South Coast Adventures 3 - The Hamilton Humiliation.

[Cloona]

I am doing this post as I always said I would - and given that a full-time yachting journalist (Mr. Jermain) was man enough to 'fess up here recently it only seems right that this ungainly display of foolishness be shared in order to help others avoid both their own blushes and the inconvienience to others caused by incompetence.

Cloona was finally in good shape and we had made enough modest expeditions for "the Bruv" to feel his confidence rising to the point where he could take her out as Skipper.

So we arranged that I would be crew and "the Bruv" would be in sole charge and skipper the vessel for the day. And so it was we made our way out of Portsmouth Harbour and spent the afternoon steering courses across the Solent. We were on our way back to Pompey, heading in from Gilkicker, mid-a very smug - conversation regarding our much improved prowess when she bumped and bumped and shivers up my spine ran aground.

It was the lowest tide for 22 years and a glance at the chart showed the Hamilton bank under our keel.

A yacht stood by and then the Queens Harbour Masters launch came out and towed us off (thank goodness for a sansom post) and into deeper water.

We sail without VHF so the initial questions were shouted -
"How many on board"
"Any injuries."
"Are you breaking up."
"Are you making any water."
We were all OK and the wind and sea were moderate and the
boat was fine. Given a bit of a seaway the steel bilge plates would be driven up through her plywood hull and she would founder quickly enough.

It was time for BIG thanks to the volunteers on the QHM launch and time to reflect on the overeaching foolishness of it all.

 

[BlueSkyNick]

[ QUOTE ]
...... and time to reflect on the overeaching foolishness of it all.

[/ QUOTE ] Including the lack of a VHF radio, perhaps...

 

[Malcb]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
...... and time to reflect on the overeaching foolishness of it all.

[/ QUOTE ] Including the lack of a VHF radio, perhaps...

[/ QUOTE ]

And no depth gauge.. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[nick1568]

VHF one of the most important bits of kit you can have with you. Big Nick hit the nail on the head.

Oh and Gin, don't forget gin. (very impressed by James May on Top Gear, taking his hamper to the north pole!).

 

[flaming]

I agree. A handheld VHF (especially one that accepts AA batteries in an emergency) strikes me as being an especially good investment for a small boat.

 

[Evadne]

You haven't learned anything until you've made a few mistakes, so that makes you well on the way to achieving Auld Salt status. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Thanks for sharing this - I'm sure I'm not the only one who never gives much thought to water depth off Porstmuff 'cos it's always high water when I get there, and everywhere else that I run aground is always soft mud, when the most important thing to do is to put the kettle on before she leans over too far.
.

 

[FullCircle]

I started just this way. Nothing embarassing here, just solid experience gathering. Dont waorry about being short of kit for now, plenty of folk do without (no I am not being unsafe) and work out the priorities for kit as they experience more experiences.
Keep it up..

 

[DJE]

Sorry to hear that. Next time keep the Round Tower bearing about 030 degrees and you'll be in the inner swatchway with about 0.5m at Datum. The trick on the way in is to pass close to the race mark just East of Gilkicker. It's currently called "Hardway Marine" I think but like as not it'll be something else next year. Anyway note your depth at the bouy and you will have 0.6m less water when you get to the inner swatchway. On the way out just read the tide gauge and add on 0.5m for the depth in the swatchway.
Of course if you do get a vhf you'll then have to monitor channel 11 and ask QHM for permission to enter under sail because the Seagull isn't working! Still think you should have a radio though.

 

[Cloona]

thanx Evadne, FullCircle and DJE - this little debacle seemed more about an unseamanlike attitude taking hold - a sense of complacency getting a grip and then we actually went on and got into the situation through a lack of command - me feeling my brother was responsible for our course and he thinking it was all alright as I was not worried.

Although we have subsequently bought a handheld VHF (GBP 85) it only lasted a matter of hours at sea before taking a dive overboard - and we don't yet have an Echosounder.

The VHF would not have in anyway prevented us sailing our boat onto a famous sandbank and an Echosounder would have only been of any use if it was on and we were looking at it - and with a draught of 2ft 9ins I had wrongly decided there were no threats on the approach to the harbour.

It was a bright and sunny day with possibley a F 2-3 at most -the biggest lesson learnt was that in different conditions it would have got a lot messier a lot quicker - even in full sight of Portsmouth harbour.

We do intend to get more kit - VHF and Echsounder but time, expense and DIY fitting competence are all issues -

 

[aknight]

Happens to the best of them. I was with a very experienced and (normally) perfectly competent YM Instructor when, about a decade ago now, he stuck the sailing school's pride-and-joy on Hamilton Bank. Nothing to be ashamed of, just one of those learning experiences...it's unlikely you'll ever do it again.

You shouldn't feel pressured on buying kit for the boat. Yes a VHF would be a safety enhancement of course, but then so would lifejackets, and if you don't have lifejackets then I would spend the budget on those first. Then a waterproof handheld next.

And I've never yet seen a depth sounder stop anyone running aground who was hell-bent on doing so /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Slow_boat]

It appears to me that you have learned that the most important lesson here is about seamanship and not equipment. Well done.

p.s. If I were not to have sailed until I had all the gadgets that are now considered essential I would have missed forty-odd years of sailing and no-one would have gone anywhere until the seventies anyway!

 

[srp]

I've nearly run aground on the Hamilton Bank as well, about two years ago - bumped a couple of times, and looking astern there was a distinctly sandy/cloudy wake. I was on the Wightlink car ferry at the time....

 

[Topcat47]

Lots of people have done just that (me included). I've seen a JSASTC boat stuck there for two and a half hours and been on the putty for forty minutes myself, depth gauge notwithstanding. It does help if you have a chart. I have a spare if you're interested. PM me.