Got out of watching the movie "Ford vs Ferrari" and got a call from my wife. Told me she got a call from the yacht club and my boat had broken free and drifted down the Beaufort River, under the bridge and was aground on a sand/mud bar. Ithad gone downriver with the mooring ball still attached. The chain to the anchor had somehow parted. It was only about 3 years old and way oversized. Everyone is scratching their head and the club will be inspecting all the moorings very soon.
I had all kinds of visions about having lost the mast as it went under the bridge. My air clearance is bout 65 feet and the bridge center span where the channel is located is only 65 feet at about half tide and lower! The yacht club crew got her off the bar on the rising tide and anchored her in a good spot not far from where she was grounded. They were afraid to tow her under the bridge not knowing the exact air clearance. When I got to the club, they took me out to the boat and lo and behold there wasn't a scratch on her, all the fixtures on the masthead were intact. There is no way she could have made it under the bridge and the windex, masthead light and wind sensor have remained if she hit the bridge. I am truely amazed. No I am flagergasted. I'll be going ove tomorrow to complete my inspection but it looks like I really dodged a bullet somehow. I'll have to wait to mid tide to get back under the bridge and I'm going to insist that they pay for having the boat hauled for an inspection.
I had all kinds of visions about having lost the mast as it went under the bridge. My air clearance is bout 65 feet and the bridge center span where the channel is located is only 65 feet at about half tide and lower! The yacht club crew got her off the bar on the rising tide and anchored her in a good spot not far from where she was grounded. They were afraid to tow her under the bridge not knowing the exact air clearance. When I got to the club, they took me out to the boat and lo and behold there wasn't a scratch on her, all the fixtures on the masthead were intact. There is no way she could have made it under the bridge and the windex, masthead light and wind sensor have remained if she hit the bridge. I am truely amazed. No I am flagergasted. I'll be going ove tomorrow to complete my inspection but it looks like I really dodged a bullet somehow. I'll have to wait to mid tide to get back under the bridge and I'm going to insist that they pay for having the boat hauled for an inspection.