Dumb and dumber

[Carol]

if u think it needs fixin...fix it

We had a Catalina 22. The rigging was plastic coated. I had read that this wasn't always good since you couldnt see flaws. One afternoon I thought I saw a glint of light flash off one shroud. I mentioned it to my husband and told him about the article...there was a crack in the plastic but no shiny metal beneath it. We had a week off and wanted to sail all we could so forgot about it. One afternoon a strong gust of wind hit us and the shroud snapped...mast bent in half...sails went into the water...no one was hurt, we saved the mast and sails, had a piece welded to the mast, replaced the shroud and was back on the water 2 days later. But the next time I think something needs fixing...it's going to be fixed. It was our first year sailing and we were lucky we wernt hurt.

 

[Alan Johnson]

Overboard

It's not my mistake, but one that taught me a lesson. About 5 years ago my brother was out on his 23 on a warm March day with heavy winds. His fiance was at the tiller while he flopped on the deck. It was her first time sailing and she knew nothing of how to handle the boat except to point it in "that" direction. While lying down, my brother tossed a bucket overboard, tied to a line, intending to get some water to scrub off part of the deck. The bucket hit the water, filled and pulled him overboard. No life jacket. The water was about 45 degrees. The boat sailed on with his fiance frantically wondering what to do. "Pop" the mainsheet he screamed. He may as well have been speaking Greek. He was about 300 yards from shore, tried to swim and began to loose his strength quickly. Fortunately, another sailor saw his boat being sailed poorly, and him waving every time he came up for air. That boat fired up the iron genny and pulled him on board. The lesson I learned, among others, is to teach every lubber how to pop the main, and keep life cushions in the cockpit for just such an occasion. Also, don't try to fill a bucket tited to a line while lying down on a baot that is zipping along in heavy winds. I bet the water sobered him up right fast.

 

[Tony Z]

Swimming after my boat !

I should be ashamed to admit this.Snagged a mooring in a tidal river.Dove over the side with unskilled crewaboard.Untangled line and boat took of w/metrying to catch it. This all occured in direct view of the sun deck of a yacht club.I did eventually catch the boat but did some pinball wizard off a couple of moored boats.In my defense, it was some 20 years ago but still real dumb.

 

[Bob]

Human whisker pole

The weekend before I moved to Chicago, I was working the main on a Catalina 34 owned by a couple of friends during a race last year. Winds had been strong early on but had become variable and shifty as the day wore on. Conditions typical for this particular small lake.We rounded the windward mark and were running downwind, almost dead down. The main was steady out on the starboard side and we decided to wing the genoa out to port. Unfortunately, no whisker pole and the genoa was being finicky so I decided to hold out the clew myself. So, that's how I came to be standing on the rail outside the lifelines leaning outboard holding on to the jib sheet near the clew. That settled the jib down and we started to gain on the Hunter 355 in front of us.Can you see where this is going yet?Yep, as you guessed the knucklehead running the main (me) either forgot or neglected (guess which) to rig a preventer. The wind shifted around our starboard quarter. All I know is I saw a flash as that boom started to come for me.Even though I was well forward of where the boom would have hit, I would have been less than human had I stayed still. Not wanting to dent my friends' boom with my hard head, I instinctivley ducked and moved backwards, which at this point was over the side as I was practically out of the boat anyway.Fortunately I had a death-grip on that jib sheet. Next thing I know I'm dragging in water up to my waist. Instinct again took over and I heaved up and swung my legs over the lifelines, and one of my friends came around, grabbed my free hand, and pulled me back on deck. I knew about preventers before this and knew I should have rigged one in this situation. Sometimes it is the things you know and don't do that get you. We never did catch that Hunter, but they saw the whole thing and we had a good laugh about it over beers at the dock after the race.Great chain of posts, everyone!Bobs/v Simple DreamsChicago

 

[Jeff M21319]

My first time on a big boat

New girlfriend wanted to take me sailing on her friends boat out of Santa Cruz, so I say sure, why not. Come to find the boat is a 70' topsail schooner, pre-world war 2 vintage. I knew a little about sailing, but not on a boat like this. It had all kinds of weird sails, including something called, I believe, a 'raffee' (don't know if that's the correct spelling) that's basically a small upside-down spinnaker that hangs from a yardarm on the forward mast. Anyhow, I was doing my best to help the 'real' crew put this thing up, and because there are no winches on the boat all sheets, halyards, etc. are 'sweated' to pins on the rails, and because I was one of the larger fellows onboard, they had me hauling the halyard. Now, I'd been told to always 'take a wrap' around a pin before sweating the line, but it was going up pretty easy so I didn't see the need. That is, until a good gust caught the sail and next thing I know, my feet are about four feet off the deck and I'm looking down at the water! Completely scared, I have a death grip on the halyard and I'm not about to let go! After about 5 hours (okay, 5 seconds) the gust passes and I swing back over the rail and land on the deck. The Captain, having seen this and having a rather dry sense of humor, says "Hey Jeff, remember to take a turn on the pin, will you?" Well, we got the sail up and I went below to shake for a few minutes and get rid of the gallon or so of adrenaline running through my veins. Dug around in my duffel bag, got the brand new inflatable PFD out of it's wrapper and put it on. Wasn't gonna take it off 'till I was back in the car and halfway home! (girlfriend finally convinced me it was okay to take it off when we went to bed!)Had a whole 'nother level of respect for sailing after that. Wasn't it Lin or Larry Pardey that said you must develope a complete fear of going overboard to be a safe sailor? Well, I did exactly that on that day!