Last summer we sailed into a soft bottom...sand or mud. Anyways, what are some proceedures to get unstuck? I heard of a method whereby a halyard from the top of the mast is tied to another vessel. Will that cause the mast to topple? Thanks
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What Kind of Keel?
If you have the winged keel, just call home as you are going nowhere with out help. If you have a traditional keel, then sometimes you can lean the boat over and reduce the draft enough to free yourself.
If you have the winged keel, just call home as you are going nowhere with out help. If you have a traditional keel, then sometimes you can lean the boat over and reduce the draft enough to free yourself.
Using the Halyard
Using the halyard is a good method, and one I preferred, however, like any method, a lot is dependent on how stuck you are. Unless you really force something, the mast won't "topple". basically, you detach your jib or main halyard, or any other one running to the top of your mast, and attach it to a long line. Cleat off the other end. The other boat takes the line, and runs it out straight abeam of your boat away from shallow water. Then, they slowly pull the line, causing your boat to heel over. This lifts the keel off the bottom, and pulls the boat in the direction of deeper water at the same time.
Using the halyard is a good method, and one I preferred, however, like any method, a lot is dependent on how stuck you are. Unless you really force something, the mast won't "topple". basically, you detach your jib or main halyard, or any other one running to the top of your mast, and attach it to a long line. Cleat off the other end. The other boat takes the line, and runs it out straight abeam of your boat away from shallow water. Then, they slowly pull the line, causing your boat to heel over. This lifts the keel off the bottom, and pulls the boat in the direction of deeper water at the same time.
you can also try kledging.
here in the Chesapeake bay your not sailing unless youve run aground.....Thank Goodness the bay is very forgiving (soft deep, black, stinky, mud). I have used the technique of the halyard being pulled off that worked but another that has also worked is...Drop your anchor into your dingy...row or motor out to deep water in the direction you can make it out.....Drop your anchor......Wrap the rode around the anchor windlass or a winch.....and start cranking......you will be amazed how much torque that provides....enough to pull you right out......but mostly its a combination of lighting the boat and pulling...try waiting for high tide if that doesnt work...and if all else fails towboatus towboatus!...however do not let them claim a salvage unless you are sinking!...even then be carefull
here in the Chesapeake bay your not sailing unless youve run aground.....Thank Goodness the bay is very forgiving (soft deep, black, stinky, mud). I have used the technique of the halyard being pulled off that worked but another that has also worked is...Drop your anchor into your dingy...row or motor out to deep water in the direction you can make it out.....Drop your anchor......Wrap the rode around the anchor windlass or a winch.....and start cranking......you will be amazed how much torque that provides....enough to pull you right out......but mostly its a combination of lighting the boat and pulling...try waiting for high tide if that doesnt work...and if all else fails towboatus towboatus!...however do not let them claim a salvage unless you are sinking!...even then be carefull
Anyone Up For A Little Kedging?
What your describing is know as kedging. Using your anchor and a dinghy, drop your anchor ninety degrees to the general direction you wish the boat to move (hopefully deeper water)then connect the rode to your main halyard and crank away. When the boat heels, reverse the engine out to deeper water. This method will not work for wing keels. I would be very careful using another boat in place of the anchor as you don,t have control of the amount of tension put on your rigging.
What your describing is know as kedging. Using your anchor and a dinghy, drop your anchor ninety degrees to the general direction you wish the boat to move (hopefully deeper water)then connect the rode to your main halyard and crank away. When the boat heels, reverse the engine out to deeper water. This method will not work for wing keels. I would be very careful using another boat in place of the anchor as you don,t have control of the amount of tension put on your rigging.
drink a beer and wait for the tide to rise
Listen to some good music maybe grill a steak. If you tear up the bottom and it's grass you might get fined!!!! If I am stuck a little I turn the wheel hard and give enough throttle to rotate the boat 180 and then hopefully motor off. This has worked everytime in the past but I've yet to be hard aground. I mention the tide because I was stuck and tried my little trick and it didn't work. I gnashed my teeth for about an hour trying to figure out what to do. You guessed it the tide had came in enough that when I tried the little trick again it worked!!!! A friend's boat has a keel that slopes such that it is deepest in the back. He said that he can usually back off. Maybe get the passengers to move to the bow if needed. Be gentle to the boat and bottom. Some keels might be damaged and I've heard that you can damage your engine mounts and shaft!!! Here on the gulf there isn't much tidal range but in places with a few feet of tide waiting might the the smartest thing to do. If you run aground at high tide especially during a spring tide you have a problem.
