There's an interesting article in the November issue of Sail magazine called Cape Fear Drama. The author, motoring in his Freedom 30, gets too close to a dredge that is very inappropriately dragging 300 feet of line behind it, fouls his prop on the line, and is dragged backwards for a time before being cut loose by a small tug accompanying the dredge. The dredge and the tugs leave him behind. A nearby sailboat "feigns not to understand" that he needs help. At the suggestion of a towboat operator he deploys (and then has trouble recovering) his anchor waiting for the tow that takes him out of harms way. The interesting part is that while the author was highly concerned about his vulnerability to traffic in a busy section of the ICW and while he states that 15 to 20 knots of wind were blowing, he apparently didn't consider hoisting a sail and sailing his boat out of danger. If we sail long enough, sooner or later we will run into trouble -- unforecasted high winds, mechanical problems, running aground -- problems that may or may not be of our own doing. But what is our responsibility to get out of our own predicaments without assistance? Boaters in general tend to be a helpful lot. Should we depend on them for aid? In some places towing services or the Coast Guard may come to our assistance. But they don't exist everywhere. The Catch 22 of self reliance is that if we don't leave the dock until we know everything we need to know, we'll never learn everything we need to know. Self-reliance vs. interdependence on the water? Share your viewpoint and be sure to vote in the quiz on the bottom of the home page. (Quiz by Gary Wyngarden)
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Barges Typically Drag Lines in the NW
At least in the Northwest, barges typically drag lines behind so you want to give them a berth when passing astern. I know that now but didn't when I started sailing and fortunately I didn't have to learn about it "the hard way". If you're active around boats and keep your eyes and ears open you can learn a lot. There is absolutely no way they can ever put all that knowledge into a course and test you on it. There will never be the 100% perfect/perfectly maintained boat nor the 100% perfect sailor, but... the sailor/skipper shouldn't make a trip/voyage he can't be reasonably sure to complete safely. I lean toward self-reliance on the water, Pardey style, and I also like to help people. Oh, and "Ignorance is bliss" and "you learn by doing" (among other things).
At least in the Northwest, barges typically drag lines behind so you want to give them a berth when passing astern. I know that now but didn't when I started sailing and fortunately I didn't have to learn about it "the hard way". If you're active around boats and keep your eyes and ears open you can learn a lot. There is absolutely no way they can ever put all that knowledge into a course and test you on it. There will never be the 100% perfect/perfectly maintained boat nor the 100% perfect sailor, but... the sailor/skipper shouldn't make a trip/voyage he can't be reasonably sure to complete safely. I lean toward self-reliance on the water, Pardey style, and I also like to help people. Oh, and "Ignorance is bliss" and "you learn by doing" (among other things).
the only defense is possibly
he had a lot of line still hanging around his prop and rudder that prevented him from sailing. I guess that a head wind in a narrow channel might also have made him desire to stay put. Usually I look to my sails for propulsion and only use the motor when the sails are not practical. Another advantage of sailing my boat is that when there is wind it goes faster under sail. My vote is for self reliance!!! We never expect outside help to save us from our mistakes. We have required help a couple of times and it was appreciated!!!
he had a lot of line still hanging around his prop and rudder that prevented him from sailing. I guess that a head wind in a narrow channel might also have made him desire to stay put. Usually I look to my sails for propulsion and only use the motor when the sails are not practical. Another advantage of sailing my boat is that when there is wind it goes faster under sail. My vote is for self reliance!!! We never expect outside help to save us from our mistakes. We have required help a couple of times and it was appreciated!!!
Roller Furlers and emergencies
Roller furlers are the best bacon savers ever. Whenever I am motoring in a narrow channel, I go through this mental exercise where I ask myself, "what will I do if the engine quits right now?" Usually, the answer is "unfurl the jib." With a furler you can go from no sails to sailing in about 15 seconds. You may not be heading exactly the way you'd like to be going, but you'll be able to steer and you'll have time to think. This guy in the article was not at fault, but he is not much of a sailor, either, considering that it didn't occur to him to get his anchor out until the tow operator told him.
