Another Boat is Lost

[minaret]

Surprising to me. I can't imagine going cruising without spurs, there's just so much line and net drifting around out there. Wonder how many here have 'em, and how many have managed to foul a prop even with them.

[Cheechako]

I rarely if ever close a seacock. I try to remember to cycle them when I'm nearby. "If it's going to keep me safe sailing, it's ok open at the dock" is my philosophy.

[markpierce]

Harbor entrance to Horta:

[bruce smith]

I hang my engine key on the handle in closed position. I thought everybody did!

[Dennis.G]

Originally Posted by Wotname

...
Engine and sink drain seacocks are always open whenever I am on board...

My previous boat's sink in the head could flood onto the floor if heeled over on a strong starboard tack. A very scary and messy day when I discovered that fact.

Excepting spinaker sheets, none of my other sheets can reach the prop as long as stopper knots are in place. The one time I wrapped the prop with my own lines was with dingy painter, and while incovenient did not come close the this couple's unfortunate result.

The photo of their boat on the rocks will stay with me, and should make me more dilligent in keeping a tight (as in no loose lines about) ship.

I had to shut off engine (overheating) coming into a harbor channel, and was able to raise sails to sail in. But conditions were calmer and timing right to allow that to happen. Always try to have sails at the ready however.

[Ocean Girl]

Uh, not to be defensive about the toughness of a tartan 37, ( she says defensively ) but she does not look like a loss to me. She was towed to the haul out facility. The reporter, not the owner, said she wasn't economically viable. The reporter hadn't even talked to the owners.

Hard not to choke up seeing a tartan on the rocks like that. So glad the owners are ok thanks to the sailors aboard Aschanti, and to the tartan 37 for not breaking up into 30 thousand pieces in 50 knot winds on rocky lee shore!

I'm not being testy( she says testily ), just saying Tartans are tough birds, how many vessels would have anything left to be towed in after five minutes of that thrashing let alone the hour or so it took harbor tug to get her. I'm picking hour out of the air, the article seemed to have few facts, and liked to fill in the gaps, I can do that too( ok maybe I'm a little testy).

Another thought about cause
Any of us that has traveled into foreign ports know that there are some spots on approach that I call the commitment point. I'm sure the more experienced here have a more intelligent wording for it, and even much more intelligent analysis about it. Anyways, There are points in approach that cannot be sailed and if the engine were to give out you could be in serious trouble. Sometimes this is not apparent until you are actually entering or in the harbor, your commitment point kinda sneaks up on you. Or at least it has snuck up on me. this could be from some bad nav info, large vessels moored in unexpected areas, weird winds inside harbor, poor planning on my part due to fatigue, etc.

Prevention
A spur would be an idea but don't know much about them. When I read the blog I immediately thought about the weather cloths that I'm designing for Rain Dog, they would help keep the sheets from washing overboard but nothing is a sure bet on a vessel with lines hundreds of feet long all about.


I've spent many an ocean miles and a few bad blows in an Tartan 37 hull #2, my parents sailed her around the world. Sniff sniff, I hope this one makes it.

Ocean Girl

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I think nowadays it is pretty uncommon to stow the bower away. BTW one can only be deployed if there is ample distance to the lee danger - often not applicable when negotiating a harbour entry.

Agree. Entering a harbor, especially between jetties, there may not be enough room to drop an anchor and hold you off the rocks but I would still have an anchor ready to let go and would give it a try if other options failed or were unavailable for some reason.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Wotname

After having a dinghy painter get wrapped around my prop many years back (and the boat about to be lost on an off-shore reef) I developed the mantra "raw water on, lines aboard, neutral selected, start engine".

I've developed a different mantra: "Floating lines only for dinghy painters."

[Gybe]

We towed a Schock 35 in after Thursday night races last week. Spinnaker sheet wrapped around the prop, 2 knots of wind in a 4 knot current and they were headed towards the breakwater. The anchor was on the dock to save weight for the race. I think having some sort of anchor rigged and accessible at all times is a good idea, not to mention keeping track of those sheets.

[Celestialsailor]

Yup...I was backing down on my anchor once and forgot to take the slack up on the dinghy painter. 1) I should have used Poly line, so it floated and I should have developed Wotnames mantra! It cost me a new prop since it bent a blade.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

Uh, not to be defensive about the toughness of a tartan 37, ( she says defensively ) but she does not look like a loss to me. She was towed to the haul out facility. The reporter, not the owner, said she wasn't economically viable. The reporter hadn't even talked to the owners.

Hard not to choke up seeing a tartan on the rocks like that.

Ocean Girl

The reporter seemed to do better than most in a case like this. At least he knew what a sheet was.

Perhaps your tears were blurring your vision.

Hopes for repairs, but..........dang!

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by tartansail

Good point about the anchor. It looks like they have a roller. I wonder if they had stowed the anchor below for the passage. If so, do you bring it out as part of landfall prep or wait until you're safely berthed? Clearly, in this case, it would have been better to have it ready to go, but muscling an anchor into the roller wouldn't be easy in a seaway. The alternative of having a lighter backup hook available would be a good precaution.

I always have my anchor ready to deploy. I always keep the deck around it clear so it can be done rapidly.

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

I always have my anchor ready to deploy. I always keep the deck around it clear so it can be done rapidly.

Thanks to my commercial training arrival and departure checks have become second nature, clearing away an anchor(s) is right up there as it should be......

[alpinista55]

Sad to see this story. I have an identical sistership; a deep fin Tartan 37 hull #118. It would break my heart to see Betty Lou in such straights.

Once when motoring past a headland in the Straights of Juan de Fuca in a 10 foot standing wave, we had to kill the engine when the starter battery started to melt down from the alternator overcharging. Lucky we had the main ready to hoist, or we'd have been forced aground in minutes.

When I'm crossing the Columbia River Bar under sail we keep the engine idling and the anchor in the roller ready to go. You just have to be ready for Murphy to show up. He always does, sooner or later.

[callmecrazy]

Tartans are tough, but those were some very jagged rocks and the cracks in the hull look pretty significant to my eyes.

Definitely a good case for keeping both sails and anchors handy. I recently took a T34 out of the Cape Fear inlet and had the motor fail at just the right moment. There was nothing we could do except either hit commercial ships, run aground, or hoist the sails. The hank-on sails were up in a jiffy and we were tacking between the commercial ships within a few very short minutes. No time for anything, not enough time to get on the radio, or fuss with engine, or even turn around...

When stuff goes downhill, it goes very quickly. I'll never again put my trust in a motor. If I can't sail through, there's no point trying to motor through.