By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

When a person accidentally falls into frigid water, the first minute after entry is the most critical in the struggle to survive.

Dr. Michael Jacobs, one of the Island’s highly regarded sailing doctors, gave a talk on Tuesday evening about ways to survive after an accidental plunge. His message to boaters is that most people aren’t aware where the dangers really lie that lead up to death in the water.

At dawn on the last Friday of the year there were just a few ripples in the waters off Owen Park in Vineyard Haven. The temperature hovered in the low 40s as the morning sun first peeked out from behind the treetops on the banks of the Lagoon.

Just then six women rowing a thirty-two-foot Cornish pilot gig appeared from behind the harbor jetty. They had just finished their morning workout, rowing the gig Grace between East and West Chops, and were headed for shore.