Danny_Labrador
Well-Known Member
I am posting this for interest and comments:
What else could they have done? and what lessons to learn ?
What else could they have done? and what lessons to learn ?
Rudder Lost at Sea
- Thread starter Danny_Labrador
- Start date
D
Deleted member 36384
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The lesson from this is really that you need a solid, tested plan for an emergency rudder system if venturing into the oceans long term. Alternatively, you need a good inspection and maintenance regime that allows the rudder, shaft and bearings performance standard and integrity to be maintained / verified. Even then, a tested contingency is essential for long term voyaging, in my opinion.
NormanS
Well-Known Member
Life's too short to spend 56 minutes watching that.
Danny_Labrador
Well-Known Member
Well you could point and click on the time line, (fast forward), to the interesting bits ?
mjcoon
Well-Known Member
Where are they? Do they have grubby corners like the dirty books of my adolescence?
Mike.
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
Well-Known Member
Under the circumstances, they managed very well
Joker
Well-Known Member
I had my rudder rebuilt a few years ago by a firm in Southampton. Unfortunately, it broke off whilst I was sailing along the Latvian coast, and I had to anchor in 17 m of water and wait to be rescued by the Latvian Navy, who did an excellent job.
The rudder failed because they had welded a stainless steel bar onto a stainless steel tube; this weld had obviously been corroding over a period of time, and then simply broke away.
The rudder failed because they had welded a stainless steel bar onto a stainless steel tube; this weld had obviously been corroding over a period of time, and then simply broke away.
vociferousMeldrew
Well-Known Member
I am guessing no one watched the whole video because the reason the rudder broke is interesting, relevant to anyone with a metal stock spade rudder and not something I have seen covered on sailing forums before.
A stray wire inside the compass binnacle broke loose and created a circuit from the battery, through the steering quadrant and triggered stray current corrosion at the rudder stock where a 2v potential difference was identified after the rudder loss. They had dropped the rudder 2 years earlier during their substantial pre circumnavigation refit and the rudder looked fine then.
Seajet
...
That's the sort of thing worth reporting as very few people would ever consider it; there may be signs like whatever the wire came off failing then corrosion at the binnacle but sounds not - a genuine Gotcha which in aircraft circles would be publicised as yet another thing to consider, and now in boat circles it is here.
I only do Solent, West Country and cross Channel stuff, but have for a long time had a rowlock seat on the transom of my 22', the idea being if I somehow lost the rudder I could use the spi pole in the rowlock with a bunk lid as a rudder...
I have it all in mind but really must test it !
This is tricky as whatever emergency came up probably wouldn't be like any test - the rudder is well attached and powerful and if jammed over would be a much bigger problem than losing it completely - in reality for my sailing it may well be a lifeboat tow job but one likes not to rely on risking other people.
I only do Solent, West Country and cross Channel stuff, but have for a long time had a rowlock seat on the transom of my 22', the idea being if I somehow lost the rudder I could use the spi pole in the rowlock with a bunk lid as a rudder...
I have it all in mind but really must test it !
This is tricky as whatever emergency came up probably wouldn't be like any test - the rudder is well attached and powerful and if jammed over would be a much bigger problem than losing it completely - in reality for my sailing it may well be a lifeboat tow job but one likes not to rely on risking other people.
Tamar
Well-Known Member
32:35 is quite interesting
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Stemar
Well-Known Member
Maybe get some suitable U bolts and have the relevant holes pre-drilled?
My steering plan B, for pottering around the Solent, would be to use a bucket over the side for crude control getting to the harbour entrance, then the outboard on its bracket to get home.
Seajet
...
You are missing my point - it's not that hard - especially in the Solent not Southern Ocean ! - to cobble up a Plan B steering - the hard bit is trying to work it out if
no rudder
a bit mangled rudder to one side
flailing rudder behind
and so on.
I could not try and simulate a rudder emergency accurately, as there's a bloody great transom hung rudder in the way wanting to steer the thing !
I always carry a sea anchor, one option ( pretty much dead downwind I fear ! ) would be to deploy it with lines to each quarter - I've been involved when this was a good idea towing a half sunken boat and it worked, veering the tow from one side to the other.
no rudder
a bit mangled rudder to one side
flailing rudder behind
and so on.
