Neighbour's sailboat on the rocks

[Nom De Guerre]

I was reading an article in the local paper about a skipper who called a mayday yesterday evening. Apparently he had lost power near shore, and ended up on the rocks just outside of our marina.

The boat in the picture looked familiar, so I went down to take a closer look. Sure enough, it's the boat of a fellow two slips down from mine.

So sad, there won't be any refloating of this one.

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2013/06/06/busy-night-for-coast-guard-in-niagara

It is in much worse shape now, as the waves have been pounding it into the rocks since yesterday.

Edit: it looks like the article has been updated with more detail, including comments from the skipper.

 

[LuzSD]

'Boats have to enter the marina under engine power, so Duerksen lowered the sail and fired up the small engine used to navigate. But as the 34-year-old sailboat neared the marina entrance, the engine stopped and the boat started moving toward the shoreline under the power of the waves.'

What a shame....... We have a rule on our boat.... NEVER remove one form of power until you have replaced it with another. If he had kept his sails up while making sure his engine was strong, and only then furl his headsail he might have been able to make that call from outside the entrance while under sail about a motor that would not start. What a sad story.

 

[tyson_troy]

I also keep my anchor out and ready to drop, especially when exiting and entering harbor. Hopefully, it would hook before I run aground.

 

[Indysailor]

There's a young fellow here recently who found his boat drifting to the shore full of limestone ledges after his motor conked out. He was wholly unprepared, no anchor at the ready, halyards undone, just at the mercy of the wind driving him to the shore. A buddy of mine recalled seeing the tiller pop up and decided the kid was in over his head. He grabbed a dinghy and instructed the young man on how to tie the bow off to prepare for a tow. With the dinghy, they hauled the boat off with only a foot or two to spare. Not knowing what you don't know, even on our tranquil lake, can get you in trouble quickly.

 

[StinkBug]

Something is fishy here. One of the other incidents mentioned in the article....

The first call was for a report of a crew member on a sailboat about three kilometres off of Port Dalhousie who was injured. Trudell said the mast aboard the 25-foot sailboat Undercover broke while the sailboat was making a turn during a race on Lake Ontario. The 250-pound section of mast hit a man in the back when it fell. The boat returned to Port Dalhousie and the man was taken to St. Catharines hospital with minor injuries.

WTF 25' boat has 250lbs worth of mast? I can pick my mast up and carry it around on my shoulder...probably not more than 40lbs or so.

 

[Nom De Guerre]

Something is fishy here. One of the other incidents mentioned in the article....

WTF 25' boat has 250lbs worth of mast? I can pick my mast up and carry it around on my shoulder...probably not more than 40lbs or so.

I'd rather not deal with such questions, because anyway it's like shearing a pig - lots of screams but little wool.