On The Rocks...Need Bourbon!

Jtcf78911

Jtcf78911

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Aug 16, 2015
143
O'Day 28 Salem, MA
I wasn't so naive to think that my inaugural sailing season would be one without a few sailing surprises and lessons...but can't say I was really prepared for the shock (and awe?) of hitting a ledge, stopping on a dime and being trapped in the accompanying rock field. I'm generally an optimist and can see the upsides of the situation, i.e. hull not punctured, boat stayed upright in spite of incoming wind & wave, I stayed dry and was not injured, insurance will cover, etc.

All that said I am wondering about others experiences with this type of predicament. I encountered the following: 1) some level of panic and fear, 2) nearby handheld radio of no help (range?), 3) used cabin radio but feared boat going over with me in cabin, 4) given my station among rocks I was shocked at how far over the boat would heel - don't get this at all - almost abandoned ship 3 times, 5) totally unclear where I should have been stationed while awaiting rescue - sometimes hanging to the mast and other times scrambling to high ground when boat heeled over.

I know it was stupid to have ended up in this scenario - and avoidance is the best remedy - but I do see my boating experiences, whether good or bad, as my greatest learning opportunities.

Your experiences with this type of grounding and any "how to respond" guidance appreciated.

Tx.

Tom O'Day 28
 
JohnVTX

JohnVTX

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Jul 14, 2015
840
Catalina 30 Stillhouse Hollow Marina
Yikes.....never been there like that. Glad you are OK. My only grounding came this summer on a rental Catalina 36 in Pensacola on way in to dock. Soft grounding in sand at low tide in middle of channel. Had another boat take spinnaker halyard and tip me over about 30 degrees, then just swung off.
 
rgranger

rgranger

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Jan 19, 2010
12,926
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Wow

Sorry you went through that.... glad you are okay. It sounds like you have the right perspective. Stuff happens and then all you can do is try to learn something from it.....someone on this forum once described sailing as hours of relative peace and boredom interrupted by moments of pure panic.

Can't say what you should have done but one thing that comes to mind is...if your boat is going to lay on its side during a low tide while grounded, you should try to lean it towards the up-hill slope. If she falls towards the down hill slope, she will flood when the tide comes back in. As far as getting off the rocks... you should do the opposite... try to heal your boat towards the down-hill slope to decrease draft and get off the rocks.
 
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S

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,092
Currently Boatless Okinawa
@rgranger - did you mean "decrease draft" in that last sentence? If not, I am confused (and it wouldn't be the first time......................today.)
 
rgranger

rgranger

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Jan 19, 2010
12,926
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
SFS said:
@rgranger - did you mean "decrease draft" in that last sentence? If not, I am confused (and it wouldn't be the first time......................today.)
Click to expand
yep.... I was thinking about depth of water but said draft... by bad.... I confuse myself sometimes...
 
Tom G P-21

Tom G P-21

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Aug 15, 2012
301
Precision 21 Newburyport MA
There is a reason why one of the islands in Salem sound is called Misery Island and there's also Satan's rock. I sail out of Salem harbor too, but have a shoal keel centerboard so I can go where a lot of the larger boats can't. I haven't had the experience of grounding, but make sure you have Sea tow insurance. Also, find out why your handheld didn't work. There is the story that when the Constitution was being chased by the British it ducked into Salem sound because the sailors were familiar with the rocks and shoals. The British were too afraid to follow.

Finally, I would recommend Woodford for a nice bourbon.
 
Jtcf78911

Jtcf78911

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Aug 16, 2015
143
O'Day 28 Salem, MA
I appreciate the empathy. Killing me to be out of the water....

I was in shallow (4 Ft.), level water with rocks all around. So there seemed to be no particular direction to manage the heel of the boat - wave and wind off starboard and heeling to port. And I certainly felt like I wasn't controlling anything - I guess that's the scary part. I did drop sails after I hit to lesson the impact of wind on the boat - I think the only sane thought I had. Motoring did not seem to be an option. I will tuck the the good "uphill slope" advice away and hope to never use it. Tom O'Day 28.
 
Jtcf78911

Jtcf78911

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Aug 16, 2015
143
O'Day 28 Salem, MA
Love that history note and will certainly be testing the handheld once I'm back on the water. The two disaster spots you noted I've managed to stay clear of. Coney Rock is obvious but the ledge is not marked in any way. No excuses - bad charting and plain lack of experience on my part. Hell...I thought I was free and clear to Eagle Channel. Always happy to have good bourbon recommendations! Tx. Tom O'Day 28
 
Jtcf78911

Jtcf78911

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Aug 16, 2015
143
O'Day 28 Salem, MA
To the physics side of this - still not clear why I would have heeled over so far. I somewhat assumed I'd have some stability with sails down and my keel presumably lodged (even loosely) between rocks. This I would like to understand...
 