Roller furlers are the best bacon savers ever. Whenever I am motoring in a narrow channel, I go through this mental exercise where I ask myself, "what will I do if the engine quits right now?" Usually, the answer is "unfurl the jib." With a furler you can go from no sails to sailing in about 15 seconds. You may not be heading exactly the way you'd like to be going, but you'll be able to steer and you'll have time to think. This guy in the article was not at fault, but he is not much of a sailor, either, considering that it didn't occur to him to get his anchor out until the tow operator told him.
Rules of the sea
I have helped and been helped. In all cases where I got help I could have eventually extricated myself but a vessel in peril, however minor, must not be ignored. I alway thought that this was one of the rules of the sea. I have even towed power boats into a marina while I was under sail. Ya just gotta' brag some time...
I have helped and been helped. In all cases where I got help I could have eventually extricated myself but a vessel in peril, however minor, must not be ignored. I alway thought that this was one of the rules of the sea. I have even towed power boats into a marina while I was under sail. Ya just gotta' brag some time...
As Cap'n Ron says in the movie....
"Hey Boss, if anything's going to happen, it's going to happen out there!" Ain't that the truth! How does one prepare?
"Hey Boss, if anything's going to happen, it's going to happen out there!" Ain't that the truth! How does one prepare?
Sail Boats Are for Sailing
Unfortunately the person in this predicament was in experienced If he were sailing he would not have picked up a line in his prop. The old adage is Be a good seamen or the sea will find you out. It takes a lot of years to become a good seaman. And lets not forget energy and intestinal fortitude Bob
Unfortunately the person in this predicament was in experienced If he were sailing he would not have picked up a line in his prop. The old adage is Be a good seamen or the sea will find you out. It takes a lot of years to become a good seaman. And lets not forget energy and intestinal fortitude Bob
Poor Fella
He has trouble and survives it, then he has the guts to admit it and he say he was not much of a sailor. Well I say he's a good sailor for sharing his missfortune with us. And he's a good sailor for having a working radio and being able to ask for help. It was pretty dumb to get that line behind the barge and a lot of commercial vessals drag long lines for no apparent reason. Maybe they do it just to help keep us at bay. I know when I was starting out no one told me they dragged lines. But even single handle sailboats drag long lines often so watch out for them. I agree that we should prepare fore the worst and try to be totally self sufficient because we are out there just for fun. We're not defending the country or making our living on the water so we shouldn't put ourselves or our boats in situations where others will need to put themselves at risk to help us. That said it takes a long to become experienced enough to handle the normal emergencies, and we all will be likely to need help sometimes.
He has trouble and survives it, then he has the guts to admit it and he say he was not much of a sailor. Well I say he's a good sailor for sharing his missfortune with us. And he's a good sailor for having a working radio and being able to ask for help. It was pretty dumb to get that line behind the barge and a lot of commercial vessals drag long lines for no apparent reason. Maybe they do it just to help keep us at bay. I know when I was starting out no one told me they dragged lines. But even single handle sailboats drag long lines often so watch out for them. I agree that we should prepare fore the worst and try to be totally self sufficient because we are out there just for fun. We're not defending the country or making our living on the water so we shouldn't put ourselves or our boats in situations where others will need to put themselves at risk to help us. That said it takes a long to become experienced enough to handle the normal emergencies, and we all will be likely to need help sometimes.
I wonder if he had a working rudder or if that
got damaged as well, thus making sailing a moot point. From my experience on smaller sailboats (34' and less) there is little beyond the vessel actually sinking that you can't recover from depending only on how far you are from land and how much time you have before you will be in danger. I've had to go to a backup tiller when the steering cables from the wheel failed. I have had snapped halyards, broken motors and a few other problems and I've always managed to get home eventually. I've been mad at a few people about the conditions of their boats that got us into those situations in the first place but that is a different story altogether. Once with my father when the motor failed with no wind we literally threw a couple lines forward, jumped in and swam the boat back to dock (30' Pearson). Luckily we were only 1/2 mile away at the time. The redundancy of having sails and a motor should get you through almost any problem.
got damaged as well, thus making sailing a moot point. From my experience on smaller sailboats (34' and less) there is little beyond the vessel actually sinking that you can't recover from depending only on how far you are from land and how much time you have before you will be in danger. I've had to go to a backup tiller when the steering cables from the wheel failed. I have had snapped halyards, broken motors and a few other problems and I've always managed to get home eventually. I've been mad at a few people about the conditions of their boats that got us into those situations in the first place but that is a different story altogether. Once with my father when the motor failed with no wind we literally threw a couple lines forward, jumped in and swam the boat back to dock (30' Pearson). Luckily we were only 1/2 mile away at the time. The redundancy of having sails and a motor should get you through almost any problem.
