Rope Burn from Sail Handling: How It Happens

In short

Rick got a rope burn during the Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race, when a tangled halyard ripped the kite sail back up through a hatch and a whizzing line took a chunk out of his leg. He thought it was sunburn until the next day. Even a minor rope burn needs cleaning and close watching for infection, especially offshore. See a doctor if it is deep, increasingly painful, infected, or not healing within a few days.

My husband, Rick, gives 110 percent to whatever he does. So, while I was unhappy to hear about a recent rope burn injury, I wasn’t entirely surprised. Rick was injured aboard SV Spirit of Juno in Barbados while competing in the Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race with Ondeck sailing. 

Rick’s rope burn was caused by a freak event. The kite sail had just been lowered into the saloon through a hatch when, somehow, the halyard line got tangled. Within seconds the halyard ripped the kite sail out of the saloon, back up through the hatch, and sent all the associated lines with it. One of those lines went whizzing by and took a chunk out of my husband’s leg.

He didn’t realize that he had a rope burn until the next day. He thought he had a sunburn. Below is a picture of his injury caused by the friction of the halyard against his skin.

Rope Burn First Aid

First Aid For Minor Rope Burns

First aid for a minor rope burn comes down to cool, clean and cover. As soon as you can, hold the burn under cool running water for 10 to 20 minutes (yes, even on a boat where fresh water is precious), but skip the ice. Then wash it gently with mild soap and water, pat it dry, and spread on a thin layer of antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly. Cover it with a non-stick dressing and change it every day, or whenever it gets wet or dirty, which on a boat is often.

First Aid For Deeper Rope Burns

Seek medical attention if your rope burn injury is deep, becomes increasingly painful or shows signs of infection. Medical advice should also be sought if it worsens or does not begin healing within a few days.

Safety on a Sailboat

Since we began sailing as a family in 2015, I’ve developed a healthy respect for the lines, learning the hard way. In the early years on our way to Culebra, Puerto Rico, some unexpected weather came up. I put too little resistance on a winch; I should have put more wraps. Instead, the line pulled out of the winch, and whipped up, hitting me in the face, and knocked the lenses out of my glasses.

As recently as last month, Rick was using an electric winch. He lost his focus for a moment, and his hand became wrapped in the winch. Fortunately, he didn’t panic. But his near-miss has made me even more cautious when using the electric winch.

Other Medical Incidents After More Than 10 Years at Sea

Since 2015, we have visited more than 40 countries and encountered several medical events. These include:

• anaphylaxis
• appendicitis
• broken collarbone
• broken ribs
• dengue fever
• dental injury
• fish hook to the face
• head wound (caused by a kayak paddle) that needed stitches
• pinch injury caused by a pulley while someone was hoisted up our mast
• respiratory infection
• shallow water blackout
• splinters, including one that required numbing
• two knife wound injuries, once when cutting a coconut and another time while doing dishes when my hand met an unexpected fish knife

My blog post Our Offshore Medical Kit: A Complete Breakdown describes what we actually used and what we wouldn’t buy again.

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