S

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,092
Currently Boatless Okinawa
So how did the situation resolve? Tow? Have you hauled the boat to check for damage?

It sounds as though you kept your wits more than you seem to give yourself credit for, and you are here to talk about it, so you must have done a fair amount right.
 
njlarry

njlarry

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Sep 23, 2009
1,477
O'Day 34-At Last Rock Hall, Md
Come join us on the Chesapeake Bay, just soft muck when you "buy some bay real estate". Mean time might I suggest Heaven Hill Real Kentucky Bourbon?
 
shemandr

shemandr

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Jan 1, 2006
7,986
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
Hard groundings are scary. I had one at the blistering speed of 3 knots. All the crew went flying. One injured her arm. Another had a lot of bruises. I wasn't thrown far because of the wheel. In our situation, it was a dead stop from a hit on the forward knuckle of the keel, and the crew were thrown up in the air. So even sitting they still went forward at 3 knots.
Please check carefully (Having a surveyor do it isn't overkill) the tabbing around the keel and structural elements for the bottom of the boat including the attachment of the liner to the hull. And then get a stronger light and check again. Not leaking water is not good enough. If you blow it off, it will resurface at sale time. I believe, however painful, it's better to deal with it now - including an insurance claim.
I'm really glad you're OK and that you got the boat off. When you're trying to decide which way to lean the boat over on it's side, you are not having a good day. Those New Hampsterites should have kept their granite to themselves!
 
Jtcf78911

Jtcf78911

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Aug 16, 2015
143
O'Day 28 Salem, MA
Boat gently towed off rocks via mast halyard. Engine started but no control at helm so boat and owner (with head down) towed directly to marina for inspection. Keel and hull appeared OK but rudder had been smashed up into hull and its a goner... Quote to repair currently at $7K (holy crap!). Glad I purchased insurance - God only knows where my premium is going...
 
Jtcf78911

Jtcf78911

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Aug 16, 2015
143
O'Day 28 Salem, MA
shemandr said:
Hard groundings are scary. I had one at the blistering speed of 3 knots. All the crew went flying. One injured her arm. Another had a lot of bruises. I wasn't thrown far because of the wheel. In our situation, it was a dead stop from a hit on the forward knuckle of the keel, and the crew were thrown up in the air. So even sitting they still went forward at 3 knots.
Please check carefully (Having a surveyor do it isn't overkill) the tabbing around the keel and structural elements for the bottom of the boat including the attachment of the liner to the hull. And then get a stronger light and check again. Not leaking water is not good enough. If you blow it off, it will resurface at sale time. I believe, however painful, it's better to deal with it now - including an insurance claim.
I'm really glad you're OK and that you got the boat off. When you're trying to decide which way to lean the boat over on it's side, you are not having a good day. Those New Hampsterites should have kept their granite to themselves!
Click to expand
What you describe is clearly what I experienced except at about 5 1/2 knots. It was a beautiful day with a great breeze and I was flying (for a sailboat anyway). What a shock to have a 7,700 pound object just flat out stop. Like you the helm kept me from traveling and I was fortunate to have no one on board. It's one thing to scare the crap out of yourself, another to scare the wife and friends... I'll definitely pass along your inspection pointers to the Marina folks - that is very helpful information. Tx. Tom O'Day 28.
 
Jtcf78911

Jtcf78911

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Aug 16, 2015
143
O'Day 28 Salem, MA
Concur. As a newbie I've been trying to sail without paying too much attention to the toys, i.e. been using paper chart, visual markers, etc. In this case a quick look down at my GPS likely would have saved the day...
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
What Shemandr said. Believe that Oday28 had the notorious keel stub which is prone to catastrophic damage. It will need to be carefully inspected for cracks, and separation on haul. Unless you have agreed value insurance you are very close to Totaled. Sorry.
 
RobG

RobG

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Jun 2, 2004
337
Ericson 28 Noank, Ct
Gunni,
Thats the ODAY 200 and 300 series (272, 322, ect). The 28 is encapsulated lead and if there was damage it is easily seen as the encapsulation at the impact area goes first. It's not all very thick. If that isn't evident it is likely the impact was at the rudder. Agreed a surveyor should determine this if not already done - where the estimate came from?
 
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