Rescue in SoCal's King Harbor

[Johann]

Not really; you can turn the outboard and steer with it (almost like a stern thruster).

I would like to add to my list of disadvantages the temptation to abandon the helm and hang half your body over the stern in an attempt to adjust the outboard while your vessel careens into a jetty.

For sure vectored thrust with an outboard is a great advantage in a smaller boat where you can easily reach the outboard controls, but this was not the case with this boat.

 

[Skipper]

You guys and your fear of outboards. :-D

A Honda 9.9 four-stroke is hardly a "putt putt" motor. The Power Thrust version, which a sailboat would be equipped with if it is a Honda (looks like in vid), has a 4 blade 10" low pitch prop, lower gear ratio, special anti-cavitation exhaust relief, and a long shaft. Intended for sailboats, unlike motors of the past which were retasked dinghy motors.
10hp correctly propped is nothing to sneeze at, when it's employed to drive a 26 footer. Fantastic power for this task.
The motor was not running. Look at the vid. No prop wash.
He was sailing parallel to the swells at the time of the impending incident. Plenty of ocean to dig that motor in, and the stern will squat under power, digging in further. The boat is not going to rock like a seesaw, with the prop trying to fly it like a plane.
Anyone who has sailed an outboard powered boat for many years can see the skipper had a clear channel to get moving under motor. Had the motor been running, he could have been up to speed and cresting swells to port in about 7 seconds with that much power.
Things just happened too fast. He got trapped in a matter of seconds, and the motor wasn't running.
Had it been, and he had snapped it in gear after the U-turn, this video wouldn't exist.

Edit:
The most vulnerable time for an outboard is when the boat is not moving. We outboarders (previously, have diesel now) can all tell stories of steep chop and the motor splashing around at a stop. Under way, as I said the stern squats, and the motor rides in the wake of the hull, like any power boat.
I've come in in the past during high chop and big swells no problem. And that was with a transom mounted Honda that was likely higher up than on the video boat.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

One thing is for sure, that looks like one tough little boat. She appeared to be floating just fine after taking that beating. If the rudder was truly damaged she even appeared to be directionally stabile as she sailed off the rocks. After looking at both videos I'd have to agree that a 10 hp would probably have no problem getting that boat out of trouble if he had it running.

I don't like to second guess anybody dealing with a situation like that. That said, it appears that the skipper had a couple of choices after tacking thru the wind failed; however it also appears that he only had time to pursue one. Given that I don't know why it appeared that he was having trouble starting the outboard, I think that he could have jibed the boat around 270 degrees to get to safety on a southwesterly heading. That google image pretty clearly shows that the pier was definitely close, but the orientation seems to show that he had room to go all the way around. I'm not going to argue with anybody that jibing in that situation isn't a pretty hairy option, but the boat looks like it could handle it if the crew were willing. I was surprised at how mannerly the boat was after it sailed off the rocks. If he chose to jibe within the time frame that we see in the 2nd video, he would have had to do it without hesitation.

What the video doesn't show is how much time he was using trying to start the engine. He may have had more time to jibe if he gave up early on the engine. I also have one comment about the difference in engines. I know that I have no problem with my ego if I feel like I need to start the engine to get out of jail. I've done it on a few occasions just to calm Sue's nerves but not needing to for safety's sake. What I do know is that I can start the engine rapidly with just one hand and without having to take more than a glance to locate the buttons. I need no key, I just push 2 buttons that are on the panel. I can start the engine and have it ready in idle while simultaneously sailing the boat. I don't have to get in a precarious position and I don't have to take my attention away from the action in front of me. That seems to be an advantage over the outboard.
I certainly feel for the guy who had to deal with this situation (and notoriety!). It would really be interesting to hear exactly how this situation developed. I'm sure there is some significant information that isn't evident from the videos, that would help to explain the circumstances. I really hope that his boat has survived without too much damage. She looks like a nice sturdy sailer and it would be a real shame if any damage makes her unsalvageable.

 

[JRT]

Saw these pics, looks pretty good considering.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Saw these pics, looks pretty good considering.

View attachment 146032 View attachment 146033

Really remarkable that it's not holed.

The anchor looks ready to deploy hanging from the stern pulpit. Must've been just no time.

