Worst Case Scenario: Hitting A Sunken Container - What To Do!??

[NOMN]

I just watched this scary video here.

Apparantly, the guy's boat sank.

He hit a sunken shipping container.

That is MY WORST fear singlehanding, especially at night when making a 20 day ocean passage in the middle of the blue pacific [or other ocean.]



My question is: What would YOU do if this happened immediately, is there ANY WAY to repair it so the boat won't go down?!!

Imagine yourself out in the middle of an ocean, and suddenly you're hit with a loud THUD and water begins rushing in from a cracked bow or hull.

What steps would you take, and if you had immediate access to the crack, how could you seal it in time, and with what materials?!!

[captain465]

Strange container.....it was moving and had a fin!!!!!

[NOMN]

Lol, okay, say you hit a WHALE then.

The question still stands *_*.

[neilpride]

In the night? all depend how serious is the crack or gap in the hull, and how accesible is the bow area in question, many boats are fited with liners inside making inspection very dificult, if weather is fine , flashlight in hand , snorkel mask and that kind of collision bag to put in the gap or crack, or a sleeping bag lol, or whatever you have onboard suitable to plug a serious crack ,,, last resort the liferaft.....

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by neilpride

In the night? all depend how serious is the crack or gap in the hull, and how accesible is the bow area in question, many boats are fited with liners inside making inspection very dificult, if weather is fine , flashlight in hand , snorkel mask and that kind of collision bag to put in the gap or crack, or a sleeping bag lol, or whatever you have onboard suitable to plug a serious crack ,,, last resort the liferaft.....

I have a foam plug that I bought at a boat show. It's shaped like a cone, but flexible enough that you can force it into irregular shapes. I think I paid $10 for it. As I say that, it dawns on me that the cabin is full of cushions made of foam. There's a lot of foam on this boat that could temporarily plug irregular cracks. Hmmm...

[bazzer]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

I have a foam plug that I bought at a boat show. It's shaped like a cone, but flexible enough that you can force it into irregular shapes. I think I paid $10 for it. As I say that, it dawns on me that the cabin is full of cushions made of foam. There's a lot of foam on this boat that could temporarily plug irregular cracks. Hmmm...

Nerf balls are the ticket, cheap too

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by bazzer

Nerf balls are the ticket, cheap too

I heard a story where a racing boat lost her rudder and shaft, and water was rushing in the hole. A crewmember took off his inflatable PFD and jammed it in the hole, then pulled the ripcord. It plugged the leak pretty well.

As for containers sinking, it depends. Even with the dissolving plugs, if the contents have enough buoyancy the container will still float.

I've sailed many thousands of miles at night on the high seas, usually going fast. The odds are reasonably OK. Sailing in coastal waters, or here in the Puget Sound area, I'm going to go very slowly at night, or not sail at all, especially in the winter or spring. There are way too many floating logs in these waters. It's tough enough to avoid them during the day!

[MarkJ]

Yoooou could DIE anytime out there!
I think its much better to stay at home in a comfortable job.

Here's a good job:

Our Dynamic Store Room Assistant sits in a large comfy chair 8 hours per day and watches two exciting TV screens watching thousands of cardboard boxes as they remain stored. On occasion a box moves and the Dynamic Store Room Assistant presses a RED button. Something then happens to the errant box.
Pay: Low but goes up after 20 years.

[Stu Jackson]

Just another reason to go to Mexico first.

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Just another reason to go to Mexico first.

In a multihull.

[Waterway Guide]

I guess we can all see what one fictitious character does when Robert Redford's movie "All is Lost" opens in October. It's an open-sea sailing drama which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Robert Redford stars as a single-hander sailing a Cal 39 on an Indian Ocean passage, when his vessel collides with a wayward cargo container, cutting a gash in the hull and disabling the electronics. It has almost no dialogue (except a lot of cursing) and no real background on the character, so the story is told through the actions and emotions of a lone sailor trying to survive a chain of mishaps triggered by the collision. Could become one of those favorite "sailing" movies (right next to "Dead Calm"?).

[Ballenxj]

Originally Posted by Waterway Guide

I guess we can all see what one fictitious character does when Robert Redford's movie "All is Lost" opens in October. It's an open-sea sailing drama which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Robert Redford stars as a single-hander sailing a Cal 39 on an Indian Ocean passage, when his vessel collides with a wayward cargo container, cutting a gash in the hull and disabling the electronics. It has almost no dialogue (except a lot of cursing) and no real background on the character, so the story is told through the actions and emotions of a lone sailor trying to survive a chain of mishaps triggered by the collision. Could become one of those favorite "sailing" movies (right next to "Dead Calm"?).

I've got to see that movie.
-Bruce

[Tim R.]

I think this actual occurrence is fairly rare. You might be worrying about something along the same odds as winning the lottery.

Your best protection is to do everything you can to prevent such a collision. Maybe forward scanning sonar would help.

Our FG boat has a collision bullhead in the bow that is the holding tank. That area can be holed and filled and not affect the operability of the boat. It also has integral water and fuel tanks in the hull that would provide similar protection if holed where the tanks are.

[RainDog]

Originally Posted by Tim R.

I think this actual occurrence is fairly rare. You might be worrying about something along the same odds as winning the lottery.

I think a lot more common that that judging by the number of Vendee Globe boats of late having collisions with UFOs. At least 4 in the last edition, which seems pretty typical IIRC. With a total of a bit under 400K miles, that would be about once per 100K miles. Certainly not an everyday thing, but far more likely that winning the lottery. Luckily most collisions do not result in a gaping hold that sinks the boat.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by RainDog

Certainly not an everyday thing, but far more likely that winning the lottery.

Unfortunatly I agree.
I know several friends that have hit something bad enough to be in serious danger of sinking. No friends have won the lottery.

My impression is the number of whale strikes are rising dramatically. The number of container strikes modestly. The number of debris strikes is high at the moment, but this will only be short lived.

The risk of dying from the cause is not high, but it one of few hazards that you can do very little about other than having a yacht that is more likely to survive a strike. The latest generation of PLBs and personal AIS transmitters provide some possibility of rescue even if the sinking is too rapid to deploy the life raft, but in offshore conditions the chances are still very slim.