Admissions - Silly mistakes

[[10753]]

Don't know whether this will be interesting but it could be fun. Has anyone made any silly mistakes this year they'd like to own up to.

I'll start - Passage from Cherbourg to Carentan. Got there a little bit earlier than planned so decided to give the entrance ago despite my calculations saying I was over half an hour earlier than my absolute earliest entrance time !

Consequently, I found the sandy bottom - bump bump. Had to stem the tide going slowly backwards. Luckily it was calm but I should have had another cuppa and cruised the coast for a little longer to allow a bump free entrance.

Double check your calculations but always trust them.........

Strangely enough I wasn't alone !

 

[sighmoon]

Tried to get in a berth that was too narrow.

 

[richardbayle]

Tried to reverse park into a gap that was too small at the fuel pump.

 

[Poignard]

Don't know whether this will be interesting but it could be fun. Has anyone made any silly mistakes this year they'd like to own up to.

I'll start - Passage from Cherbourg to Carentan. Got there a little bit earlier than planned so decided to give the entrance ago despite my calculations saying I was over half an hour earlier than my absolute earliest entrance time !

Consequently, I found the sandy bottom - bump bump. Had to stem the tide going slowly backwards. Luckily it was calm but I should have had another cuppa and cruised the coast for a little longer to allow a bump free entrance.

Double check your calculations but always trust them.........

Strangely enough I wasn't alone !

The Isles St Mercouf are an interesting place to anchor for a while whilst waiting for enough water to get into Carentan

 

[jimi]

Bought a boat

 

[flaming]

Whilst working for a charter company - went to move one of the boats that was preventing my exit. I started the engine, sorted out the fenders and line and cast off, whilst ignoring the chap running down the pontoon waving at me, assuming he was simply going to annoy me by insisting that other people had to move the boat and delay my departure.

What he was actually trying to say was that the boat that was in my way, the boat that I had just untied and pushed off singlehanded was in that berth because its propeller had fallen off the day before.

 

[stav]

1) Cast off, jumped in the dinghy and gave a really good push in the dark with no torch: The oars are locked with a combination lock! Thankfully I fiddle for a couple of minutes but a little breeze came along so sat and waited a few moments whlist being blown back to the other dinghies. Could have been very different but could have just ripped the thwart up I suppose.

2) Sold my Nic36.

 

[chippysmith]

Whilst working for a charter company - went to move one of the boats that was preventing my exit. I started the engine, sorted out the fenders and line and cast off, whilst ignoring the chap running down the pontoon waving at me, assuming he was simply going to annoy me by insisting that other people had to move the boat and delay my departure.

What he was actually trying to say was that the boat that was in my way, the boat that I had just untied and pushed off singlehanded was in that berth because its propeller had fallen off the day before.

Laughed out loud at that, thanks for sharing

 

[affinite]

Laughed out loud at that, thanks for sharing

+1

 

[westernman]

Forgot the bungs in the clinker dinghy. Lowered it into the water, and then asked mother in law to get in and sit down.

She was not amused.

 

[pendlecats]

Set off rowing family to the boat,,,,, Untied painter ,,,,, Set off rowing family to the boat.

 

[doris]

Whilst working for a charter company - went to move one of the boats that was preventing my exit. I started the engine, sorted out the fenders and line and cast off, whilst ignoring the chap running down the pontoon waving at me, assuming he was simply going to annoy me by insisting that other people had to move the boat and delay my departure.

What he was actually trying to say was that the boat that was in my way, the boat that I had just untied and pushed off singlehanded was in that berth because its propeller had fallen off the day before.

Definitely the best for a while....will remind myself to check for a bit of propwash in future.
Ta for that, made my morning!

 

[Bav34]

Oh dear.

I had nearly forgotten this.

Tried to sail out of Newtown Creek. Done it many times (but obviously not on crowded weekends)

Wind from the south ... up with the main and half the jib.

Set off beautifully ... then the wind headed ... wound in a bit ... then the wind headed ... now on a beat between a yacht to starboard and a power boat to port.

Still not a problem as making good speed and feathering sails just to get through the gap, bear away and tack, (not flapping ... just about 5 degrees too high) ... then WHAM ... a gust and a mahoosive header backed the jib and round we went heading for the powerboat.

I have ABSOLUTELY no idea how we missed him.

Still cringing now

 

[fireball]

Definitely the best for a while....will remind myself to check for a bit of propwash in future.
Ta for that, made my morning!

I dunno why - perhaps it's Bav34's experience of dropped props ... but I always as for a check for forward AND reverse propulsion before casting off ... (I'm not usually on the helm - so I'll ask the helm to do it)

Admissions/Silly mistakes ... lost count of the number of times I've launched a dinghy with no drain bung in ... forgotten to open the stopcock for engine water intake ... etc etc

 

[Cymrogwyllt]

Pole vaulted a kayak when surfing on a beach that was known to dump at a certain state of tide. Stayed that little bit too long.

 

[Sybarite]

I brought some friends out sailing on Strangford Lough. However they had to be back by a certain time for a meeting and so we left the boat on its mooring and took the dinghy. At the slipway the tide had fallen so far that there was about 20m of deep mud between the slipway and us.

The only alternative was to go to the point of the bay where the rocks allowed us to disembark. We manhandled the dinghy over the rocks and then carried it the whole way round the foreshore to the shipyard.

Exhausted by then we reached the car and I put my hand in my pocket for the keys.

I had left them on the boat....

 

[Signed Out]

Bought a boat

Snap.

But then, when is a boat not a boat? When it's a "project". Urgh.

 

[rtchina]

cast off everything, move away from the berth, then disconnect the electricity, quickly!

 

[Piddy]

Not realising what "we're on free flow" meant when going into Port Solent one day - managed to park sidways onto the sticky-out bow of a motor boat whilst still doing 5 knots forwards in a Nich 32.
We removed the sticky-out bow quite easily with one of our shrouds....
Never again....

 

[PhillM]

Snap.

But then, when is a boat not a boat? When it's a "project". Urgh.

Thinking of renaming "Paean" (name came with the boat - original from 1961 I believe) as "Never Ending Project" or "Unending Expense".

First time into Cowes, came into the river and slowed down to get my bearings. Was well over to S'bord to avoid the mass of yachts steaming out. Red Jet came and parked Portside, then bridge officer started hand signals..... yep had managed to stem tide right next to his berth and he was waiting to do his "u" turn. He got rather agitated because it took us a good minutie to work out what he was telling us.

Next time in Cowes, I got level to Yacht haven before looking around, but did notice another rather tidy 40-somthing yacht do excatly the same, so perhaps its not too bad a mistake?