What Is Your Most Memorable Mishap On A Boat?

[SmartMove]

Reading about colemj falling down a companionway in another thread made me reflect on my most recent mishap and got me to wondering if this stuff happens to other people ...

I was reading late one night in the cockpit and decided to turn in. I shut off my iPad and stepped to the rear of the cockpit to retrieve a cup I had left there when I sudden tripped on my husband's shoe. I made a disparate grab for the shifter only to have it give way under the force and fall completely over into reverse. With my other hand tightly clutching my iPad I thought to myself, must save iPad, as I hit the edge of the bench that runs across our stern, full force with my rib cage. As I lay there struggling for breath, my husband yells up "did you fall?" I finally got enough air in my lungs to squeak "no" and he (apparently) rolled over and went back to sleep. What I was trying to say was "no, I tripped" -- note to self, must communicate better.

You might ask 'what was his shoe doing there?' (Note: the singular version). Earlier in the day he had stepped into a fresh pile of cat puke/hairball, it looked like a gooey dead mouse infused with Fancy Feast and it was deeply imbedded in the tread of the shoe. Instead of just cleaning it off, like a rational person would do, he took the shoe off and tossed it into the cockpit. If I had not been laid out, writhing in pain, that shoe would have taken a one way trip to Davy Jones Locker!

I am pretty sure I broke two ribs. I spent the next 72 hours in bed zoned out on some pain killer a dentist had given Barry a few weeks before (for some work he had done but didn't hurt so much) -- thank god! It is now a week later and things are mending pretty well -- thanks to 800 mg of ibuprofen three times a day!

I did keep a free hand for the boat, but the boat failed me -- iPad 1, ribs 0. What's your story?

Robyn

[Jim Cate]

Arrhhh,

It was on the first day using me new hook prosthesis... seagull crapped on me forehead and I clapped me hand up to keep it from running into me eye. That's how I got the eyepatch... worst day on board ever...

Hope that your ribs are better and that you don't get to liking the painkiller too much!

Cheers,

Jim

[Group9]

Two am in the morning. Engine had died, and we were beating into 25 knots of wind, trying to claw our way off of a lee shore.

The guy with me turned and said, "Well, at least I don't think things can get any worse at this point."

About ten mintues later, the mast came down.

I don't think I have ever hated sailing any more in my life, than at that moment.

[wetsail1]

Ok i. Not shure this is a mishap but ill let yall judge
Sailing down to fla from sc i was so happy to be on my first sailboat by the way also my first solo trip.My dog phil first time as well picture this if you will a fat little chi wow wow that is 8 and super house trained
Well down the intercoastal for two days dog and me doing great stopping and letting him do his biz learning about boat and understanding this is a big boat 40 ft ketch and im solo lol but anyway Ive decided to go on the outside
Phil was good on the intercoastal but an overnighter on the outside i soon realize that phil hasn't done hiz biz at all and looks very uncomfortable okay now im sure he will do it heck he has to there is no way he can hold it for 28 hours! Get in and anchor i notice he really excited barking and dancing about so i finally get the dink in water put him in and make it to shore.phil leaps about three feet to the dock and is up the dock and out of sight before i can even tie off.Lets see crowded touriso town no leash and im just a little worried as i get to top of ramp i see him in the grass bent over. I kinda laugh a little on inside but am happy he can relieve himself but as i get closer and notice about a cazillion tourist on side walk going about their day i hear this horrible screaming!!! I look at phil in his bent over position and realize its him OMG this is a loud horrible painful doggy scream you know the kind that make people stop in their tracks. Yep all those people have stopped and are watching phil!! Im so embarrassed but what the hell i walk up to him bend down and tell him he is a good boy.

[GILow]

I took dad's boat out one day to impress my new girlfriend.

Reversing into the pen, with a 15knot wind on the bow, the engine conked. Tried to restart it, nothing.

In a frenzy of panic and energy, I bolted forward, hauled open the anchor well and hurled the anchor over the side. Only to find the anchor was not attached to anything.

At least the boat was a bit lighter when we hit. And the girlfriend is now my wife.

