You're headed down the channel back into your marina under power. There is boat traffic going in an out and, of course, everyone waves. It's been a nice satisfying day on the water, but you are a bit cold and tired and really just want to be back in your slip. Just as you notice a number of crab traps on either side of the channel markers, your motor sputters and stops! Perhaps an errant trap line has wrapped itself around your prop? Or maybe it's one of those fuel filters that you haven't quite gotten around to change yet? Out of fuel? While you are unaware of the cause, you seem to recall that local rules state there is no sailing allowed in the channel. What would you do? (By Warren Milberg)
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Been there, done that.!
There are two possibilities: If it's a crab pot, take a swim and remove it from the shaft, prop, or whatever. If it's mechanical failure, get outside the channel and fix it. If you can't fix it, stay outside the channel and sail home. There is going to be adequate depth, as most crab pots are in at least 7 feet of water. Channel markers are there to tell power boaters how not to get lost - the rest of us use them as position indicators while we are using our charts!
There are two possibilities: If it's a crab pot, take a swim and remove it from the shaft, prop, or whatever. If it's mechanical failure, get outside the channel and fix it. If you can't fix it, stay outside the channel and sail home. There is going to be adequate depth, as most crab pots are in at least 7 feet of water. Channel markers are there to tell power boaters how not to get lost - the rest of us use them as position indicators while we are using our charts!
Drop the anchor - and then determine the problem
The same question was posed to me several years ago when I was just learning to sail. Being new I had no idea what to do. The individual asking the question indicated that it was very easy - think anchor... At least this would give you some stability while potentially at a critical position. People will go around - they won't be happy but they WILL go around. If there are two or more folks on board just have them stay outside and direct "traffic" or answer the interesting "suggestions" that will be forthcoming. Everyone will generally ask if there is anything they can do if a boat - especially a sailing vessel - is having troubles. Once the situation is under control - and the captain isn't worried about running the idiot thing aground or actually sucking up a crab pot. Which, by the way, isn't typically something a West coaster is used to in the first place.
The same question was posed to me several years ago when I was just learning to sail. Being new I had no idea what to do. The individual asking the question indicated that it was very easy - think anchor... At least this would give you some stability while potentially at a critical position. People will go around - they won't be happy but they WILL go around. If there are two or more folks on board just have them stay outside and direct "traffic" or answer the interesting "suggestions" that will be forthcoming. Everyone will generally ask if there is anything they can do if a boat - especially a sailing vessel - is having troubles. Once the situation is under control - and the captain isn't worried about running the idiot thing aground or actually sucking up a crab pot. Which, by the way, isn't typically something a West coaster is used to in the first place.
It Depends!
As so often the answer is, "IT Depends..." If you are not to far down the channel, roll out some gennie, turn around and sail out to open water, then drop anchor. I know going down my channel to the marina I wouldn't want to just 'drop anchor'. Another thing possible is to just sail into the marina or your slip. I know I've thought about this senario a few times in different situations and while the anchor most likely will be used, its not a given that its the FIRST thing to be done. As always in sailing you need to make that 15-20 second evaluation of situation and determine your options. I look forward to this thread because it is something I think about often trying to be prepared.
As so often the answer is, "IT Depends..." If you are not to far down the channel, roll out some gennie, turn around and sail out to open water, then drop anchor. I know going down my channel to the marina I wouldn't want to just 'drop anchor'. Another thing possible is to just sail into the marina or your slip. I know I've thought about this senario a few times in different situations and while the anchor most likely will be used, its not a given that its the FIRST thing to be done. As always in sailing you need to make that 15-20 second evaluation of situation and determine your options. I look forward to this thread because it is something I think about often trying to be prepared.
It is a sailboat
Since this is a sailboat and the safety of the vessel and crew is of the importance , Raise the sails and sail her to the dock . I suggest it is good to practice this manouver since there is usually a potential to have this happen.It doesn't have to be your slip just the easiest open one . Sailer's are understanding and will help . Practice Practice Practice and if all else fails drop the anchor and get help from one of our powerboat friends. Of course our sailing ancestors are going to roll over in their waterey graves. They didn't have an engine.
