getting off a lee shore

simonfraser

simonfraser

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guess i should know better, did the AF bit today, beached the boat, lee shore for sure, but light breeze, always just motored off

not today, wind was not predicted to increase, and any summer breeze would have been along the beach
so, as usual, i stowed the anchor when beached

come time to float off the wind had piped up to 20 knots straight onto the beach, i was spinning the propellor in shingle, shall need a new one for sure, amazing the OB did not pack up, cooling water is ok

with hindsight i should have left the anchor out, that would have solved the problem, but i cant see what else i could have done at the time ?
 
Throw the anchor out as far as you could at that point and wait for the tide to come in more???. worth a try.
Sails up and try to get away upwind enough to get the engine going. Just noticed your avatar. If that's a Tri you have then maybe not.
 
I generally leave or reset the anchor but have been caught out. Throwing the anchor and waiting a bit is probably the best bet. Ive used the dinghy to reset the anchor before but its a right pain to do. I have got out and pushed on occasion (Caprice mk 4 and hirrondelle so didnt need much water ). Its best just to leave an anchor the out in my view. All good fun though. Well done for not shearing the pin and getting properly stuck.
 
stu9000 said:
Its best just to leave an anchor the out in my view.
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+1

I only beached Kindred Spirit a handful of times, but I always left the kedge set well out behind her to haul off with. You can slacken the warp to lie flat on the sand if you don't want to strangle passing kids at low tide :).

I note that military landing craft all have a dirty great danforth hanging off the back for the same reason.

Pete
 
Were you single-handed? Any chance of a crew member trying to help "punt" you off with a boat hook or even the boom in an emergency?
 
In the absence of a tender float anchor with fender(s) and swim it out. Best with alloy anchor and all rope rode, also best if you are either young (as from memory they do not feel the cold), live near the tropics or have a wet suit. (I bought a wet suit).

Jonathan
 
simonfraser said:
Tnx all, shall def leave the anchor out next time irrespective of the forecast.

I could have walked out with the anchor using my waders, too late when I was churning shingle, hindsight ......
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I beach quite often, I always put a kedge out and if I've misjudged it I wade or use the dingy to reset it.
Oh, and I find somewhere where the wind is offshore ;)
 
simonfraser said:
guess i should know better, did the AF bit today, beached the boat, lee shore for sure, but light breeze, always just motored off

not today, wind was not predicted to increase, and any summer breeze would have been along the beach
so, as usual, i stowed the anchor when beached

come time to float off the wind had piped up to 20 knots straight onto the beach, i was spinning the propellor in shingle, shall need a new one for sure, amazing the OB did not pack up, cooling water is ok

with hindsight i should have left the anchor out, that would have solved the problem, but i cant see what else i could have done at the time ?
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This is my main argument against those who would like a centre board yacht with the object of letting it dry out. You know what the conditions are like when you arrive but may not know them for leaving. It's no fun being a boat that is bouncing up and down on the bottom before there's enough water to leave.
 
Sybarite said:
This is my main argument against those who would like a centre board yacht with the object of letting it dry out. You know what the conditions are like when you arrive but may not know them for leaving. It's no fun being a boat that is bouncing up and down on the bottom before there's enough water to leave.
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Agreed, my lift keeler is happy on her soft mud half tide mooring, but I only tried drying her on sand - to antifoul after a winter afloat - once !

It was sheltered and the waves just ripples, but the pounding on hard sand felt like the end of the world.

The much vaunted ' ditch crawling ' with lift keelers is a bit of a red herring too, not much difference between 2 & 5 ' especially if someone's ditched a tesco trolley or other junk; where lift keelers really score is harbour / marina sills and affordable, sheltered moorings.

As for the OP's snag, yes hindsight is a wonderful thing, I do always have an anchor out to deeper water in such situations, but then there is the risk of some berk in a speedboat running into the warp - so a buoy on the anchor may give them a clue; wouldn't bank on it though...
 
Seajet said:
I do always have an anchor out to deeper water in such situations, but then there is the risk of some berk in a speedboat running into the warp - so a buoy on the anchor may give them a clue; wouldn't bank on it though...
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Floating ropes make me nervous and not just because of the Berk with an outboard. I used to have a lovely strong springy anchor warp on my caprice 19. Nice and cheap but it had a habit of wrapping itself around the keels at high tide. As the tide strengthened it would jerk my trusty Bruce anchor out and have me adrift. Once I had the bejesus scared out of me when it dragged, reset , swung in an arc and smashed the bow into an ancient steel barge. Hard enough to make my sleeping head hit the galley. On deck like a shot with adrenaline pumping through me. Paradoxically serene and still on the river at 3am. Bow roller was a bit mashed. Very glad to hit an old barge rather than some super yacht. After that I weighted the rope. On my new Sun Bird I have what looks like about 15m of chain followed by orange rope. I'm asking myself,,,, will it float?
 
My anchor warp is nylon with 3 metres of chain, so it sinks but not enough to dodge speedboats.

If you have orange rope I'd strongly suspect it'll float.

Yes my nylon warp does wrap around my keel, especially in light wind over tide conditions; I found the anwer is to use an angel on the warp, or if being lazy and there's space for the increased swinging circle, a drogue off the stern keeps keel and warp separate.

Back to the OP's problems and PRV Pete's comment about landing craft, I understand the landing ships like Sir Bedivere have a big kedge anchor which is deployable by rocket - I've always thought that sounds like something to be well clear of !
 
Also, at least on the going aground part, by letting the boat touch gently then applying engine or sail power to drive her on.

I do now reckon beaching for antifouling etc is a mug's game unless absolutely necessary - failed skin fitting or something - if I wasn't able to antifoul or do quick below waterline maintenance ashore for some reason, nowadays I'd join the queue and book a slot on some drying posts.
 
Regularly beach SR, but usually select a very sheltered spot. Usually beach well after HW to ensure early get away and ALWAYS lay out bower anchor towards deep water on max chain length.

If it goes pear shaped I can then drag her off by using the capstan to tension the chain. She then swivels towards the waves & each time a wave lifts her she hops forward a bit.

OK I'm fortunate to have twin keels (I wouldn't sail anything else round N Wales) so the prop is always well off the bottom, but the rudder can be at risk if she is bouncing. For a lift keel, walking out the kedge at LW on the longest warp you have & using a rear cleat as a fairlead to take the warp to a winch is a good solution to pull her off backwards.

Boats can usually take a lot more pounding than people can. That teeth rattling jar & the shrouds shaking may scare us silly, but the designer will usually have taken those sort of shocks into account.
 
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