Do the best you can...
I've been sailing for about two years now. I took a class to start things off but have been self teaching since then. I can really relate to this fellas situation and found the article enjoyable reading. In order to save myself from doing everything wrong the first time I read as many of these types of stories as I can find. It's hard to start sailing because the end goal of long passages to distant harbors is always working on me. It's hard to take it slow. More to the point, my wife and I try to do everything we can to be self reliant. We know our limitations and understand that under some conditions we'll have to motor. Knowing this means that our motor must be in really good shape. Soon we'll be better sailors but until then I guess I'd have to say we cover our butts. I think that mentality will help see us through but when things really go to pot a little help from a fellow boater is OK. Some friends and I came along a guy in a row boat with out a seat towing his 40ft sailboat to port. The situation really blew our minds. We towed him in (5nm!) and he was really thankful. He mentioned that a few boats went right by! I gotta believe what goes around comes around.
I've been sailing for about two years now. I took a class to start things off but have been self teaching since then. I can really relate to this fellas situation and found the article enjoyable reading. In order to save myself from doing everything wrong the first time I read as many of these types of stories as I can find. It's hard to start sailing because the end goal of long passages to distant harbors is always working on me. It's hard to take it slow. More to the point, my wife and I try to do everything we can to be self reliant. We know our limitations and understand that under some conditions we'll have to motor. Knowing this means that our motor must be in really good shape. Soon we'll be better sailors but until then I guess I'd have to say we cover our butts. I think that mentality will help see us through but when things really go to pot a little help from a fellow boater is OK. Some friends and I came along a guy in a row boat with out a seat towing his 40ft sailboat to port. The situation really blew our minds. We towed him in (5nm!) and he was really thankful. He mentioned that a few boats went right by! I gotta believe what goes around comes around.
adventures in yachting
self reliance must be a way of life. i am amazed at people who set out without a spare line much less tools and parts. if it is on a sailboat it will break, you must know how to fix and improvise. if you truly learn the sport, not just how to sail around buoys or take a ride on a sunny sunday, you will also learn to improvise. a good set of tools, light line for seizing, duct tape and a small plastic tarp can be very helpful. all of my crew are required to carry, a knife, whistle, and light at all times. many other things can be helpful. you also need to know how and why things work, just because you have a pretty new boat with shiny fiberglass does not mean problems will not occur, engines die, sails and lines tear, chainplates and shrouds do break, the electric can short, the steering can break. each of these can be catastrophic or meerly a minor pain in the butt. do you know how to reef, do you know how to pull the fuel filter, how is the steering system put together. what do your do if you lose the rudder, have a man overboard, do you know the various ways to tow. you may have a first aid kit, but what do you do when someone gets a finger caught and loses a piece, dislocates a limb, collapses, you need to know these things. do you even know how to communicate on your radio. what kind of fenders mooring and towing gear do you have, is it available, do you really know how to anchor, having a nice anchor roller on the bow is nice, but how much line do you have, do you have a second anchor, sea anchor? everyone says it cant happen to me, i am careful. at our club we have had two deaths in two years in such situations. five years ago on a thirtythree foot boat during a race, the skipper was careless, did not know procedures, there was a squall two fairly inexepericed sailor are dead. sailing is a great life, but it can be very unforgiving, on the other hand if you learn it there are few things you cannot work your way through.