 

[Will Gilmore]

After seeing her take that beating on the rocks and sail away like that, I wouldn't hesitate to buy that boat and sail her anywhere.
That anchor on the stern rail, was that there in the video? It seems like it wasn't. That Honda motor in the cockpit sure looks like a good sturdy motor to get the job done. Unfortunately, you know what happens, sometimes. That skipper should feel proud that he held it together. Seeing disaster approaching from the cockpit is a lot harder than seeing it through a video camera.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[justsomeguy]

Saw these pics, looks pretty good considering.

Incredible.

 

[topcat0399]

That'll buff out...

 

[Daveinet]

I would have to say the anchor was on the stern rail the whole time. Does make you wonder why it wasn't deployed earlier, other than the mental block we often have in emergency situations, where we focus on the boat and the danger, and forget obvious resources. Hopefully this discussion embeds in our brains the availability of that tool when we get into trouble.

 

[jeepbluetj]

Pics show a tough boat. Can't believe it's one piece.

I'm not sure an anchor would work - there's really not much room there and it's pretty deep until you get close to the breakwater. I still think the best move in retrospect would have been to get some sea room and plan the return better - KH is a tough harbor to sail into. The wind is almost always are out of the west, from the video it looks like the winds were NW a bit - making getting back in even tougher.

 

[Will Gilmore]

I'm not sure an anchor would work - there's really not much room there and it's pretty deep

It may not have held, but if the anchor was attached at the bow while it hung from the stern, it would have slowed his movement towards the jetty and helped swing the bow thru the wind. He then could have let the main go and tightened the jib to finish his track to port.
If the anchor was attached at the stern, it would have flipped him around the other way and, again, the jib could have carried him thru a jibe to starboard.
I don't know what the pier construction looked like, but if it was pilings, those waves lifting high and breaking so hard on the rocks would be rolling low under and thru the pier. Being forced up against the pier would therefore be easier to handle than rocks. Anchor deployment would have changed things. It might have even given the rescue boat a tow line to grab.
However, timing, as everyone here has noted, makes these things so hard. By the time you realize that your motor isn't the answer, you don't have the chance to try something else.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Will Gilmore]

if it was pilings, those waves lifting high and breaking so hard on the rocks would be rolling low under and thru the pier. Being forced up against the pier would therefore be easier to handle than rocks.

Ok, I may have been wrong about the pier being easier to handle.

These were also at Redondo Beach Pier. It looks like these are two different videos of the same boat crash.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[jeepbluetj]

Those are indeed the same crash. The pier is not a place to be either. If you look at the chart, it's really only 150 yards or so between the two.

The one thing those videos show me is that S2 is a way tougher boat than the Martin 242 (that hit the pier).

 

[Gunni]

that S2 is a way tougher boat

A cored hull, better strength through better engineering!

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Ok, I may have been wrong about the pier being easier to handle.


- Will (Dragonfly)

HA HA HA! That's the funniest post in a long time! Thanks for that ... you just gave me a good laugh!
I was gonna say you must have missed last year's excitement. (It's good to laugh at our own folly, I always think.)
Fortunately, that episode also resulted in no human casualty ... sadly, just the boat.

 

[DayDreamer41]

A cored hull, better strength through better engineering!

Until it isn't, if I am not mistaken, manufacturers have moved away from cored hulls below the water line as it proved to be a failure shortening the life of the hull. I know when I was looking for a new / used boat the research was pointing me away from hulls with core construction below the water line, just too many opportunities for failure.

 

[Mark Maulden]

All S2s are solid glass hulls except for the 35CC which is cored..

 

[Jackdaw]

All S2s are solid glass hulls except for the 35CC which is cored..

All of the GS (Grand Slam) series boats 6.9, 7.9 etc are corded hull.

 

[Jackdaw]

Until it isn't, if I am not mistaken, manufacturers have moved away from cored hulls below the water line as it proved to be a failure shortening the life of the hull. I know when I was looking for a new / used boat the research was pointing me away from hulls with core construction below the water line, just too many opportunities for failure.

Its a common practice, but hardly universal. Also, the use of vacuum infusion has helped this, the process sucks the resin and binding agents into the kerfs of the core, which will stop and water ingress at the 1 inch by 1 inch core block borders.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Fortunately, that episode also resulted in no human casualty ... sadly, just the boat.

That's good to hear. You can see the guy "diving" off the boat as she rolls under the pier.

- Will (Dragonfly)