Terrified? Snowflakery...?

[oldmanofthehills]

Fairly unnerving. Lost electrical power coming out of Bristol Docks at night. Engine running but no nav lights or radio. Tried handheld to let dock master know but faded out before I connected. I figured maybe generator but in narrow convoluted tideway, so convoluted that lots of ships used to run aground, there was no where to stop once I passed to pierhead, and I thought I had no headtorch to see anything. A mobo passed me and got beyond hailing distance, so I pressed on to my mooring near some miles away near the mouth of the river Avon.

And then a half hour later I see a great big ship - a full size Coast Guard patrol ship, far astern but approaching fast. I was not quite sure where I had left white flares, or whether I had oil in my dodgy paraffin lamp and single handed it was no time to go looking for them, the channel is narrow and as I said there was nowhere to stop. Even slowing down and pulling over to the steep bank would probably cause my boat to be wrecked.

Fortunately they saw me on radar and managed to not swamp me, but I was very nervous

 

[capnsensible]

I reckon it's only an ETA thing really. Should your engine...or a part of it....turn its toes up or the batteries decide to become simple heavy boxes, then realistically it's a simple mental adjustment to your place or time of arrival.

Coping with that underpins how the rest of the passage is conducted with low stress. Neptune has given me a number of tests to complete regarding power failure. From a simple jammed starter motor on a friends yacht last week just outside our home Marina to mid Atlantic exhaust blow outs.

Relax and enjoy the challenge always is easier to say than do, but it works.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Its not an ETA matter in front of large moving objects in poor visibility unless you mean ETA at the Pearly Gates..

I have also had engine failure in bad weather - when hoping to beat a gale to safety - that did put us at apparent risk - no harm was done in the end except desparate seasickness from laying in the bilges fixing jury rigged repair in F6/7 short seas, but when the CG call you up at regular intervals to make sure you are still Ok its sobering.

Open sea, moderate bad weather, no navigational hazards: - then its mere challenging!

 

[capnsensible]

View it as an opportunity to enhance your spatial awareness and improve your lookout practices.

Or another day at the office.......

 

[Kukri]

September 29/30. F7-9 SW - SSW. Lost the engine as we cleared the Bramble Bank. Phoned Woolverstone marina to ask them to hip the launch up to help us berth. Didn’t see any need to bother anyone else.

 

[DownWest]

I've heard a few disaster stories where being too focused on fixing the initial problem lead to a disaster - head down sorting the engine, as the rocks get closer sort of thing.

Aircraft lowered it's undercarriage on approach to a Florida airfield. Only two greens showed, so the pilots were investigating a probable blown bulb. Wjile they were busy, one managed to disconnect the autopilot and it gently drifted down into a swamp. The amazing thing was that several passangers survived.

 

[Kukri]

Aircraft lowered it's undercarriage on approach to a Florida airfield. Only two greens showed, so the pilots were investigating a probable blown bulb. Wjile they were busy, one managed to disconnect the autopilot and it gently drifted down into a swamp. The amazing thing was that several passangers survived.

Very famous example, much used in CRM courses. (The ground proximity alarm had been disabled due to the landing gear being lowered.)

 

[zoidberg]

Be aware, be very aware, of the above and other 'famous examples' when sailing with any pilots. Contrary to their self-marketing and PR hype, lots of pilots are situationally-unaware and conditioned to following 'rules and procedures' until there's no time or airspace left for 'creative problem solving'.

Only a few of them are skilled at thinking out of the box - and quickly!

 

[Kukri]

You will always know when you are sailing with a pilot, because he will always tell you that he is a pilot.

 

[laika]

It seems to me that if one is the sort who gets terrified at being unable to switch on the lights, perhaps being offshore after dark is not your thing.

Perhaps leaving "terror" aside, is it "snowflakery" to be concerned about not being able to display nav lights? e.g. dodging ferries coming into Cherbourg at night with a busted engine and flat batteries? You can argue that you should always have some battery backups but if it's someone else's boat and you aren't skipper there's only so much you can carry in your kit bag.

Assuming that this is a "rufty-tuftier-than-thou" thread, wouldn't a daylight example be better? "No nav lights at night in a trafficy area" is, imho, a legitimate thing to be concerned about. You might make your point better if your target were people worrying about electrical failure in daylight and good vis.

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

You will always know when you are sailing with a pilot, because he will always tell you that he is a pilot.

You've sailed with Jeff too?

 

[DJE]

Is it significant that background picture behind the question is a power boat?

 

[Daydream believer]

September 29/30. F7-9 SW - SSW. Lost the engine as we cleared the Bramble Bank. Phoned Woolverstone marina to ask them to hip the launch up to help us berth. Didn’t see any need to bother anyone else.

Launch?? Whimps---When we sailed back from Ostend & engine failed to start, we SAILED into our berth at bradwell- B3- at night ( better then as no one looking!!) But I admit it was only F5-6 (& cheeks were a bit tight)