what now skipper

[tcm]

you have offered a tow to a boken down speedboat but he's passed the line OVER his guard rail.

back up - you can't take the strain - he has to put it UNDER the guard rails else they will get wrecked. Yes under, tellim or signal UNDER with arm movements you effing wombat, see, UNDER for crisakes. UNDER!! Under the guard rails!!. UNDER!!! What's he doing now? Oh look , now he has mistaken the signals for UNDER to mean we want some payment as if UNDER the counter and is waving a twenty pound note. Result! Right, someone get the dinghy out, release our line, go over with our line end trailing and take his twenty quid cos they almost never come round and say thanks afterwards since it's likely a rental boat, and tell him to put the line UNDER the guardrails. Also check his line is releasable as a loop and tellim to release the line whne he is where he wants to be in port. We'll back up and take the line again as you come back in the dinghy. Not bad for twenty quid, he won't do this again eh?

 

[Sneds]

Been there!

We broke down off Watchet harbour in a F6 gusting 7 wind against tide, it wasn't forecast!
Unable to deploy ground tackle I put out a pan-pan (another few minutes and I'd have pressed the red button) a fishing boat "Scooby Doo 2" came to our aid and I tied the tow rope without thinking and indeed, it damaged my pulpit!
After that line snapped and I was a little less scared and panicy (is there such a word?) I made sure the next line went under the rail and we were towed to safety.
My point?
It is easy to make a simple error when in the face of adversity.
My choice? Get dashed on the rocks and drown or damage a bit of steel tube?

Maybe the guy in the rescuing boat thought "pr@t" but he wasn't the one bricking it, my thanks to that very competant skipper who later shrugged the incident off and wouldn't accept a penny from me.
Big thanks also to the Minehead lifeboat who also assisted, and the coastguard who later gave our boat the once over and put the incident down as "no blame just pure bad luck"

Just thought I'd share my experience. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[gjgm]

ahh comon.. poor guy was probably panicking like crazy.. then gets recused by such a superyacht, whos skipper then starts gesticulating. By this time he probably wished he was on the rocks, poor chap! Thinking, that scruff obviously needs a few bob, I d better wave a 20 at him! I m sure he was very grateful.

 

[Fire99]

ahh how familiar does that sound..
I can certainly vouch that in times of 'crisis' you would willingly swap you're boat for anything that will get you out of the situation..

I have to also say Thames coastguard and the local RNLI have been extremely helpful in times of crisis..

 

[peterb26]

Being in "minor distress" (as opposed to a full MayDay scenario), has an interesting effect on the personality. And the way you handle it definitely improves with experience. I would stake a fair sum of money on the fact that this was probably the first "minor distress" situation that the skipper of the speedboat had encountered.

In 35 years of boating, I have had 2 "very minor distress" situations - one through bad luck and one through my own incompetence!

The first time, I can remember thinking "Oh my God this is disastrous - what are we going to do - etc etc" and generally having a quick panic for perhaps 15-30 minutes.

10 years later, in the second "minor distress" situation, I remember feeling completely calm and dealing with the matter as if it was a daily occurrence - which fortunately it isnt!!

 

[Nat]

£20 quid., you cant buy a coconut for £20 quid. Should have been a bullseye at least

 

[ontheplane]

I once had a Pan Pan situation and was amazed at myself....

Suddenly I became totally cool and actually just thought.... hmm what should I do!

Fortunately the weather wasn't harsh, we were a long way from any rocks etc and I had the joy of time to just think "what should I do next?"

I can't say I'd be as cool in a real 'emergency'

One thing though - in that situation if you need a tow it might make sense to tie the line on before you've even found a boat that is willing to tow - then you can just throw the line to them - saves a lot of time compared to finding the boat to tow you, then finding and tying on the line...

Grant

 

[peterb26]

[ QUOTE ]


One thing though - in that situation if you need a tow it might make sense to tie the line on before you've even found a boat that is willing to tow - then you can just throw the line to them - saves a lot of time compared to finding the boat to tow you, then finding and tying on the line...

Grant

[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting point - I have it in the back of my mind that theres something in marine salvage law that says "if you pass the rope to the towing boat then they cant claim salvage".

But I could have that completely the wrong way round - and maybe passing the rope is an indication that you are in need of "salving"!!

Does anyone know? Any legal beagles around??

 

[phockit]

From the RYA Powerboat Handbook:

"Salvage - Agree a price at the outset for fuel or a few beers once at the slipway. It's also good practice to offer them a line you have prepared as evidence that you retain control of the vessel."

Paul

 

[tcm]

salvage

not legal expert, but Iam near certain that for a slavage claim to have substance the salvor mustput his *own* life/vessel in danger have a claim. There are other hallmarks of a salvage too, and that involves the salvors takingcontrol - and putting own lines on is seen as mildest way of "taking control" . So yes,it is suggested youoffer you own line toeffect the tow, and/or as towee ask them "I have to ask please - do you waive you salvage rights" and the tower should say yes, afaik...

