Further to the lifeboat crew thread - who’s been rescued?

[chris-s]

Once, January 2019, me and the lad in our Graduate dinghy, we were heading across the Carrick Roads from St Mawes towards Falmouth when the vang went bang. The tide was ebbing along with the river current and a brisk northerly wind and we were trying to tack back up the river.

With the lad helming, I managed to physically pull the boom down for a few tacks until a gust let it slip from me and it ripped the traveller off the transom.

We did not have any success trying to tack against the wind, tide and current just pulling the main sheet directly from the boom nor just the jib on its own and found ourselves being driven towards the rocky shoreline along Pendennis Point (just below the coastguard station).

Being early in the season there weren’t really any other boats out, at least within hailing distance, but we had our hh vhf with us so called up Falmouth coastguard who arranged for the local inshore lb to come out and give us a tow back home. Whilst waiting, our call has been overheard by a yacht coming out of St Mawes that came over to us, threw us a line and held us off the shore until the lb arrived.

Embarrassing.

 

[JumbleDuck]

To JD, it should not be ' embarrassing to call' , you *always* act properly if you inform the CG what is happening.

Of course, but I was young and immortal then.

 

[Kukri]

Of course, but I was young and immortal then.

If I look back at the things I got up to in elderly small boats in the Thames Estuary between the ages of 17 and 27, I must conclude that I certainly was, too.

 

[DJE]

I was crossing the Humber from Spurn to Grimsby fish docks, at night with lots of ships, and my engine stopped in the middle..spring flood.. no wind..but the engine started again and just about worked at low speed.. I informed Humber CG and VTS, and they sent the Spurn lifeboat just in case..their decision but i had expected it, the river was swarming with fast ships including some officially CBD. Not a place to be randomly drifting while bleeding filters..I could have anchored which was next if I became NUC.
I made it into GY and the lifeboat followed me in, we had a chat and they were very clear they would rather come out on a shout and NOT be needed, than anyone take any gambles.

I had a very similar experience mid channel south of the Isle of Wight and in amongst the shipping. Called the coastguard to advise I might be in need of assistance and they tasked Bembridge lifeboat. Their mechanic fixed my fuel system, they towed me back to their slipway, and sent me on my way back to Portsmouth.
The same comments from the LB crew as they left. "You've got kids on board. We would rather come out in daylight before things get serious"
Engine failure in sailing boats is one of the most common type of shouts I believe.

 

[awol]

Not exactly rescued but very grateful for help. 1st was single-handed in Moray Firth when life raft was washed off the deck by some bigger than others waves. Of course it inflated and I was left with a problem for which my preferred solution was to let it go. Called the CG - an orphan life raft could cause them strife - and while the work experience lad was cogitating a fishery protection vessel came on and offered help. Half an hour later 4 lads in a rib took the thing away and dropped it off with their own at Cosalt in Leith a few days later. I ended up in Whitehills having missed the tide at Lossiemouth.
The next was this year when I collected a plastic sack round the prop crossing the Minch, again on my tod. With the wind rising I couldn't see a planB for anchoring so decided to lie ahull overnight. As I was in the north going shipping lane I thought it wise to warn S'way CG. Apparently Portree lifeboat was out on exercise - would I like them to attend? I didn't downright refuse and ended up being towed to Portree. What a great bunch of guys! Even put me on the jetty in the morning to dry out.

 

[johnalison]

As I am just short of fifty years' cruising without calling out a LB or being rescued, I am nervous of tempting fate. The only time I called the CG for technical reasons was when our saildrive hub failed on passage from Tregier to St Helier, leaving me limping alongat half speed. I called them in Jersey and they made sure that commercial traffic would not impede my entrance to the harbour. I suppose that I could add a tow into Boulogne by a club mate in 1978 when my batteries wouldn't start my Dolphin. I'm not sure why I didn't do a hand start, but since that involved wrapping a line round the centrifugal clutch behind the engine I probably took the easy option.

 

[JumbleDuck]

If I look back at the things I got up to in elderly small boats in the Thames Estuary between the ages of 17 and 27, I must conclude that I certainly was, too.

I used to buzz the wake of the Rothesay ferry in a 9' dinghy when I was twelve. I feel really sorry for the captain now.

 

[Joker]

Too many times to enumerate - but there was the time when when the Latvian navy came to my rescue when my rudder gave way off Akmersrags lighthouse and towed me 10 miles back to Pavilosta.