Yacht down

[cherod]

Awful for anyone to lose a boat.

I am surprised the RNLI left the boat at anchor. Maybe it was not their decision, but I would have expected, if conditions are too much for the inshore LB to tow a 12m yacht, said yacht is more than a little at risk at anchor. Was there no possibility of a commercial tow?

It seems obvious that what's needed if a rope stops your prop is sails working pronto, but as has been said above, we were not there and can only speculate.
There is usually a lot more to a story than what's in the papers.

If there is enough stuff hanging from the bouys then you are going nowhere under sail

 

[Jamie Dundee]

I am surprised the RNLI left the boat at anchor. Maybe it was not their decision,

I was talking to the cox of the ILB yesterday, they felt it was too risky to put a crewman aboard in the conditions.

 

[purplerobbie]

According to the new owner they were being held by the pots. The put the anchor down in the hope that would hold them if the pots came free.

They were just unlucky. If they had gone a meter either side of that bouy they would be in PSM telling war stories.

The boat didn’t fail, the crew didn’t fail. They were in worsening weather and ran for shelter something we have all done and they were just unlucky

 

[Skylark]

The boat didn’t fail, the crew didn’t fail. They were in worsening weather and ran for shelter something we have all done and they were just unlucky

Thank you for posting. Both you and the new owners must feel terrible. A shocking end to a fine looking vessel.
The loss of a vessel on a new owners maiden voyage is incomprehensible, my heart goes out to all involved.

 

[Stemar]

I can't help thinking that armchair experts who weren't there telling the poor skipper what he did wrong aren't going to help anything, least of all the state of mind of the skipper, who'll most likely be spending quite enough sleepless nights thinking about the same things.

I'm going to limit my comments to expressing my sympathy for the skipper and crew, and thanking the good Lord above that no one was killed or severely injured.

 

[ean_p]

Yes, but losing the use of the engine off soundings is just another job to do in the next calm spell. Losing the engine close inshore in the dark can be goodbye boat and perhaps crew.

I don't think loss of the engine is the real issue. Been tethered from the stern by the pot line in any kind of sea is a problem and in the right / wrong conditions potentially fatal for both man and boat. Don't know about the west coast but on the east coast it's common to find pot markers joined by a floating horizontal line many tens of meters long if not hundreds. With a tide running these often drop below the surface too. Snag one of those and you have a mooring comprised of 10 to 30 or more pots laying on the sea bed.

 

[capnsensible]

If there is enough stuff hanging from the bouys then you are going nowhere under sail

You have to cut the line. Which is significantly more difficult than it sounds.

 

[capnsensible]

I don't think loss of the engine is the real issue. Been tethered from the stern by the pot line in any kind of sea is a problem and in the right / wrong conditions potentially fatal for both man and boat. Don't know about the west coast but on the east coast it's common to find pot markers joined by a floating horizontal line many tens of meters long if not hundreds. With a tide running these often drop below the surface too. Snag one of those and you have a mooring comprised of 10 to 30 or more pots laying on the sea bed.

In most places, a single pot marker generally has a string of pots laying on the sea bed.

 

[ean_p]

In most places, a single pot marker generally has a string of pots laying on the sea bed.

Yep likely so but they can still make for a good if unwanted mooring if snagged....

 

[mjcoon]

If there is enough stuff hanging from the buoys then you are going nowhere under sail

But on the other hand you cannot rely on it for a safe mooring; worst of both worlds!

 

[Wing Mark]

I can't help thinking that armchair experts who weren't there telling the poor skipper what he did wrong aren't going to help anything, least of all the state of mind of the skipper, who'll most likely be spending quite enough sleepless nights thinking about the same things.

I'm going to limit my comments to expressing my sympathy for the skipper and crew, and thanking the good Lord above that no one was killed or severely injured.

People need to discuss other people's mistakes and misfortunes in the hope that our own mistakes might be avoided, or failing that , original.

 

[Wing Mark]

In most places, a single pot marker generally has a string of pots laying on the sea bed.

And the string of pots is routinely lifted by a boat 20 to 30 feet long.

 

[dunedin]

You have to cut the line. Which is significantly more difficult than it sounds.

