Any tips out there about how to avoid getting caught in lobster pot lines? There are lobster pots everwhere, even close by our mooring. Our anchor got caught in the lobster pot line and our rudder got caught on a line. As careful as we are to avoid the bouys and lines we feel we must be missing some piece of important information that we desperately need given where we live and sail (Salem, Marblehead, Gloucester, Provicetown-loster land).
Avoiding lobster pot lines
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Observe..
Observe the wind & current on the pots & then never sail to windward or up stream of them. Always fall off below them in regards to both wind and current especially a strong current. This will help you avoid the line and avoid catching the rudder on it as you slip sideways over it. Locking your prop when sailing, so it's not spinning, can also help. Always keep a wet suit mask and fins on board just in case...
Observe the wind & current on the pots & then never sail to windward or up stream of them. Always fall off below them in regards to both wind and current especially a strong current. This will help you avoid the line and avoid catching the rudder on it as you slip sideways over it. Locking your prop when sailing, so it's not spinning, can also help. Always keep a wet suit mask and fins on board just in case...
There is no magic solution.
Having snagged our share of crab pots this is what we do; 1) if you are coastal cruising go offshore as fishermen prefer to set their traps closer to land at shallower depths. 2) Coming in at night, place a watch at the bow with a torch on hand to scan the waters. 3) Most fishermen will lay their traps in a line; identify the markings and determine in which direction they are running. 4) Be aware of high tides and strong currents as they may cause the floats to be below the surface. 5) Favor shipping channels as the fishermen will not lay traps where for sure they will be lost. 6) Carry a diving mask and a serrated knive just in case.
Having snagged our share of crab pots this is what we do; 1) if you are coastal cruising go offshore as fishermen prefer to set their traps closer to land at shallower depths. 2) Coming in at night, place a watch at the bow with a torch on hand to scan the waters. 3) Most fishermen will lay their traps in a line; identify the markings and determine in which direction they are running. 4) Be aware of high tides and strong currents as they may cause the floats to be below the surface. 5) Favor shipping channels as the fishermen will not lay traps where for sure they will be lost. 6) Carry a diving mask and a serrated knive just in case.
Prop or shaft line cutters
The other posters have given you tips on avoiding them and I agree with them. But, try as you may, there comes a time when you will get fouled-up. I also carry fins and mask, but in the cold waters of the St-Lawrence North Shore (+/- 4 degrees C), going in the water is out of the question ! So I installed disk shape line cutters just before the prop. It is not a miracle cure, but they work ! Last fall when I hauled up I found remnants of poly line and remembered precisely when my prop had been snagged by a crab pot line and freed seconds thereafter. Do a google search for shaft and prop line-cutters and you should find the different types and brands. Good luck
The other posters have given you tips on avoiding them and I agree with them. But, try as you may, there comes a time when you will get fouled-up. I also carry fins and mask, but in the cold waters of the St-Lawrence North Shore (+/- 4 degrees C), going in the water is out of the question ! So I installed disk shape line cutters just before the prop. It is not a miracle cure, but they work ! Last fall when I hauled up I found remnants of poly line and remembered precisely when my prop had been snagged by a crab pot line and freed seconds thereafter. Do a google search for shaft and prop line-cutters and you should find the different types and brands. Good luck
Just a word of caution
Just a word of caution on line / weed cutters. On sailboats these often don't cut the line before the relatively low power engine is stalled. They still, in many instances, need diving on to free them. A visitor to Maine had to dive on his and when he surfaced noticed that he was bleeding profusely and needed serious medical attention. By the time he actually made it off his boat, and to the hospital, for the stitches he was already in shock from loosing so much blood. Line/weed cutters work well on high horsepower engines but not so well on sailboats and can be very, very dangerous when you do need to dive on them!
Just a word of caution on line / weed cutters. On sailboats these often don't cut the line before the relatively low power engine is stalled. They still, in many instances, need diving on to free them. A visitor to Maine had to dive on his and when he surfaced noticed that he was bleeding profusely and needed serious medical attention. By the time he actually made it off his boat, and to the hospital, for the stitches he was already in shock from loosing so much blood. Line/weed cutters work well on high horsepower engines but not so well on sailboats and can be very, very dangerous when you do need to dive on them!
Downwind/current
MaineSails advice is the best, observe the wind and current and always keep the buoy up wind/current of you. You won't get pushed down on them that way. Was out sailing on a friends boat a couple of weeks ago and got hooked up twice. First time took a while to get freed using the boathook to reach down and get it unhooked. Had to cut the line and retie it. Second time it just popped off after a few seconds. Good luck and have fun with it, I just think of it as an obstacle course.
