What would you do, when your engine fails coming into Berth?

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GinjaNinja

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Hypothetical Scenario:-

You have a Yacht, and your a mile out of harbour. You drop your sail and switch to engine ready to come in (number 5, your time is up). Your engine then fails after a few mins and you can't get it started.

What would be your actions to get back to berth?

I was wondering what everyone would do if this happened to them. This of course could also include MoBo's ;-)
 
Put the sail back up and sail in, if no wind would put the dinghy alongside and motor in using the outboard. If neither of those options available for some reason would call Seastart for a tow. Otherwise would sail to somewhere to anchor and would get toolkit out and fix engine. Final option would be get into dinghy, go and get RIB and tow boat back in. Pretty self sufficient uh? :cool:
 
From rather more than a mile out from St Peter Port we lashed the dinghy along side and used the engine on that ( Redstart + Seagull Featherweight + 31 foot Westerly.
We did mange to contact some friends already in St P.P. So eventually had two Avons and two small outboards .
If there had been any wind we would have sailed.

A few days later we were towed out of St PP. Sailed back across the Channel and sailed in to Weymouth.
The following day were towed out of Weymouth and sailed to Chichester where we e picked up a visitor's mooring. I left the boat there but the remaining two crew sailed the boat to its own mooring the next day.

I suppose a mobo could proceed on one engine ..... both engines hopefully not failed.
 
Happend to me going into mayflower marina,Both engines stopped when we were around 30ft from the berth,Just waited for the crunch.Inflicted a bit of damage to the stern of another boat but there was absolutley nothing i could do to stop it:(
 
GinjaNinja said:
Hypothetical Scenario:-

You have a Yacht, and your a mile out of harbour. You drop your sail and switch to engine ready to come in (number 5, your time is up). Your engine then fails after a few mins and you can't get it started.

What would be your actions to get back to berth?

I was wondering what everyone would do if this happened to them. This of course could also include MoBo's ;-)
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Depends on the conditions but, if fairly benign, sail back towards the marina (I'm at Chichester, so there's the lock to get through), anchor just outside the channel to see if I can fix the engine. If not, call the marina to see if I can beg a tow back in from one of the marina's dories.
 
It isn't possible every time, but one generally tries to have a Plan B in mind, if the engine conks out or the prop' picks up a rope or plastic bag etc.

Just the same as pilots in small aircraft always look out and spot handy fields they might have to land in.

One rule I do stick to, NEVER put the sail cover on or take halliards off before the boat is safely tied up.

The anchor may well not be the ultimate long term solution, but can give precious breathing time to formulate a plan, it should always be ready to deploy.

There's usually a way around problems if one can resist sailing to a schedule and ' got to get back to the office - itis ' !

The Greeks used to set the sails underwater to take advantage of the favourable current - but head wind - at Gibraltar, I'm sure they'd have preferred a big diesel or a bloke in a RIB, but when options get limited...
 
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Tugw said:
Happend to me going into mayflower marina,Both engines stopped when we were around 30ft from the berth,Just waited for the crunch.Inflicted a bit of damage to the stern of another boat but there was absolutley nothing i could do to stop it:(
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Yes, that's a far more difficult scenario than the one the OP describes where, if you're far enough off, you can just drop the anchor.

But when you're in the marina and the engine goes you are seriously stuffed. Happened to me years ago on the Hamble. No choice but to run up the stern of an unlucky boat. Bit of damage, not much. I think this is what rubbing strakes were invented for in the days before they were considered a design feature.
 
Call the Coastguard and then wait for the free tow to arrive. Its an amazing service, tax pounds well spent: a tow boat arrives with all the gubbins, a competent person comes on board, takes over, attaches their tow, steers your boat and hey presto, your back in the Marina; absolutely no effort from me or my wallet at all. I would then pay someone to fix my engine.
 
If I'm a mile out then I'm presumably in fairly clear waters. So put the sail back up to regain control and decide what to do.

First thing's going to be trying to fix the engine. I'd have a quick look while hove-to, if it looks like being a longer job then sail to somewhere suitable and anchor.

If this is my home berth, and the wind's up or across the river and not excessively strong, and the tide isn't at max spring ebb, then I might well decide to sail onto the "loading" pontoon of my marina. I routinely sail up the river to just off the pontoons and just use the engine for the final few yards round the corner into my berth; the loading berth is on the outside hence reasonably straightforward to sail onto.

Some options would be limited by the fact that I don't usually have a dinghy on board for local pottering.

EDIT: If the engine conked out in the river I'd try to carry my way to come alongside a nearby moored boat. It's happened once before, and we came alongside beautifully, better than my normal berthing :). Otherwise it's anchor over - at one time I used to undo the lashings before entering any river or harbour, though I have to admit I've stopped bothering again. Still wouldn't take too long to cast them off.