Listen to some good music maybe grill a steak. If you tear up the bottom and it's grass you might get fined!!!! If I am stuck a little I turn the wheel hard and give enough throttle to rotate the boat 180 and then hopefully motor off. This has worked everytime in the past but I've yet to be hard aground. I mention the tide because I was stuck and tried my little trick and it didn't work. I gnashed my teeth for about an hour trying to figure out what to do. You guessed it the tide had came in enough that when I tried the little trick again it worked!!!! A friend's boat has a keel that slopes such that it is deepest in the back. He said that he can usually back off. Maybe get the passengers to move to the bow if needed. Be gentle to the boat and bottom. Some keels might be damaged and I've heard that you can damage your engine mounts and shaft!!! Here on the gulf there isn't much tidal range but in places with a few feet of tide waiting might the the smartest thing to do. If you run aground at high tide especially during a spring tide you have a problem.
Irving Johnson, 90ft replica windjammer, aground
in Oxnard, (Channel Islands Harbor)yesterday. And you guys in the east coast think that your the only ones who like the sand and mud. This is a training vessel, from Los Angeles. 20 rescued no one seriously hurt. Salvage peration is underway. You can look up the article under latimes.com.
in Oxnard, (Channel Islands Harbor)yesterday. And you guys in the east coast think that your the only ones who like the sand and mud. This is a training vessel, from Los Angeles. 20 rescued no one seriously hurt. Salvage peration is underway. You can look up the article under latimes.com.
soft grounding
I have a parallelogram shaped fin keel and have on several occasions done the 180 turn to get off a soft grounding under power. Steering right and left helps my keel wiggle its way free. Think about what is happening to your boat in detail when you get it stuck in the mud. Regards, Jim
I have a parallelogram shaped fin keel and have on several occasions done the 180 turn to get off a soft grounding under power. Steering right and left helps my keel wiggle its way free. Think about what is happening to your boat in detail when you get it stuck in the mud. Regards, Jim
Winged Keel Kedge
I have been stuck what I consider really good but twice (so far). I have a H30 with winged keel so what I did was a modified kedge. I dropped the anchor in deeper water and used the winch to crank and wingle my way off and apply power. It worked both times very well. Basically you skid off. If the Admiral wasn't over excited it may have been considered almost fun... And if the tides are not an issue always remember the way you went in is the best way out or you would not have gotten there.
I have been stuck what I consider really good but twice (so far). I have a H30 with winged keel so what I did was a modified kedge. I dropped the anchor in deeper water and used the winch to crank and wingle my way off and apply power. It worked both times very well. Basically you skid off. If the Admiral wasn't over excited it may have been considered almost fun... And if the tides are not an issue always remember the way you went in is the best way out or you would not have gotten there.
ah yes ... the admiral
I stuck us on hard last year ... hit the sand at hull speed ... at 10:00 at night (lost track of where I was). Got her off following the "go back the way you came" rule, but it took awhile and the wind was honking. So it was pretty exciting. But, as Bob noted, the admiral became "overexcited." So did my two inexperienced crew members. That is to say, all three of them were expecting to sink in the next 30 seconds. I really should have taken the time early on to calm them, talk to them about what was going on, etc. I was a good skipper in that situation for my boat (leaving out the part about being 100 yards off course). Didn't do so well for my crew. Tom Monroe Carlyle Lake
I stuck us on hard last year ... hit the sand at hull speed ... at 10:00 at night (lost track of where I was). Got her off following the "go back the way you came" rule, but it took awhile and the wind was honking. So it was pretty exciting. But, as Bob noted, the admiral became "overexcited." So did my two inexperienced crew members. That is to say, all three of them were expecting to sink in the next 30 seconds. I really should have taken the time early on to calm them, talk to them about what was going on, etc. I was a good skipper in that situation for my boat (leaving out the part about being 100 yards off course). Didn't do so well for my crew. Tom Monroe Carlyle Lake
Never been grounded in a keel boat but
methods I've been shown include ptting the boom out 90 degrees and pulling down with anything including biggest crewman to tilt the boat reducing draft. Used in combo with kedging or something to pull you off in appropriate direction. The Pacific is generally pretty deep so you can go a long time without a problem. Not sure how the Irving Johnson ended up on the beach in Oxnard. There's a couple places along here where there is a creek mouth next to the channel that usually fool a couple people a year. From the helicopter shots on the news looked like they were just on the wrong side of the breakwater. Glad I'm not the guy having to explain it to the board of directors. It is a beautiful ship and at noon it was still awash in the surf.
methods I've been shown include ptting the boom out 90 degrees and pulling down with anything including biggest crewman to tilt the boat reducing draft. Used in combo with kedging or something to pull you off in appropriate direction. The Pacific is generally pretty deep so you can go a long time without a problem. Not sure how the Irving Johnson ended up on the beach in Oxnard. There's a couple places along here where there is a creek mouth next to the channel that usually fool a couple people a year. From the helicopter shots on the news looked like they were just on the wrong side of the breakwater. Glad I'm not the guy having to explain it to the board of directors. It is a beautiful ship and at noon it was still awash in the surf.
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