Grounding forensics: These are fun, as long as you aren't the ground-er. This was just 2 days ago and unfolded nearly in front of us.
The facts: Afternoon, light Southerly winds (important component I think), beautiful day on the Fox Island Thoroughfare in Penobscot Bay.
The GRACE BAILEY is 80+' long. She sails week long charters of 'dudes' all season. This reach along the thoroughfare is a milk run for the captains. If you can sail your charter through the Fox's, it's a 10. Like most of these schooners, the GRACE is engineless. Her yawl boat is tied to the stern for power when needed, the 1 st mate is lounging in the yawl boat, ready to fire up the diesel.
Despite the light winds, a lumbering old square rigger, the captain (yellow shirt at the wheel), had her under sail. The 'dudes' (local derogatory term for charters) were getting their cup full of sailing. Everyone appears relaxed by THE soothing motion and pace as they enjoy the surroundings, not unaware that to most eyes (and lens), they are the spectacle to watch. Pride.
The tide is falling,...(also important-ALWAYS IMPORTANT ON THE COAST OF MAINE).
Later, in the community center on the island, I get my first data on my phone in days. A Facebook post comes into my feed. It's from the group of locals that live on the island (of which I am a member). The FB post - with a photo, reads:
"Cattle boat on the rocks at the end of the dumplings"
Cattle boat,...that's harsh. Derogatory local banter on tourists in mid August is to be expected, I guess, anywhere in NE.
What I could tell from the photo: First, she'd been aground for some time. Her waterline at the bow is nearly 2 feet out of the water. More importantly though, you can see the rocks - now awash - would have been below water at the time of the grounding. The benign conditions, no breaking waves, would have made the rocks invisible to the eye. On deck, all shoulders appear slumped. Pride is gone.
I know this stretch of water well. In fact I sail it quite often in similar conditions. More often that not, you enjoy a close reach where my first photo was taken. About a mile beyond, your course becomes more weatherly. You nearly always are pinched up at the end and wondering if you may have to tack once more, to clear the hazards.
From my phone navionics app: While the schooner wasn't visible from my location at the time, it appears from the FB photo, to be where I placed a black star at the end of the dotted line and arrow, which I presume to be their course.
I know from experience when those rocks are under water it appears wide open between the can and the island (yellow) that never goes below HW.
Inconceivable, right? Wrong! Having experienced more than my share self induced groundings over the years, I don't criticize the captains. Accidents happen, period.
A little online researched uncovered some info. Many of these old schooner operators prefer old school methods. In fact I found a couple lines that seem to support the owner of this fleet does not equip the boats with any electronics. No radar, no GPS plotters. I get that. They sail the same routes generally, year after year.
I make no criticism of the lack of GPS or radar (I'm happy without radar). GPS or not, boats go aground all the time on the coast of Maine, charts in laps or screens showing the approaching grounding, it's all the same. Some ones not paying attention
My suspicion of what may have caused the grounding: I put a second - solid - arrow on the chart. Often when pinching up to clear the hazards, I'll sail this arrow. It's safe, about a quarter of a mile of deep water between the nun and the hazards, and allows you to ride your port tack another 2 miles in safe water. A beautiful stretch of water.
Perhaps the captain had this in mind and mistook the open water (rocks covered at the time) for this safe passage?
She floated off safely hours later on the rising tide. In the 'old school' days, these grounding mostly went unreported. Pride was and is protected by captains at all costs. But times have changed. There's a camera in every passing boat and the accident could be online in seconds.