I was distracted... honest.

Seagreen

Seagreen

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OK. First time down the river in 2 years after a long refit, was distracted by son having a lifejacket crisis - not that thats an excuse, but for 15 seconds, my attention was elsewhere...

aground.jpg


Only spent a couple of hours here, and son restored his honour by catching a mackerel, but it gave some passing mobos a laugh.

BTW, we were passed by an RYA flagged Rib being filmed. Now, since when does the RYA "the home of good seamanship" drive Ribs at high speed, certainly overtly ignoring the 10 knot speed limit, past yachts aground, allowing dangerous levels of wash to bang the yacht on the hard sand?

Answers on a postcard...

On the way back they were a tad slower, but by then, I'd taken to rowing about in a dinghy to at least cause the speedier rib drivers to slow down, with some success. We nearly mooned them - the RYA that is. May have been local silver medal hero Joe Glanfield on a jolly for the press.
 
You should have got the brushes out and gave the hull a wee scrub - made it look as if you meant to "dry out"
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Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity
 
These things happen to the best of us and I've learnt the hard way not to laugh at someone when this sort of mistake happens.
I had a good laugh when a girl I know fell in to the drink and a couple of days latter I fell in myself!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
The sea will always keep us on our toes.
 
Who's laughing - did similar myself a few years ago - panic mode engaged - was the tide coming in or going out? - then realised I was in a canal so no tide to float me off. - Fortunately the bottom was soft mud and liberal application of full astern along with the son swung out over the side on the end of the boom soon had me back afloat.
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hammer.gif
Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity
 
Errr, did the same thing last Friday, off Cowes on the 'Shrape'.

Could not be arsed to tack, thought we would scrape through, but did not. 2 hrs to LW and we dried out at about 30 deg - 14'beam has its advantages....

Anyway, supper on board, 22:00, pumped the dinghy and rowed the kedge out to be met by the spotlight of the pilot boat, followed by the nav lights of the Cowes lifeboat RIB......
Someone had reported us 'in danger' and there they were. I apologised for getting them out, but we were only aground, and it was fair weather. Did I have a VHF? Yes, but we only turn it on in emergencys........
They left us, but a coastguard monitored us from the coast road. ...guilt...!

About 3 hrs later we bobbed up, but took another hour to lift off. During that time we were hit by the wash from, we think, one of those tugs, followed by smaller wash from the tanker it was towing. It broke over the aft end, and picked her up and dropped her about 3 feet about four times. Ouch!! The masts wobbled like fishing rods and those down below thought we had been hit.
Eventually anchoed in Osbourne Bay. Pleased to say no leaks, though I am drying out tomorrow to have a look.

Apparently, if I had radioed the c/guard and informed them of our position, they would request shipping to slow down.

Moral - when all the crew say tack, - TACK !
 
I was only really worried about some heavy wash hitting us as we started to rise, as I didn't want to think of what bouncing on the gravel would do to us. Luckily no wash big enough to matter, unlike you. I called an old pal (currently in holyhead for the OGA rally) and he advised flying Juliette Hotel, which means "I'm aground but in no danger" (apart from passing prats..) However, who these days would know what it meant? Do ribs, skiboats and mobos carry the International Code of Signals? I doubt if a warning from the CG would have been heeded in the Exe on a quiet friday afternoon.

/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
Yes, if you'd told the CG, they could log you and your entire crew as 'casualties' who had been 'saved' ...

Could have been worse, the last time we went aground, it was in sight of an OGA meet-up we were heading for, and they had a barrel of beer on board. Did they send a pint over in a dinghy? Did they heck.

I am more careful now.

Chris
 
I did exactly the same thing the first time I sailed my boat - but was delayed from leaving the buoy off Dell quay for a rather more interesting reason that can't be written without lots of **** /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
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