Since this is a sailboat and the safety of the vessel and crew is of the importance , Raise the sails and sail her to the dock . I suggest it is good to practice this manouver since there is usually a potential to have this happen.It doesn't have to be your slip just the easiest open one . Sailer's are understanding and will help . Practice Practice Practice and if all else fails drop the anchor and get help from one of our powerboat friends. Of course our sailing ancestors are going to roll over in their waterey graves. They didn't have an engine.
This is where a full keel with attached rudder
and propeller aperture gives a lot of peace of mind. I always maintain that you have time to consider, so first I would check my position in the channel. Then I would check for how the current was setting me. Rules or not I would get the sails up. This is an emergency and without the sails I would have no control. At the least I would sail to the edge of the channel and anchor. If need be I would find a soft place and ground the boat. I would not anchor without knowing that I was well clear of the traffic lanes.
and propeller aperture gives a lot of peace of mind. I always maintain that you have time to consider, so first I would check my position in the channel. Then I would check for how the current was setting me. Rules or not I would get the sails up. This is an emergency and without the sails I would have no control. At the least I would sail to the edge of the channel and anchor. If need be I would find a soft place and ground the boat. I would not anchor without knowing that I was well clear of the traffic lanes.
First thought on my mind
You should never approach a coast line, a channel or a harbor entrance without having thought about "what if...". This is the first question I asked my students whenver we returned home from practicing. Such as engine stops, you are drifting towards a lee wall at the channel etc. I have ALWAYS my genoa ready to unroll within seconds to keep control of the boat, and as a second emergency stop the anchor has to be ready to go as well. The rest depends on the situation, that's why I don't want to say an more. Lee
You should never approach a coast line, a channel or a harbor entrance without having thought about "what if...". This is the first question I asked my students whenver we returned home from practicing. Such as engine stops, you are drifting towards a lee wall at the channel etc. I have ALWAYS my genoa ready to unroll within seconds to keep control of the boat, and as a second emergency stop the anchor has to be ready to go as well. The rest depends on the situation, that's why I don't want to say an more. Lee
Past weekend Similiar Occurance
While taking a friend out on her boat this past weekend (I'm teaching her to sail..or,more to the point..teaching her my bad habits) we made clear the Marina Channel without a problem but in order to get onto Galveston Bay from Clear Lake you must pass thru a very busy,narrow and in many spots shallow Channel.Alot of boat traffic here..not a good place for your motor to quit.Hers is a '82 Bombay Clipper 31..very nice boat,well kept and well maintained.For some reason I have thought and planned for a dead motor coming into or out of my Marina..no problem,many options..my favorite being drift to one of the channel markers and hold on,call Marina and ask them to send out thier boat to pull me in..second plan is to throw down the anchor and catch someone coming in for a tow,Good bunch of people in my Marina and its a small place so we all kinda know each other.So,I'm in the main channel and the motor alarm goes off..I cant see which light is lit due to bright sun..alarms screaming and the motor dies..I'm in motion at about 3 knots..rocks on Starboard..oncoming traffic and mud on the other side of me..a fuel dock to port but is taken in full by a large power boat..just as I start to grab for the Genoa sheet to unfurl I notice the big power boat is pulling off and there is a break in traffic..I swing the wheel and turn to port..the boat swings in behind the departing power boat with just enuff way to parralell the fuel dock.I looked good..almost like I knew what I was doing.My Lady friend was impressed and I let on nothing..of course I just about S**t when the motor quit.This channel is not a good place to hoist sail..too much traffic moving at slow speed to throw out 150% Genoa and start to run at 5-6 Knots..plus must pass under a big bridge where winds shift and are unpredictable..but it seemed the best option at the time.Even now,it does and I think it thru several times to plan for the next time..just in case.BTW: bad water pump impeller..engine over heated..hence forth I PreCheck maintaince records more closely..lesson learned. >>> David
