High and Dry ....

[Refueler]

While away on travels ... strong near storm winds and raised water levels with the ice have put my boat and pontoon partially high and dry.

It will take a good rise in water level now to get her off that shelf. Normally she sits in a trench alongside the pontoon .... about 2m to the right. The wind and water have deposited her up bank and onto the shelf at side of trench.

Not first time she's been high and dry ... so its wait out winter and when the upriver 'melt' flows - hopefully she'll come off and I can sort.

 

[LadyInBed]

Put your Beaver hat on and start damming the river

 

[fredrussell]

…or get yer mate in with his hi-ab.

 

[Refueler]

…or get yer mate in with his hi-ab.

I would but wife insisted on having a BBQ area built that stops getting such vehicle or crane to that point. I have many times threatened to pull it down and move it to more appropriate location ... but all I get is NO.

The ground is also very soft anyway

 

[Refueler]

Wind has been driving Baltic waters NE so that tends to raise water level .... rain for last couple of days - especially upriver.

Checked boat this morning and she was about 3 - 4 deg listing to port where stbd BK is still in the mud. Bow still out of water with a stern trim about 10 - 15 deg.

A tide mark on the bow sowed during night she must have been near floating .... maybe 10cms short ...

So get on board ... flip the switch ... open seacock .... press the start button .... 4-107 with no pre-heat / no Ether / no priming having sat all winter .... took about 20 secs in total to start ...

Let her warm up a bit - the unleashed all 43HP astern. 5 mins to move her to pontoon ... tidy up and sort ... all in about 15 mins :

View from kitchen :

Once weather warms up a bit ... give her a good scrub to get rid of winters mould ... and then its sail her down the coast for her repairs and new canvas work.

 

[Refueler]

Noted when running engine that my water pump seal is shot ..... its always dripped ... and I never worried about it .... but I think Anti-Freeze this winter passing through has removed any crud that was possibly partially sealing it.

Another job on the list.

Hoping I can do it without removing pump from engine ... being so many years - disturbing pipes and so on can lead to a bigger job ...

 

[neil_s]

Nice to have a bit of power in reserve, when you need it! Cowboy mooring boys dropped a clump too close to mine, so I hitched a line to it and let it feel my Bukh in full ahead - it slid nicely to it's correct position!

 

[William_H]

Hello Nigel. I am glad the problem is solved. I do enjoy your pictures and stories being just so different to my own experience. Best wishes for the new season coming up. ol'will

 

[Bouba]

Anyone with a finned boat should own a shovel

 

[Refueler]

Anyone with a finned boat should own a shovel

If I had a Fin Keel - I would have to dredge out my channel more. The entrance has a 'sill' that even with my 1m BK 's - I can have difficulty when level drops. But it slows down the silting up of rest of boat channel.

In the past - I have had diver ... Shit tank emptying truck with water pressure hose .... my own pressure washer .... to try and 'cut' away under keels to move her but nothing has solved it yet. I just keep an eye on her and if I find she doesn't 'roll' when boarding - I know she's touching bottom. I then look at waterline - if she's still only a few cms 'up' - 43HP gets her moving.

I have in the past when she was in UK driven her through mud - measured at HYCo at 20cms furrows ...

People who have sailed on her - have observed my 'driving' her over sills / shallow bits ...

Each time she's lifted - I check the keels and no damage - not even gelcoat .... despite such as Swedish Islands taking short cut through a channel to Arnholm ... we noted a number of yachts headed for A ... they of course keeping to recc'd deep route ... Steve and I looked at each other ... I checked chart ... and left hand down and into a channel that removed a significant distance to A.
We came to a stop about halfway through the channel. Backed off ... Steve on bow watching for rocks ... we 'drove' her up and over the stoney rises and arrived at A well ahead of everyone ....

 

[johnalison]

Visiting the Baltic in normal summer weather, it has often surprised me to see how high the flood levels can get. In Swinoujscie there is a mark on the old harbourmaster's office building which must be shoulder high up the steps, showing peak flood levels, and the whole island of Usedom can get virtually swamped.