[carlylelk]

Peg and I were sailing one very light, but pleasant sunny day. She had gone down below to fix a snack. I decided it was time to jibe so I went to the starboard side and took the end of the boom in hand, intending to walk it to the other side. I stepped off the coaming right onto a tube of sunscreen on the seat. My weight made it squirt the bottom of my foot, I slipped but luckily broke the fall by hanging from the boom. Just then the wind caught the starboard side of the sail and flung it to port, with me attached! I was dangling from the boom when Peg poked her head out of the companionway (thankfully). When it looked like she intended to turn to port to jibe again I let go, and in the drink I went. I have to say though, she did a great job of the man-overboard drill! Then, later on of telling the story to all our friends!

[Sam Plan B]

I saw an auction on ebay for a Mason 41 and made arrangements with Betsy, the owner, to come and see the boat. It was docked at a comercial wharf in Baltimore. The owner greeted me with a big smile. She was an old time water front gal with two arms full of faded tatoos. The Mason was built about 1960 and you could see, in her prime, she was a rich man's boat. Decades of deferred maintenance would now require a lot of TLC. The asking price was $10k. Betsy invited me on to a trimaran in the adjacent slip. At the big saloon table we sipped cups of tea and talked about the condition of the Mason. The conversation turned philosophical. She said that she and her late husband had lived on the Mason for many years. He was struck by cancer and had passed away on the boat. A teady bear had the place of honor at the head of the table. Betsy said that she now felt very alone and now and then just had to hug on the bear. It seemed to help, she said. Then the passed the bear over to me. As I held it I realized that it had quite a heft for such a small stuffed animal. Betsy said when her husband died his ashes came in a box. The box was in the bear. I passed the bear back and thanked her for sharing. I did not buy the Mason. Some other guy bought the boat. He put a new deck on her and restored her to as-new glory.

[Stu Jackson]

1982, our new-to-us Catalina 22, trailered her up to the California Delta. Wind was howling as we set sail going downwind (east). Thoughtfully put the cooler under the tiller to keep it up, but neglected to notice that its levering arm pulled the pintles out of the gudeons, lost rudder and tiller in 20+ knots of wind. Managed to turn around with the outboard screaming at full blast. Good thing the rudder floated. Pulled into a side channel and managed to get the upper shroud caught on an overhanging building metal roof. When we hauled the boat onto the trailer two days later, couldn't get the mast to come down. Doh, forgot to undo the forward lowers.

Somehow, two boats and many years later, we're still sailing and still talking to each other.

[Dr. Strangelove]

A buddy and I lost a bet on pool game to a rival crew, so we had to sail back to the dock naked from a local waterside bar/restaurant. About halfway back, he decides we should be smoking cigars, but we didn't have a lighter or matches on board. He decided to grab a pull-type flare and proceeds to point it between his legs into the cockpit. (Did I mention there was alcohol involved?) The magnesium flare bounced off his leg and hand, narrowly missing burning his pee-pee off, but managing to burn both leg and hand pretty well well in the process. The flare then ricocheted back and forth for a bit in the cockpit, making quite a pretty display, until it decided to land on the floor of the cockpit and go ahead and burn through the deck. Conveniently, this was right above the gas tank stored below. This is when I decided to exit the boat, and promptly jumped overboard.

I landed up to my knees in a mixture of oystershells, muck and water. Naked. As determined as the little ball of magnesium from the flare was to burn through the deck and onto the gas tank, it burned out just before making it through the deck, leaving a large burn mark and a tiny hole.

As I stood there, naked, watching our boat sail off into the distance, seemingly unmanned, my buddy finally popped into view. He returned and picked me up, and we resolved to always keep matches or a lighter on board from that day forward.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Dr. Strangelove

A buddy and I lost a bet on pool game to a rival crew, so we had to sail back to the dock naked from a local waterside bar/restaurant. About halfway back, he decides we should be smoking cigars, but we didn't have a lighter or matches on board. He decided to grab a pull-type flare and proceeds to point it between his legs into the cockpit. (Did I mention there was alcohol involved?) The magnesium flare bounced off his leg and hand, narrowly missing burning his pee-pee off, but managing to burn both leg and hand pretty well well in the process. The flare then ricocheted back and forth for a bit in the cockpit, making quite a pretty display, until it decided to land on the floor of the cockpit and go ahead and burn through the deck. Conveniently, this was right above the gas tank stored below. This is when I decided to exit the boat, and promptly jumped overboard.

