Dumb things I've done

[Frogwatch]

Yes, I have criticized the foolishness of staying aboard when in the path of a hurricane and I stand by my criticism and anyone who advocates staying aboard is giving newbies the impression is a proper thing to do.

Yet, I have done some brain dead stupid things myself. A partial list:

Failing to do MOB drills. No excuse for this one except I rely on tethers too much.

Failing to warn somebody about sitting on the traveler, in a jibe her arm was nearly broken.

Not paying enough attention to new people using the dinghy, "What do you mean they don't have oars and the tide carried them away"?

Trying to clean the bottom via mask and snorkel in a chop, WHACK on the head.

Failing to bring the dinghy along and we ran aground, the dinghy woulda really helped.

Taking the power boat out in questionable conditions with a lot of people.

Allowing the jib sheet to drag in water and wrapping it around the prop.

Not paying attn to a crew members health. Having a stroke 20 miles off shore is weird, was his slurred speech due to the cold or something else. It was a stroke. I really couldn't have seen this one coming.

[smallboatlover]

don't worry your not alone ive also done some thing bad. like leaving when it was forcasted for 40 mph winds fun ride back tho.

rubd the dock and left so many dock marks on my boat lot of time cleaning it up.
try rebuilding my carb and forgot the put a important piece back and took a few days trying to figure it out
almost hit a few boat.
got caught out in no winds with just enough gas to get the to mooring enough gas to get through the harbor i was 5 miles away from the harbor.
lost a race because i reefed to late and didn't hear the starting gun.
ripped my sail but not paying attention when pulling it down got caught on wire toping lift.
came home way to late a few times because of little to no wind and not enough gas to get there.
got my mooring ball caught under my boat the whole mooring ball was stuck under the boat did a good scrubing job
cut my pick up stick line by running it over.
broke another pick up stick by running it over
lost a pick up stick by not tieing it right

[tomperanteau]

How many do I have to do to be in your club? I've done more than a few.

[azguy]

Good stuff Live and learn, right...

[cd66312]

First time sailing. Didn't know about boat plugs.

[floridajaxsailor]

wonderful post

the list is long

last week before Sandy
pulled out in a morning rush to swing the boat around & left the shore power cord connected...
ching* it bouced off the wood dock, went in the water, did NOT flip the breaker
& now works fine sans the nice black threaded disc that holds it firm...

peace

-JD

[Frogwatch]

Backed out of the dock without putting the tiller on once.

However the one my wife will not let me forget concerns my deathly fear of T-storms. We had just gotten our old 23' boat on Lake Guntersville in Alabama. Our daughter was only 6 mos old so my wife was below with her. Kathy says she came out of the cabin and I was as white as a sheet and acting as if a tornado was coming. Turns out NOTHING was happening except a normal afternoon T-storm. Now, 26 yrs later, I still have to tell myself "Calm down", it's no big deal when a T-storm approaches.

Once tied boat to a dock, tide went out leaving us almost entirely dry and boat leaning over at 45 degrees with nylon dock lines so tight I was afraid the rotten dock would fall over.

[smackdaddy]

Here's a great compilation - started a while back by the esteemed CharlieCobra.

What's your biggest bonehead move sailing?

[JulieMor]

When taking the boat (a Columbia 45) off its mooring can, alone, in windy conditions, I motored the boat forward to take the tension off the mooring line, ran forward and removed the line from the bow cleat, then threw the marking buoy into the water, then ran back to the helm and put her in gear.

I failed to realize I threw the marking buoy to windward and the wind blew it back across the bow. I went right over it and didn't realize it until the boat stopped moving. I didn't know what happened. I was just sitting there in forward gear. I tried to power forward, thinking I was on sand or something (which made no sense because the harbor was plenty deep) and I heard the engine hum but felt no resistance.

I immediately put it in neutral and ran below, tearing up the floorboards fearing the worst, a lost prop shaft. What I found was the bolts had sheared on the prop saver and I was apparently hung up on the mooring line.

My dad was waiting at the dock with some people he wanted to take out that day (the would have ). He could see I wasn't moving. This was before cell phones! This is what he saw, from about 600 yards away:

I put on the wet suit (it was cold!) and dove in to assess the situation. I knew as soon as I freed the prop from the mooring line we were toast. The wind was blowing 15-20. So I went up top, set out some dock lines and fenders. The boat that was immediately downwind was now being boarded. I yelled to them to explain my situation and they agreed to help tie me up when I freed the line, as long as the boat blew that way.

I dove back in and managed to free the line from the prop then swam back to the boarding ladder, grabbed some fenders and hoped for the best. Our boat was quickly approaching the other boat. The crew there was on deck with their fenders. I threw them a line and they tied me to one of their cleats. We did some more fender jockeying then tied her down.

After thanking them profusely , I jumped back in the water and swam over to our mooring line to inspect it. No cuts, no sign of damage. Then I swam back and laid out the anchor line (less anchor) and carefully lowered it into the water so as not to knot it. I then dove back in the water, took the free end of the anchor line, swam back to mooring can and tied it down. There was a nice chop in the harbor.

I swam back to the boat, rigged the line so it would run through the one of the chocks then took it to a mast mounted winch. Then I began cranking. THAT was tough! The wind wanted me to go one way and I tried to go the other. It was a single speed winch to boot.

The scary part was when the crew on the other boat freed me from their's. I was on my own and the wind had shifted. Finally I got the boat close enough to reach the marking buoy and hoist the mooring line and cleat it. Whew!

Boy, did I feel dumb after that! My dad later commented freely on how stupid I was.

[SloopJonB]

Julie, after reading that I gotta say you're a helluva lot more manly than I am!

I think I would have tossed out an anchor and gone for help.

Major admiration here.