Interesting when the steering gives up!

iangrant

iangrant

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 May 2001
Messages
3,272
Location
By the Sea
Visit site
A good test of the emergency tiller drill!

Slipped the pontoon on Saturday morning all well untill the wheel didn't seem to have any feel any more and the other one didn't turn with it! 10 feet from the mud.

Anyway a quick scrabble deep in the locker fetched out the emergency tiller which we attached and steered to lassoo a swinging mooring in the Northney Channel.

A little uscrewing panels and contorting body shapes in lockers revealed the fault, the chain link spring clip wasn't fitted anymore and the chain had fallen off. Put back together with cursing and swearing wire locked the "plate" back on and sailed off half an hour later. Would not of fancied that job in a swell at sea.

One of those things that "never" happen - worth a check in the dark corners!!!

cheers

Ian
 
Dear Mr Grant,

We read with interest your account of coping with steering failure, and it seems obvious you are an experienced yachtsman, and suitably qualified to join our next MDL Northney rally to Itchenor.

There's no need to worry about sailing such a distance, as you will have the full support of our marina team, nightwatchman and tea lady.

We look forward to welcoming you.

The Management.

PS - bring sandwiches.
 
We had a bit of a steering moment, too, on Sunday.

We dropped the hook in Jennycliff Bay for lunch in a tightly packed anchorage. After 10 minuites it was clear we were dragging down onto an innocent little Caravella 22. So I asked the inexperienced, but super-willing, team of club cadets we had with us to up anchor, which they did in double time. Unfortunately when I came to steer away from the boats around about - rien, zilch, nothing.

I ordered the anchor down again and was unscrewing the hydraulics covering box when I heard a plaintive bleeping. It was coming from the autopilot.

A few minutes earlier one of our super-keen team had asked, 'Can I switch this off?' As we were at anchor I said 'yes' without really checking what was being offed. He pressed the auto button on the autopilot.
 
Oh Sir - I thank you -

Tome and I spent a lovely evening at the MDL marina tent discussing the possibility of joining and listened to a very knowledgable lady with great interest, she told us of their plans to go to Yarmouth for an in company cruise. She told us we would be just fine.

I have observed the local yacht rally scene, how well these trips are planned, weather, navigation and all the assistance anyone would need. Maybe next season we will indeed join one of these organisations and venture a little further afield.



regards

Ian
 
On the delivery trip with our current boat, I was down below trying to discover why we had water over the floorboards (from an engineer adjusted Deep Sea seal, another tale) and SWMBO was on deck, we were making a good 8kts, autopilot on. Yell from cockpit says there's a pot right on the nose and the pilot won't work, it won't change course or go to standby! I leap 3 steps at a time up on deck, press +20 degs and we turn and miss the pot. This boat has TWO autopilot control heads at the wheel, the 2nd one is for the spare wheelpilot (not even fitted unless needed) but pressing IT'S buttons has no effect.....

Later on arrival at our marina, I asked SWMBO to call them on VHF to ask which berth number to use as our old boat was still in ours, she tried and tried with no reply. We have both a VHF and MF/HF SSB set, side by side and the two microphones are on clips next to each other - now with Dymo labels to say which mic goes with which set .. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
When my frayed steering cable was replaced by Deacons the trained gorilla who performed the task managed to cross the wires internally with the result that when you turned the wheel left the boat went right ...

Now that's interesting !
 
A friend of mine had that happen about 60 miles from Gibralter in a very serious sea. They found the emergency tiller vertually useless because it was so small. They ended up dropiing the sails and motoring to the nearest Spanish port. The problem was caused by a cotta pin dropping out of the wheel shaft so that the sprocket just revloved around the shaft free. Easily rectified but as you said, not in a swell!!!

He was in a brand new Dufour 40!
 
A similar misalignment led to the best weeks racing I have ever had.
Rich Owner of the boat was also a microlight enthusiast and had a mechanic who erected it for him once they had arrived at a venue. The mechanic got the wires for the controls wrong way round and the pilot dived after take off instead of lifting. 7 breaks to his legs put him out of action for months. He had entered his yacht in the South African L26 (a 26' Livranos design) National regatta. I got the chance to pick a crew (all fellow laser sailors, including 2 National Champions) which we won.
So - all clouds have a silver lining !
Ken
 
Going into st peter port noticed steering a bit tough, so gave it a wrench, thought it might have been some of that rope like weed that festooned the channel this year, going v slow as berth tight, couldnt make the turn to port, blamed wind, got dory to push us round. came to leave 4 days later, executed marvelously skilful starbord turn whilst going astern, thro' eye of needle etc, went to turn to port and nothing happened, now sideways on in harbour mouth, let wind blow me out whilst, behaving like one armed paper hanger, going forward and astern and trying to avoid boats and such, got said HM dory to tow me alongside, emptied stern locker to find that the auto pilot ram had come apart and the piston was jamming against bulkhead, preventing any movement to port, could have been real dodgy if there had been rocks about and no help to hand.
 
Cast off the other day heading for slip to investigate surprising increase in consumption (yeah, yeah) on that Cherbourg run. Found straight ahead was the only option on offer, so knowing that a certain poster would go ape if his pride & joy were to be dented (apparently he has a hot line to Latvia) managed to stop and regain equinimity long enough to remember little toy at sharp end and proceeded to steer . . . using the bow thruster.
Dried out (yeah, yeah) but never did find anything untoward wrapped round the skeg. The teleflex cable is being replaced so the fuel pump must be in the frame now. Anyone know a CAV specialist in Pompey?
 
Its even more interesting when the frayed ends are not discovered... 5 mins or so after the start of a Cowes-Dinard race a few years ago. All the plans in place, crew's boats already delivered to France ready for Brittany cruise in company. Owner not on board due to work commitments (he is very trusting).

So as I was saying 5 mins after start, tacking west down Solent, a Sigma 33 has right of way, we get ready to tack, "Lee Ho" comes the cry, crew ready to, helm over and..... nothing. Somehow the bow of our Swan 38 passed over their cockpit as they quite literally dived away, leaving us floundering between Beaulieu & Lymnington.

Several hours later the crew with boats in France were on board a ferry heading off for their summer cruise leaving the rest of us in Cowes getting a new steering cable attached and still wondering how we didn't actually manage to hit anyone onboard the Sigma.
 
In my case the rudder detached from its shaft, so emergency tiller no good. She screws to port, so swung the derrick out to stbd and streamed a buff off the end, with a rope to pull it in to the stern. OK til we went astern in the harbour and the rudder went right round and into the prop.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top