Blimey ---- Did I really do THAT !

[Guest]

C'mon lets liven things up a bit !!

We all have done some pretty stupid / debatable things on our boats ... yep - even YOU !

So lets all own up to those gems and tales of brain-fade we all have had and give each other a laugh and maybe help someone else to NOT make the same mistake !!!

Mine, amongst many !! Cutting a transducer hole on low tide with a rechargable battery drill .... you guessed it, plugged with wood stick from the adjacent tree !!!! till I got a proper drill ! Another - chucking the anchor out without chain shackled on !! Standing up to warn another on the coachrof about the boom swing when going about - get hit myself by the very same object !!!

C'mon let us all have a laugh !!!!

If anyone has pictures, then I'll host them on a site if enough people offer ??????

 

[Gordon]

Re: Blimey ---- Did I really do THAT !Who needs a bilge keeler

Not so much me, there were three of us and my first real sail. Fleetwood to
Isle of Man. Got there, couldn’t make Castletown so went into Derby Haven.
Dark and high tide I certainly believed the other two
when they said there was enough water at the point we
decided to anchor. All went below to sleep. I woke about 6.00am
(I was in the forepeak) stuck my head out the forehatch only
to see, quite close by, weed and stones etc. I realised we were
high and dry but
baffled as to why we were still vertical. (Folksong is a long keeler).
Anyway it turns out we were balanced on the hard sand.
I woke the others to tell them the situation and not to move an inch.
We all dozed off again only to be slung out of our bunks when the
tide did start lapping the keel the boat went
over, but luckily it hit the water.

 

[Guest]

Re: Blimey ---- Did I really do THAT !Who needs a bilge keeler

My father and I many moons ago used to 'race' a centreboard Snap 23 ..... Well going into Bembridge one time, a catmaran was coming out, hogged the narrow channel and we ran aground. Same story .... boat balanced on its centre stub and she held up ok ... till the kids etc. on the beach started kicking away / digging around her ! We tried all sorts to gt 'em away .. but to them it was a game ! Anyway no harm done, she stayed up till water retrieved her !

 

[kimhollamby]

Nigel, if enough people offer we'll build a page or more for them here!

 

[Guest]

Yer on !!!!!

 

[Guest]

Re: Blimey ---- Did I really do THAT !Who needs a bilge keeler

My first single-handed trip From Lowestoft To Ipswich. I put in at Southwold(a regular stop off) .Made a perfect approach to kea side. Only to be told “the Harbour Master had reserved the spot for another”. Now brain switches off and I engage reverse gear. Therefore lose all control Until the owner of the boat I am about to hit asked . ”Why am I in reverse?” To my shame I should have been in forward to stem the tide!! All worked out ok with out any damage. Just me feeling a fool.
Paul.

 

[shamrock]

Many moons ago we chartered a Sadler 24 out of Falmouth for a week's break. Put up the spinnaker and stormed along the coast in 25 knots of breeze. More about that later.

Polperro looked nice, so dropped the sails and crept in through the very narrow entrance. There's a nice looking mooring buoy available in the middle of the tiny harbour. OK, I say to my crew, I'll motor up to the buoy, you grab it with the boathook and that'll be that. He leans under the pulpit. I approach the buoy. He hooks the buoy, well done. I put the engine into reverse and rev it up to stop us there. For some reason he gets dragged under the pulpit and only stays on board because his wife grabs his ankles. The watching crowd waiting for the 'trip around the bay' are very amused. I, on the other hand, have just learnt about boats with a seperate gear lever and throttle. Engaging reverse would have helped.

Next day we have to be back in Falmouth to meet some people. Too late we remember that 4 hours of wonderful downwind spinnaker sailing has a flipside. The wind didn't change and we had a 7 hour beat back to Falmouth with 30 knots apparent. The boat did great, but the crew, well, I learned an important lesson there about passage planning.

 

[Guest]

Re: Blimey ---- Did I really do THAT !Who needs a bilge keeler

First cross channel run from Lymington to Cherbourg about fifteen years ago - pre Decca and GPS. Sailing single-handed as usual, so no-one else to blame.
Arrived off Normandy coast before dawn but none of the lights made any sense. I reached into the cabin and grabbed the VHF mike, with the intention of calling "somebody" for a fix. To my amazement the compass swung through twenty degrees. The mike had been stored within six inches of the compass for the entire crossing and had caused a massive deviation. After re-running my DR, the "lights made more sense", but it took me a very long time to work against the tide to Cherbourg.

 

[Guest]

Re: Blimey ---- Did I really do THAT !Who needs a bilge keeler

Three years ago, I had a seized valve (inlet) on the loo, in my falmouth gypsy. Partner at time put female requisite down loo, blocked pipe, in my haste I cut the pipe from the inlet.

Next day, walking past boat at low water, the offending article was protruding from the outside of the inlet. Yes youve guessed !!!!! I removed it and went happily on my way.

Drove the two hrs back to cardiff, that is from the mooring, then got a phone call to say "YOUR BOAT IS SINKING".

Needless to say made the epic journey back to Pembroke, only to arrive there at dark, shone car headlights onto were the boat should have been, only 10ft of 30ft mast sticking out of the water, she,d gone down.

Managed to retrieve it on the next tide though and learnt a very valuable lesson. (what you might ask !!!)

 

[Guest]

Depart Langstone Harbour ...... straight into light mist, no problem ..... We had to wait around for the rest of the Club boats for our 'jaunt' down to Lymington for the w/end. Decided to plug in the extension speaker to VHF so that I could listen to the world at play ! So I'm chugging around checking the compass as we are out towards the fairway buoy, so I thought ..... mist remember ! Suddenly boat jolts, stops and water behind turns a different colour as the props digging a channel in Winner Bank !
Yep - you guessed it, VHF speaker was on cabin top inside the sprayhood, just above the bulkhead compass, took it away and the compass swung A LOT !!!!!!!!!

Anyway, 32hp of Perkins and a bit of throttle pulled her off !!!! I kept it quiet for quite a while, till the 'other half decided to mention it at the club bar one evening..........

 

[steffen]

Never tie up in a lock, yes? We all know that dont we.
Still, in the IJmuiden south lock, me aft, the lady fore and she asked me something. I looked at the just closing doors and tied up and went foreward to help. Took a bit longer than i expected and when i went aft again the rope was pretty tight on the bolder. I was about to get a knife when i got the knot out and the boat fell down a feet or so.
The sweat i had had nothing to do with the temperature.

Another one was on my brothers boat lying on a quay in IJmuiden. Had two bulkhead compasses, starboard and port. We noticed a huge deviation on the port one and were baffled as we removed everything steely away and still had it SB one was OK so we decided the compass had gone daft and took it out to buy a new one (were about to cross to UK). When we came in the chandlers we looked at a nice new one and noticed the old one reading perfect now, more bafflement.
The guy in the shop asked where the boat was and we explained. He advised to go back and have a good look at the quay side which turned to be made of solid steel with a anti-corrosion current running in it to boot.
Looking quite sheepishly we put "defective" compass back in its place.