While taking a friend out on her boat this past weekend (I'm teaching her to sail..or,more to the point..teaching her my bad habits) we made clear the Marina Channel without a problem but in order to get onto Galveston Bay from Clear Lake you must pass thru a very busy,narrow and in many spots shallow Channel.Alot of boat traffic here..not a good place for your motor to quit.Hers is a '82 Bombay Clipper 31..very nice boat,well kept and well maintained.For some reason I have thought and planned for a dead motor coming into or out of my Marina..no problem,many options..my favorite being drift to one of the channel markers and hold on,call Marina and ask them to send out thier boat to pull me in..second plan is to throw down the anchor and catch someone coming in for a tow,Good bunch of people in my Marina and its a small place so we all kinda know each other.So,I'm in the main channel and the motor alarm goes off..I cant see which light is lit due to bright sun..alarms screaming and the motor dies..I'm in motion at about 3 knots..rocks on Starboard..oncoming traffic and mud on the other side of me..a fuel dock to port but is taken in full by a large power boat..just as I start to grab for the Genoa sheet to unfurl I notice the big power boat is pulling off and there is a break in traffic..I swing the wheel and turn to port..the boat swings in behind the departing power boat with just enuff way to parralell the fuel dock.I looked good..almost like I knew what I was doing.My Lady friend was impressed and I let on nothing..of course I just about S**t when the motor quit.This channel is not a good place to hoist sail..too much traffic moving at slow speed to throw out 150% Genoa and start to run at 5-6 Knots..plus must pass under a big bridge where winds shift and are unpredictable..but it seemed the best option at the time.Even now,it does and I think it thru several times to plan for the next time..just in case.BTW: bad water pump impeller..engine over heated..hence forth I PreCheck maintaince records more closely..lesson learned. >>> David
Stop! Think!. Sail the boat!
Since we sail in SF Bay, my first question is am I in danger of hitting something solid (like rocks) due to currents or is something big going to hit me (like a commercial ship). If drifting towards danger and I have wind, put up sail(s) and get out of danger...local rules can be addressed later. If I don't have wind, I'll look at dropping an anchor to keep control of the boat and maintain the safety of the crew. I'm tired and cold so I'm guessing going over the side may not be an option here. If I raise sails, then I'll have to decide whether I can sail to the docks safely. Approaching our marina is an adventure under sail due to gusting swirling winds and currents. Once there, downwind approaches to some of our slips make saing into them impossible. During low tide, some of the fairways shallow to 1/2 their normal width so sailing there may not be an option. That usually means my choice would be either the guest dock or an end tie if available...OR sail into the marina and anchor until I can get the harbor master out to tow me in. For us hitting the docks would be bad since the docks would probably sink and then how do we get off the boat??? If I drop an anchor outside the marina, I might just bite the bullet and call a towing company...better safe than aground due to fatigue.
Since we sail in SF Bay, my first question is am I in danger of hitting something solid (like rocks) due to currents or is something big going to hit me (like a commercial ship). If drifting towards danger and I have wind, put up sail(s) and get out of danger...local rules can be addressed later. If I don't have wind, I'll look at dropping an anchor to keep control of the boat and maintain the safety of the crew. I'm tired and cold so I'm guessing going over the side may not be an option here. If I raise sails, then I'll have to decide whether I can sail to the docks safely. Approaching our marina is an adventure under sail due to gusting swirling winds and currents. Once there, downwind approaches to some of our slips make saing into them impossible. During low tide, some of the fairways shallow to 1/2 their normal width so sailing there may not be an option. That usually means my choice would be either the guest dock or an end tie if available...OR sail into the marina and anchor until I can get the harbor master out to tow me in. For us hitting the docks would be bad since the docks would probably sink and then how do we get off the boat??? If I drop an anchor outside the marina, I might just bite the bullet and call a towing company...better safe than aground due to fatigue.
In the C&D canal sailing and anchoring are
prohibited. But I would call traffic control and tell them of my situation and my sailing options and ask for advise. I might have to go in a direction that was not in my plan but I must be able to maintain control of the boat.
prohibited. But I would call traffic control and tell them of my situation and my sailing options and ask for advise. I might have to go in a direction that was not in my plan but I must be able to maintain control of the boat.
Power failure
The local rules for not sailing down a channel are not for emergency situations. You didn't state how wide the channle was, or if there is any water on the sides of it deep enough to float your boat. My decision would be based on these not specified items. With the information provided, get some sail on the boat and get to a safe place to either tie up or anchor and determine what the problem is. And bye the way, from my experience, the engine doesn't sputter if you get wrapped up in a crab trap. Instant total loss of power.
