Anchoring Accident

[kcmarcet]

I don't want to make light of this guys bad luck, but he sure could have used some good advise on anchoring his 1971 Irwin. Here is a

video

of the unfortunate results. He beached his boat on the 15th of October. He is still working on digging it out trying to re-float his sailing vessel.

Here is more of the details of the incident. The owner bought the boat for $12,000 from a guy in Fort Myers. He has never owned a boat before, and has never even been on a sailboat before he bought his Irwin. He was attempting to motor sail it from Fort Myers to his home town of Holiday, FL a distance of about 200 miles, with one overnight stop in the Venice inlet. He ran out of fuel just south of the Venice Beach pier. He had radio so he anchored and swam to shore and called his wife for a ride home. Later that night the coast guard called him and told him his boat was beached on Casperson Beach in Venice. He came back the next day and called Sea-Tow and they told him they would charge him $10,000 to remove the boat from the beach. The owner said that much money is more than he could afford. So he started digging with the help of some nice people and they are still digging 10 days later.

So I am glad that I have all of you to seek advise from before I put the "Yo-Ho" in the water next week.

[cabo_sailor]

Based upon what I see at my own marina, the story is all too common. Folks buy a boat and think that it's like buying a car. How hard can it be? They soon learn. In this fellow's case the tuition is high. Even if he wanted to, he can't walk away. No way the state or anyone else is going to leave a boat on the beach.

Sad,

Rich

[osirissail]

Not to pick on any one group of boaters, but I was amazed in the Bahamas when a power yacht would arrive at an anchorage, let loose his anchor, and when it hit the bottom he would go back to the aft deck, break out the beer and treats. When asked about "scope" he said he didn't carry any rifles.

[kcmarcet]

You're right about them not wanting to leave the boat on the beach. I live in the same city and county where the boat is beached. The beaches here are the lifeblood of the winter economy, the city/county are not going to want people to remember "that's where that boat washed ashore and sat for all that time" I figure they will step in and take control in about a week or so.

[kcmarcet]

Well, in the print article, which I couldn't find online in it's complete form, the guy described himself as "an experienced boater" now from what I have heard being down there twice to check the progress, he was using a small 6# danforth anchor, which is smaller than the 8 I have for my 21 footer. His is a 31 foot vessel. second, I overheard the owner say that he had about 50 feet of anchor line out, but I don't know how deep he was when he anchored. But from what I have read and been advised this would be good for no deeper than 7 feet of water. At the most. I just can't believe that 1) he didn't just sleep on the boat and maybe hear the anchor dragging 2)that he was trying to motorsail it 200+ miles

[sailvayu]

I have never been in favor of licensing for boaters but in the last few years I am beginning to change my mind. And what is even more surprising is the USCG does not even require boaters to carry an anchor or manual bilge pump.

Wayne Canning, AMS
projectboatzen.com

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by kcmarcet

I figure they will step in and take control in about a week or so.

I'd just ring the local TV station or Radio station and pull a few heart strings and get half the town down there with their bucket and spades... even the kids can help.

[David M]

Apparently nobody has calculated the very low angle of repose for sand in seawater and the subsequent enormous volume that will need to be removed in order to float it out.

[imagine2frolic]

Possibly this is where God did not look after fools, and drunks!......i2f

[stevensc]

Damn, that is sad to see, it must have been really rough or a high tide to get that far up on the beach. I don't recall any low fixed bridges on the inside, (but then as long as they are 20+ feet I don't pay them much attention) I have been through there a few times in my trawler, it would seem to be a better route for someone inexperienced.
Good luck to him he'll be needing it
Steve

[David M]

I'm thinking a crane and a flatbed would be the most sensible solution.

[kcmarcet]

I believe it was a moon tide the night it drifted ashore. Yeah motorsailing the intercoastal would have been more interesting for him too. I was there last night and they have the bow facing the water now, I can't even imagine how much damage they did to the hull turning it.

[kcmarcet]

Or maybe if it sits there too much longer a crane and a dumpster.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I'd just ring the local TV station or Radio station and pull a few heart strings and get half the town down there with their bucket and spades... even the kids can help.

Buy a can of black paint and disguise it as a whale and the whole state will turn out to refloat it...

[kcmarcet]

LOL, that's just too funny. But actually he would be better off with a can of gray paint to try to pass it off as a manatee, way more manatees get themselves into trouble than whales around here.