Senior Moments?

[Robert Wilson]

Not me, but I witnessed this many years ago in the Percuil moorings (St. Mawes)

Man and wife approaching their mooring, running down-wind to it...…….
"OK darling when we reach the mooring, pick it up and hold the warp 'til I get there to make fast."

First attempt OK, until the speed/momentum of boat pulls the warp from wifey's grip.
"Never mind darling, but hold on next time."

Skipper beats back up wind, turns and runs down to mooring.
Boat going too fast again, foredeck wifey picks up, holds on as long as physically possible.
Rather cross husband repeats the instructions, with very definite anger rising. Beats back up wind and runs back to the mooring.

"Whatever you do, this time grab the warp and DO NOT LET GO OF THE BLOODY THING," he screams.

Wifey grabs warp, keeps hold and staggers back to the stern where, still tightly holding the warp, she falls off the back...……..

I had to smile because now irate, but gob-smacked husband now had to try to moor-up by himself.

Best half hour's amusement I've had. (eventually a young lad in a motor-boat went to his rescue - and the poor lady in the water!!)

 

[vas]

none mentioned the following so I may as well do!

about to leave port with family and friends for a 10days around the local isles.
Everyone in, stern ropes dropped, bow also, me on the f/b, engines running (turned on from lower helm with the keys) engage both to leave berth, no, somethings not right, port engine definitely not engaging!
Back in somehow, tell others to try and hold the boat to the neighbours so that I can go down and see what's wrong.
Rev counter on stbr engine fine, revs up and down and prop engages, on port seemingly dead although rev counter shows engine in idle but wont rev nor engage.
It was soon after the rebuilt of the port gearbox so anxious that nothing's broken down there... Engines on mechanical controls btw.

So open the aft deck hatch, down to the engine room only to realise that simply port engine died on me (first time it does so) and stupid VDO rev counter stays where it is when engine dies (must find a way to fix that!)
Up on lower helm, turn the port engine key, surely engine fires up, all fine go up and set off mumbling some excuse about the bloody engine.

V.

 

[Irish Rover]

I know I had a good story to post here just before I answered the phone but I'm damned if I can remember what it was. Maybe later.

 

[oldgit]

err me again....
Day out with bunch of "special" local kids, all very curious and very inquisitive to say the least.
Head down stream for hour or two and turn for home.
Sudden "lose" an engine, curious as we have not touched engines for ages.
Adopt standard skipper "All under control" mode and limp back wondering what the hell has gone wrong this time.
Boat a real single engine pig to moor , disembark passengers and crew and investigate.

Somebody had spotted the never used mechanical engine stop hidden away near floor and decided to see what happened if you pulled it.
The real killer was that they had pushed it back in again so not obvious that it had been pulled.
Argh......

 

[sorabain]

Came into lock when it was a bit windy, so came in with a bit of speed and had some rudder on to maintain course. Got inside the lock and switched to using throttles to manoeuvre (twin shaft), found it bizarrely difficult to get the boat alongside one side of the lock to tie up, couldn't work out why port throttle forwards was putting the stern out to starboard. Finally got alongside with some brute force and boggled for a while. Lock filled up, gates opened, went to go out with a bit of oomph on twin throttles because of the wind again, boat started turning to port... looked down and had left the rudder to one side since going in...

 

[gjgm]

How much of a senior moment probably depends on how long it took me...
I had some work done in an unfamiliar marina and I was moored alongside the pontoon but close enough to the boat forward and stern that I decided to check the amount of room and consider how to get out . Deciding to #waddle# out with alternate engines, foward and reverse and bowthruster, I was certainly wondering for a moment what the hell was going wrong until I realised the mechanic had reversed forward and reverse on both engines.

 

[vodzurk]

Kayak ashore to rocky shore.

Hop out early so not to damage the skeg.

Realise you're wearing jeans and it's waist deep.

 

[Hardmy]

Not in 2018, but in 2017 I had a cool one.

I make fast for the night on a buoy in front of a boatyard. Got up next day to find out that the boat had drifted 2.5 NM together with the buoy and its mooring gear still attached to it. I didn't run aground. And despite busy traffic to the Corinth canal and the neighbouring refinery terminal, no collision occured.

Our unwanted travel (Corinth canal on the W):

Close-up:

 

[sorabain]

Not in 2018, but in 2017 I had a cool one.

I make fast for the night on a buoy in front of a boatyard. Got up next day to find out that the boat had drifted 2.5 NM together with the buoy and its mooring gear still attached to it. I didn't run aground. And despite busy traffic to the Corinth canal and the neighbouring refinery terminal, no collision occured.

Our unwanted travel (Corinth canal on the W):

Close-up:

ouch! was there a lobster pot on the other end of this buoy?

 

[NGM]

Not in 2018, but in 2017 I had a cool one.

I make fast for the night on a buoy in front of a boatyard. Got up next day to find out that the boat had drifted 2.5 NM together with the buoy and its mooring gear still attached to it. I didn't run aground. And despite busy traffic to the Corinth canal and the neighbouring refinery terminal, no collision occured.

Our unwanted travel (Corinth canal on the W):

Close-up:

I think that's the winner so far !!!

 

[vas]

I think that's the winner so far !!!

it's even worse if you know the area!
If I were Hardmy, I'd rush and get a couple of Lotto tickets

 

[Hardmy]

@Vas, good idea. I'll do it, and I'm not joking!

@Sorabain, very unusually for Greece, the water was too murky to see what was holding the buoy. Still, the owner's RIB with its 90hp wasn't strong enough to tow it back home...