The local rules for not sailing down a channel are not for emergency situations. You didn't state how wide the channle was, or if there is any water on the sides of it deep enough to float your boat. My decision would be based on these not specified items. With the information provided, get some sail on the boat and get to a safe place to either tie up or anchor and determine what the problem is. And bye the way, from my experience, the engine doesn't sputter if you get wrapped up in a crab trap. Instant total loss of power.
How crab pots work
The floats on a crab pot array are attached to a line which runs directly to the pot. The pots (usually around 10) are all connected to a continuous line that runs on the bottom from the first pot in the array to the last. That is the line you see the crabbers hauling on when they retrieve their pots. So when you hook a pot float you are effectively hooking the entire array. You will not be able to sail with this attached to the boat. I know as I snagged an array and tried to tow it in 20 knots of wind while going downwind. Stopped the boat dead in the water! So the first thing you need to do is insure that you are not "anchored" by the crab pot float line. If the fool was stupid enough to put a pot in a channel then I'm stupid enough to cut the line on the float. He can still retrieve the pot however. The reason most marina's don't allow sailing inside is that most sailors can't do close quarters sailing (myself included). You crash into a $1,000,000 boat and create an insurance nightmare. The lesson I take from this is to practice close quarters sailing out in open water with some anchored floats. Hay maybe those crab pots are useful for something besides telling the set and drift of the tide!
The floats on a crab pot array are attached to a line which runs directly to the pot. The pots (usually around 10) are all connected to a continuous line that runs on the bottom from the first pot in the array to the last. That is the line you see the crabbers hauling on when they retrieve their pots. So when you hook a pot float you are effectively hooking the entire array. You will not be able to sail with this attached to the boat. I know as I snagged an array and tried to tow it in 20 knots of wind while going downwind. Stopped the boat dead in the water! So the first thing you need to do is insure that you are not "anchored" by the crab pot float line. If the fool was stupid enough to put a pot in a channel then I'm stupid enough to cut the line on the float. He can still retrieve the pot however. The reason most marina's don't allow sailing inside is that most sailors can't do close quarters sailing (myself included). You crash into a $1,000,000 boat and create an insurance nightmare. The lesson I take from this is to practice close quarters sailing out in open water with some anchored floats. Hay maybe those crab pots are useful for something besides telling the set and drift of the tide!
I'm a wiz at this.
Had this happen to me twice, each time the first time of out my winter marina for the season. First time was an overheated engine. Doing a couple of knots i steered to port where there were some empty moorings and simply picked one up. (lucky) Next time (following year) i was further out in the channel. Not too much traffic though. Wind was right so i unfurled the genoa, sailed out of the channel and circled until i could get some help. There's lots of options but no simple answer as others have said. Depends on the situation, traffic, wind, current etc. If you are doing a couple of knots you usually have enough momentum to swing one way or other if that's possible. Throwing your anchor might be useful, but better be off to the side of the channel. Probably in an emergency as a last resort i would turn into the wind and drop the anchor (rather than un aground or into another boat.
Had this happen to me twice, each time the first time of out my winter marina for the season. First time was an overheated engine. Doing a couple of knots i steered to port where there were some empty moorings and simply picked one up. (lucky) Next time (following year) i was further out in the channel. Not too much traffic though. Wind was right so i unfurled the genoa, sailed out of the channel and circled until i could get some help. There's lots of options but no simple answer as others have said. Depends on the situation, traffic, wind, current etc. If you are doing a couple of knots you usually have enough momentum to swing one way or other if that's possible. Throwing your anchor might be useful, but better be off to the side of the channel. Probably in an emergency as a last resort i would turn into the wind and drop the anchor (rather than un aground or into another boat.
Bill is right...
about crab pots, at least on the Chesapeake. Some years ago, while on a friend's boat, we unknowingly snagged "one." As our speed under power began to decrease, we realized what had happened. We were lucky to be able to climb out on the stern ladder and cut the line free. When we did, about 10 floats bobbed to the surface behind us....
about crab pots, at least on the Chesapeake. Some years ago, while on a friend's boat, we unknowingly snagged "one." As our speed under power began to decrease, we realized what had happened. We were lucky to be able to climb out on the stern ladder and cut the line free. When we did, about 10 floats bobbed to the surface behind us....
