StarGazer II on the Rocks!! It's not a drink..lol

Oct 22, 2014
352
Pearson P303 #221 RockPort Maine
I have to make this short but will follow up with more details soon However, I need to get this out to all just incase you are heading that way. I have over 45years of sailing and this is the first for me.
1. Planed trip to RYE NH from Rockport ME. with one stop at Southport, ME at Newagen inn.
2. Arrived 3:00pm at Harbor and proceeded into channel and went up on rocks at the mouth of the channel. Chart Garmin did show 12-18ft. at low tide so thought I was safe. verified with active Capt. all good. NOT.
3. On my Standard Horizon 2016 new radio I set off my DSC for help no response from USCG
4. Called hotel and asked them to contact USCG to give my cell number to them. Had little time so MAYDAY radio for me was not an option under the circumstances I was In. Tide was High going to low. It had dropped 1.5 feet already. Rocks were about 2 feet below and knew I had to get of now or waves would destroy my vessel.
A working vessel showed up with 6 people on board and threw them my main halyard and it worked, forcing the bow to downward position and lifting the stern in the air pulled me free with some damage to keel and rudder but still functioning properly.
5. USCG did call me and was very supportive to the situations. However, The Capt. did tell me that they did not receive my distress call. This had me very concerned because why did it not work? I ran a loopback test and it works fine. Proceeded wile they were on the phone... no DCS. My mmsi is good too. I will never trust that one button does all again.
CH16 MayDay is for me.

Again, this is the short version and will repost full after a bit.. Capt. Rob StarGazer II
 
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Oct 1, 2007
1,856
Boston Whaler Super Sport Pt. Judith
Wow. Sorry to hear. Glad not much damage. I've never been in there but it looks pretty scary going in. Were you entering from the west near the day mark? From 13295 it sure looks like 13-15 ft at low on the proper side of the red day mark.
 
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TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Wow! Sorry to hear this. Which harbor entrance? Rockport Maine, do we know each other? Tom Young, Rockport Me.
 
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Oct 22, 2014
352
Pearson P303 #221 RockPort Maine
Thanks to all for your support here! Right now I'm working on 3 projects, 1. With a senator of Boot Bay drafting a new bill to become law against traps at all entrance of Maine harbors or obstructions preventing proper navigation by vessels. 2. Garmin charts error's. Right now Garmin's charting company with NOAA and USCG is investigating the problems. 3. Dealing with GEICO boat insurance. Oh by the way, My hats off for the speed and progress Geico even during this time Florida was hit with a hurricane they didn't miss a beat. Even after some 2800 claims during my claim. Adjuster came 2 days and checks in the mail and now prep the boat for repairs. I've looked at many insurance company's and for my money you wont beat GEICO Boat Insurance fair and backed by GEICO. NOW! Back to the charts You will see NOAA Chart #13288 showing the rocks to the Day-Beacon. We normally enter RED RIGHT RETURN however, this is not a channel marker like a nun or round red ball marking the channel. As I was going to approach this harbor I went onto Active Captain and verified my course of approach. Both the Garmin and active capt. validated my course. BOOM! you will see the line stop well before the day beacon, To the port side (left) their was close to 30-40 traps making navigations imposable to the left. A typical sailing vessel could not get threw this. The town and harbor master has been given warning to uphold the current laws on their books. They just don't bother. Buy the way Towing guys told me that I was the 6th person this year..lol The one thing that really bothers me is why my new radio from Standard horizon FAILED to report my distress to the USCG. This has to make one think about the systems in place. The hotel call the USCG and gave them my cell number to talk to me and thankfully they didn't need to come However while I had them on the phone I pressed the button while on the phone and again no signal or sign of them getting my signal of distress. But haled them easily on CH16. For me I will always use 16 and not the DCS Button. And by the way I ordered a new radio and its not a Standard Horizon. Capt. Rob
 

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Aug 28, 2006
564
Bavaria 35E seattle
I'm curious because of a similar incident I had here in the Pac NW, what specifically are the laws that the town and harbormaster must adhere to? I chaps my butt that certain harbors won't mark often hit underwater rock obstructions. It's almost like a spider web catching flies. The local marine service guys get lots of work this way!
 
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Oct 1, 2007
1,856
Boston Whaler Super Sport Pt. Judith
The proliferation of lobster pots at entrances to harbors and other areas is EXACTLY why we no longer cruise in Maine. Our last trip was 2014 and my wife and I were so tense the entire trip we decided to never return. Much worse than when we lived there 1993-2000.
 
