Forum etiquette - keeping lessons learned private

[ggt9]

Being a bit new round here I'm not sure of correct forum etiquette. Hypothetically speaking, if you were to rush out for a smart-alec evening trip out in a break in the weather and then do something really stupid, would it be good form to keep quiet so as not to appear any more idiotic than normal or helpful to confess so that others might learn or at least derive fleeting amusement from ones mistakes?

 

[BrendanS]

Learning and fleeting amusement is usually best option, as others do learn from others mistakes.

If it's an especially good one, the magazines pay for new ones.

 

[ggt9]

Nah, I'm still undecided. It's not original enough to get in the magazine though it's a new one for me. Do you think I can claim on my insurance for a large dent in my pride?

 

[BrendanS]

Depends whether the dent in pride is substantially more in cost terms than the insurance excess. There was a thread on scuttlebutt forum about this this week.

If the cost of claim is substantially more than excess and future premium costs, then claim. If it costs you more in excess and future premiums, then don't claim. That's down to your own insurance policy, so general advice is difficult.

We'd need more info to give good advice.

 

[ggt9]

Okay... but I'm keeping just to the useful lessons learnt bit:

Last evening turned out nice so I kept half an eye on it tonight. About 9 o clock the endless rain stopped and the last of the sun broke through the clouds so I dragged myself off the sofa, grabbed the boat bag and shot down for a quick sunset run-out.

Lessons learnt:

1. Being half asleep can lead to stupid mistakes, even in familiar, well-practised rituals.

2. My boat will jump into life, warm up for 5 mins and run for about 300m with the fuel switched off.

3. My engine coughs just once or twice then sounds better for 10 seconds then coughs again and dies completely when starved of fuel. It then won't restart even when you put the fuel on no matter how helpful it would be if it did.

4. My boat can drift backwards on a strong Spring flood tide in a remarkably straight line. This is good in that it misses all the other boats moored on either side of a narrow channel and poor in that even the pontoon you've just left slips gracefully by out of reach.

5. Once the boat starts to turn beam on, the speed of drift really does increase and any hope of grabbing hold of a passing mooring, boat or pontoon has to be abandoned.

6. The answer to the question "How fast can you rig and deploy the anchor on your own in an emergency?" appears to be around 37 seconds.

7. I don't need my sailing knife with shackle key to rig the anchor because it turns out I can undo the shackle with my bare hands when sufficiently motivated.

8. Delta anchors really are capable of setting instantly. Even with their chain fouled in a heap around them.

9. The chance of Deputy HM being at work late and able to come out and tow you back to your mooring at this time of night is immeasurably small... but that's not the same as impossible.

10. I can now bleed my engine in semi-darkness in under 10 minutes without any mess.

That's it. Public humiliation and a lifetime living it down will no doubt start tomorrow when word gets round.

Bed and a whisky might be better for my injured pride than an insurance claim /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[BrendanS]

A fairly mild learning experience, as many here can tell you. Don't worry too much, you did little wrong, and a great deal right.

 

[ggt9]

Yes, thank you for the kind words. Though the little wrong I did really did bite back.

I was very pleased to not even touch any other boat let alone cause any damage at all to mine or others. So it was useful practice though not exactly the relaxing little jaunt I had in mind.

 

[BrendanS]

What was the bite back?

 

[ggt9]

Just the small slip with the fuel stopcock causing a difficult situation...

 

[BrendanS]

ah, if that's it, really don't worry. Many have done much worse. Ask how many have 'driven' off a pontoon with electrics still connected and ripped pontoon electrics off etc etc.

You've made a small mistake in the scheme of things, and many here have done much much worse. The thing is you learn and don't do it again

 

[RobWales]

AH! how sweet, all this chatting just the two of you in the wee small hours .......
Go on you hang up!
No you first!
No you!
I'm not hanging up first!
Love you,
Love you too,
Love you more,
Right gotta go you hang up,
No you first..................

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Sneds]

Jeez Rob you're up early!

Good tale and I can emphasise(?) with the fuel cock bit, I'm for ever forgetting to turn it on!
Once had three fellow boaters with their heads stuck down my engine bay, fiddling and poking around when I noticed it in the off posistion.
Secretly turned it to the on posistion, moved them out the way and dived down there myself armed with a hammer(!) and a screwdriver, called to SWMBO to "try that" ........guess what?
The V6 burst into life!

ps keep this quiet /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[RobWales]

All excited mate! T- minus 27 hrs and counting to launch /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Sneds]

I'm looking forward to Saturday for you....good luck
(jammy b4stard) /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[longjohnsilver]

Confession is good for the soul, you must feel very much better now! /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

If it's any consolation we've all been there, done something very similar and got the T shirt.

 

[ggt9]

Like that's worse than being up in the middle of the night posting to oneself /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

New boats are like Christmas you know. Getting up 27 hours early won't make it come any faster /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[duncan]

so when your engine coughs once or twice after leaving the mooring how fat can you now open the fuel cock?

seems to me you have about 5 seconds /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[RobWales]

[ QUOTE ]
so when your engine coughs once or twice after leaving the mooring how fat can you now open the fuel cock?

seems to me you have about 5 seconds /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[/ QUOTE ]




/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[ggt9]

Yes! And trust me if I ever hear that coughing again shortly after getting under way it will take me 2.

I hadn't heard it before though and just thought the old girl might be stalling cos a bit cold and low revs (not that she's ever done this) and it seemed to pick up fine when I shoved the throttle a bit. When it did it again, I was looking to see if I'd picked up something around the prop or something. Once it actually died, I realised exactly what I'd done.

Deputy HM helpfully pointed out that some boats will restart at this point if you put the fuel on (at least in his experience with one of his fishing boats!) but evidently mine sulks.

 

[duncan]

[ QUOTE ]
and just thought the old girl might be stalling cos a bit cold and low revs (not that she's ever done this)

[/ QUOTE ]

this to me is the critical lesson - things just don't happen for no reason on boats; you get one warning and if you do not make the correct assesment it will bit you.

2 examples -

1. heading over Poole Bay to a large forum meet a few years ago in May,a snotty SW 6 with Forbsie on board, and the engine missed a few beats approaching the Solent. Enough for me to stop and check the drive for ropes etc but 'we concluded' whatever it was had cleared itself in one way or another, restarted and ran on happily to Yarmouth then the Hamble the next day.

Running back across the bay a couple of days later the engine coughed and stopped. Filters were absolutely gunged with bug debris

I had my warning, had plenty of time over the weekend to check all possible causes but ended up in the middle of Poole Bay with a lot of work to do to get back and no spare filter.

2. First week in June Geoffs and another friend made the trip over to the CIs. Leaving base the other boat started up and needed 3-4 seconds turning over the engine before it fired. It did this a couple of times on starting to my knowledge over the next couple of days. Sunday morning the turbo failed to kick in at all and they had an 11 hour return journey (in a 25ft boat) to Poole from St PP. Commenting a week later the skipper said 'I should have realised I had a problem somewhere because the engine wasn't starting up on the first turn of the key - which it always used to'.