What did PhillM do wrong?

[Kukri]

Creep in at dead of night, dank pea-souper, to 5 metres and put the anchor down..... and 30 metres of chain for no other reason than that it's there..... put the whistling kettle on, and fall asleep before it has boiled.

Wake up mid-morning with the sunlight streaming in. Poke head out to find oneself in a rather lovely, unexpected West Country haven with a picturesque village ( two, actually ) right in front. The engine noise from the postie's van, the milk float, the greenery....

I'd recommend to all Jesters that they aim to land up at Cawsand first-off, stop the night, and 'recharge the batteries'. first. The anchorage is free....

Snap. But I didn’t put the kettle on. Mine lost its whistle years ago.

 

[zoidberg]

Snap. But I didn’t put the kettle on. Mine lost its whistle years ago.

You wouldn't suggest a whistling kettle as a safety aid in a simple sailboat, but there are quite a few occasions when I've sat down and dozed off, only to be woken by the whistling 10 minutes later.

I learned - no, was taught - a wheen of tricks by the very canny skippers and mates who sailed the RAF's Windfall wooden boats back in the early 70s. Seamanship was a religion with them.... every one a character straight out of Peyton's cartoons - which themselves comprise an excellent source of seamanship 'nous'.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

In mil aviation circles last century, there was much wholly-warranted focus on the the significant problems of 'the last mile'. Airmanship and seamanship are but two sides of the same coin.

Also..... "any landing you can walk away from is a good one."

Plenty of celebrated sailors with books to their names have had a close encounter with the 'terra very firma'. PhillM hasn't lost his boat; he hasn't lost his life or limbs. He has learned some damned expensive lessons, cheaply.

Me, I'm looking forward to reading chapters 2, 3 and 4 of this adventure.

+1 to that.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

I’m trying to imagine myself into a similar situation, with the challenge being that I know Plymouth extremely well.

If I was tired and needing rest with the wind in the WSW I’d be looking at the chart and feeling my way into Cawsand and dropping the hook. One eye on the echo sounder ensures you don’t hit the unlit shoreline and you feel your way round and into shelter. A big torch to watch out for mooring buoys but hopefully you’d avoid using it as it ruins your night vision. No GPS needed for any of this sort of pilotage.

As soon as you’re anywhere sheltered it’s drop the hook on a good scope, anchor light on and check you’re not dragging and sleep. It’s the sort of thing I’ve done in many places where I’ve arrived one or two up, tired after a long passage and in the dark.

My two penny worth FWIW.

I admit I have the advantage of having Radar which makes the above exercise simplicity itself, but without radar it’s foolproof and safe. Just choose a shoreline with no surprise rocks. Look at the chart and make a mental note such as ‘no dangers outside the ten metre contour’ or similar. So long as the e/s reads more than ten metres plus height of tide you CAN’T hit anything.

I am surprised no-one else has mentioned radar, as a range fix from even a really basic radar would have probably also have given a good warning of the position starting to awry I would thought. Avoids the GPS issue as well, whether environmental or man-made. If the Navy thinks it needs to jam your radar you must have bought it off the back of matt green lorry...

 

[KompetentKrew]

Going back to early electronic days …
If viz was lost, the SOP I knew was to either anchor, if possible, where you were or to set a compass course in the general direction of open water and monitor the depth sounder.

Maybe this has been forgotten with all today's electronic aids, …

Not forgotten - the Coastal Skipper / YM Theory course is big on contour lines.

I think the Day Skipper is fairly keen on them, but can't remember for sure.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I am surprised no-one else has mentioned radar, as a range fix from even a really basic radar would have probably also have given a good warning of the position starting to awry I would thought. Avoids the GPS issue as well, whether environmental or man-made. If the Navy thinks it needs to jam your radar you must have bought it off the back of matt green lorry...

Mentioned several times.

 

[lw395]

I am surprised no-one else has mentioned radar, as a range fix from even a really basic radar would have probably also have given a good warning of the position starting to awry I would thought. Avoids the GPS issue as well, whether environmental or man-made. If the Navy thinks it needs to jam your radar you must have bought it off the back of matt green lorry...

The OP didn't have radar.
There's not really much point in suggesting he should have used tools he didn't have.
There are several position fixing options, there are still radio beacons out there, you could DF from the TV transmitters, you could use your phone perhaps. You could have inertial navigation, or do DR properly and hope your tidal info is adequate.
But there is no serious suggestion that GPS was jammed or inoperative, just that the OP's plotter was inadequate.

 

[PeterV]

There are alternate means of establishing your position in Plymouth sound:
In 1979 I was in charge of a RN 43' yacht returning from the Channel Islands in light winds and thick fog and with a blown head gasket on the engine. I used RDF on Plymouth Sound radio for the general direction and then echo sounder to approach the Mewstone which I knew was steep to. Having got close enough to hear the breakers on the Mewstone (at around 0100) we then plotted a course to the bell buoy off the Western entrance. Picking this up by sound we then called up the Port Control on vhf to ask if there were any shipping movements, but they'd closed the port because of the fog and gave us permission to come in. I plotted a course for the next buoy at the back of Drakes island but couldn't find it. I carried on for a bit and started getting into shallow water. Still finding no buoys where I expected we called up the Port Control again and they said they'd replaced all the buoys that weekend as part of the changeover to IALA! However they had us on their radar plot and then guided us into Millbay docks. I didn't believe we'd entered because the fog was too thick for us to see either pier but they told us to turn right and we'd find a wall. We did.
My lessons: crossing the channel without an engine or radar in thick fog is something I will always avoid if at all possible.
Use every means availabile to you for navigation and when it all starts looking wrong, call for help!
However I had a crew of young, fit and alert naval officers, if I was singlehanded and tired the outcome might have been very different.