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Feb 6, 1998
11,665
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
First off sorry for your damage, it's Maine and it happens, but you will survive to sail another day. Your boat is tough and can take it many hundreds of boats each year do.. Be sure to allow proper dry out time for the encapsulated ballast, if holed through, before enacting any repair.

rom;2488071 said:
Thanks to all for your support here! Right now I'm working on 3 projects, 1. With a senator of Boot Bay drafting a new bill to become law against traps at all entrance of Maine harbors or obstructions preventing proper navigation by vessels.
I wish you luck with this but I can tell you it has been tried before. The story from one of the old timers around here is that this was tried in the late 70's and "Wouldn't you know it the guy who proposed it just happened to have a barn fire in a barn with no electricity or heat source and no lightning".... There are no State limits as to where lobstermen can place traps provided they are within their management zone. I know some towns have enacted "local ordinances" against trap placement in channels or harbors but these ordinances apparently don't have any teeth. I have spent a great deal of time discussing this with the Falmouth Harbor Master and others where traps clog the mooring field and boats can't swing properly.


rom;2488071 said:
2. Garmin charts error's. Right now Garmin's charting company with NOAA and USCG is investigating the problems.
The day mark is clearly shown in the Garmin charting and right red return should always be observed, especially entering harbors in Maine and more especially where day marks/beacons come into play.. NOAA never offered a "zoom" of Cape Harbor so the best chart NOAA has for Cape Harbor would be the right side of 13295 in conjunction with local knowledge and the Taft Guide..

rom;2488071 said:
NOW! Back to the charts You will see NOAA Chart #13288 showing the rocks to the Day-Beacon.
Chart 13288 is wide scale at 1:80,000 and that red day mark is not a NOAA mark, someone has added that. Chart 13293 shows the day mark and 13293 along with 13295 would be a better choice for entering Cape Harbor. The Maine Coast Cruising Guide with 13295 would be best.

rom;2488071 said:
We normally enter RED RIGHT RETURN however, this is not a channel marker like a nun or round red ball marking the channel.
That day mark/beacon signifies a LEDGE and is RED and it means right red return. In Maine is not optional to ignore day beacons. Here in Maine these day marks/beacons are physically drilled into solid granite that is often expose / above tide at MLW..

rom;2488071 said:
As I was going to approach this harbor I went onto Active Captain and verified my course of approach. Both the Garmin and active capt. validated my course. BOOM!
You checked Active Captain before the Maine Coast Cruising Guide? I really don't understand why you would choose to go South of the day mark shown by Garmin? If the harbor entrance was blocked by traps we can't move solid granite no matter how much we may want to. Based on your plotter screen shot it appears your course was plotted correctly, to the North of the day mark, but you actually went South of it?

The purple line with black stripe was your plotted course right? If so, that would have put you in the correct location.



Maine Coast Cruising Guide (AKA Maine Bible)
"The entrance is only 50 to 75 feet wide, but it is deep, and Soutport Island is steep-to. Pass between Southport Island to port and red day beacon "4" to starboard. Daybeacon "4" is not on the edge of the channel-you must be 10-15 feet North of it."



rom;2488071 said:
you will see the line stop well before the day beacon,
The actual ledge there extends about 10' to the North of the day beacon. There is no passing to the South of it unless you are in a kayak or dinghy at high tide. I have been in and out of there probably 100 +/- times and even the lobstermen don't pass to the South of the day mark at high.
Here is why; (entrance and day mark to left):

And High Tide:




rom;2488071 said:
To the port side (left) their was close to 30-40 traps making navigations imposable to the left. A typical sailing vessel could not get threw this.
We were in there the weekend of September 15th and while there were a lot of traps it was certainly doable. Christmas Cove also gets thick at the entrance and has a similar ledge.

rom;2488071 said:
The town and harbor master has been given warning to uphold the current laws on their books. They just don't bother.
They likely don't bother because the State law does not follow the town ordinance, if there is one, and they know they really have no teeth to enforce it..

rom;2488071 said:
Buy the way Towing guys told me that I was the 6th person this year..lol
With 6 boats in one season I would normally think the day beacon fell over, but having just been in there, I know it is still upright....

Good luck with the repairs..
 
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JRT

.
Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
I lived in ignorant bliss learning and sailing with friends in Maine to say the least! Glad my current navigation is all dead reckoning and our first 'grounding' was mud and grass, which was discovered when my wife says, "hey we aren't moving anymore" and I look overboard and see grass and the bottom, ah dang!
 
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Oct 22, 2014
352
Pearson P303 #221 RockPort Maine
Thanks Main Sail for your input here! On the NOAA charts and ZOOM that's how I got the actual chart by zooming in on the island. I added the Day Beacon to send to NOAA as reference to where the marker is only. But, all their charts have the zoom in features. At least on my pc they do. Here's a link to chats as PDF's files. Pick a chart and select your options to Save, Print, Zoom -/+
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/PDFs/PDFs.shtml
And Yes! will give 3 weeks or so to dry out and moisture test before repairs made. Thank you for your advice there. All and All I've ordered more bed-it to do more work on the boat beyond just the keel and rudder. I think tough that the 10 coats of InterProtect 2000E made a big difference on the bottom, preventing a lot of damage to hull and would recommend the barrier coat.
Best Regards, Capt. Rob