Just bought the boat? First time out? Close call or Fail? Tell your story here!

[Livinchi]

Let's hear everyone's story about their first time out and/or embarrassing moments while boating! I know I can't be the only one...

My wife and I just purchased our new 1979 Chrysler 26' fixed keel less than a week ago. We decided to take it out on Wednesday here for the first time by ourselves and it was quite the little adventure, considering we didn't even make it out of the marina!

It was only our 3rd time on a sailboat and our second time on our new boat. The winds were considerably strong that day as well as gusty. We were not planning on sailing, I really just wanted to take our new sailboat into the open water and practice maneuverability for some time with the the outboard and rudder, maybe anchor for a swim and then come back. Basically upon backing the boat out of the slip the bow was blown downwind which was the wrong way to get out of the marina and towards a dead end filled with docked boats!

My wife was on the bow for weight and had the pole to push off, once she realized we were pointed the wrong way she looked back and said "what now?" I remembered rule #1 which is stay calm and don't panic, so I said "It's ok, we will just keep it going this way and turn all the way around." I then planned to do a 270 degree clockwise spin with alternating forward and reverse thrusts.

Basically the wind was too strong, every time the boat would turn more broadside to the wind the bow would get blow back down. I had very little control or power in reverse. At this point the wife was glancing back with more concern and my hands were shaking on the controls! It was looking more like our first voyage would end in damaged boats, a possible insurance claim, and embarrassment.

We were running out of room, blowing towards the dead end of the marina, there were no open slips but there was about 30' of dock for a seating area parallel to us that I managed to move the boat over to without hitting anything! I stepped off, and we tied up. PHEWWWWWWW!

The wife went to look for help from somebody at the marina but we were the only ones around. After roughly 40 minutes of waiting, a gentleman came who was willing to help. My nerves were shot and I was hoping he would just drive the boat back into the slip for us! He also did not feel comfortable, and even questioned if my 9.8 HP outboard could push the 26' boat back upwind to the slip...

We got the boat turned around by tying to the bow and letting the stern drift back in the wind while we walked the bow up the dock we stopped at. I hopped back in and started her up, the engine moved her upwind with little effort and we pulled back into the slip while my wife threw our helper a line. Safe and sound right? Nope not there yet!

After our stressful adventure traveling 50 yards and back, my wife made the poor decision to attempt to jump from the boat to the dock as we drifted apart from it - SPLASH! in goes the wife... as our new friend helping us pulled her out of the water, her dress lifted up and he was treated to quite the view as well! Just a tip to add to the cash tip we gave him for his assistance helping us survive our first attempt at taking out our new boat!

I now realize what I did was foolish, we should not have chosen such a windy day and should have practiced entering and exiting the slip/marina with somebody with experience around first. But hey, you have to start somewhere so we just went for it!

What is your embarrassing story with a new boat or maybe when you got in a little over your head?

[sandrunner]

First time out, I was in Boston Harbor and it was very busy. Flipped the tiller the wrong way by accident and turned right across the bow of a small oncoming power boat. He just gave us a smile and wave. Then out of the harbor the winds were picking up and reefing the main in a breeze by myself was let's just say an adventure... On the positive side, I was able to pick up my mooring without too much trouble.

[greybeardloon]

Sailors confessional is a section on this forum that is full of really instructive mistakes.. We’ve all been there. I think humility rather than overconfidence is for me a good place to be. I’d rather be open to learn than to assume I know it all. There are some people on this forum who are regular posters like Jim and Ann Cate, barnakiel and others that have so much knowledge and experience it’s so useful to listen.

One quick story from me - I wrapped the prop on the dinghy line after going full reverse to avoid a collision with another boat who incorrectly went for the same mooring ball. I jumped over with a knife and cut the lines from around the prop shaft, started her up and re-moored. The other guy apologised afterwards but it’s irrelevant- the responsibility for my boat lays with me alone as the captain.

Main thing is, no one was hurt and I learnt to make sure I have a very buoyant floating line for the tender and a cutter on the prop shaft. Here’s to learning quickly[emoji1303] and have a great day!