If the conditions are such that the RNLI (reportedly) didn’t want to transfer crew on board, going overboard to try to cut a line round the prop shaft could be suicidal, and presumably with the rope effectively anchoring the boat in a strong wind very unlikely could pull to surface to cut from on board. Presumably the RNLI didn’t feel able to cut the rope safely, otherwise they would have done so and towed the boat to safety.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

You have to cut the line. Which is significantly more difficult than it sounds.

Motoring back to Plymouth from Falmouth against very strong winds late in the year I tucked in under the Dodman for a break and a quick bite to eat and drink and ended up picking up a submerged pot with no apparent marker just the line. I had a rudder that was hung from an extension of the keel and the prop was very well protected so the line became trapped at the base of the rudder. I eventually managed to fish for the line and haul enough of it just clear of the surface and was able to hang over the quarter and cut it through with a bread knife. we drifted away and I gingerly engaged the engine and made our way to Fowey where I dried out as the steering was a little stiff. I found a short piece of line with two manky plastic bottles attached wrapped around the base of the rudder and shoe once cleared everything was free. We were lucky enough but could have been in a very similar situation except it was daylight and although the wind and tide were strong I was able to work to free us from the attachment to the bottom.
Since then I have had a hatred of pots and my 3 years on the East coast didn't do anything to improve my feelings towards them.

 

[ean_p]

And the string of pots is routinely lifted by a boat 20 to 30 feet long.

The point being....?

 

[capnsensible]

And the string of pots is routinely lifted by a boat 20 to 30 feet long.

?

 

[capnsensible]

Pull up a bollard, shipmates. And swing the lamp.

A couple of salty tales.

The first time I got hooked on a pot buoy was off Bembridge ledge during a Round The Island race. My co owner of the yacht, a very competitive guy, grabbed a knife, I grabbed a line. Secured to the boat he was over and had the line cut in a flash. We got lucky with that one. Seeing as we were near the back of the fleet, it didn't drop us many places. ?

 

[dslittle]

Motoring back to Plymouth from Falmouth against very strong winds late in the year I tucked in under the Dodman for a break and a quick bite to eat and drink and ended up picking up a submerged pot with no apparent marker just the line. I had a rudder that was hung from an extension of the keel and the prop was very well protected so the line became trapped at the base of the rudder. I eventually managed to fish for the line and haul enough of it just clear of the surface and was able to hang over the quarter and cut it through with a bread knife. we drifted away and I gingerly engaged the engine and made our way to Fowey where I dried out as the steering was a little stiff. I found a short piece of line with two manky plastic bottles attached wrapped around the base of the rudder and shoe once cleared everything was free. We were lucky enough but could have been in a very similar situation except it was daylight and although the wind and tide were strong I was able to work to free us from the attachment to the bottom.
Since then I have had a hatred of pots and my 3 years on the East coast didn't do anything to improve my feelings towards them.

Had a similar experience just off Kilmour Quay. Luckily the sea was flat and my wife saw the floating line just as we went over it and I managed to put the engine into neutral. After we eventually managed to get some of the line on board to cut it, we had drifted quite close inshore (which focussed the mind!!!).
The general consensus later was that it was a deep sea line that had been brought inshore as it was so long. Luckily the conditions were OK or we could well have had a similar outcome as the OP scenario...

 

[capnsensible]

Second dit. Some years back I was delivering a brand new Jeanneau 42 from Les Sables to Lanzarote with the owner, a friend, on board plus one other crew.

After a brisk and rather pleasant run across Biscay, we were off the Galician coast in around 100m , so not too close in. Mid morning. I handed over the watch to the owner and warned him that even at this depth, there were pot buoys. Probably for catching squid. Because of the depth, the markers tend to be three or four baloon fender style floats tied together.

Perhaps he thought I said look out for a phone signal rather than look out for pot markers, coz that's what he was doing when we snagged. ? Anyway, off that coast in a significant swell and steady breeze, you are very much on self help. Took some time and a lot of patience to cut the line. But it was successful. Whatever was round the prop and shaft had jammed it so completely that the gearbox which was in astern to stop the prop freewheeling, couldn't be shifted. So no engine. Iirc we were about 70 miles shy on La Corunna, but that was clearly the best option with the sea state and wind direction.

To be continued.

 

[Kukri]

“Fit a stripper” has moved rapidly up the wish list.