Joe_Cole
New member
We'ld had a couple of quiet days at Looe and were moving off. We dropped the lines and pushed off from the quay. SWMBO opened up the throttle and we got under way. The trouble is that after 5 seconds the engine simply stopped. There wasn't time to do anything except get a fender ready as we drifted into the Ferry boats 15 feet away with me apologetically saying to the Ferry men "Sorry engines cut out!"
Now, there's a funny little back eddie at the visitors berth at Looe, so as we drifted out of the eddy into the full flow of the tide we turned around and went back up stream towards some very solid looking fishing boats about 30 feet away. Luckily we got a little steerage and as we drifted passed the fishing boats I was able to lassoo one of them. (Lucky is putting it mildly, if we hadn't been able to stop then we would have been pushed further upstream onto boats, bridges whatever at 3 to 4 knots)
After some messing about it turned out to be a three foot length of very thick polyester rope. It had completely jammed the propellor and blocked up the exhaust outlet (outboard engine). Luckily, all it did was cause us some embarrassment and wasted half an hour. Mind you, if the guys on the quay who had thought our plight was such fun had still been there I would have happily inserted said piece of rope up an orifice or two.
Why do people throw rubbish like that in the water?
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Now, there's a funny little back eddie at the visitors berth at Looe, so as we drifted out of the eddy into the full flow of the tide we turned around and went back up stream towards some very solid looking fishing boats about 30 feet away. Luckily we got a little steerage and as we drifted passed the fishing boats I was able to lassoo one of them. (Lucky is putting it mildly, if we hadn't been able to stop then we would have been pushed further upstream onto boats, bridges whatever at 3 to 4 knots)
After some messing about it turned out to be a three foot length of very thick polyester rope. It had completely jammed the propellor and blocked up the exhaust outlet (outboard engine). Luckily, all it did was cause us some embarrassment and wasted half an hour. Mind you, if the guys on the quay who had thought our plight was such fun had still been there I would have happily inserted said piece of rope up an orifice or two.
Why do people throw rubbish like that in the water?
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