[danielamartindm]

Years ago, my brother and I purchased a Nonsuch 30, and traveled by car to its dock in Scituate, MA, that we might deliver it to our mooring in Sag Harbor. The boat was in a local marina, and we slept on it the first night there while we planned everything in excruciating detail. The marina was separated from the Atlantic by a maze of narrow and shallow canals lined with high reeds. Unfortunately, when we ordered charts for the trip, it looked to us that Scituate was right on the ocean, and so it didn't occur to us to order any local charts. The dock master was kind enough to hand-draw us a chart of how we might find our way through the maze of reeds. As our draft was a concern, we planned our departure on the ebb of the next morning's high tide. The canals were tortuous, and we quickly became lost, a la "The African Queen." It was a Sunday morning, and we seemed to be the only vessel out and about. We putted about in circles, talking about perhaps trying to go up the mast for a better look around. As we sat there, a long line of bubbles and swirling water began to form off our starboard beam. It was surreal, and I remember thinking that it looked as if a nuclear submarine were surfacing. Our curiosity quickly turned to horror as we saw the bottom appear through the swirling eddies, and realized that the tide was leaving rapidly (and with it, our hopes of making the ocean). Fortunately, a father and son in a runabout came along about then, and led the way to the inlet. We were never so happy to see Mother Ocean.

[DenverSailors]

After motor-boating on Colorado Lakes all my life, my wife and I sailed our Macgregor V22 over ONE summer in Colorado, decided we wanted to sail the world, found a 1968 Dufour Arpege on eBay, bought it (sight unseen), traveled to Hartge Marina in Galesville, MD in March to buy her, shoveled snow off to get inside, looked around, said “Great,” and went back to Colorado (never even started it...but the owner promised the Yanmar worked!!!). Returned in April to start the 1,200 Mile journey south to Okechobee and then back north to our home north of Tampa. Motor started!!! Headed out of the marina because the gale warnings were for small craft 4(?) miles offshore. Wind and water were fine...UNTIL...we turned out into the Chesapeake. Too scared to raise the sails, wife horribly seasick, I motored as close to the shore as I could while frantically searching for an inlet to get out of the blow while I squeezed the VHF and practiced my mayday calls. It took forever to find a “safe” inlet and a place to tie up. Tried to sleep. Didn’t sleep. Woke up the next day and had the best day of sailing of my life (so far).

Before we ever set sail, I spent more money on safety gear than I did on the boat which may have left me with an inflated sense of bravado. Truth: I had no idea what I was doing and put my wife in harms way. The lessons learned and the shadow of that shame made me a better, safer, much more cautious sailor, and for that I am grateful. But it is a burden I carry and every time that I read about someone else’s “obviously stupid” mistakes, I remember my own foolishness and withhold judgment.

Thanks always to this forum for the education!

[EdCharbo]

I have just purchased a 1979 Pearson 30. It's in New Bedford at the moment, but my wife and I are bringing her up to Boston Harbor this weekend. Because it is so late in the year, and the boat is not rigged, we will probably be motoring the whole way.

We had her surveyed, paid what I believe to be a fair price, and I have ordered all of the safety gear the surveyor suggested (and a few extra pieces, to boot!)

I have been sailing since high school, mostly freshwater and inner harbor stuff, but I think the run from New Bedford to Boston is within my capabilities. I ordered the paper charts in case the GPS goes out, plotted the course, etc, etc. Couple of things making me anxious -- A) it's November, but the weather looks like it will hold for us and B) the Cape Cod Canal. I have done all the reading I can do, and our plan is to hit the west end of the canal about an hour before high tide, get through as quickly as possible, then spend the night on an anchorage near Plymouth.

So, no stories to share, yet, but I guess I felt I'd put this here for a placeholder. I will update as needed next week!

