my worst nightmare

[mad_boater]

Two week ends ago I was entering Portsmouth with a spring tide in force.on board I had my wife (not a good sailor) and a friend and his wife (not used much to boats).I was tryng to stop my self from being pushed sideways by the strong tide and avoiding the very heavy traffic in the entrance when my boat a twin engined 35 ft cruiser started going round in circles and would not answer to the helm. It was then I started to get very worried and so did everyone else.Car ferries ect baring down on us. At first thought the hydraulic steering had sprung a leak, so I ripped the covers off the steering under the back bed only to discover the ball joint on the stearing ram (ram and ball joint new 6 yrs ago) hat boken off. I tried sraightening the rudders by hand and tried to stear with the throttles but it kept going round in circles.I then asked my frind to hold the bar that links the rudders together steady having put them in a straight line.With the throttles I managed to get us to Haslar marina in one piece, extremely shaken. I have since fitted a new ball joint(£60). The unit was a Teleflex. I suggest any one with one of these units checks it regulaly as I will most definitely will be doing.

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[nicho]

That's EVERYBODY's worst nightmare - glad you came through it OK

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[hlb]

Sounds like a minor occurance. Things like this happen all the time. What was your real problem.........../forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Scary!! In North Wales, we have no major busy ports (except perhaps Holyhead and thats far from us) and we certainly don't have car ferries whose bad reputation for seamanship is legendary.

Amazing what you can do in little time and under immense pressure. Glad you're OK

<hr width=100% size=1>Madoc Yacht Club
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk>http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk</A>

 

[Dave_Knowles]

I can sympathise with you for I had my Morse steering just seize up and whilst going up Southampton Water. Fortunately I was able to drift into the beths for the liners and then find out what had caused it to happen, In my case it was the the cogs in the steering box had disintegrated and we had to be towed back. It was a scary moment with ships all around but no where near as bad as your experience. Well done for coping with it.

<hr width=100% size=1>Take care.

Dave

Dave Knowles
Southampton - UK

http://www.MyCleopatra.co.uk

 

[Steve_D]

I am sure there must be a course that teaches you how to deal with these occurences /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

mine was pulling the kill cord in the pierheads,
fast ferry slipped and going out,
herm ferry coming in,
Big yacht attempting to sail in,
Radio going nineteen to the dozen hooters, horns and shouts from all directions.

and a severe attack of brain fade, I couldn't work out why it wouldn't start, untill I remembered to pull the throttle back into neutral first.

the longest minute or so of my life.

Well done, I would have been lost in your situation.

Steve D

<hr width=100% size=1>No. I was right the first time....

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

<car ferries whose bad reputation for seamanship is legendary>

On what basis do you say this? The crews of the ferries in the Solent deserve medals for not hitting us dorks in pleasure boats not to mention manouvering their monsters with far more skill than we could muster

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[Dave_Snelson]

Well then maybe its the just the ones that Dom has mentioned in the Channel, or maybe the ones from Holyhead to Ireland who are on such tight timescales that they neither slow nor manouvre for anyone, or... possibly the one who came steaming full ahead into Milford Haven in a restricted area. This one's wake picked up my friends Sealine 34, completely ripped up the anchor and dashed the boat onto rocks while he was asleep aboard at Midnight. Had to be rescued by a lifeboat.

Just a few examples...

Maybe the skippers are good, but there's a fair argument against the companies that employ them and force them into rediculous target passage / turnaround times.

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<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk>http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk</A>

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Frankly I am amazed that the wash of a ferry can 'rip out' an anchor and throw a 34' boat onto some rocks. Did his insurance company ask how much anchor chain was laid out and whether it was a good idea to anchor near a commercial shipping channel without somebody being posted as an anchor watch?

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[Dave_Snelson]

Unfortunately, the boat was already in distress having had one engine fail in rough-ish conditions and the circumstances were already running against the skipper. There are other elements to this that I don't exactly know because I haven't seen him since the incident. A Pan-Pan was raised while at sea and his crew were picked up by another boat nearby, while he headed for the nearest port on his way up the UK. It just happened to be MH. Due to complete exhaustion, he tucked up for the night, hoping to get some kip and start the next day afresh...not so. My friend wasn't badly hurt and surprisingly (no - amazingly!) the boat wasn't holed, even though it was perched on rocks. It is however still in MH and the subject of an insurance claim

By the way, I'm not in any way knocking all ferry skippers - far from it, I would sooner defend all folk that put to sea, especially where they do so for a living.

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[mad_boater]

Thanks for that hlb your a gentleman.

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