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Rocinante33 · 09-05-2017, 11:15

Hello all,

I have been reading all of these comments on grounding/towing etc and it brings up a question that I have not seen addressed.

I ran aground at the mouth of Snake Creek in the Keys last month. For those who know it, it is a long, well, snake like approach to the ocean from the bayside that is 10 feet deep until the very end when you pass over a bar that is marked 5 6 at mean tide. I draw 5 6 and have brushed bottom there before, but last month on a low and falling tide I hit bottom and got stuck.

The bottom is a thin screed of sand over a pretty hard limestone pan. My initial intention was to wait it out, about 4-6 hours and float off again. The fishing boat traffic was steady and leaving substantial wakes, and I was feeling gentle bumps on the bottom, but never got sufficient clearance from them to get underway again.

Towboat (I am a member) just happened by and threw me a line and said he would get me going. I had decided against calling Towboat earlier and was pretty much deciding to wait it out, but I had two passengers that were getting a little agitated (mom and kiddo). As Towboat and I conversed, the sort of final straw was the Coasties came at high speed drawing maximum wake that bounced us around substantially, and I decided that towing was no worse than hard bouncing on the bottom for hours.

Towboat secured a line to my bow cleat, I killed my motor to avoid sucking in the huge amount of corally sand that I knew would soon fill the water and he tugged. We had estimated that I was less than 10' from freedom and the boat heeled to about 30* and surged forward.

Freedom turned out to be more like 50-60 feet but the 1400 horses on TB chewed that up in a few seconds. I felt the keel drag, and most of the drag was not lateral but linear (Is that the right term? along the keel. I kept my hands on the wheel and felt a tug of currents, but I am confident that the rudder never hit bottom (I would have felt that). The keel most certainly made firm contact and there is very little bottom paint left on the bottom 3 inches of my keel. It was sand, not grass, No sea critters left on the keel either, so that was ok.....

Boat free, papers signed, everybody on their way. I continued outside to Miami. Beautiful evening sail with the gulf stream and a SSE breeze. Made 8 knots with the Magma grilling dinner and sat in awe of a spectacular sunset rounding Carysfort Reef. Cruised into Government Cut about midnight, waved at a departing cruise ship and was asleep by 2. Everybody went home happy.

Now the post mortem. 1981 Hunter Cherubini 33. Very solid boat. Keel appears ok (from underwater observation through a dive mask)...and by that I mean only that it is not obviously bent. Keel bolts in the bilge appear unchanged, again, I am just looking at them.

What else to do to reduce possibility that keel falls off as a result of unseen damage? Am I overthinking this? Is a 50' tow across a hard (ish) bottom anything to worry about? Any thoughts most appreciated!

Fair winds

Dymaxion · 09-05-2017, 12:02

You want a more experienced voice than mine, but your keel "hit" was a drag and not an impact against say a rock ledge. Forces would be much lower, and the loose sand probably cushioned the pull nicely. Having said that, did you look at forward end of keel joint for cracks in the paint where the keel joins the hull? If your keel bolts are easily accessible, maybe borrow a torque wrench and check them for correct tightness. Kind of an annual maintenance item anyhow.

**Adelie** · 09-05-2017, 12:16

What are the floors for your keel?

Glassed in wood frames or an FRP grid?

**David M** · 09-05-2017, 13:34

If it really concerns you then get a haulout and have a marine surveyor or a competent, knowledgable person who works for the boatyard have a look at your keel.

You probably have a few scratches that need to be faired out and are in need of some bottom paint along the base of the keel anyway.