self reliance must be a way of life. i am amazed at people who set out without a spare line much less tools and parts. if it is on a sailboat it will break, you must know how to fix and improvise. if you truly learn the sport, not just how to sail around buoys or take a ride on a sunny sunday, you will also learn to improvise. a good set of tools, light line for seizing, duct tape and a small plastic tarp can be very helpful. all of my crew are required to carry, a knife, whistle, and light at all times. many other things can be helpful. you also need to know how and why things work, just because you have a pretty new boat with shiny fiberglass does not mean problems will not occur, engines die, sails and lines tear, chainplates and shrouds do break, the electric can short, the steering can break. each of these can be catastrophic or meerly a minor pain in the butt. do you know how to reef, do you know how to pull the fuel filter, how is the steering system put together. what do your do if you lose the rudder, have a man overboard, do you know the various ways to tow. you may have a first aid kit, but what do you do when someone gets a finger caught and loses a piece, dislocates a limb, collapses, you need to know these things. do you even know how to communicate on your radio. what kind of fenders mooring and towing gear do you have, is it available, do you really know how to anchor, having a nice anchor roller on the bow is nice, but how much line do you have, do you have a second anchor, sea anchor? everyone says it cant happen to me, i am careful. at our club we have had two deaths in two years in such situations. five years ago on a thirtythree foot boat during a race, the skipper was careless, did not know procedures, there was a squall two fairly inexepericed sailor are dead. sailing is a great life, but it can be very unforgiving, on the other hand if you learn it there are few things you cannot work your way through.
Sailboats are for sailing II
I had a problem with my alternator and ended up dead in the water in channel in Sandusky Bay. I let out the jib and kept going. A very nice fellow boater pulled up and asked if I needed any help (tow). I told him we could make it back under sail but thanks anyway. My crew looked at me like I was crazy and said "it's going to take us hours to get back with this wind." These were experienced sailors who never even gave it a second thought to taking care of the problem ourselves. I could not believe it. Unless the lives of the crew is in danger I don't think expecting help is reasonable.
I had a problem with my alternator and ended up dead in the water in channel in Sandusky Bay. I let out the jib and kept going. A very nice fellow boater pulled up and asked if I needed any help (tow). I told him we could make it back under sail but thanks anyway. My crew looked at me like I was crazy and said "it's going to take us hours to get back with this wind." These were experienced sailors who never even gave it a second thought to taking care of the problem ourselves. I could not believe it. Unless the lives of the crew is in danger I don't think expecting help is reasonable.
Long Lines????? *o
Please elucidate! I've been sailing a long time and it is not unusual to find myself around commercial vessels. I've never experienced one dragging long lines that were not attached to a tow and then they invariably show proper signals. Dragging a long line in the ICW seems like gross negligence. It is a narrow waterway with restricted depth and it should be expected that a sailing vessel will fall back into the wake of a large vessel after being passed. Can someone with commercial experience provide a reasonable explanation as to why this is apparently common in the NW and maybe elsewhere.
Please elucidate! I've been sailing a long time and it is not unusual to find myself around commercial vessels. I've never experienced one dragging long lines that were not attached to a tow and then they invariably show proper signals. Dragging a long line in the ICW seems like gross negligence. It is a narrow waterway with restricted depth and it should be expected that a sailing vessel will fall back into the wake of a large vessel after being passed. Can someone with commercial experience provide a reasonable explanation as to why this is apparently common in the NW and maybe elsewhere.
Short tack channel run
After suffering a knockdown on the entrance to the South Edisto inlet our motor wouldn't start. We sailed lazy circles for a while waiting for our friend to come through and ended up calling the Coast Guard to look for him--another story, but he was OK. We went to motor up the narrow channel and the motor wouldn't start. No tow available. We had the choice of anchoring in an area with 6knot currents--not fun--or short tacking upwind to the marina. We short tacked up the channel, I lost count but I know it was over 40 tacks in well under 1 mile. We couldn't get over to the marina heading upwind. With the current, it just didn't work. We passed the docks, turned around to come downwind--up current(tide was coming in) to the docks. I sailed over to the docks and as we feathered out the sails the boat slowed and stopped just short of touching. We stepped off and tied the boat up. We were told by the dock hands they had never seen anyone sail up that channel.
