What is the most idiotic mistake you have made on a boat?

[StuM]

Originally Posted by TheThunderbird

Learning lesson when cruising...CLOSE ALL hatches, windows, openings, hublots etc. Therefore, better having none, or few, or ever-CLOSED (Actually a few I never open up...)

Hublot ???

Edit: OK, googled - french for scuttle!

[Vladis]

Hello,

I forgot to remove the power cable from the dock when leaving the marina. Fortunately the plug on the dock came out.

Vladis

[RTB]

Nothing in regards to the boat. But....I might have yelled at my wife once or twice. Never again! It was early in our cruising days, and under stressful circumstances. These days, we are a pretty confident crew, having learned from our mistakes. "Failure to Communicate" isn't good on a boat!

Ralph

[Kenomac]

Waving goodbye to people on the dock as we motor away in forward gear still attached to the bow mooring lines. Easy to forget when moored Med style.

[Jim Cate]

Hmmm... so many to chose from!

How about backing briskly out of a visited marina berth, dinghy secure alongside the yacht... and with it's bow still tied to the dock. You would be amazed at how much an old hypalon Zodiac will stretch! And survive!

Jim

[mtarcher]

Our first season on the boat...invited diving friends to join us for a brisk sail to the dive spot. In our haste to get in the water, failed to notice that we left the mainsail up. Upon arriving 45min later from a great dive, noticed poor boat whipping back and forth in the squall that had arrived. Oh yeah, forgot that we didn't put down the swim ladder. It was slightly "sporty" to grab the stern with dive gear on, and climb aboard without becoming rudder bait. Thankfully, no damage except to ego.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by Nostrodamus

I will be fair here. As long distant sailors the French are brilliant and there are few better. The problem they seem to have is leaving or coming in to anywhere. I don't think that is included in their syllabus.
In a year in France we found the sauces they make wonderful but there was not a huge variety to their foods. Besides whats wrong with baked beans, pot noodles and a good Frey Bentos tinned pie?

OMG, I could murder a Frey Bentos steak and kidney pie right now! Maybe I should start importing them. Mind you, I made Gordon Ramsay's steak & Guinness pie recipe last week. Not a bad substitute for the Frey Bentos

Those things take me straight back to family vacations on the Broads 30 years ago.

[pyroray]

I was heading up wind on a starboard tack in 9-12 knot winds in our 25' MacGregor, sailing towards some very significant cliffs on the north shore. My wife and infant son were on the bow with mom's legs down the forward hatch. My wife, had just set our son down through the hatch anticipating our coming about soon, as we had done many times in the past in this area of the lake. At that very instant an unanticipated change of wind nearly knocked us over. I pushed the tiller away and the boat spun on it's keel about 140 degrees and heeled over about 50 degrees.
I knew of the potential of changing winds due to the cliffs and should have never sailed up as close as I did, especially with my small child on board. My son was wearing a life jacket as well as my wife, she had ahold of the lifeline (above her head at full heal). After the screaming and recovery and heading up wind on same starboard tack, now in an entirely different direction, all was well. Lesson learned... be aware at all times & consider in heavier winds than normal the turbulence will reach out further and stay clear of potentially dangerous areas in heavy winds and my family on the bow.

[Nostrodamus]

It was a windless day with the sun beating down in the Greek islands when I found I needed to go below and point Percy at the porcelain and check our position on the chart.
I gave my son the helm making sure he would call me if he saw another boat close by. He didn't shout so I took my time. When I came back to the helm i saw we were heading directly onto the shore of an island.
"What are you doing" I asked, "I told you to call me if you saw anything."
"You never mentioned Islands" he said.
Well a good keel hauling made sure he will never do it again. Are you allowed to keel haul your 5 year old son?

[american]

My three most memorable lessons (so far):

Don't stand up in the dinghy while holding the outboard with both hands, then try to place said outboard onto the stern rail motor bracket. Outboard won't go towards the rail as much as you'd hope - dinghy WILL go backwards (and out from under you) much more than you'd like. AKA Murphton's third law.

Don't try to use fancy new snubber hook on chain without first checking how it's secured to the snubber line. Chandlery staff are expert at tying what appear to be secure bowline knots, but are in reality instant-release "slip and drop" knots. Ploop!

Don't accidentally release jib halyard wire while under sail with genoa fully unfurled, then try to furl genoa before re-tensioning halyard wire. Wire will wrap around halyard head and require a trip up the mast to be untangled. Genoa will have to be "stowed" around the halyard by hand until wire tangle is dealt with. Pray for no wind if this happens!

[builder dan]

Sucking inflatable dinghy under boat while backing anchor in only noticed when dinghy painter wrapped around prop shaft and stalled engine.

[Snowpetrel]

Ha, not tying the dingy astern properly while dealing with a stuck anchor... And not noticing it was gone until after about half an hours sailing!

Forgetting to untie the line going from the mast to the wharf after staying at a drying berth. Then wondering why I couldn't motor away without the boat heeling over.

Sent from my HTC_0PCV2 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[atoll]

not me but have seen this happen............

finding the inflatable half sunk in the morning..........from emptying the barbeque coals into it after a boozy party last thing at night.

[HankOnthewater]

Of course I have tried to leave the dock with one line or a powercord attached. And of course in each one of these occasions other people were watching.

The worst mistake happened on an evening in middle of winter, around 2300 hrs, I returned to my boat on the mooring, wind blowing around 25-30 knots, with occasionally rain as well. Temperature of around 8-10 degrees C.
In my hurry to get inside, I forgot to tie the dinghy off...... I saw it floating away, towards the beach 300-400 metres away.
What to do next? Not too many others around who could help me, in fact no-one.
I could not wait until the morning as the wind would back 90 to 120 degrees when the front would pass and blow my dinghy offshore, and I had to go to work again at 0600 hrs.
So I stripped to my jocks, and starting swimming. Luckily the cold water did not cause a heart attack, but it felt such event was close. Arrived on the beach, could not find the dinghy. Hmmmm, swam back to a large cat thinking it was caught under the hulls, not so. Back to to beach, strolling in the dark, nearly naked. I found the dinghy way to one side (must have been some current as well), rowed back, and I slept very well!!
Silly me, never thought of putting my wetsuit on!

Lesson learned? Think so, never lost my dinghy since.

[Wotname]

Sitting at anchor and had the pleasure of a visit by a well known local "Old Salt" identity.

As it got dark, he helped locate and further understand the various constellations & navigational stars (pre-GPS days )

I had great trouble seeing them but it only after he departed and I went below that I realised I was still wearing my sunglasses.

The night sky is so much clearer without them on .