 

[ggt9]

Just an extra thought (in an effort to get to two whole posts)...

RYA legal dept and salvage rights aside, I usually expect the boat offering the tow to offer the tow line... that way, the skipper of the tow knows the type and condition of the tow rope and can set up in advance any towing rig/bridle at his end that he needs or prefers. Who knows what rotted, smelly fomer washing line the towee may come up with? The best time to find out is not when it parts and comes flying through the air at you.

Further, the tow boat will in theory be more manoverable and perhaps less stressed than the towee so it's better placed to position itself to pass the line.

That said, being intimately familiar with the condition of many of the ropes on my own boat (some of which count as dear old friends), if I was picking up anything of significant size, I might enquire casually what they had available /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif...

 

[michaelh]

Speaking with a bit of knowledge since I once had a salvage claim made against me.

The story of the wreck of the Reina Maria.

Family had a 19’ day/sports boat – Pacemaker 19 -with an 80hp Volvo on a Volvo leg. The engine was knackered and needed a lot spending on it. Hull was ply sides with a mahogany bottom. Had an offer of a 100hp Mercury straight 6 outboard. This happened in about 1975. Decided to swap the engines over the winter so me and two pals set to and did a fantastic job. Cut out the transom, strengthened with a big sheet of stainless, re-paint, re-chrome fittings. New fenders, rope etc. Beatutiful. We kept it on Windermere but for the re-launch thought a trip to St Abbs would be ideal – One of the pals was a diver. So borrowed Dad’s XJ6 and off we went. 3 boys + 3 girls , Rent a Caravan, put a small dinghy inside the boat for pootling about. Launched at St Abbs and much appreciative comment from locals. Admiring glances from fishermen. Trip to Eyemouth. Return to a beach just South of St Abbs for picnic and a dive with main boat and dinghy.

At end of day I set of and my mate took the dinghy to return to harbour. Time to test the performance with just one up. Woosh Woosh over nice gentle swell - fantastic. Plan to go waterskiing tomorrow. All of a sudden hear the engine note change and turn round. Someone has installed a fountain in the middle of the boat. Wave/horn to my mate in the dinghy about 100 yards away. By the time he gets over I’m perched on the bows with the stern underwater and the flares in my hand. I manage to hop from one boat to the other as the bows settle just underwater. Phew

My mate grabs the flares and starts to let a red one off. I say Nooooo. Let it sink (insurance claim) but by that time the flare has gone off. Sighted by a minesweeper who reports out over the VHF for assistance. Fishing boat comes beetling round the headland. Grabs the dinghy and hauls it aboard. The hook our bow line and make it fast. Now we had bought new ropes and because we were in textiles by way of business we got our supplier to give us the best – 1" nylon superstrong. So no problem towing the boat/submarine with this. Set of to harbour with boat just under the surface.

We had also bought a new anchor, stowed in the stern locker with about 200’ of rope on 20’ of chain. I always like an anchor to be a bit oversize. Plodding back the fishing vessel ( about 60’ long) suddenly stopped and we all peered back. Our boat had turned turtle and the anchor had fallen out. Of course it was made fast to a stern cleat. So our anchor is now holding the Fishing boat with our boat acting as a part of the rode. CreeeaaaK and we start to pull the bow away. The fittings didn’t come away so we had done a good job there.

Got back to St Abbs where the abandoned us at mid tide. And I mean abandoned. Everyone just buggered off. Anyway a helpful soul came and suggested covering the hole (about a foot across just in front of the transom, probably caused by hitting a semi submerged 45 gallon drum known to be floating around). Managed to get enough floatation to get it on the trailer.

Next day the master comes to the caravan and asks me to come and discuss things with his fish agent. I’m on a learning curve and assumed they would be happy to know I’m insured. (learnt afterwards to deny this). They tell me they are going to claim salvage. Now I would have paid them a beer or three for getting us safely home but I was just a bit upset that we had a wreck on our hands rather than it having sunk outright.

Long wrangle with insurance company. Crux of it seems that when salving something you become the effective owner (since the vessel would founder or be lost if you did not act) and therefore responsible for the vessel being salved. Once someone has asked you to help them out of a perilous situation the whole operation becomes the responsibility of the salvor. You have every right to command the crew of the salved vessel and use their equipment. If I tow someone I always tell them what to do. However the vessel must be returned to safety. It’s a bit no win no fee. You can then negotiate for the return of the vessel to the insurance company. If the vessel had been lost then they would have been out of pocket the insured value. It is in their interests to make salvage worthwhile so they should be happy to pay the salvor at least 50% of the value of the vessel. Higher percentage would be paid dependant on the danger that the salvor put their vessel into and the condition it was returned in.

I think.

(To make it a double fantastic jaunt my Dad’s gearbox oil set on fire at Kendal on the way home (New Jag Auto Box). He was sympathetic. Oh and we had a puncture 200 yards from the boat storage area where we were going to store it)

 

[peterb26]

Blimey Michael. Your middle initial isnt J - as in Jonah is it? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[michaelh]

Can't be. I haven't sunk one since