Whiskey Bravo
New member
I thought this thread was about mistakes!
My biggest error this year was thinking we'd get good sailing weather in Scotland in May
Admissions - Silly mistakes
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I thought this thread was about mistakes!
My biggest error this year was thinking we'd get good sailing weather in Scotland in May
oliverkinchin
New member
Entering Newtown Creek for the first time, I was worried more about lack of water than the starboard post that I was being pushed into due to the tide.
Came away with a lovely smiley shaped scratch down my topsides. The scratch remains to remind me of my stupitdity. I think the post is still leaning to the right
Came away with a lovely smiley shaped scratch down my topsides. The scratch remains to remind me of my stupitdity. I think the post is still leaning to the right
Poignard
Well-known member
Locks are my particular Bête Noire. A difficult-to-manouvre long-keeler plus lack of skill on my part usually guarantees some fun and games
chewi
Active member
I let the anchor and all its scope fall off the bow roller in Hurst narrows in spring ebb.
I wound up anchored on a very long scope fouled on a shoreline from mainland to IOW so I had to cut the lot off. For that I won the club rolling pin award.
I wound up anchored on a very long scope fouled on a shoreline from mainland to IOW so I had to cut the lot off. For that I won the club rolling pin award.
Blueboatman
Well-known member
Bav34, I think you sailed past me just before the "header'', last week of September?.
From where I was anchored off your starb'd quarter prob 100feet from mobo, you did exactly the right thing, headed, trim, headed bigtime. , motor on bigtime and power round pdq. Well done.
I have clonked a couple of times over the( many many) years in Newtown, once a midnight anchor drag and then odd crabbing eddies when sailing out just inside the entrance.
My single big mistake ( really!) this year: Dont anchor over rock in Scilly when you can anchor over nice clean sand, as it ses on the chart.
Especially when in 12m depth and an onshore wind and weather change is predicted.
LongJohnSilver of this parish and fairygodmother diver Jeff ( not of this parish but of a rather beautiful She36), sorted that one and would accept nothing but a good natured beer, which was a delight in itself outside the Turks Head, with their delightful partners.Thank you big time guys
From where I was anchored off your starb'd quarter prob 100feet from mobo, you did exactly the right thing, headed, trim, headed bigtime. , motor on bigtime and power round pdq. Well done.
I have clonked a couple of times over the( many many) years in Newtown, once a midnight anchor drag and then odd crabbing eddies when sailing out just inside the entrance.
My single big mistake ( really!) this year: Dont anchor over rock in Scilly when you can anchor over nice clean sand, as it ses on the chart.
Especially when in 12m depth and an onshore wind and weather change is predicted.
LongJohnSilver of this parish and fairygodmother diver Jeff ( not of this parish but of a rather beautiful She36), sorted that one and would accept nothing but a good natured beer, which was a delight in itself outside the Turks Head, with their delightful partners.Thank you big time guys
Bav34
...
Oh no ... a (very kind) witness
What was so distressing is that it all went to ratsh!t so quickly ... from total control to a 'passenger' in less than a very small nano-second.
Still learning
Seajet
...
A few years ago but I still get laughed at, justifiably...
Mistake 1, I didn't pull my tender up the slip high enough, so it drifted away with the incoming tide.
Mistake 2 was grabbing a chum's dinghy to chase it, then found out the hard way that he took the bung home...
Mistake 1, I didn't pull my tender up the slip high enough, so it drifted away with the incoming tide.
Mistake 2 was grabbing a chum's dinghy to chase it, then found out the hard way that he took the bung home...
Plomong
Well-known member
Berthed port side to looking upstream alongside another boat in a river, the other boat tied to a pontoon. Tide was ebbing about 40 degrees off starboard bow, not very strong, but noticeable. Went to bow to check the flow and strength of the ebb, decided a stern spring would be required, then welly to get the bow out into the stream, cast off spring and away we go.
Was that what I did ??? Noooo -- that would be too perfect !!!
Rigged a stern spring, alright, then put the motor into forward instead of reverse gear !!!! Got guardwire caught in the other boats anchor, bent the sternmost stanchion a little (about 3 degrees) and popped the clevis pin at the end of the guardwire -- probably saved the day. Got pushed into the bay between pontoons 1 and 3 (2 was much shorter), but heavy use of the motor got me out into the stream again without hitting anything, luckily. No damage to the other boat, which was of aluminium construction.
Confession over.
Back to normal mode.