MaineSails advice is the best, observe the wind and current and always keep the buoy up wind/current of you. You won't get pushed down on them that way. Was out sailing on a friends boat a couple of weeks ago and got hooked up twice. First time took a while to get freed using the boathook to reach down and get it unhooked. Had to cut the line and retie it. Second time it just popped off after a few seconds. Good luck and have fun with it, I just think of it as an obstacle course.
maybe it is time for someone to creat a
propeller guard. On my boat, with full keel and attached rudder and soft bilges, I never snag a pot line. I have had the buoys bang along the hull as we sail or motored through. Some of the other boats that I see look like they are designed to snag lines in the water.
propeller guard. On my boat, with full keel and attached rudder and soft bilges, I never snag a pot line. I have had the buoys bang along the hull as we sail or motored through. Some of the other boats that I see look like they are designed to snag lines in the water.
If the Lobster Pot...
...has a stick through it (as many do), then the stick will point to the side that a boat must pass to avoid the pot or line. I have sailed in Maine and thats what Womanship taught a friend's wife. Now when you get DownEast or to Jericho Bay (at the south end of Eggmoggin Reach) where the tides run harder, then one must contend with Warps. (Just ask Maine Sail about those)!!
...has a stick through it (as many do), then the stick will point to the side that a boat must pass to avoid the pot or line. I have sailed in Maine and thats what Womanship taught a friend's wife. Now when you get DownEast or to Jericho Bay (at the south end of Eggmoggin Reach) where the tides run harder, then one must contend with Warps. (Just ask Maine Sail about those)!!
lobster pots
Thanks for your suggestions about avoiding lobster pots. Glad to hear we are not the only ones getting tangled. Safe sailing to all.
Thanks for your suggestions about avoiding lobster pots. Glad to hear we are not the only ones getting tangled. Safe sailing to all.
Maine Sail - those are the "crappy" line cutters
Which are like one big circular razor blade (also known as Shaft Sharks) If someone was to put a real line cutter on their shaft they should put the "shearing" type cutters like "SPURS" brand or similar type. I don't know why people save a few dollars and are cheap with this type of thing Not only that but SPURS will cut the line at a much slower RPM than a circular razor blade type. They just work so much better -Also you won't get cut you when you dive down on them
Which are like one big circular razor blade (also known as Shaft Sharks) If someone was to put a real line cutter on their shaft they should put the "shearing" type cutters like "SPURS" brand or similar type. I don't know why people save a few dollars and are cheap with this type of thing Not only that but SPURS will cut the line at a much slower RPM than a circular razor blade type. They just work so much better -Also you won't get cut you when you dive down on them
The guy cut his hand on..
The guy cut his hand on SPURS not the serrated Shaft Razor. They are both dangerous and I've actually owned both iterations. The SPURS work better but are NOT fool proof and I have had to dive on them too. I use them mostly for floating line as I'm down to perhaps one "snag" per season and that's usually in Penobscot Bay where toggle buoys are used. Floating warp is a real problem in Maine during large tides. The full moon tide comes up, and when it retreats, it takes all the flotsam & jetsam on the beaches with it back out into the bays. I consider floating line a bigger problem than the clearly marked pot buoys. Oh and I did not install SPURS or a Shaft Razor on my current boat because I WILL eventually need to dive...
The guy cut his hand on SPURS not the serrated Shaft Razor. They are both dangerous and I've actually owned both iterations. The SPURS work better but are NOT fool proof and I have had to dive on them too. I use them mostly for floating line as I'm down to perhaps one "snag" per season and that's usually in Penobscot Bay where toggle buoys are used. Floating warp is a real problem in Maine during large tides. The full moon tide comes up, and when it retreats, it takes all the flotsam & jetsam on the beaches with it back out into the bays. I consider floating line a bigger problem than the clearly marked pot buoys. Oh and I did not install SPURS or a Shaft Razor on my current boat because I WILL eventually need to dive...
great advice
As many have said here ,you must stay to the down current /wind side of the bouys . We have a rule onboard that everyone calls out the location of the bouys . It may at times seem excessive but it only takes one to ruin your day . We have sailed for years with no hangups , {now I am doomed ]! And say thanks to the crew when they call out the bouys it helps ,and they will call out the next pot .Happy sailing hope to see you in Salem Capt. Ed . Wolfepack
As many have said here ,you must stay to the down current /wind side of the bouys . We have a rule onboard that everyone calls out the location of the bouys . It may at times seem excessive but it only takes one to ruin your day . We have sailed for years with no hangups , {now I am doomed ]! And say thanks to the crew when they call out the bouys it helps ,and they will call out the next pot .Happy sailing hope to see you in Salem Capt. Ed . Wolfepack
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