After suffering a knockdown on the entrance to the South Edisto inlet our motor wouldn't start. We sailed lazy circles for a while waiting for our friend to come through and ended up calling the Coast Guard to look for him--another story, but he was OK. We went to motor up the narrow channel and the motor wouldn't start. No tow available. We had the choice of anchoring in an area with 6knot currents--not fun--or short tacking upwind to the marina. We short tacked up the channel, I lost count but I know it was over 40 tacks in well under 1 mile. We couldn't get over to the marina heading upwind. With the current, it just didn't work. We passed the docks, turned around to come downwind--up current(tide was coming in) to the docks. I sailed over to the docks and as we feathered out the sails the boat slowed and stopped just short of touching. We stepped off and tied the boat up. We were told by the dock hands they had never seen anyone sail up that channel.
Tricky Business
When it comes to self reliance and predicaments while boating, you cannot prepare for every eventuality, but you need to anyway. You should never assume that you can rely on outside help before you leave the dock. The chances are that you cannot anticipate every eventuality, but you should try. The more prepared you are to deal with situations the better off you will be. I have always tried to be prepared, but sometimes problems occur that are beyond your ability. When that happens, professional help can be better than amatuer help, but sometimes the professional help is no better than amatuer help. That is what makes it tough. Try to evaluate the situation and have some idea of your own ability to deal with it. A sense for handling these situations will come with time. You cannot learn everything from a book or advice from other sailors, and you definitely do not want to learn everything by experience. In most grounding situations where the boat and crew were not in danger, I have been able to get myself and my boat out of trouble. One experience, however, gave me a new perspective. We had anchored off a lee shore. Things rapidly went wrong, and the boat was being driven further aground toward a small, remote beach area. There were some rather rough characters in power boats at the beach. They proceeded to offer to help me, after I struggled for quite a while to wench my way back to deeper water. (Book learning wasn't working!) I accepted, and expressed my appreciation for their efforts. They were not satified with this, and followed us demanding a cash reward in a rather pirate like fashion. We eventually settled by giving them money, so they could buy some drinks at a nearby bar. What I learned from this is don't anchor on a lee shore or at least leave yourself plenty of room so you have time to react. As for the help being offered, make an agreement for compensation before accepting help, or call a tow boat. Make sure you have a reliable means of communication on board. This experience was an exception, however. Other times sailboat owners/livaboards have come to our aid, and would not accept anything but a refreshment and some hospitality. Several times my engine has stopped working or overheated. I was able to fix the overheating problem, because I knew enough to close the raw water seacock and open the pump to clear out some shells blocking the impeller on cooling pump. I had tools! (Book learning paid off!) Another time when the engine quit due to a failed fuel pump, I didn't try to fix it. At the time I couldn't figure out what was wrong, so I just hoisted the sails, because what little breeze there was was going my way. One to one and a half knots all the way to the dock. We sure felt good that day! DON'T PANIC! A prayer will help, but God gave us a brain, too.
When it comes to self reliance and predicaments while boating, you cannot prepare for every eventuality, but you need to anyway. You should never assume that you can rely on outside help before you leave the dock. The chances are that you cannot anticipate every eventuality, but you should try. The more prepared you are to deal with situations the better off you will be. I have always tried to be prepared, but sometimes problems occur that are beyond your ability. When that happens, professional help can be better than amatuer help, but sometimes the professional help is no better than amatuer help. That is what makes it tough. Try to evaluate the situation and have some idea of your own ability to deal with it. A sense for handling these situations will come with time. You cannot learn everything from a book or advice from other sailors, and you definitely do not want to learn everything by experience. In most grounding situations where the boat and crew were not in danger, I have been able to get myself and my boat out of trouble. One experience, however, gave me a new perspective. We had anchored off a lee shore. Things rapidly went wrong, and the boat was being driven further aground toward a small, remote beach area. There were some rather rough characters in power boats at the beach. They proceeded to offer to help me, after I struggled for quite a while to wench my way back to deeper water. (Book learning wasn't working!) I accepted, and expressed my appreciation for their efforts. They were not satified with this, and followed us demanding a cash reward in a rather pirate like fashion. We eventually settled by giving them money, so they could buy some drinks at a nearby bar. What I learned from this is don't anchor on a lee shore or at least leave yourself plenty of room so you have time to react. As for the help being offered, make an agreement for compensation before accepting help, or call a tow boat. Make sure you have a reliable means of communication on board. This experience was an exception, however. Other times sailboat owners/livaboards have come to our aid, and would not accept anything but a refreshment and some hospitality. Several times my engine has stopped working or overheated. I was able to fix the overheating problem, because I knew enough to close the raw water seacock and open the pump to clear out some shells blocking the impeller on cooling pump. I had tools! (Book learning paid off!) Another time when the engine quit due to a failed fuel pump, I didn't try to fix it. At the time I couldn't figure out what was wrong, so I just hoisted the sails, because what little breeze there was was going my way. One to one and a half knots all the way to the dock. We sure felt good that day! DON'T PANIC! A prayer will help, but God gave us a brain, too.