I landed up to my knees in a mixture of oystershells, muck and water. Naked. As determined as the little ball of magnesium from the flare was to burn through the deck and onto the gas tank, it burned out just before making it through the deck, leaving a large burn mark and a tiny hole.

As I stood there, naked, watching our boat sail off into the distance, seemingly unmanned, my buddy finally popped into view. He returned and picked me up, and we resolved to always keep matches or a lighter on board from that day forward.

Well at least you learned from it. Oh my that was funny!!!

[Dr. Strangelove]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

Well at least you learned from it. Oh my that was funny!!!

Heh, well if you're gonna be stupid, ya gotta be tough, as they say. Being from Tampa, you may know the area, we were sailing from the old "Happy Dolphin", on the north side of the Manatee river just past the I75 bridge. It's called Woody's River Roo now, I believe.

We had some good times in that old boat, it was a 21 or 22 foot MacGregor.

[bobconnie]

Back in I believe 1964 I was delivering a 41 ft Tri from BC Canada, to Portland OR. anyway about an hour after I rounded The Cape, and started south the lite 10 knot breeze went away and a BUNCH of wind started. I reefed everything, and settled in for the ride. Well she blew and she blew! I was told a few days later over 100 mph at one time! Well to make a long story short, the Columbia bar was closed, so south I went a flyin, 4 days later when the wind died I was about 15 miles from Catalina ! Hell of a trip back with little wind and many days going back up hill to Portland. Just about the worse trip of my life ! But one of the best to !I hate solo sailin lol

[TacomaSailor]

U-Pick:

I was the hot shot foredeck guy on a sponsored Ranger 32 (40 years ago) - round the bouys in Bellingham Bay with several downwind legs. Really cold spring day and most of us were wearing down parkas when not grinding or working the foredeck.

After the first spinnaker take down I went below and repacked the chute. The next rounding of the windward mark - way out by Lumi Island the chute went up as the very experienced crew did their magic and we were off in the lead - and my beautiful new top of the line bright orange down parka came fluttering down from the mast head as the spinnaker filled.

I had taken it off while packing down below and had inadvertently packed it with the spinnaker.


-OR-

Same location - same boat - several years later in the summer series of races

I was the tactician AND foredeck guy at the start - I called for a sail change just a minute before our start. We were a hotshot crew and could easily make a flying sail change with a double headfoil luff.

We made the change 10 seconds before the start - hoisted the light air big light 165% genny - dropped the #1 genny - the crew was really sharp and the light genny went up pefectly - FOOT UPWARD - in my rush I attached the halyard to the foot and up it went! I received many free beers at the bar afterwards

- OR -

Same boat - same place

I was driving the boat at the leeward mark - dropped the chute - jibed nicely and mis-timed the turn INSIDE a competitor - put our boom into the cockpit next door and beaned two friends on another boat

probably have another 10 similar cruising stories in the last 30 years

[ozskipper]

Soooo.. what did you learn? Always wear shoes when lighting flares while naked and drunk- else you could cut your feet on those damn oysters.

Mine would be parking on a lunch pick at the wrong side of and island. Not doing a weather check before getting quite drunk with the wife. Midway through "late night drunk sex" a 35-40 knot change came in, dragging us toward a rocky lee shore. The next 45 minutes was spent trying to move the boat with its underpowered outboard to the lee side of the island while still totally naked. This was much to the amusement of other larger boats who witnessed us doing it all and gave the appropriate shouts of "hey do you need any help... hahahaha" .

[SmartMove]

Good grief, those were some seriously funny stories!!! I was laughing so hard i woke my husband up. Thanks for sharing them.