What's Your Worst Sailing Experience ?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I dont think I'd charter from a Captain/Owner. Far too protective, or set in their routine/SOPs.

Had a firend how charters his boat and he wont let the guests use the washing machine. Guests are paying $20,000 per week and he wont let them wash and spin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He tells them to go to shore and do them in a laundry.

Get's a lot of repeat business, does he?????

Anywayt, for $20K a week I wouldn't use the wash machine either, I would expect the captain to be doing my laundry.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by tropicalescape

I depise the kind of person that wants to know "when you are going to wipe there ass "for allowing you on their boat..

You can ask for that? Damn I'm going to need to start working on getting better guests!

[mbianka]

Originally Posted by Lajos

Just came back from a one week charter on a 51 Dufour.... Boat was super nice, clean, well maintained, weather was nice..... Captain/owner was from hell!!!!!! We where 2 couples, the cap was my friends buddy from high school, thing went to hell the moment we set foot on the boat; don't touch this don't do that, condescending attitude, don't get up early in the morning, get out of my way when I'm in the galley, and on and on and on..... I would have gotten off the boat on the second day when he just dropped us off on Pinel for 2 hours and came back after 5 hours but since he was my friends buddy, I did not want to mess up there vacation... I just came back from breakfast with them and it turns out they felt the same way!!!! We should have made him walk the plank!!! Worst vacation ever!!!!.... I could go on and on for pages about all shitty things he did but bottom line: I just needed to vent a bit... The only thing I can figure is that he bought the boat with partners, they had a falling out, he bought them out but now he has to charter to meet the payments but bottom line; he hates it....

Thank you all for listening! :-)

(just sent an email to his girlfriend asking if we did something wrong, she was super nice to us and I just can't figure out why we got the attitude, maybe she will enlighten us...)

LOL. I thought you might have chartered the same boat my gal and I did recently after reading your rant. But, we were on a Cat and you on a monohull. I think you hit the nail on the head that there are some who get into the charter business reluctantly after they find out their dream of sailing off is a little more expensive in "paradise" than they imagined. So their dream becomes a job and then being on the boat is not as much fun when (paying) guests come on board and intrude into their space and they have had to curtail their cruising plans.
We have done about 19 charters in various places around the world. Happily, we have only had two charters with Capt. A-holes like you describe. The others were enjoyable cruises with interesting people who do treat you as welcome guests. We are happy and they are happy with the tips we leave. Capt. A-holes not so much.

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

You can ask for that? Damn I'm going to need to start working on getting better guests!

I had one fellow in mind when I wrote that...Ugly man...mean too..

[Group9]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

In defence of Ex-Calif there is great benefit in having a waypoint over your anchor. If the wind shifts direction it's easy to see when you are simply swinging around your anchor, or moving backwards.
This works in any visibility, any conditions.

Transits are a great and more accurate method, but they require good visibility, sometimes daylight hours, and while they are very accurate if the wind direction does not change it difficult to judge if you are dragging when the wind changes direction.

A plotted 3 bearing fix fix works, but is too slow if you are worried about dragging.

This sort of plot on the GPS tells you immediately if you are swinging around the anchor or dragging. The waypoint 611 is where I dropped the anchor.

The constant distance from the waypoint where the anchor was dropped indicates there is no dragging, despite the change in Position.

I always do the anchor/waypoint thing, too. It's nice to know for sure if the boat is dragging, because I have found my imagination can play tricks on me (like making me think the beach is getting closer, when the GPS clearly shows it is not). Kind of like flying on IFR to not get vertigo.

I haven't had a super bad sailing experience, yet. A few embarrassing groundings, sideswiping a piling, that kind of thing. My sister-in-law had a great one back in 1986. She and four friends in college chartered a sailboat out of Ft. Lauderdale with a paid captain, (Captain Bill), to go to Bimini. None of them had ever been on a sailboat before.

They left Port Everglades at dark, and Captain Bill, who was drinking heavily told them to just keep steering east, and went down into the cabin and passed out.
They tried to wake him a couple of times and couldn't and began to panic when they could see Bimini and he was still out. They decided they were going to run the boat up onto the beach, jump for it and swim to shore. She said they were about 500 yards from doing that, when he woke up, came into the cockpit, and said, "Oh, I see you found the entrance", took over and sailed them right in alongside the beach.

They all decided they were flying back and one of the Browns there, flew them back on his private airplane.

[Francey]

A couple of weeks ago I came upon a blog written by a sailing family of Mom, Dad, and two pre-teens. It was a 4 year treatise on their exciting trips up and down the Baja peninsula. I was entranced. How exciting! I think I'll sell my house (or rent it), buy myself a comfy multi-hull 36-40' boat and move in, LEARN how to sail these quickly-learned vessels, etc etc. What fun!
I'm smart, educated, financially secure, a quick-learner, etc.