Let thee that has not made a mistake
I'll leave the critical comments to those perfect souls out there that have never made a mistake! Truth of the matter is that knowledge comes from experience and experience comes from making mistakes. Taking available training/lessons, reading books, talking to other sailors and reading stories such as this one all help to make us better sailors. However, the crucible is the water and that is where the lessons are hard learned and retained. Kudo's to anyone brave enough to admit their errors and let the rest of us learn from them.
I'll leave the critical comments to those perfect souls out there that have never made a mistake! Truth of the matter is that knowledge comes from experience and experience comes from making mistakes. Taking available training/lessons, reading books, talking to other sailors and reading stories such as this one all help to make us better sailors. However, the crucible is the water and that is where the lessons are hard learned and retained. Kudo's to anyone brave enough to admit their errors and let the rest of us learn from them.
Dumb is as Dumb does!!
The guy who didn't raise a sail on a sailboat in order to get himself out of trouble shouldn't be allowed on a sailboat. That was just to stupid to be true!! We sailors should do everything possible to get ourselves out of trouble before asking for help from anyone. The more we ask for help the less likely help will respond. Help Wolf!! Wolf!!
The guy who didn't raise a sail on a sailboat in order to get himself out of trouble shouldn't be allowed on a sailboat. That was just to stupid to be true!! We sailors should do everything possible to get ourselves out of trouble before asking for help from anyone. The more we ask for help the less likely help will respond. Help Wolf!! Wolf!!
Another Option
It was hard to chose just one of those answers. I think the real answer is: "You should be prepared to handle all of your problems without assistance, but in extreme emergencies it's ok to ask for help, or at least ask someone to standby in case your best laid plans don't work out as anticipated." In most cases, a prudent sailor would not consider a motor failure to be an emergency.
It was hard to chose just one of those answers. I think the real answer is: "You should be prepared to handle all of your problems without assistance, but in extreme emergencies it's ok to ask for help, or at least ask someone to standby in case your best laid plans don't work out as anticipated." In most cases, a prudent sailor would not consider a motor failure to be an emergency.
Let's face it, "S**t Happens"! Regardless of the amount of education or planning things break or something dosen't go as planned. When it does fellow sailors usually will go the extra mile to give assistance when available, but sometimes they may not be around. The bottom line; the Captain is the one responsible for the safe operation of his/her vessel and should not depend upon anyone but him or herself when things go wrong. The Captain should be able to think and be able to use any and all resources to come up with imaginative solutions to problems while in stressful situations. This includes being able to prioritize multiple solutions to the same problem. In the quoted example, the top of the list might be to set sail for the nearest port while starting the bilge pumps... or at least sail out of the channel. The bottom of the list might be a call for help when there are other workable alternatives. Keeping in mind that these priorities will depend upon the experience level of the Captain. If you haven't sailed into a marina without the motor, maybe this wouldn't be a good time to try. *yks I've found that the easiest way of learning and at the sametime leaving the dock is to go with a buddy boat when you can. If you have something break, your buddy can usually give you a hand without charging you salvage fees. This is a part of sailing, just like drifting on a broad reach on a calm sea. Hopefully there will be more good times than bad, but the trying times make for the best stories. Just the opinion of a landlocked sailor.