Something similar
The only time my engine has ever gone out on me has been while sitting comfortably tied up alongside at the marina. However: Last summer, on the first day of a planned five day trip up to the San Juan's from Seattle, we had just left our marina on Lake Union, motored all of a couple hundred yards to the Fremont Bridge, and when I pushed the transmission lever into forward to pass under it, I heard a "Sproing!" from below and it went all floppy in my hand. And the engine continued to run merrily along in neutral. By the time I wrapped my head around this (didn't take too long--transmission had either gone out or the cable snapped, probably the latter), residual motion had carried us under the open bridge, where we promptly stopped, our mast jutting up between the open leaves. I raced below to try to shift the transmission manually, but the lever is on the opposite side of the engine from the access panel and I couldn't reach. I got on the horn with the bridge operator and made sure she saw us and wasn't about to close on top of us--she wasn't happy about it, with cars piling up on both sides of the bridge by then, but she didn't have much choice either. With the restricted channel there--especially pinned in between the bridge leaves--there was no room to sail out, even if there had been much of a breeze. Fortunately, as I finished up that unpleasant conversation, I spotted a large cabin cruiser motoring up the channel in the opposite direction, so I ran up onto the foredeck and hailed him. Without missing a beat he swung in close, had a friend on board heave us a line, and towed us out from beneath the bridge and back to the nearby Morrison's fuel dock. There, I was able to clear out the cockpit locker enough to get down inside and shift into gear and we motored back to the marina and I spent our five day vacation replacing the busted transmission cable (which, as suspected, had snapped inside the binnacle). I had plenty of time to think about what I should have or might have done in that situation or similar as I was crawling around replacing the cable, but I think what actually happened was one of the better scenarios. Given more space (time), I might have put my skinny girlfriend down the cockpit locker and called out the shifting manually, or made a call to the local police (their Harbor patrol dock is all of 200 yards from the bridge) for assistance. If current had been a problem, I might have drifted clear of the immediate issue (the bridge) and dropped anchor while troubleshooting or waiting for help. As someone else said, it's situational--I was in a busy waterway with a lot of potential assistance nearby, and far enough to the side of the channel that dropping anchor would have been safe on a sunny day with good visibility, and I started out with a pretty good idea what had gone wrong and how it might be fixed, which dramatically decreases your troubleshooting time. But simply sailing out of a problem isn't always an option and it's worth thinking through other approaches to power and steerage issues if you haven't--those answers to this question which only involved "Raise sail and get out of the channel" get failing grades in my book (and in that experience).
The only time my engine has ever gone out on me has been while sitting comfortably tied up alongside at the marina. However: Last summer, on the first day of a planned five day trip up to the San Juan's from Seattle, we had just left our marina on Lake Union, motored all of a couple hundred yards to the Fremont Bridge, and when I pushed the transmission lever into forward to pass under it, I heard a "Sproing!" from below and it went all floppy in my hand. And the engine continued to run merrily along in neutral. By the time I wrapped my head around this (didn't take too long--transmission had either gone out or the cable snapped, probably the latter), residual motion had carried us under the open bridge, where we promptly stopped, our mast jutting up between the open leaves. I raced below to try to shift the transmission manually, but the lever is on the opposite side of the engine from the access panel and I couldn't reach. I got on the horn with the bridge operator and made sure she saw us and wasn't about to close on top of us--she wasn't happy about it, with cars piling up on both sides of the bridge by then, but she didn't have much choice either. With the restricted channel there--especially pinned in between the bridge leaves--there was no room to sail out, even if there had been much of a breeze. Fortunately, as I finished up that unpleasant conversation, I spotted a large cabin cruiser motoring up the channel in the opposite direction, so I ran up onto the foredeck and hailed him. Without missing a beat he swung in close, had a friend on board heave us a line, and towed us out from beneath the bridge and back to the nearby Morrison's fuel dock. There, I was able to clear out the cockpit locker enough to get down inside and shift into gear and we motored back to the marina and I spent our five day vacation replacing the busted transmission cable (which, as suspected, had snapped inside the binnacle). I had plenty of time to think about what I should have or might have done in that situation or similar as I was crawling around replacing the cable, but I think what actually happened was one of the better scenarios. Given more space (time), I might have put my skinny girlfriend down the cockpit locker and called out the shifting manually, or made a call to the local police (their Harbor patrol dock is all of 200 yards from the bridge) for assistance. If current had been a problem, I might have drifted clear of the immediate issue (the bridge) and dropped anchor while troubleshooting or waiting for help. As someone else said, it's situational--I was in a busy waterway with a lot of potential assistance nearby, and far enough to the side of the channel that dropping anchor would have been safe on a sunny day with good visibility, and I started out with a pretty good idea what had gone wrong and how it might be fixed, which dramatically decreases your troubleshooting time. But simply sailing out of a problem isn't always an option and it's worth thinking through other approaches to power and steerage issues if you haven't--those answers to this question which only involved "Raise sail and get out of the channel" get failing grades in my book (and in that experience).
