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**Adelie** · 26-09-2010, 10:47

Went sailing in Seattle's Duck Dodge, a beer can race on Lake Union right by downtown.

Boat is a E-scow, 28' dinghy, yes a dinghy, with bilge boards (2 centerboard like things, one on each side, angled out and toed in slightly), and 2 rudders, 1 on each side angled out like the bilge boards. Rudders are each 12" deep and 18" long, so not much authority at low boat speeds, but then the boat is not designed for low boat speeds. The boom overhangs the back of the boat by about a foot so running backstays are necessary. Sail area is 325sf with more than 2/3 of that in the main. See attached photo for an idea of what they look like.

Crew was pick up from the UW. Wind is 5-12kt.

First lap I make a joke about running into a certain 50'-ish trimaran that regularly wins first class.

Second lap we are on the long leg from Freemont bridge to the south end of the lake. About half way thru the leg the wind shifts a bit so I ease the main. The boat starts to bear away, I turn the rudders, the turn slows slightly, we are turning towards the tri I had made the joke about earlier.

Yep we t-boned the tri. Just before hitting I thought the physics thru and realized I hadn't had the jib man release but it was too late by the time I realized this.

We didn't hit hard and it later turned out there was only cosmetic damage.

IdoraKeeper · 26-09-2010, 21:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stillraining

LOL....Hooked on aft queen births or actual sailing...

Don't leave your keys hanging around and for God's sake don't let em have a key to the boat!

Todd

aquarian · 27-09-2010, 19:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdoraKeeper

Two fifteen yearold kids boy and girl steal her Dad's Mustang and sneak down to the SeaScout boat (Erikson 26' sloop) in the middle of the night....the rest is history. Didn't end up married or any other result, didn't get get caught either. Remember it like yesterday, yep, hooked on sailing.

Todd

Sorry,
That can't be a sin. Awesome!

aquarian · 27-09-2010, 20:25

I was born Tuesday 9/21/10.
My sin was not trusting my instincts enough to speak up. I was taught to sail by and was at the time sailing with the same rather "bossy" personality. Enough background.
We went on vacation in the "trailer sailer" that I adore - without her I wouldn't get to go at all. Spent 2 days sailin' in heaven - everything perfect.
On the eve of the 2nd day we headed up the channel in a bay with its very own under water obstacle course for those who dare stray from the channel. The plan was to duck under the bridge, row ashore, make a short stop at a conveinince store, grab a bit to eat, and head back out before dark. It was a full moon. So running after dark was part of the initial plan. When we achored, I knew we were to close to shore and didn't speak up - at least not loudly enough to be heard. When we were aground, I found a little redemption in the fact that my "captain" did relax a bit and take a nap when I reminded him that our little boat could handle her situation just fine till the tide came back in, and we had karaoke from the shore for entertainment. Wine, sunset, calm water under a crooked boat, and karaoke, who could ask for more.
It all went back south after the nap.
1. I didn't say, we should anchor out further and stay the night.
2. I didn't say, adamantly enough, "lets go back and anchor when we first felt the wind coming under the bridge. Instead, we dropped the sails and started the motor.
3. I didn't say it again when the wind and waves on the other side of the bridge were too much for our little rig.
4. I finally said it when a wave came over the stern, broke the motor bracket in two and took the motor with it. At that point the wind and waves apparently agreed and were doing their best to send us right back to the bridge at a rediculous pace. Yet my captain still disagreed and refused to go back under the bridge. In his defense, there was not much room to turn around and we were already being blown out of the channel. So jib up and onward we went. We spent the next 2 hours praying and searching desperately for the now mystery channel markers while blindly making our way through the obstacle course of the bay. Try as we might we couldn't convince the wind to let us back in.
The tale ended with a long rough ride to sun up, a sunken motor, a broken tiller, exhaustion, and damaged pride. I thought we were incredibly fortunate, but I made the comment while babying the tiller and waiting on sunrise that, "maybe we were trying to force something that wasn't supposed to be." My captain replied, "This is something that you really love. Hold that though until you get home and have time to think about it." I listened and followed his advice. It isn't that it "isn't supposed to be." The lessons were: 1) Intuition is real: speak up (loud and proud) and 2) we need a sturdier boat - We were only in 2-3 foot sees with 20 knot winds. Day sailers are daysailers - no matter how much you love them, and you can't count out the weather to behave. Apparently he listened to his advice too: He says he is done sailing, . . . . . . . but I'm not!

Mistakes are Gods classroom - if you can't learn from them, you will never graduate.

Stillraining · 27-09-2010, 20:40

Great story aquarian

rgscpat · 02-10-2010, 00:06

Back in my stinkpot days when I was a teenager, I took our thirteen-foot Boston Whaler a couple of miles out into the Gulf of Mexico. The only problem was that I had forgotten where I'd put my eyeglasses and left them somewhere in our beach place.

It wasn't a problem until I headed back west to the Brazos Santiago Pass, and began to wonder why the inlet was rougher than usual. Then I looked up and saw the breaking waves I was getting into. Then I saw the beach 200 feet in front of me. Then I realized that was the South Jetty on my right, not the North Jetty. Oops.

Managed to turn the boat around between wave sets, just moderately touching bottom on a bar. Never got closer than about 120 feet from the beach. Bounced over some decent-sized breakers, knocking the outboard motor cover off, but luckily it landed in the boat and the motor didn't get soaked.

Entered the inlet correctly this time. Got inside, found a quiet cove where I could tie up, replace the engine cover, go inland, and "start excess water". Didn't make that mistake again.

kiper204 · 06-10-2010, 08:21

Our bonehead move happened the first day we bought our current boat... it was so pretty and we were so happy. We took her right over to fill up the fuel tank and the water tanks... but not the right ones... it took us a week to clean out the tanks properly... lol. I can laugh now but it wasnt funny then !!

Don1500 · 07-10-2010, 07:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdoraKeeper

Two fifteen yearold kids boy and girl steal her Dad's Mustang and sneak down to the SeaScout boat (Erikson 26' sloop) in the middle of the night....the rest is history. Didn't end up married or any other result, didn't get get caught either. Remember it like yesterday, yep, hooked on sailing.

Todd

Bin there, done that, started the best 4 week leave I had while in the Air Force.