Plomong
Was that what I did ??? Noooo -- that would be too perfect !!!
Rigged a stern spring, alright, then put the motor into forward instead of reverse gear !!!! Got guardwire caught in the other boats anchor, bent the sternmost stanchion a little (about 3 degrees) and popped the clevis pin at the end of the guardwire -- probably saved the day. Got pushed into the bay between pontoons 1 and 3 (2 was much shorter), but heavy use of the motor got me out into the stream again without hitting anything, luckily. No damage to the other boat, which was of aluminium construction.
Confession over.
Back to normal mode.
Plomong
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johnalison
Well-known member
Long before Decca brought my navigation up to scratch we were crossing the Thames Estuary and had released ourselves from a grounding on the Sunk. It was pitch dark and my attempts to steer round Margate Ledge flashing red were not working at all well. It was an hour or two before I could see that the light was North Foreland and I was in the red sector.
peterb
New member
Always twist the cable round a mooring warp. Yes, I've done it, too.
longjohnsilver
Well-known member
A good few years ago on the Exe in my 22" channel island, going along quite merrily when my young son shouted "dad, it's getting shallow, we'll go aground if you carry on"
Don't be silly says I, we won't go aground here, at which moment we hit a sandbar. Not fast so no harm done. I leapt over the side to push us off, water just above my knees but making no progress. So I call to my other crew to jump in the other side to help which he duly did, but that side was about 5' deeper as he discovered as the water covered his shoulders.
I still get reminded of that by both my son and mate, and still makes me smile remembering the look on his face with the water up to his neck. Happy days.
Don't be silly says I, we won't go aground here, at which moment we hit a sandbar. Not fast so no harm done. I leapt over the side to push us off, water just above my knees but making no progress. So I call to my other crew to jump in the other side to help which he duly did, but that side was about 5' deeper as he discovered as the water covered his shoulders.
I still get reminded of that by both my son and mate, and still makes me smile remembering the look on his face with the water up to his neck. Happy days.
exfinnsailor
New member
We cast off and moved forward when SWMBO said the steerings jammed. We motored back and moored up. Wheel was jammed solid checked for anything jamming anything as you do. We now know that the AUTOPILOT locks the wheel
and moored up. Wheel was jammed solid checked for anything jamming anything as you do. We now know that the AUTOPILOT locks the wheel NealB
Well-known member
Well......just last week....first time ever in nearly 50 years on the water.....a moment of careless inattention, having just arrived neatly alongside the pontoon at Limehouse, saw the stern line wrap itself tightly round the prop.
No amount of pulling and shoving, or trying reverse, or fiddling with a long boathook, had any useful effect.
So.... time for a swim....ess aitch one tee... the water was COLD!!!!! Useless...could only stay in a few minutes.
Returned next day with my dinghy drysuit and Gerber rescue knife. Job's a good 'un..all clear in twenty minutes.
No amount of pulling and shoving, or trying reverse, or fiddling with a long boathook, had any useful effect.
So.... time for a swim....ess aitch one tee... the water was COLD!!!!! Useless...could only stay in a few minutes.
Returned next day with my dinghy drysuit and Gerber rescue knife. Job's a good 'un..all clear in twenty minutes.
Bru
Well-known member
ditto
Caladh
Well-known member
Locks are my particular Bête Noire. A difficult-to-manouvre long-keeler plus lack of skill on my part usually guarantees some fun and games
+1 ! (many times...)
Duffer
New member
I once said to SWMBO that we never use the oven so why don't we get one of those supermarket pizzas and heat it up on board. Said pizza was duly purchased and I carefully removed the cardboard packaging and the cellophane wrapping. How was I to know there was a slim disk of polystyrene underneath as well? There was a smell of burnt plastic for weeks!
(When SWMBO brings this up I point out that at least I've never hit Plymouth Breakwater...)
(When SWMBO brings this up I point out that at least I've never hit Plymouth Breakwater...)
Poignard
Well-known member
Perhaps 'portage' is the answer. Engage a team of native bearers to carry the boat round the lock
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prv
Well-known member
Talulah
Well-known member
I once had a guy on board make the same mistake. I suspect his wife did everything for him at home. I was so pleased he got off the boat that night because inside I was fuming and considered that someone who made that sort of mistake was a liability to have on board. Equally I had someone who put a plastic melanine plate in the oven.
rickym
Member
Set off back to the boat after a run ashore and cursing the outboard for not starting. Then remembered that the kill cord was in my pocket!! Doh!