-Bay in June with their daughters Sue and Sandy, Sue's husband Glenn, and Sandy's boyfriend Don.

"Don was operating the boat," Lorene said. "He had never done that before, so I stayed topside to help.

"My husband, who recently had chemotherapy, went below to lie down. He was cold and I covered him up.

"Sandy decided to take a nap too, but pretty soon she came back on deck and Don said she looked like she was having a hypoglycemia attack. She grabbed a snack and went back below.

"Then my son-in-law, who was sitting on the deck, complained that he didn't feel well either. Glenn is an experienced boater so he couldn't understand why he would be seasick."

The boat was approaching Put-in-Bay when Sue called out that her sister had chest pains. She also said she was unable to wake her father.

"Glen immediately grabbed the radio mike and called the Coast Guard. By the time we reached the gas dock, the emergency medics were there," Lorene said.

"All I heard them say is they couldn't get any response from Jim and I lost it."

Jim was life-flighted to St. Vincent's Hospital where he was placed in the intensive care unit and remained unconcious for 48 hours. Sandy, who was drifting in and out of conciousness, was flown to the hospital as well.

Although Jim was released, he still has not recovered fully, Lorene said.

According to Carroll Robertson, director of claims for the BOAT/US insurance division, carbon monoxide can remain in the bloodstream for a long time.

"Unfortunately, the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is out there and we see situations where it happens to boats under way and also at anchor," she said.

"Sometimes it's caused by the `station wagon effect,' where the gas curls around the transom and comes in the boat, but it has also been traced to boats rafting together or near a seawall, generators, the exhaust under swim platforms, wind direction, and other causes."

Tests conducted by the Coast Guard showed the greatest hazard occurs when a boat is cruising upwind and the cabin is not ventilated, such as when the forward hatch and ports are closed.

"On our boat, the cabin is open and apparently the cause was just the way the wind was blowing," Lorene said. "Of course, no windows were open down below, because my husband was cold.

"It was a terrible experience," she says.

"If you have a diesel engine, you don't have to worry about it," she advises other boaters. "But if you have a gasoline engine [or gas generator], be careful and be sure you have a carbon monoxide gas detector."

LOGBOOK:
Craig Koschalk, skipper and crew members Karl Bradley and Nick Turney, all from North Cape Yacht Club, will compete at the Thistle National Championships at Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Aug. 2-8. The team placed 7th in the Thistle Great Lakes Championship held in Michigan City, Ind., earlier this month.

Anna Tunnicliffe, of Perrysburg, was named to the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association/ Ronstan All-America Women's Sailing team. She is a member of North Cape and the class of 2005 at Old Dominion University.

Three Cleveland-area girls - Mandy Sackett, Kate Aguero, and Kathleen Carter - will be among the 41 sailors competing for the U.S. Junior Women's singlehanded championship at Mentor Harbor Yachting Club, Aug. 2-8. The races will be run in Laser Radials and chaired by Abigail and Ed Skoch, the Inter-Lake Yachting Association's 2003 "Yachtsmen of the Year."

Looking for more championship races? ILYA's 110th Senior Sail Regatta at Put-in-Bay will have five.

The annual three-day sailing series, slated Monday through Wednesday includes the 2003 ILYA Performance Handicap Racing Fleet Class Championship, Midget Ocean Racing Fleet International Championship, Soverel Class Lake Erie Championship, Wave Class North American Championship, and J/105 Class Great Lakes Championship.

In addition, Bay Week will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Crescent Class and serve as the Reunion Regatta for the Hobie 18 and Prindle 18 classes.

Deepwater Races from Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Grosse Ile, Port Clinton, Sandusky, and Toledo will bring the boats to the Bay all weekend. Toledo's feeder starts near the Harbor Light Saturday morning.

OTHER AUGUST EVENTS:
1-3: Homecoming/Lake Erie Offshore Performance Association (LEOPA) Thunderfest and Poker Run, Monroe Boat Club.

1-2: Homecoming, Maumee River Yacht Club

1-3: Homecoming and Associated Yacht Clubs Poker Run, Nugents Canal Yacht Club

2: Dragon Boat Festival, International Park.

9-13: U.S. Junior Doublehanded Championship for the Bemis Trophy, in 420s/ U.S. Junior Singlehanded Championship for the Smythe Trophy, in Lasers, North Cape Yacht Club.

10: Ladies Day Race, Monroe Boat Club

10-13: U.S. Triplehanded Championship for the Sears and Judges Trophies, in Flying Scots, Detroit Yacht Club.

10-15: Interlake Sailing Class Nationals, Portage Yacht Club, Pinkney, Mich.

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