Should I feel awful?

[Kristal]

Alone, bringing Crystal up the Thames for a brief visit to the idyllic Limehouse Marine, I somehow miscalculated the tide and found myself punching the not-insignificant ebb. Arrival at Limehouse would therefore be hairy, thanks to a nasty eddy on the eastern lock wall. The wind is blowing downstream, at right angles to the lock entrance, but the river wall is higher than I've ever seen it trying to go in, and at the far end of the lock, I see the cill showing a good two feet. It's a long way up.

I give the puny motor just enough revs to push us into the lock at one knot, round the corner with the dodgy eddy perfectly and enter the lock. Somehow, suddenly, the wind is right aft, and no amount of astern throttle will check our pace. Crystal actually accelerated. We are now headed straight for the closed gates at the far end of the lock.

In panic, I seize the enormous boathook and try to grab something to slow, if not stop, the yacht from slamming her bowsprit into the gates at significant speed. I cannot, I sprain a wrist and, staggering after the third attempt, crack my head on the boom. This is the second hard knock my head has taken from that particular bit of wood in 48 hours. Stunned, I can only try and regain my senses as Crystal collides with the lock wall. Thanks to the marina staff, one of whom was extremely contemptuous, she didn't hit the far wall - her outer shroud snagged the concrete and one of them seized it.

It then only remained for me to try and enter a finger pontoon berth, misjudge my turn by a few inches and narrowly miss the neighbouring boat, which belongs to an acquaintance. Fortunately, I was assisted in checking her way by a friend who saw the whole spectacle, and happens to be the President of the Cruising Association. The wind had reverted to it's previous direction, suggesting some sort of odd funnel effect through the very low lock.

I am thoroughly gutted. I know that there was no sensible way to stop her, not with the lock wall three metres above me, nor could I really accomplish a flawless berthing when I couldn't see straight, but I'm really really cross with myself nonetheless, as I am fiercely proud of my abilty to manouver Crystal under power, often no mean feat.

Is this one of those things that you just have to accept?

/<

 

[rjp]

[ QUOTE ]


Is this one of those things that you just have to accept?

/<

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, nobody died and anyway confession is good for the soul. All in all I would call it a character building experience and get on with enjoying your sailing.

John

 

[Wayward_Son]

The longer one is on the water the more chance there is of an educational incident such as finding the bottom where you thought you had 2 fathoms below your keel, or an unfortunate mooring fiasco.

Not to say that this will happen to everyone, it's just more likely to occur than if you sat at home and read about boats instead of sailing them.

 

[Santana379]

Bless you my son.

We all have to be fiercely proud of something - in my case it's my ability to spell manoeuvre.

Presumably /<rystal is no longer in the Tidemill then?

I can't criticise anyone for manoeuvring mishaps as I live in terror of close quarters situations under power in Francis Fletcher. I book marinas on the mobile 'phone not the VHF so I can plead for easy berths without broadcasting my lack of confidence on channel 80. I haven't actually clouted anything hard yet, but that's because I nearly always tow the dinghy and moor or anchor off.

I should forget about it if I was you, though reading your account I was wondering how you were planning to temporarily moor in the lock? Certainly if reverse didn't even slow the boat down, the boathook and wrist wouldn't have stood a chance. Getting a loop over a cleat or bollard and gently taking the tension with a turn around a deck cleat might have worked, but single-handed a fairly sudden change in course could result, potentially smacking bow or stern in to the wall.

Based on your experience at Limehouse I shall be sure to have a sea anchor ready to deploy when next I go in!

 

[fishermantwo]

Kristal,
On my fishing vessel I carry a small SS grapell hook attached to a length of 1/2 nylon rope. The grapell weighs about a kilo and I can throw it some distance. I leave it ready for use in my cabin for the occassion that I screw up parking against the wharf with adverse current and strong wind blowing me away from the wharf. Have not had to use it yet. In your case something like that and use a cleat to ease the rope around may save some damage.

 

[Peterduck]

Personally, I find the sailing is a doddle compared to close-quarters manoeuvring. There are just too many things to bump into, and many of them have great big rusty bolts sticking out of them. It is for this reason that 'Swallow' has a 40hp diesel and an 18" prop. I have also given up trying to do it alone. I invariably end up needing to be in three places at once, doing three different things. Swallow's marina pen faces north, and in a northerly wind, which is usually 20kts plus, I wouldn't be able to return her to the pen without damaging her, so I don't go out in those conditions. All of these things mean that I don't get to sail Swallow anywhere near as much as I would like to.
Everyone has a story similar to yours, and invariably the world and his wife is watching when it happens. Of course, when you make the perfect approach and it all falls into place, the area is deserted. I think that reading Yachting Monthly's "Confessional" column [do they still have it?] is good for the soul, for you realise that you're not Robinson Crusoe!
All in all, just regard it as one of life's lessons, taking you another step up the learning curve. The big difference between young salt like you and old salt like me is that I've had more of these "lessons" than you have. They are invariably well-remembered. I've been told that it's a hard university indeed, where you get the exam first, and then work out what the lesson was.
Peter.

