Ender of sailing

Oct 2, 2008
3,807
Pearson/ 530 Strafford, NH
Hi all,

Just spent some time helping friends with some issues with their boat. The final straw came while the owner was trying to fix a valve on his dinghy. The valve came apart with the inside half falling into the tube. Nobody from Nassau south to Georgetown services inflatables so his option was to have one flown in from Lauderdale. He was bummed and considered heading back to the states.

We finally got the dinghy to a beach and fixed the valve plus found another scrape which fixed the leaking for now. But my question to you would be “What would end your cruising plans”?
 

dLj

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Mar 23, 2017
3,414
Belliure 41 Sailing back to the Chesapeake
1) Crashing on the rocks and destroying my boat.
2) Getting picked up by pirates and either kidnapped or killed.
3) Getting boat impounded so I can't access it.

It short - major catastrophic event... Certainly would not be a valve on an inflatable.

Good friend of mine was sailing from the US to Europe with a friend. They had hit the outskirts of a hurricane a couple days out of Bermuda and had spent several days getting rolled. Needless to say, as they came into the Azores they we're mighty ready to chill out on land for awhile. They were within visible sight of the islands when they hit a total calm. They decided to go in under power. But from the Storm, the engine had lost it's starter and was being really hard to start. So they would hold a lighted piece of cloth at the air intake to get the engine to start. So they go below to hand crank the diesel, hold the lighted cloth and fire it up to motor in when inadvertently the guy holding the cloth had it slip out of his and and get sucked into the intake. They both freaked - no way they wanted to wait out the calm being so close. They torn the whole top end off the engine, cleaned out the cloth, put it back together, started the engine and motored in! Both still sailing today.

dj

p.s. health issues - that's a big one!
 
Last edited:
Oct 22, 2014
21,088
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Wow Dave. Great story.
It would take a major loss to slow me down.
 
Dec 25, 2000
5,731
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Hmm. I wonder. Perhaps a hang nail? Or possibly a bad haircut? In-grown hair? Something major, I'm sure. Must ponder. Had my share of mishaps over the years and still going. Stiff upper lip old chap, I say.
 
Jun 11, 2011
1,243
Hunter 41 Lewes
If you spray WD-40 in the intake it is similar to starting fluid for a gasoline engine. No fire.
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,304
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Hahaha - yes, some major 1st world problem! "Darling, my finger nail polish doesn't dry fast enough.."

dj
My wife's brother and his wife came with us for a sail. Just as we were setting the sails, we noticed that the sister in law had been below for quite a while. My wife found her in the saloon with an open bottle of nail polish on the table, and her toe nails freshly polished. And, yes, she was wearing high heels.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,371
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Well I had a 10 day cruise end after only 4. I had slipped on some slime while launching the dink, my foot fell into a crack on the ramp and as it went into the hole, the jagged edge of the crack caught my ankle bone and split the skin wide open. I cleaned it out best I could, pored some peroxide in the flap of skin and tried to super glue it closed... but two days later my entire foot was swollen, red and I figured losing a foot was not worth continuing so I came in, went to an urgent care and got some antibiotics.
So.... I'm going to go with "possibly losing a foot".

:yikes:
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,745
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
I'm going to go with "possibly losing a foot".
I don't think that because you might have to pause to prevent the loss of a limb that you need to count that as stopping. :deadhorse:gitteeUp! We got some wind to catch.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,096
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
My wife's brother and his wife came with us for a sail. Just as we were setting the sails, we noticed that the sister in law had been below for quite a while. My wife found her in the saloon with an open bottle of nail polish on the table, and her toe nails freshly polished. And, yes, she was wearing high heels.
Sorry for the thread drift but this reminds me of a friend of mine who had guests from hell who arrived with hard-sole shoes and rigid luggage (they had been given prior guidance). He explained the limitations of the fresh water supply, and how to “navy shower”. Needless to say, the first guest (female) who showered used up all the hot water. The male was a gum chewer and discarded his gum out the port hole (onto the side deck). My friend was nice about it and being the gentleman he is — didn’t put them ashore. Needless to say he wasn’t happy, and at least he had a good story to tell and we had some laughs about it.
 
Dec 29, 2008
805
Treworgy 65' LOA Custom Steel Pilothouse Staysail Ketch St. Croix, Virgin Islands
I have several reasons but my death would be the top and final one.
This would have to be at the top of my list, followed by the boat sinking, considering that it still isn’t fully paid for...
 
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