JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
Needs more yakkety sax.
What is the most idiotic mistake you have made on a boat?
- Thread starter Nostrodamus
- Start date
Needs more yakkety sax.
Vanilla
Well-Known Member
I had left the spring from the end of the finger pontoon to the mid ship cleat attached and nobody else spotted it
LOL your mistake is only 50% as bad as mine as I too had left the spring on and couldn't work out why she wasn't reversing out of the berth as expected....ie going somewhere! Someone on the pontoon "kindly" and gleefully pointed out my error and so with some shame I went back into the berth to remove it. Now all sorted so left the berth again....only this time I found I'd left the stern line on! Oh the embarrassment
Nostrodamus
Well-Known Member
Yep.. also tried to take the pontoon out with me sailing. It is amazing how quickly a boat can turn when still attached to the pontoon.
Plomong
Well-Known Member
I didn't !!!!
Funny how an audience builds up just as you are about to foul up ??? !!!!!
Plomong
SimonFa
Well-Known Member
That's got me thinking.
I usually put a turn round the pillar when connecting the mains cable. This means that I could well be pulling the cable out of the boat end and end up with live wire in the water. I know there should be an ELCB but perhaps that isn't such a good idea.
Also, it will be far more expensive if I end up pulling the pillar out.
djyacht
Well-Known Member
Sailed into Watson`s Bay in Sydney Harbour to meet my wife and our friend for lunch at Doyle`s restaurant, moored and stepped into dinghy to get ashore. Got tangled up and the dinghy tipped,depositing me, my camera and dignity into the water in front of possibly 100 diners in Doyles and the adjacent eaterie. A resounding cheer from the diners as I swam and waded to shore.... tugging the dinghy behind....
Something similar: casting off with the shore power cable still plugged in.
Did that not just once, but twice.
jimmyk
Well-Known Member
Was sailing back from weymouth on a very broad reach that turned into a run. Looked at the mainsail and one of the sail batons had broke and the edge of the sail was wrapping around the lower stays. "Don't worry" I said, "I'll just jibe and then the sail will loose itself". Oh I jibes all right. One crash jibe later. No spreader. Massive panic. Mainsail down. No vhf. Massive row with my other half and six hour slow motor into Poole. Oh how we laughed. Especially next day when she had to go up the mast to repair the spreader. About five times.
I've not had the nerve to jibe since.
I've not had the nerve to jibe since.
BelleSerene
Well-Known Member
I know it well, having almost had a similar encounter stepping from a 30 Square Metre racing yacht to the pier there to pick up fish & chips for the crew I was sailing with in Sydney (that race was from Vaucluse in Watson's Bay) last November!
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
Oh, I just remembered one. All this talk of dinghies reminds me.
I acquired an old but unused Heyland Campaigner sailing dinghy which had lost its sail during years in storage. I found that a Topper 4.2 sail would fit with some modification to the mast, ot it set up and took it to Rockcliffe on the Solway Coast to give it a trial sail before flogging it on eBay.
The trial sail went fine until I capsized, at which point I discovered that it was a small dinghy, I am a large person and that though I could right it easily, any attempt to get in instantly capsized it again. So I swam round for a bit, pondering things, and finally discovered that I could hang on to the transom with one hand, steer with the other on the rudder and tow myself to shore.
After about 50 yards I started thinking more effectively. Solway Coast. Had to push it out quite a long way to get in. I wonder ...
Yep, throughout the capsize, the righting, the swimming around and the recovery, the water had been barely thigh deep.
I acquired an old but unused Heyland Campaigner sailing dinghy which had lost its sail during years in storage. I found that a Topper 4.2 sail would fit with some modification to the mast, ot it set up and took it to Rockcliffe on the Solway Coast to give it a trial sail before flogging it on eBay.
The trial sail went fine until I capsized, at which point I discovered that it was a small dinghy, I am a large person and that though I could right it easily, any attempt to get in instantly capsized it again. So I swam round for a bit, pondering things, and finally discovered that I could hang on to the transom with one hand, steer with the other on the rudder and tow myself to shore.
After about 50 yards I started thinking more effectively. Solway Coast. Had to push it out quite a long way to get in. I wonder ...
Yep, throughout the capsize, the righting, the swimming around and the recovery, the water had been barely thigh deep.
Phoenix of Hamble
Well-Known Member
Ah yes... another confession.... (FullCircle was witness to this one)....
Carefully crossed the notorious and ocasionally scary Deben bar.... thinking, "holy cow, there's a lot less water than I expected".... it got very shallow.... very very shallow indeed.
It appears that when calculating tidal heights, you should take more care in noting that High Water isn't marked in your tide tables with the initials LW.
Carefully crossed the notorious and ocasionally scary Deben bar.... thinking, "holy cow, there's a lot less water than I expected".... it got very shallow.... very very shallow indeed.
It appears that when calculating tidal heights, you should take more care in noting that High Water isn't marked in your tide tables with the initials LW.
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
Run aground in Stranraer Marina? Puzzled by the tides? Might help to notice that Laver's Tide Tables have Greenock on the left and Oban on the right.
<sob>
<sob>
marklucas
Well-Known Member
We took some friends sailing in the Ionian - a couple from University days.