Pete
 
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BlowingOldBoots said:
Call the Coastguard and then wait for the free tow to arrive. Its an amazing service, tax pounds well spent:
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I know you're being facetious, but the Coastguard don't have any tow vessels. Short of slinging a line to a CG helicopter, or a passing warship or UKBA cutter, there's nothing funded by "tax pounds" to tow you home.

Pete
 
I'd certainly not do what I heard unfolding a few weeks back. Someone had lost their engine, 2 miles north of Egypt point, and wanted the coastguard or harbourmaster to come all the way out so they could tow them back in...in a good Easterly F4. They were going to sail around for a bit whilst they waited for them to turn up. OK so you probably would not try to sail into any Cowes marina short handed in a larger boat (which it was from the description the skipper was giving) but at least sail into the river and make it easy for people rather than calling the CG the moment your donkey wouldn't start!

There's always a very different tone of voice from most of the CG operators depending on whether you have an "we might be in the do-do here chaps, this has happened, this is where we are, this is what were doing about it, but if it gets worse were going to need x" and "help I think we're about here can you come and help please?"
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
Call the Coastguard and then wait for the free tow to arrive. Its an amazing service, tax pounds well spent: a tow boat arrives with all the gubbins, a competent person comes on board, takes over, attaches their tow, steers your boat and hey presto, your back in the Marina; absolutely no effort from me or my wallet at all. I would then pay someone to fix my engine.
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I,m with you on that, what would be best Mayday or Pan Pan
 
GinjaNinja said:
What would be your actions to get back to berth?
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Depends....

If there is plenty of day light left keep trying to get it to work, but there has to be a point at which I give up so then it's a question of what's the wind and tide doing?
If it's against wind and if water and sea space will allow I'll drift around until I fix it, if not and against the tide I'll anchor and try to fix it until conditions are right

If I have a fair wind / tide?

I'd sail in and either sail onto a hammer head or a mooring buoy until I can Rustle up a tow to help us in.

When we suffered engine failure (no way of fixing it - rocker shaft sheared) in Loch Lochy on the Caley I kept sailing until we ran out of wind. Then we got a tow from a hireboat, who knew nothing about boating, so they almost towed us into the pontoon at 5 knots!:eek:

Remain in control of your own boat for as long as possible:)

Then we got a tow down the rest of the canal by a lovey couple in a Southerly. We stayed there until the parts arrived, in the mean time we went off and bought the tools we needed to repair, got a replacement rocker shaft, fitted it and away we went again.:)
 
Iain C said:
There's always a very different tone of voice from most of the CG operators depending on whether you have an "we might be in the do-do here chaps, this has happened, this is where we are, this is what were doing about it, but if it gets worse were going to need x" and "help I think we're about here can you come and help please?"
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It usually starts off with a little nudge "And what depth of water are you in sir?" HINT! HINT!:D
 
prv said:
I know you're being facetious, but the Coastguard don't have any tow vessels. Short of slinging a line to a CG helicopter, or a passing warship or UKBA cutter, there's nothing funded by "tax pounds" to tow you home.

Pete
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Yes they do, those vessels with the blue hulls and orange tops; well sorted vessels, big chunky cleats and bollards, loads of crew on them that are keen to help too, never an iffy bit of kit from them, always the best of stuff.

You must have seen them, after every call to the Coastguard about engines they turn up on the scene.
 
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I would be able to put most of the boats I normally sail on their moorings under sail, but no way could I sail an unfamiliar boat into say Haslar Marina, so I would not be afraid to ask for a tow or other assistance.
Maybe take a temporary mooring or anchor meantime.
Even a small boat coming in under sail, a call to the marina to have someone take some lines would make a big difference sometimes.
Depends also on the nature of the engine failure, some things I could fix on a mooring.
Most people with ribs etc don't mind helping you for 5 minutes, but towing a long way is a lot to ask, it uses a lot of fuel as well as time.
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
Yes they do, those vessels with the blue hulls and orange tops; well sorted vessels, big chunky cleats and bollards, loads of crew on them that are keen to help too, never an iffy bit of kit from them, always the best of stuff.
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I'm sure the people in these top spec mobo's won't mind in the slightest to be called out at 02:00 Monday morning to a sailing boat in strong wind which has lost the engine, or a mobo which has stubbed the Captains' toe and run out of gin.

I wonder if Tesco and the AA have thought of getting together, they could have boats placed in mid Channel, offering a tow home while stocking up the Broccoli and wine ? Seems a firm business plan to me. :)
 
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