Of course, I'd never do anything without reading up on this experience..to find out what I would need to learn, the pros and cons. Reading various blogs and forums on multi-hulls day and night I came upon this Forum. Eye-opening, to be sure. After reading about the worst sailing experiences of skilled and non-skilled alike I did a 360 deg. turnaround. Solid ground never felt so good. Looking out at my 5 acres of woods and lawn solidly anchored to the ground completely removed the desire to challenge the ocean for fun. I just don't have what it takes.

It's obvious, you need to have a genetic marker in your makeup that calls you internally to challenge the water. I understand that, as I have a genetic marker when it comes to food preparation…it's just there, naturally…cooking is a snap for me, effortless. Some people who venture onto the ocean, have it. It pulls them to the water. The unlucky ones might have it, but un-lucky prevails.

My illusion, that the oceans, seas, rivers & such are calm and quiet lakes just waiting for me to venture upon in a trip up and down the Baja peninsula in a multi-hull boat is a joke. Only the lucky, the physically able, the natural mechanic, the natural technician, and the educated in sailing should take a chance on boat life. Are you feeling lucky today? Not me. -smile-

Now I'm even afraid to rent-a-captained-boat, knowing what is out there waiting for the unlucky sailor…the rude captains, the make-believe captains, the wicked unexpected weather, all waiting for the uninitiated to experience the fun. -smile-

I do feel lucky though. I feel like I've lived with the sailors who shared their horrendous experiences and shared their terror and their monumental good luck to have lived through it all. May God go with those who are religious.
May luck stay with those who are lucky. -smile- Francey. PS. The next time I sit on the oceanside and watch the sailing boats I'll understand what the person at the helm might be experiencing. Fun, or desperation…a whole new view.

[carstenb]

What a first post! I hope it is all tongue in cheek.

Welcome aboard Francey.

And it ain't really that bad - most of the guys on here just exaggerate a bit.

[Francey]

It's clear that I was not meant to be a rugged sailor. -smile- I'm certainly adventurous and a gambler but you know that old song: "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away' when the deal is done.

I came across the following clip,
and after viewing it after reading the 'Worst sailing experiences' I THEN
truly understood what the 'worst sailing experiences' were all about. Just ignore the big vessels, observe the sailboats AND the waves...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...XxNZcXN3I&NR=1

Absolutely frightening, imagining my self out there on the ocean blue and encountering water like that and only having minimal experience.

Having to navigate, operate, repair as you fly, tie yourself down, substitute things for things that fail, keep from being unexpectedly washed off the boat, talking to the Emergency responders - ALL AT ONCE - in rough water, and in wondering what I'd do if I did get washed overboard and being dragged behind the boat in a tempest, and so on.. -smile-

No, I think I'll sit in my grandchildren's kiddy-pool and thank my creator for having guided me away from snap-purchases, adventurous ideas and challenges that go far beyond my realm of life experience. -smile- Again, Look for yourself at the following waters you may have already experienced and ask yourself if a Wannabe-multi-hull-cruiser has the wherewithal to take on such a momentous decision. -smile- I don't think so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...XxNZcXN3I&NR=1

[phillysailor]

As a first time charterer (I own a little boat) I was cruising with SWMBO & kids and another family aboard a catamaran. We did fairly well, learning about small holding tanks, electric systems, etc. but our anchors held, our docking was passable, and the kids were having fun.

The last night, however, we anchored in a small anchorage beside an even smaller channel. In dropping the hook, we went aground, but it didn't seem a big deal at the time.

In the morning, however, routine fluids check of one of the engines showed it had been a BIG deal. There was a fractured plywood shelf that supported the top of the rudder post. It acted as a sacrificial piece, though, and so the rudder and post were fine.

We limped into port, and I stayed up with the turnover captain helping with repairs until the wee hours. (The next charter was taking the boat at noon.) they apparently left without problems.

Lessons:
Anchoring is a big deal, as you may be maneuvering in very shallow water. Time for deliberate caution. We weren't even in gear when we hit, but it was fast enough to do damage. Have extra hands on deck for spotting, etc.

Check bilges and engine rooms immediately after touching bottom.

What I want to know is how badly should I feel/how should I view my skills as a skipper? I wasn't at the helm since i was handling the anchor, but I was responsible. Kinda seems like learning curve stuff, but unfortunately with someone else's boat.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by phillysailor

As a first time charterer (I own a little boat) I was cruising with SWMBO & kids and another family aboard a catamaran. We did fairly well, learning about small holding tanks, electric systems, etc. but our anchors held, our docking was passable, and the kids were having fun.

The last night, however, we anchored in a small anchorage beside an even smaller channel. In dropping the hook, we went aground, but it didn't seem a big deal at the time.

In the morning, however, routine fluids check of one of the engines showed it had been a BIG deal. There was a fractured plywood shelf that supported the top of the rudder post. It acted as a sacrificial piece, though, and so the rudder and post were fine.

We limped into port, and I stayed up with the turnover captain helping with repairs until the wee hours. (The next charter was taking the boat at noon.) they apparently left without problems.

