Boat Went up on the Beach Last Night

[Kettlewell]

perchance--is what i have been saying for a couple of years now--is your home your boat--your choice, but please use all chain in rocky bottoms, like mexico...i have seen and watched too many groundings due to rope chafing clear thru in very short order.

Don't cruisers all talk about this? You would think people coming down the coast would know by now. Don't people dive on their anchors? Or is it too murky?

[Weyalan]

It is sad that people make decisions that result in them anchoring their boat (in some cases anchoring their entire worldly goods) with sub-par gear. Compared to the cost of a boat and all it's acoutrements, 200' of decent chain and a decent anchor (of whatever type you favor ) is relatively inconsequential.

While it is easy to be smug about one's own ground tackle, every time I see reports like this (and they are all too frequent) I think "their but for the grace of Neptune go I".

[zeehag]

we all do a lot of praying to not be on the rocks or beach...

[perchance]

Originally Posted by zeehag

perchance--is what i have been saying for a couple of years now--is your home your boat--your choice, but please use all chain in rocky bottoms, like mexico...i have seen and watched too many groundings due to rope chafing clear thru in very short order.

I guess some people don't get it and maybe never will, but it makes good fodder for this forum.

[s/v 'Faith']

Originally Posted by boatman61

Bumma... sympathies...

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

I wish the unknown sailor better luck and hopefully a fast rebound.

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Damn shame. Looks a nice boat.

Originally Posted by solarpoweredbot

Different ships, different long splices. Whatever his cruising style was, he was one of us - he was "out there" - which makes him one of my definition of "us".

The sight of a boat on the reef saddens me on many levels

Originally Posted by noelex

I hope they managed to recover the yacht with no further damage.

Originally Posted by sww914

I talked to him this afternoon. I had met him already, nice guy but not an experienced cruiser. He said that he had two anchors out, both with ten meters of chain and then rode. He left for a few hours and came home to his boat on the rocks and a swarm of dinghies trying to save it.
He said that these 4 months of cruising have been the best time of his life.

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Good luck to this chap...

Jim

Sucks for him. I hope none who stand on the shore and toss rocks at this man ever suffer similar fate...

... I am a fan of all chain. I know that bad things can happen to ANYONE, I wish this Sailor well, and agree with the comments of sympathy... For those content to cast stones, beware for your day may well come.

Fair winds to all the Sailors on this thread.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

Anchoring threads get a bad rap on CF, but the damage from dragging anchor is far more likely to hurt a cruising boat than most other causes.

Even with an unset anchor, dragging in less than 20k average, is rare which makes this case look puzzling. (maybe a broken anchor swivel, or similar unusual case)

I hope they managed to recover the yacht with no further damage.

I consider anchor gear amongst the most important of safety equipment. There is no doubt more vessels are lost/damaged at anchor/moorings than at sea.

My personal observations are of the Queensland, Australia coast but seems little different to Caribbean or in this case Mexico.

[perchance]

"Local Knowledge": all you have to do is ask.

[nimblemotors]

That is sad. Can't believe they could not get him off without damage.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by perchance

I guess there should be a rule in Mexico: go all chain or go aground.

Sounds a good rule worldwide.

[zeehag]

i think the worst thing one can watch is their own boat/home going onto rocks..without ability to do anything in timely fashion

[Kettlewell]

Someone further up the thread pointed out one of the important lessons of incidents like this (other than using chain in places like Mexico), the need to have a light kedge anchor ready to go at a moment's notice that can be taken way out in a dinghy in a situation like this. As this other poster pointed out quite intelligently, many people going aground think about starting the engine, or getting a tow, when often the first and best thing to do is to get an anchor way out towards good water to stabilize the situation, and hopefully to pull your boat back off. Something like a Fortress on mostly rope rode is ideal for this.

[CarinaPDX]

Thanks for the info Zee.

And sympathies to the owner.

Some thoughts:

I used both chain and rope/chain prior to installing an electric windlass. Rope worked very well for me, in the right conditions. Rocky bottoms are not one of those. It is really a matter of choosing the right tool for the conditions. I do not agree that rope should never be used. The only problem I had with rope came when a boat dragged down on me and then wrapped his prop with my rode; in addition to damaging the rope, he pulled my anchor up and then dumped it overboard - resulting in my boat dragging towards the breakwater. Friends rescued her just in time. In that case chain would either have been too low to foul, or would have given the other guy something more to deal with...

The skipper reportedly used two 10-meter rodes. There is no way he had enough scope (6X distance from roller to bottom). Also, two rodes creates the opportunity for tangling if the boat swings 360 degrees; this alone can cause chafing, as well as shortening the scope even more. Using more than one anchor is something I only do in special situations, for all sorts of reasons.

While taking the US Power Squadron courses years ago I was struck that they recommended that sailboats should be towed by the mast. Their point was that the cleats were often too weakly mounted and could tear free and slingshot back on the tow boat. Even then it was clear that they were putting far too much trust in the mast (a structural element that is strong in compression, but very weak in shear).

Greg

[sww914]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

There it is again, "on the rocks". Is ther some other interpretation of "on the rocks" that doesn't require actual rocks? I'm a sorry for the troubles of the owner as others, but isn't this all a sandy beach. I'm not overlooking a disasterous situation; however, what's the call? Do other cruisers use the term "on the rocks" for any grounding?

I can't seem to capture the google maps image but if you look at satellite image of the beach immediately east of La Cruz De Huanacaxtle, you will understand completely.

[perchance]

How about "Beached"?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by CarinaPDX

Thanks for the info Zee.

And sympathies to the owner.

Some thoughts:

I used both chain and rope/chain prior to installing an electric windlass. Rope worked very well for me, in the right conditions. Rocky bottoms are not one of those. It is really a matter of choosing the right tool for the conditions. I do not agree that rope should never be used. The only problem I had with rope came when a boat dragged down on me and then wrapped his prop with my rode; in addition to damaging the rope, he pulled my anchor up and then dumped it overboard - resulting in my boat dragging towards the breakwater. Friends rescued her just in time. In that case chain would either have been too low to foul, or would have given the other guy something more to deal with...

The skipper reportedly used two 10-meter rodes. There is no way he had enough scope (6X distance from roller to bottom). Also, two rodes creates the opportunity for tangling if the boat swings 360 degrees; this alone can cause chafing, as well as shortening the scope even more. Using more than one anchor is something I only do in special situations, for all sorts of reasons.

While taking the US Power Squadron courses years ago I was struck that they recommended that sailboats should be towed by the mast. Their point was that the cleats were often too weakly mounted and could tear free and slingshot back on the tow boat. Even then it was clear that they were putting far too much trust in the mast (a structural element that is strong in compression, but very weak in shear).

Greg

I read it as 10metres chain and rope rode...