Don't be shy
Why are so many people worried about anchoring in a busy channel ? Drop the anchor if you are drifting into trouble and can't sail away. If you have to anchor then immediately start hailing passing (or blocked) boats asking for a tow. Unless you are in a particularly unfriendly neighborhood I'll bet you will get a tow by the time you hail the 4th boat capable of towing yours.
Why are so many people worried about anchoring in a busy channel ? Drop the anchor if you are drifting into trouble and can't sail away. If you have to anchor then immediately start hailing passing (or blocked) boats asking for a tow. Unless you are in a particularly unfriendly neighborhood I'll bet you will get a tow by the time you hail the 4th boat capable of towing yours.
We had this situation in our sailing class.
The starter on the instructors boat was out and she was unable to cancel the class. Although there isn't a local rule about it anyway, we hoisted the main and sailed out of the cove. On the way back in, the cove was so protected from the wind that we lost it. Luckily a couple of kids came by on their jet ski's and she convinced one of them to tow us in. The starter was fixed immediately after returning.
The starter on the instructors boat was out and she was unable to cancel the class. Although there isn't a local rule about it anyway, we hoisted the main and sailed out of the cove. On the way back in, the cove was so protected from the wind that we lost it. Luckily a couple of kids came by on their jet ski's and she convinced one of them to tow us in. The starter was fixed immediately after returning.
Damm the rules, hoist your sails.
In an emergency situation the safety of my crew and the safety of the boat take presedence over any rules. Get on the VHF and anounce your situation over channel 16th. If unable to sail (lack of wind) drop anchor.
In an emergency situation the safety of my crew and the safety of the boat take presedence over any rules. Get on the VHF and anounce your situation over channel 16th. If unable to sail (lack of wind) drop anchor.
Pushpole
And one additional strategy which may be useful under specific circumstance~ by utilizing currents or headway, maneuver next to the channel wall, then you should be able to kedge your way with a boat hook or spinnaker pole. It helps to keep a hand on the tiller or wheel! And for those who have never tried it, practice docking under sail every so often while your auxilary is running and in neutral. It is not as hard as it may sound, but should be practiced before you are in a crisis mode.
And one additional strategy which may be useful under specific circumstance~ by utilizing currents or headway, maneuver next to the channel wall, then you should be able to kedge your way with a boat hook or spinnaker pole. It helps to keep a hand on the tiller or wheel! And for those who have never tried it, practice docking under sail every so often while your auxilary is running and in neutral. It is not as hard as it may sound, but should be practiced before you are in a crisis mode.
drop the hook
Been there done that, the safety of the crew is most important, drop the hook, give the universal wave for help, if no one is around to give immediate help, call tow boats or sea tow, and be sure to use the vhf not the cell phone. It is better that all that are near can hear of your problem
Been there done that, the safety of the crew is most important, drop the hook, give the universal wave for help, if no one is around to give immediate help, call tow boats or sea tow, and be sure to use the vhf not the cell phone. It is better that all that are near can hear of your problem
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