Excellent vid of rescuing a Yacht off a beach

[Bouba]

Looks scary, but when the bags hit the water their mass disappears as the bag contents are the same density as the water - so the boat can't go over any further than the length of the halyards - and you control that with the winches. The bags can be swung out using the helm. To retrieve them just let out the halyard or rig a line to dump the water

I understand the logic...but he was occupying the entire span of the bridge...so no margin for error...if he hit a boat wake or it was like the Rhône and the water was surging at incredible force and speed...also the area he occupied was guarded by a chase boat (the cameraman) if that wasn’t there another boat could have got too close. I know you yotties love going everywhere sideways...but to a motorboater it looks hazardous

 

[DownWest]

The bags each have a line running to cockpit winches to recover from the roll. Film is quite old and the owner at the time is no longer with us.
Bridge clearance 65 ft Mast height 80 odd ft.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Use quit obtain on the intercostal waterway to get under the lowish bridges

You need to see the boats on th swan river who lower their mast while underway to get undr the low bridges going out to sea.

Wiliam_H has some videos

 

[William_H]

Hi rogerthe bodger. No sorry no videos. A few still but essentially yachts use the spin poles as gin poles and lower the mast into a crutch while under way. Various methods to keep the mast central. Essential when being passed by mobo. Yes common to see 70 ft plus masts lowered this way. Still traumatic for skippers.
The photo of heeling the boat with water bags is a bit scary but essentially the mast and stays should easily be able to take the boat down to horizontal in calm conditions considering what may be encountered in a storm with violent motion.

In fact towing a fin keel boat sideways of a beach by towing from the mast head my prove an excellent method. Not intuitive of course. But the heeling can be induced by towing vessel hauling on halyard. Additional pull on hull may be used as well. As I teach would be rescue boat drivers the method of assistance to a yacht aground must be the decision of the yacht skipper. They often forget and have their own ideas not always best. ol'will

 

[Roberto]

Imagine the barbecue after this

edit spelling

 

[Juan Twothree]

I'm always wary of heeling a yacht by towing from the mast head. It's fine until something goes wrong, at which point it'll be my fault.

If ever I have to tow a vessel off stern first, as discussed in a previous post, I attach the towline to the bow, but then lead it loosely aft, outside the stanchions, then secure it onto something beefy at or near the stern.

Then as soon as I've towed it off, the crew simply release the towline from the stern, and voila the tow is now continued from the bow, without having to worry about towing it backwards far enough to give adequate sea room to reattach the tow.

 

[William_H]

I'm always wary of heeling a yacht by towing from the mast head. It's fine until something goes wrong, at which point it'll be my fault.

If ever I have to tow a vessel off stern first, as discussed in a previous post, I attach the towline to the bow, but then lead it loosely aft, outside the stanchions, then secure it onto something beefy at or near the stern.

Then as soon as I've towed it off, the crew simply release the towline from the stern, and voila the tow is now continued from the bow, without having to worry about towing it backwards far enough to give adequate sea room to reattach the tow.

Yes quite so. As I said it is the decision of the yacht skipper how and in what direction tow is made. Re towing from tug (towing boat) boat I also advocate that tug is in reverse pulling the yacht from bow of tug. (line around the outside of tug) This keeps prop in deeper water and as you say release the bow attachment and it is easy to rotate the tug for normal pull. Of course you may not get so much pull from tug in reverse but safer. Also in my case tug has outboard moptor which makes steering so much easier in reverse. ol'will

 

[Sea Change]

A reasonably big yacht went on the beach in St Martin a few days ago. I heard that the owner just handed the paperwork over to the first local on the scene, and then got on a plane back to France.

I met the new owner. He seemed completely unfazed by the challenge ahead of him. No sense of urgency whatsoever. I mean, he could at least have closed the hatch...