 

[LadyInBed]

There are alternate means of establishing your position in Plymouth sound:

Do they have AIS buoys / lighthouses established around Plymouth now?

 

[grumpy_o_g]

Mentioned several times.

Yep, I managed to skip a load of posts in this thread when reading it last night - not sure how but please ignore my comment (as usual).

 

[grumpy_o_g]

The OP didn't have radar.
There's not really much point in suggesting he should have used tools he didn't have....

Disagree strongly there - I wasn't suggesting he should have used it, rather that it would have been very useful in these circumstances if it was fitted (bearing in mind that the outcome I personally want from this thread is to know how to avoid similar situations myself). I have found that many folk regard radar mainly as something to use to avoid shipping. The OP's GPS was inoperative, albeit not due to jamming - I accept another system may well have performed better but there are times, even on the open sea, when you can't get a GPS lock - I've seen that myself on more than one occasion. In fairness the heavy rain associated with a couple would probably have taxed radar too though.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Disagree strongly there - I wasn't suggesting he should have used it, rather that it would have been very useful in these circumstances if it was fitted (bearing in mind that the outcome I personally want from this thread is to know how to avoid similar situations myself). I have found that many folk regard radar mainly as something to use to avoid shipping. The OP's GPS was inoperative, albeit not due to jamming - I accept another system may well have performed better but there are times, even on the open sea, when you can't get a GPS lock - I've seen that myself on more than one occasion. In fairness the heavy rain associated with a couple would probably have taxed radar too though.

I have posted the account before but I fitted an early Raymarine radar RL70C or something like that to a Vancouver 27 and shortly afterwards was returning to the UK in the early hours when fog literally rolled down and blanketed the entire coast. I was able to enter Fowey which is a relatively narrow entrance without seeing either side using radar. Since that day I have been a firm advocate for it and with modern sets there is little reason other than cost for not fitting it to small boats.

 

[doug748]

Wonderful thing radar and it is slowly getting down to the masses. Not many will be fitting it on a 25ft classic wooden boat though.

 

[zoidberg]

I remain solidly convinced that we need to use ALL the nav tools, tricks and techniques in the toolbag - not just a GPS plotter.
That's always been the strength of the pro navigator - and the weakness of the 'stripped to the bones' RYA training.

I'd like to see rather more emphasis being put on the 'All aids' perspective, for the OP's tale and many others - including mine - show that the need to understand and to use 'reversionary' nav techniques is quite common - and especially so in challenging situations.


I happen to think that PhillM did well with the limited resources and the know-how he had. Those among us with a LOT more experience(s) and acquired learning can certainly suggest better ways, but surely the challenge is to communicate to those who DON'T yet know better that there are ways and means, and it is required learning that sooner or later will be needed.

And let's not lose sight of the 'drunk with fatigue' issue.

 

[Kukri]

Fatigue is a killer.

 

[Poignard]

Fatigue is a killer.

+1

and hubris

 

[steveeasy]

I remain solidly convinced that we need to use ALL the nav tools, tricks and techniques in the toolbag - not just a GPS plotter.
That's always been the strength of the pro navigator - and the weakness of the 'stripped to the bones' RYA training.

I'd like to see rather more emphasis being put on the 'All aids' perspective, for the OP's tale and many others - including mine - show that the need to understand and to use 'reversionary' nav techniques is quite common - and especially so in challenging situations.


I happen to think that PhillM did well with the limited resources and the know-how he had. Those among us with a LOT more experience(s) and acquired learning can certainly suggest better ways, but surely the challenge is to communicate to those who DON'T yet know better that there are ways and means, and it is required learning that sooner or later will be needed.

And let's not lose sight of the 'drunk with fatigue' issue.

That's a very proactive post. A lot has been gained by many of us in relation to this thread. I already have a much better plan of what I should prepare for and how to deal with a similar scenario. Most of which does not involve any real expenditure.

Steveeasy

 

[lw395]

Do they have AIS buoys / lighthouses established around Plymouth now?

I assume everybody knows you need to have a GPS signal to get much benefit from any AIS navaids?

 

[lw395]

I have posted the account before but I fitted an early Raymarine radar RL70C or something like that to a Vancouver 27 and shortly afterwards was returning to the UK in the early hours when fog literally rolled down and blanketed the entire coast. I was able to enter Fowey which is a relatively narrow entrance without seeing either side using radar. Since that day I have been a firm advocate for it and with modern sets there is little reason other than cost for not fitting it to small boats.

Likewise, I've got into ports (including Fowey as it happens) with no visual contact at all, just a £100 handheld GPS, a chart and a depth sounder. But there were two of us which makes a huge difference.

This isn't really about electronic aids, it's about a systematic, sound approach to pilotage/navigation, and being in a fit state to operate the boat.

The GPS failure was probably 100% self inflicted, but nobody should be absolutely relying on GPS, particularly cheap consumer GPS.

 

[LadyInBed]

I assume everybody knows you need to have a GPS signal to get much benefit from any AIS navaids?

As all good solutions, trumped by Catch 22