Lessons:
Anchoring is a big deal, as you may be maneuvering in very shallow water. Time for deliberate caution. We weren't even in gear when we hit, but it was fast enough to do damage. Have extra hands on deck for spotting, etc.

Check bilges and engine rooms immediately after touching bottom.

What I want to know is how badly should I feel/how should I view my skills as a skipper? I wasn't at the helm since i was handling the anchor, but I was responsible. Kinda seems like learning curve stuff, but unfortunately with someone else's boat.

Cut yourself a LOT of slack (not rode!) on this. If you sail, you will go aground. It's a given.Only two sailors have never gone aground -- those who never leave the dock (although I was aground in a slip once) -- and liars.

It's not really funny, and it can be dangerous, and it can do damage, but you found the damage, so you did a GOOD job -- not a bad job.

Yes, it's a steep learning curve. You won't conquor that learning curve unless you get out there, and if you get out there, sooner or later you're going to run aground.

[belizesailor]

As a long time sailing instructor, charter captain, and cruiser, I am hard pressed to think of any bad sailing experiences.

Only one comes to mind. Ive run hundreds of charters and only ever had one bad one...these people were hell-spawn....like small hyper dogs on crack!

I left them in a marina for one night on their own. When I came back the next AM...the dock master said..."Thank god your back! Get these people outta my marina!". She was so relieved to be rid of them I think she forgot to charge for the slip...or maybe it was just not worth it to her because it would require interacting with them.

[phillysailor]

Scariest time was last year in Sarasota Bay in a 17 ft open gaff rig (Norseboat). My wife and I had camped out the night before in the Mangroves just outside Longboat Key Marina as a front passed through. A sea bouy gulf side registered winds 80mph at 0300! We were sailing from Tampa, aiming for Key Largo.

In the morning, we were in the peace and quiet, and monitored the weather radio which was calling for 25mph NNE winds. Rather foolishly, we thought that two reefs in the main would be ok for a downwind run past Sarasota where the ICW becomes narrow and, presumably, the winds would moderate somewhat at that point.

Within a quarter mile, it was clear that the scrap of sail was too much. So we dropped the main and unfurled a scrap of jib. Even that seemed like it was too much! So we proceeded under bare poles, and (by GPS studied MUCH later) did a respectable 4.5-5kts down the bay.

So my wife and I looked at each other, cursed our decision to leave the mangroves, and decided to save argument/rancor for later. Bless her! The boat rolled crazily, but I kept the boat under the mast for the most part and met the waves ok. Soon, though, we were gonna have to go somewhere, do something!

Fortunately, we spotted the anchorage in front of the Sarasota Sailing Squadron, set the mainsail (still furled) as our sail, dropped the centerboard for a little directional control and we scooted up on a beach next door. Whew!

Couple of rum drinks later we were fine! Checked out the club's anenometer, and watched it hit 43mph in a gust. Had a couple more rum drinks and had a chat by the fireside... With Meade Gougeon! What a nice man.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by phillysailor

As a first time charterer (I own a little boat) I was cruising with SWMBO & kids and another family aboard a catamaran. We did fairly well, learning about small holding tanks, electric systems, etc. but our anchors held, our docking was passable, and the kids were having fun.

The last night, however, we anchored in a small anchorage beside an even smaller channel. In dropping the hook, we went aground, but it didn't seem a big deal at the time.

In the morning, however, routine fluids check of one of the engines showed it had been a BIG deal. There was a fractured plywood shelf that supported the top of the rudder post. It acted as a sacrificial piece, though, and so the rudder and post were fine.

We limped into port, and I stayed up with the turnover captain helping with repairs until the wee hours. (The next charter was taking the boat at noon.) they apparently left without problems.

Lessons:
Anchoring is a big deal, as you may be maneuvering in very shallow water. Time for deliberate caution. We weren't even in gear when we hit, but it was fast enough to do damage. Have extra hands on deck for spotting, etc.

Check bilges and engine rooms immediately after touching bottom.

What I want to know is how badly should I feel/how should I view my skills as a skipper? I wasn't at the helm since i was handling the anchor, but I was responsible. Kinda seems like learning curve stuff, but unfortunately with someone else's boat.

Hi Phillysailor,

Like Rakuflames said, only two kinds of sailors but in my opinion, both kinds have or will run aground.

And you handled the situation quite well so pat yourself on the back.

I do disagree with one thing. Maybe not a bad thing to learn on someone else's boat, as long as that someone isn't a close friend.

So, welcome to the Runaground Club. Anyone that really does any sailing has been there.

[rebel heart]

The two times I've grounded we reversed off the sand bar and all was right with the world.

I was 5 miles offshore in 25 of water the other day. Huge sand shelf, had me glued to the depth gauge.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

The two times I've grounded we reversed off the sand bar and all was right with the world.

I was 5 miles offshore in 25 of water the other day. Huge sand shelf, had me glued to the depth gauge.

You're going to hate crossing the Bahama Banks. 25 miles from the nearest island and you might be in 6-8' of water.