Sea Start

[SlimRick]

When are they coming to the Bristol Channel?

Judging by the number of yachts that get towed into Portishead, they could make a killing.

 

[CLB]

Valid points but dangerous in inexperienced hands and containing the 3 myths of self-reliance:

Twin Diesels. It's rarely the engines that cause the problem. It's the supporting infrastructure. Far too many leisure boats tick the 'twin diesel' box while shamelessly leaving the engines to rely on shared infrastructure be that a shared bay that can get flooded, electrics, raw water supplies, fuel, the list goes on.

Own maintenance. With the right skill level always the best. With an inadequate skill level, perhaps still better than a cowboy but possibly worse than doing nothing. However skilled and fastidious the maintenance is though, stuff often just breaks.

Carrying spares. Clearly a top plan. Even if the spare is just an excellent condition belt removed at set service interval despite appearing visually perfect. The reality however is that fixing stuff in a cramped engine bay in even a gentle chop or swell, in crowded seas, while managing anxious family, guests, etc. is often a daunting or high risk task. The spare will most likely be useful in either the hands of a professional who can do the job in 5 mins when it might take us capable amateurs 20 mins (and a very long 20mins in the circumstances) or more likely once towed somewhere safe and sheltered where it can be done safely and all related items properly checked. One failure can easily lead to another or be a symptom not a cause.

Sea Start get a massive thumbs up from me. I'd also highly reccommend one of their RYA Diesel Courses. These folk have both a real genuine desire to help you avoid breakdown as well as a financial incentive to ensure you don't need their services and their RYA Diesel Maintenance course goes well above and beyond the basic syllabus with a real wealth of experience of 'what goes wrong' and 'how to avoid it'.

I simply can't get my head around why anybody in the solent wouldn't have Sea Start membership. In fact I'd argue that giving Sea Start £160 to run their service leaving RNLI resouces free to run their life and vessel saving service for the benefit of 'all in peril' perhaps helps the RNLI more than giving anopther £160 directly to the RNLI.

To add my 2p worth, I have had mechanical problems of various sorts in both single and twin engines boats, up to and including full-on engine failure. In every case with a twin engine boat, I was able to continue under my own steam using the other engine. In every case on a single engine boat, a second engine would have allowed me to do the same. I am not saying that twin engines will save you every time, but it significantly improves your chances.

 

[C08]

Saw a small Mobo stop in the distance in the Solent on Wednesday, assumed he was anchored fishing. Before we had passed it seemed he was broken down (sailing foul tide/slowly) Seastart appeared at speed and towed him off towards Cowes. Most impressed with their service.

 

[Dorset Dan]

I was coming back from Yarmouth to Poole late afternoon yesterday and experienced wind over tide, not comfortable and the odd bit of slamming. At one point the autopilot (not being used) kicked in and started steering boat in a tight circle, couldn't over-ride manually and no amount of switching things off and on would fix it.

I was a way offshore at the time so no immediate danger but it was reassuring to give SeaStart a precautionary call and the call handler was arranging for an engineer to call me back when the autopilot issue fixed itself......but after calling SeaStart to let them know we were back underway,, they gave the reassurance that they would track me on AIS.

Once we got back to Poole a text came through to my mobile checking all was OK - so whilst I didn't need an engineer call out on this occasion, it was very reassuring to have them on the end of the line and knowing that they were tracking my progress.

 

[prv]

At one point the autopilot (not being used) kicked in and started steering boat in a tight circle, couldn't over-ride manually and no amount of switching things off and on would fix it.

That’s rather alarming - what sort of autopilot is it? The Raymarine drives I’m familiar with use an electromagnetic clutch, so if you kill the power to it then it’s automatically disengaged regardless of how confused the computer has got. But I’m less up to speed with pilots used on motorboats - I guess hydraulic pumps are common, and maybe newer outdrive boats just have a drive-by-wire electronic connection?

Pete

 

[Dorset Dan]

I don't really know what was wrong with the auto pilot. It wouldn't over-ride manually (normally a yank of the wheel works) and pressing the standby button that normally disengages it didn't work either (its a Raymarine P70R).

Even turning off the autopilot switch on the 12v panel and on again didn't work. Then the Volvo EDC panel starting playing up. I think that it was turning both engine power switches on and off again that seemed to reset it.

I'm going to do some research on it before another trip out though! We were fortunate to be in open sea at the time between Hurst and Hengistbury Head so had plenty of time to fiddle about (not sure my guests were enjoying it mind!!).