He ran aground in front of me!

[Gypsyjon]

Interesting video, but what is with the goofy ass music???

[Scorpius]

In my humble opinion, done all wrong. A line to a halyard and pull VERY GENTLY on the top of his mast straight sideways into the deeper water of the channel. The little fishing skiff could probably have easily done it. As the stuck boat heels, the keel just lifts off the bottom and away you go. Negligible risk of damage. Just make sure there is deep enough water in that direction. I have a piece of electrical tape around my boat hook at 6'(Scorpius's draft) and I use it to sound around the boat. If the tape goes underwater we'll be able to float there. We went aground seven times one day in Belize and got off easily each time.


For a towing bridle I just run one of my stern lines (3/4"D) from one stern "cleat" (they are more like samson posts - welded in. I could probably pick Scorpius up with any one of them) outside the transom to the other - then put a bowline around that line with the stern anchor rode (300' of 5/8" three strand nylon) and tow away from the middle of my transom. Works like a charm.

[ebsail]

Simply run a loose line from stern cleat to opposite stern cleat and drop a snatch block onto the line to which you attach the tow line. Makes it easy to steer and spreads the load to both cleats at any angle.

[arcticmonkey]

God forbid... but a good idea... as my grandma used to say ... an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure

[iabmatos]

Originally Posted by ebsail

Simply run a loose line from stern cleat to opposite stern cleat and drop a snatch block onto the line to which you attach the tow line. Makes it easy to steer and spreads the load to both cleats at any angle.

Please, stay away from lines under tension. A snatch block can fly and kill someone nearby if the line snaps... Cover the lines under tension with something heavy, a piece of carpet for example, or loose pieces of line, to force the snapped lines down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfdu_a4pQTI

[Tillsbury]

I find rigging a “primary” line to be the easiest way, bringing it from the tow boat through a stern fair lead and back to the primary winch. Once you’ve got that secured you’re towing. Then run a shortish line from the other winch, through the other fair lead, and a rolling hitch or similar on to the primary line. Let out the primary line and winch in the secondary to gradually adjust the bridle you’ve created. Quick and easy to dump one or both if things go weird.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by iabmatos

Please, stay away from lines under tension. A snatch block can fly and kill someone nearby if the line snaps... Cover the lines under tension with something heavy, a piece of carpet for example, or loose pieces of line, to force the snapped lines down.

Safety management when doing any form of line handling needs to be clearly discussed and taught as this commercial training video illustrates
https://youtu.be/hKRL-HcSJx0

[Yotiheff]

Sorry I didn’t have the stamina to read all the post as they seemed to follow the usual trend of each armchair admiral being wiser than than the one before.
Do non of you realise that the b so way to tow a keelboat off a grounding and usually the only way is that tow via a halyard off has a masthead.
Don’t want to explain why and thereby insult your intelligence further.
Suffice to say it’s not a theory. I’ve been doing it for many decades. Cheers