 

[Refueler]

Visiting the Baltic in normal summer weather, it has often surprised me to see how high the flood levels can get. In Swinoujscie there is a mark on the old harbourmaster's office building which must be shoulder high up the steps, showing peak flood levels, and the whole island of Usedom can get virtually swamped.

Its wind driven mostly and of course rain / melt down the rivers. Baltic is near tideless .. in fact there is a 10 - 20cm tide technically, but its less than the average wind driven. My channel can change +/-50cms easily in 24hrs ...

If wind is from the south - my level rises .. if wind is from the north - it drops. Barometric has its effects as well of course.

 

[johnalison]

Its wind driven mostly and of course rain / melt down the rivers. Baltic is near tideless .. in fact there is a 10 - 20cm tide technically, but its less than the average wind driven. My channel can change +/-50cms easily in 24hrs ...

If wind is from the south - my level rises .. if wind is from the north - it drops. Barometric has its effects as well of course.

That's why sailing upwind in the Baltic is so frustrating. It's not uncommon to have something like half a knot of adverse current, and never anything favourable.

 

[Refueler]

That's why sailing upwind in the Baltic is so frustrating. It's not uncommon to have something like half a knot of adverse current, and never anything favourable.

You cannot have it all your way - as they say.

I have never felt frustrated sailing Baltic ... in fact I relish it .. No tides ... thousands of little islands in the Swedish and Finnish Archipelagos. Its as near to boating heaven as you can get ...

But wind driven current is not just Baltic ...

 

[Chiara’s slave]

That's why sailing upwind in the Baltic is so frustrating. It's not uncommon to have something like half a knot of adverse current, and never anything favourable.

Half a knot! We call that slack tide around here.

Pleased to see the good ship ‘Super Anne‘ afloat again, and so painlessly for your wallet, Refueller.

 

[Refueler]

Half a knot! We call that slack tide around here.

Pleased to see the good ship ‘Super Anne‘ afloat again, and so painlessly for your wallet, Refueller.

Cheers .... have lot of plans for this year with her.

 

[rotrax]

If I had a Fin Keel - I would have to dredge out my channel more. The entrance has a 'sill' that even with my 1m BK 's - I can have difficulty when level drops. But it slows down the silting up of rest of boat channel.

In the past - I have had diver ... Shit tank emptying truck with water pressure hose .... my own pressure washer .... to try and 'cut' away under keels to move her but nothing has solved it yet. I just keep an eye on her and if I find she doesn't 'roll' when boarding - I know she's touching bottom. I then look at waterline - if she's still only a few cms 'up' - 43HP gets her moving.

I have in the past when she was in UK driven her through mud - measured at HYCo at 20cms furrows ...

People who have sailed on her - have observed my 'driving' her over sills / shallow bits ...

Each time she's lifted - I check the keels and no damage - not even gelcoat .... despite such as Swedish Islands taking short cut through a channel to Arnholm ... we noted a number of yachts headed for A ... they of course keeping to recc'd deep route ... Steve and I looked at each other ... I checked chart ... and left hand down and into a channel that removed a significant distance to A.
We came to a stop about halfway through the channel. Backed off ... Steve on bow watching for rocks ... we 'drove' her up and over the stoney rises and arrived at A well ahead of everyone ....

We have also cut the odd trench with both our Island Packets at the Hayling Yacht Co.

Good thing you can almost pour their mud from a glass..................................................................................

 

[Refueler]

We have also cut the odd trench with both our Island Packets at the Hayling Yacht Co.

Good thing you can almost pour their mud from a glass..................................................................................

Did similar at Newport IoW .....

I know I am not only one who can do it ... but Superanne can literally drive up and over sills / bars .... its 'her Party Piece' !!

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We”ve never had an engine powerful enough, but sailing with 2 prop forwards on our previous boat once enabled her to be half carried out of Bembridge harbour at low water. That caused some local amusement.

 

[Refueler]

We”ve never had an engine powerful enough, but sailing with 2 prop forwards on our previous boat once enabled her to be half carried out of Bembridge harbour at low water. That caused some local amusement.

Bembridge .... many happy memories ...