Scenario

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You are motor-sailing through the Kyles of Bute at slack water making 6 knots over the ground with the apparent wind 40 degrees off the port bow at 13 knots when the engine stops. The channel is 30m wide at this point and you have 200m to go before it opens out. You have the main up, sheeted in hard, with the genoa rolled away.

Do you:

a) Sail through even though it is a bit tight and you might need to tack

or

b) Do a 180 and sail back downwind

or

c) Put out a Pan Pan?

- W
 
Tell the guest to get his effin hand off the engine stop lever, and start it up again /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Seriously though, in my boat I would probably have to go about, because it is cr*p to windward and doesn't short tack easily.

Don't know the place, but can I anchor and wait for the tide to take me through?
 
Depends on which channel you are sailing in and in what direction but if in doubt do a 180 and run with it until you can determine engine problem
 
It's a pretty narrow channel . . .

041114DSC00007.jpg
 
Okey dokey, gissa Bit more on the tide, which way is it about to go?? Decent winward boat, tack on up to (?) Tinabruach..anchor off the pier. Tiny haven at (?) Claddach??

Double preferance, about turn, back to Rothsey. Easy in, alongside some fishing boat and heigh ho, off to the Black (?) Rupert for tea and stickies.....

Had a fantastic pair of years sailing up there, loved it.

Do the Zavaroni's still have the chip shop?
Cheers!!
 
Wow, that's a touch and go scenario! Depends on the boat, I suppose. The apparant wind will free me as I slow down but it would be a close thing. With a weatherly boat I'd probably go for it, using the momentum to help me keep up to wind. I'd want to make the descision to turn and run whilst I still had some way on.
I don't know the area, so tell me I've just been suckered into certain death!
 
Go for it. We will do it with a Moody 346. But prefer the narrow unlit channel.

Donald
 
ooohhh err jings ... whip 'er round and back down to the pub mooring at Kames. call up the landlord for reindeer sausages, round of drinks and help .. erm, get the genny up too, don't want to hing aboot
 
OK,

You might get away with doing a 180 but space is tight and of course the apparent wind will drop to under 10 knots, so this probably wouldn't be my choice. If you make this decision it has to be instant - spin her round while you still have way on, unfurling the genny as you go. Once round with some way on of course all the pressure is off.

The sensible thing IMO is to rapidly unroll the genoa and short-tack as necessary. With no tide and 13 knots apparent wind most yachts can be short-tacked through a channel that wide without much difficulty - if you have practiced.

Which brings me to the point of the post - that there is merit in both options 1 and 2 but option 3 is obviously no option at all - and that to be safe you need to be confident handling the vessel under sail and able to maneovre in a confined space. A bonus is that engine failure in more leisurely circumstances is likely to be untraumatic.

Now could whichever previous poster it was tell me if that is sailing snobbery? Or that it is unreasonable to expect yachtsmen to be able to handle their vessels under sail?


- W
 
Were you watching? It happened to us last summer, Ran into wreckbay and anchored. Bled the system (small,slow airleak-now properly fixed) and then continued on our way. we were coming SE from Loch Riddon at the time, but in lighter wind
 
OK was trying to help but been thro 3 times, 1st motored ,2+ 3 sailed it on a Sigma 33 cos A can. Also took the old Endeavour tug thro a couple of times. Still like it tho, what about tha 2 girlies from rock, what are they called?? At the N. end??
 
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Sort of depends how close the PS Waverley is behind you!

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Dang! you got there before me!
I Always listen out for that plashing noise before I go through the Kyles, because I once found myself staring straight at her as I was about to enter the narrows going west (under power) and the master was taking no prisoners.
Hard to port and break out the fresh undies!
 
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