We were half-way through the two weeks and a flotilla had beaten us into Kioni in the Southern Ionian - a deep horseshoe harbour. So we anchored half-way up in a small cove and used the dinghy to get to shore and then walked round the bay. Sitting down for an excellent dinner all seemed good until Erica felt a little unwell - no problem - Martin would take her back to the boat and then return for a few Ouzos. Now just before this we noticed a cruise ship sail by the head of the bay. And just after they left the wake arrived and actually got us wet. Martin took a while to come back - whilst we had dragged the dinghy up the beach 2m above the water level - the wake had got it. Martin had to swim out to our boat - and all credit to him put on a buoyancy aid - and then swim a further 150m to retrieve the dinghy, fetch Erica and then back to shore to enjoy his well deserved Ouzos. I now always tie the dinghy up even if it shouldn't need it.
And this wasn't me, but I organised a fun weekend trip for a group of friends and so we had 2 37' yachts with 14 people. On the Saturday night we picked up a visitors buoy in Newtown Creek in The Solent and the 2nd yacht joined us on the same buoy. I landed up cooking supper for all 14 on my boat on a simple two burner stove - not trivial - and it took a while as the gas ran out half way through. Needless to say all were somewhat well fuelled by the time supper arrived and needless to say they other boat was on washing up duty - well that was the only way they were going to get their crockery back. The boats were well appointed with toasters and electric kettles. Their skipper asked if we could put the electric kettle on to speed up the process - 13 people looked at her as if she was completely bonkers - we awarded her an electric kettle at the Christmas dinner.
We were half-way through the two weeks and a flotilla had beaten us into Kioni in the Southern Ionian - a deep horseshoe harbour. So we anchored half-way up in a small cove and used the dinghy to get to shore and then walked round the bay. Sitting down for an excellent dinner all seemed good until Erica felt a little unwell - no problem - Martin would take her back to the boat and then return for a few Ouzos. Now just before this we noticed a cruise ship sail by the head of the bay. And just after they left the wake arrived and actually got us wet. Martin took a while to come back - whilst we had dragged the dinghy up the beach 2m above the water level - the wake had got it. Martin had to swim out to our boat - and all credit to him put on a buoyancy aid - and then swim a further 150m to retrieve the dinghy, fetch Erica and then back to shore to enjoy his well deserved Ouzos. I now always tie the dinghy up even if it shouldn't need it.
And this wasn't me, but I organised a fun weekend trip for a group of friends and so we had 2 37' yachts with 14 people. On the Saturday night we picked up a visitors buoy in Newtown Creek in The Solent and the 2nd yacht joined us on the same buoy. I landed up cooking supper for all 14 on my boat on a simple two burner stove - not trivial - and it took a while as the gas ran out half way through. Needless to say all were somewhat well fuelled by the time supper arrived and needless to say they other boat was on washing up duty - well that was the only way they were going to get their crockery back. The boats were well appointed with toasters and electric kettles. Their skipper asked if we could put the electric kettle on to speed up the process - 13 people looked at her as if she was completely bonkers - we awarded her an electric kettle at the Christmas dinner.
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Dave-Shafa
N/A
Not my mistake - When I worked for Jock Blair building E-Boats in Glenrothes, I walked by a hull and a screw suddenly appeared below the water-line.
I banged on the hull and Charlie an ex shuttering joiner who knew nothing of boats and water, realised his mistake. I think he filled the small hole with
spit and sawdust.
I rigged the mast and deck fittings. Apparently some E-Boats are still alive. Did Dylan have one ...
The stopidist thing I did was leave Islay not knowing the weather or tides....
RNLI report here
http://rnli.org/NewsCentre/Pages/Th...at-and-owner-rescued-by-Campbeltown-RNLI.aspx
I banged on the hull and Charlie an ex shuttering joiner who knew nothing of boats and water, realised his mistake. I think he filled the small hole with
spit and sawdust.
I rigged the mast and deck fittings. Apparently some E-Boats are still alive. Did Dylan have one ...
The stopidist thing I did was leave Islay not knowing the weather or tides....
RNLI report here
http://rnli.org/NewsCentre/Pages/Th...at-and-owner-rescued-by-Campbeltown-RNLI.aspx
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Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Always use tide tables for the actual year, not the previous year. Fortunately the tide was making.
aquaplane
Well-Known Member
Tell me about it, not making much progress on leaving Eilean Mor, checked the tides we had set off well early. I wouldn't mind but I did exactly the same thing leaving Loch Spelve but that did mean we popped in to Loch Don to wait a bit and have a brew.
Seven Spades
Well-Known Member
Having never been to Newtown before I spotted a free buoy and so took the easy option. Needless to say at about ½ tide I felt the boat settle. I then spent the next three hours anxiously waiting to see how far over we would go, we ended up at about 50 degrees. Fortunately it was October and was completely dark. We left early the next morning before any other boats were up and hoping that my error had not been noticed by any other boats.
flaming
Well-Known Member
On a D/S course years ago. Set a task to enter Alum bay from the west without hitting the big rock. Decided that following a contour would work, so set about working out the tide height and confidently followed the contour in. Seeing the rock as it slid past about 5 feet away....
I'd totally forgotten that the depth sounder was set to read below the keel, not the water depth. In my defense, so had the instructor!
I'd totally forgotten that the depth sounder was set to read below the keel, not the water depth. In my defense, so had the instructor!
Nostrodamus
Well-Known Member
Last year I took our bilge pump out to service it and did a dam fine job if I say so myself. Only trouble was that I refitted it the wrong way so it was sucking in rather than emptying.
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Got the tee-shirt!
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