[Livinchi]

Thanks for telling some of your experiences! It makes me/others feel better to know that most, if not all of us have been there at some point. As sailors by default we appreciate planning, procedure, preparedness, and performance for ourselves, our crew and our vessels. With sailing there is nearly an infinite number of variables and circumstances that can arise, which can bring a little "excitement" to even the most routine endeavors... THIS is one of the reasons why I love sailing!

EdCharbo - welcome to the forums and congratulations on your new Pearson 30! I think that is hilarious you put a placeholder here for your maiden voyage on the new boat! I look forward to hearing how it goes for you this weekend, be sure to update us.

[Fence Man]

Our boat (houseboat....nothing cool like what you all have) had a 90 horse two stroke Mercury on it when we bought it. It ran alright at first, but on our first several hour motoring trip, it would fall on it's face when I pushed it above 2500 RPM or so. Long story short, the hoses for the large oil reservoir in the "engine" room just made a loop up to the outboard and back, without being connected to the small engine mounted tank. I was just sure that I'd run it out of oil and burnt it up, and a low compression reading on one cylinder solidified my suspicions. I was cranking the engine while a helper ran the compression gauge, which was my next mistake. I swapped the 90 horse for a 150, which needed done anyhow, but I almost immediately had the same troubles. Turns out there was a 3 foot section of fuel line that I hadn't replaced and the liner was shot from the ethanol and had it choked off. New fuel line and everything is fine. The old 90 horse was actually just fine with good compression on all three, and is now on an antique aluminum cabin cruiser that we use for wintertime boat rides and deer/duck hunts. Yes, it's camouflage, and I premix all of my two stoke gas now. Lesson learned, even though I didn't screw up as bad as I thought I did.

[EdCharbo]

Originally Posted by EdCharbo

I have just purchased a 1979 Pearson 30. It's in New Bedford at the moment, but my wife and I are bringing her up to Boston Harbor this weekend. Because it is so late in the year, and the boat is not rigged, we will probably be motoring the whole way.

We had her surveyed, paid what I believe to be a fair price, and I have ordered all of the safety gear the surveyor suggested (and a few extra pieces, to boot!)

I have been sailing since high school, mostly freshwater and inner harbor stuff, but I think the run from New Bedford to Boston is within my capabilities. I ordered the paper charts in case the GPS goes out, plotted the course, etc, etc. Couple of things making me anxious -- A) it's November, but the weather looks like it will hold for us and B) the Cape Cod Canal. I have done all the reading I can do, and our plan is to hit the west end of the canal about an hour before high tide, get through as quickly as possible, then spend the night on an anchorage near Plymouth.

So, no stories to share, yet, but I guess I felt I'd put this here for a placeholder. I will update as needed next week!

So, I took Friday off from work, planning to bring her up over the three day weekend. Thursday night, with weather forecasts of an "arctic front" moving through, bringing high winds and seas, we postponed. Saturday's high temp being in the low 30's meant another day delay. We left Sunday, and I called in to work on Monday.

Things that went wrong:

We blew a fuse and lost the GPS for about a half an hour - until my wife who is a genius realized she could swap out the fuse from the blower (a remnant of the original gas engine - she's diesel powered now). I was thinking I would have to go dead reckoning for the whole trip until she got the GPS back online for me.

On day two, I left the dock line coiled up under the dinghy on the foredeck. Seemed reasonable when we left the marina in a protective cove, but once we were out in 2 - 3 foot seas, I spent the rest of the day worrying that it would slip off the side and wrap my prop. It was rough enough that I didn't want to run up there and grab it, so I just worried.

I should have gone to work on Friday after admitting that we weren't going out in bad weather - I felt like I had too much on my desk to take another day off this week, and we only made it to Scituate - a good two to three hours from her final destination. She's sitting in a marina down there, wondering where we went.

Things that went right:

Literally everything else. It was a very forgiving boat, she kept us dry in white capped, following seas, and we had fun, in spite of the cool temperatures and end of the year limited daylight hours. We both can't wait to get her to her home marina so we can start working on her to get her ready for next year.

The canal, which was a big concern for me before we left, was a breeze - the tide pushed us right through, and our only company the whole way was a couple of harbor seals.