I could not try and simulate a rudder emergency accurately, as there's a bloody great transom hung rudder in the way wanting to steer the thing !
I always carry a sea anchor, one option ( pretty much dead downwind I fear ! ) would be to deploy it with lines to each quarter - I've been involved when this was a good idea towing a half sunken boat and it worked, veering the tow from one side to the other.
DJE
Well-Known Member
Stemar
Well-Known Member
No plan survives first contact with the enemy but, at least you've got a plan, so you've got a chance to adapt it to fit the circumstances. I think if my rudder's nicely jammed hard over, I'm a bit stuffed, especially if it's a bit bumpy, though a decent steerable OB on the back should give some semblance of control. Not a lot of help mid Channel, though.
[70521]
Well-Known Member
Is there a reward if we find it?
Elessar
Well-Known Member
Crossing to Guernsey from Dartmouth on a bilge keel mirage 28, some friends in a sporty thing wanted to cross with us as they hadn’t done it before.
I can’t remember the boat but it was much bigger and faster than us (but to be fair we could be overtaken by a pedalo).
They kept going ahead, sailing back and then overtaking us again. Keeping us in sight. We thought they were mad.
Then they lost control. Radio chat and we decided to take them under tow. Harder than it sounds mid channel but we did it.
16 hours after we left we got back to Dartmouth. They were lifted and their (non skeg) rudder was gone.
All the theories of balancing the boat and making way could work in a long keeler I guess but not in a sporty ish fin thing. They did try and just were at the mercy of the swell.
They bought dinner, we left at 4am and got there in the mirage the next day.
And I still miss channel crossings in a 4 knot boat, with just a whirly gig depth and an RDF. But we did have a good rudder
I can’t remember the boat but it was much bigger and faster than us (but to be fair we could be overtaken by a pedalo).
They kept going ahead, sailing back and then overtaking us again. Keeping us in sight. We thought they were mad.
Then they lost control. Radio chat and we decided to take them under tow. Harder than it sounds mid channel but we did it.
16 hours after we left we got back to Dartmouth. They were lifted and their (non skeg) rudder was gone.
All the theories of balancing the boat and making way could work in a long keeler I guess but not in a sporty ish fin thing. They did try and just were at the mercy of the swell.
They bought dinner, we left at 4am and got there in the mirage the next day.
And I still miss channel crossings in a 4 knot boat, with just a whirly gig depth and an RDF. But we did have a good rudder
Kelpie
Well-Known Member
I did once try to steer a boat using a drogue, as an exercise. It was a fairly wide-beamed , square-sterned, displacement motor vessel, so the drogue could be placed quite far off centre.
It was almost completely ineffectual. With the drogue hanging off the starboard quarter, we could hold a straight line, countering the prop torque. With no drogue, we would make a gentle turn to port, and with the drogue fixed to the port quarter, a slightly sharper port turn.
It may have just been the characteristics of the particular boat, and maybe a larger drogue would have helped, but I was left very sceptical of the idea of using a drogue to steer.
It was almost completely ineffectual. With the drogue hanging off the starboard quarter, we could hold a straight line, countering the prop torque. With no drogue, we would make a gentle turn to port, and with the drogue fixed to the port quarter, a slightly sharper port turn.
It may have just been the characteristics of the particular boat, and maybe a larger drogue would have helped, but I was left very sceptical of the idea of using a drogue to steer.
Wandering Star
Well-Known Member
I carry a couple of harnesses which I plan to fit to a couple of friendly dolphins (or pigs if there happen to be any in the vicinity) - these mammals have a reputation for helping humans when the chips are down and would no doubt tow my boat to land or at least to within VHF range if I lost steerage.
Seajet
...
One dolphin on each foot, you could make a stylish entrance to port, if they're as helpful as made out they should deposit you at a beachside bar then nip back and secure the boat to a safe mooring with a lifeboat containing a hungry tiger as a theft deterrent - sounds a practical plan as long as you have lots of tins of tuna to cast in front, what could possibly go wrong...
D
Deleted member 36384
Guest
This bloke uses a Galerider Drogue to demonstrate drogue steering; conditions are rather benign. Reactions in heavy weather would probably be very different.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vupIl68mCYg