Sailboats are for sailing III
When I bought Josefina (Pearson 26) In Kingston WA I knew her motor was questionable. There was nothing I could reasonably do to remedy this situation before I had to get her off her mooring. Since Sailboats are meant to sail using wind and "auxiliary" motors are meant to be just that "auxiliary" Myself (the admittedly inexperienced skipper) and Phil the Yacht master Ocean set sail for our 3 day weekend 71 nm sail to the south sound and ultimately Olympia WA. The Sputtering beast worked intermittently when the gunk that the previous owner had allowed to build up in the carburetor (I don’t think he ever let her run dry) had settled and allowed some fuel flow. But there was a good 8-10 kts of wind so off we ran under 170% Genoa using the prevented boom as a whisker pole. There were times when we had to exert our right of way against the Kingston ferry but once we cleared the Seattle area we didn’t have any more commercial woes. After a rousing day of 10-15kt of wind allowing us to surf at or above hull speed down the swift current of Colovos passage we had covered 45 nm of our 71 in a leisurely 9AM to dusk day of sailing. At dawn the next morning we awoke in our anchorage off Fox Island near Tacoma in the midst of a glass pond. We "motor sailed" past McNeil Island into Baltch passage with a good 2-3kts of current pushing against us and for the first time in our trip the motor gave out. Completely refused to start and we had no wind. After some emergency anchoring between Eagle island and what we found out the hard way (twice) was a rock shoal we managed to get the motor to chug us just out into the open water. There we sat becalmed. Just as we hit Dana passage the wind kicked up to a nice 10 kts (naturally right off our nose) and we managed to short tack in under 15 tacks out to Boston Harbor and onto a mooring ball on this crowded labor day weekend. In retrospect there were a couple times I should have towed us with the dink but otherwise the only regret that we had when we arrived at Boston Harbor at dusk was that we had exhausted our food and (more importantly) our beer provisions in the previous night of sailing and that there was no pub anywhere near Boston Harbor. At one point my mother had heard of our motor less predicament and was ready to call out the coast guard she wanted my coordinates so she could mount a rescue operation. I explained to her that we were in no danger and managed to calm her down and save the coast guard an unnecessary mayday call by a concerned (albeit overprotective) mother.
When I bought Josefina (Pearson 26) In Kingston WA I knew her motor was questionable. There was nothing I could reasonably do to remedy this situation before I had to get her off her mooring. Since Sailboats are meant to sail using wind and "auxiliary" motors are meant to be just that "auxiliary" Myself (the admittedly inexperienced skipper) and Phil the Yacht master Ocean set sail for our 3 day weekend 71 nm sail to the south sound and ultimately Olympia WA. The Sputtering beast worked intermittently when the gunk that the previous owner had allowed to build up in the carburetor (I don’t think he ever let her run dry) had settled and allowed some fuel flow. But there was a good 8-10 kts of wind so off we ran under 170% Genoa using the prevented boom as a whisker pole. There were times when we had to exert our right of way against the Kingston ferry but once we cleared the Seattle area we didn’t have any more commercial woes. After a rousing day of 10-15kt of wind allowing us to surf at or above hull speed down the swift current of Colovos passage we had covered 45 nm of our 71 in a leisurely 9AM to dusk day of sailing. At dawn the next morning we awoke in our anchorage off Fox Island near Tacoma in the midst of a glass pond. We "motor sailed" past McNeil Island into Baltch passage with a good 2-3kts of current pushing against us and for the first time in our trip the motor gave out. Completely refused to start and we had no wind. After some emergency anchoring between Eagle island and what we found out the hard way (twice) was a rock shoal we managed to get the motor to chug us just out into the open water. There we sat becalmed. Just as we hit Dana passage the wind kicked up to a nice 10 kts (naturally right off our nose) and we managed to short tack in under 15 tacks out to Boston Harbor and onto a mooring ball on this crowded labor day weekend. In retrospect there were a couple times I should have towed us with the dink but otherwise the only regret that we had when we arrived at Boston Harbor at dusk was that we had exhausted our food and (more importantly) our beer provisions in the previous night of sailing and that there was no pub anywhere near Boston Harbor. At one point my mother had heard of our motor less predicament and was ready to call out the coast guard she wanted my coordinates so she could mount a rescue operation. I explained to her that we were in no danger and managed to calm her down and save the coast guard an unnecessary mayday call by a concerned (albeit overprotective) mother.
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