 

[ccscott49]

You accept it! Got in a terrible pickle with mine, trying to stern to moor in benalmadena, wind caught the bow, gusts, you see, and there was no way of controlling it. Just had to wait with lots of fenders, until everything came to a stop, then try again! Use the dinghy as a tug nowadays if the wind is blowing across the berth. But not single handed!! Tee Hee.

 

[Mirelle]

Been just there, done that very thing, have CA t-shirt

No, you should not, because Ruby and I did exactly the same thing, taking Mirelle into the same lock, in 1997 - and there were two of us!

 

[Kristal]

Saving up for jet-drive

Well, many thanks to all for these comforting words. 24 hours later, I'm more sanguine about it. I like the grappling hook idea, just because I think I'd look cool swinging it around my head, although the only thing to grapple on this occasion was a couple of yuppies on bikes. I have no doubt it will happen again!

On further reflection, I remember a little more of the problem - too much power (all 8hp of it) astern seems to temporarily adversely affect steerage, even if the boat is still moving ahead. Of course, hydrodynamically speaking it makes sense. This is why we use short bursts of full astern to check her, but it's interesting to have been in a situation where you have to very carefully balance reducing speed with maintaining steerage.

PS: FF - Crystal no longer in Tidemill, as my work circumstances seem to indicate I won't have enough time to catch up with the jobs I need to do if she is in Woodbridge (more's the pity). I shall be up occasionally, though, as I still have some unfinished business with certain residents. The Mate and I brought her down from Woolverstone to London in one 15-hour journey, which was exhausting but very good experience.

 

[wrr]

Worry not, the glory of wooden boats is that we can replace the little pieces that are occasionally dislodged! The nearer one is to immoveable objects, the more likely the chances of collision. A since reprimanded member of the Dover Coastguard once suggested that I sail into Eastbourne and lock in, after midnight, following catstrophic engine failure! I am rather glad that I insisted on a RNLI tow or the restoration project might have been even more extensive.
Have you read of the account of the Lord Nelson's tussle with Tower Bridge? (http://www.maib.gov.uk/publications/investigation_reports/2004/lord_nelson.cfm) Despite professional crew and pilot, they managed to achieve something similar.
Fret not, classic boats are forgiving, otherwise they would never last long enough to achieve their status.

 

[LittleShip]

I was recently relating an experience of my berthing “cock up” when an ex pilot said, and quote, “any landing you walk away from is a good one”
As long as nobody was seriously injured and the boat was not too damaged, ignore it!! You have probably had hundreds of times when everything has gone well, but I’ll put a bet on that there was nobody around when it did go well ??? There’s always hundreds when it goes wrong! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Tom

 

[Leon_Steyns]

No, you shouldn't feel bad! Just the plain fact that you have the courage to stand up and share your "experience" with the rest of the world makes you a brave man.

I'm sorry that this happened to you. If it's any comfort: I manage to do stupid things manouvering my car sometimes (and I drive that about 40k miles a year!), without tides and windage to worry about. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Greets, Leon Steyns.

 

[Stemar]

I've heard it said that there are people who will admit to making cockups - and big ones that they can only blame on themselves - and liars. Maybe I'd add a third category - beginners who've been lucky so far.

I was in the last category until the connection between my morse control and the gear cable came adrift as I gave a burst of astern to come onto my club pontoon a few weeks back. Pure luck that I had nothing to hit, so I got away with a minor scuff. If I'd been in a marina, it wouldn't have been pretty!

 

[theodora]

I like the grappling hook idea because there would always be the chance that you could catch the contemptuous one around the neck, therefore giving him a good lesson in the forces at work and allowing him to help at the same time.

 

[Lakesailor]

I only just found this thread. The concept of trying to stop a gliding boat is pretty optimistic, there's a terrific amount of energy to disipate. I've done the torn ligament on the thumb thing, and broken ribs twice trying to arrest my boat at the mooring bouy, and trying to stop a wind driven yacht passing by unattended,
The warp with a couple of turns on a bollard or cleat let gently out to slow down a boat works well. Otherwise abort and try again, or stand well clear.