By Stan Snodgrass
Boats and boat people are as much a part of my life as they are of yours. For over a year now, I have owned Fishbone, a Bayfield 25, and if I say so myself she is now a capable little cruiser. We are both happy in a fresh breeze.
Last weekend I was headed back to port after finishing a day of island exploring. It was a beautiful fall day on the Mississippi Sound (yes, I do know that many of you up North have already taken your boats out of the water, but down here we are blessed with the ability to sail all year long) with a 10-knot wind off my starboard side. We were making a good four knots with 10 miles to go.
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"Nothing to do but throw out the hook, get the swim mask on, and get wet. " |
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Fishbone was rigged cutter style this day. The sails luffed as I turned into the wind. I set the tiller pilot and engaged the little diesel to hold me while I went forward to stow the sails. All was well until I brought the staysail down. The RPM dropped some on the little engine. Not to worry, I thought. I just bumped the throttle up some, and we found ourselvelves still holding into the wind. But as I removed the staysail sheet from the clew, it jumped from my hands and disappeared under the boat just as the engine died. Doesn’t take a Tanya Aebi to figure this one out.Nothing to do but throw out the hook, get the swim mask on, and get wet.
Fortunately I had both a knife and a swim mask on board. For once in my life, I felt the joy of knowing that I was prepared for the situation at hand (I have to admit that is not always the case). Once under the boat I cut the longer ends of the sheets clear to avoid getting tangled up in them. I would toss then on the deck as I came up for air between dives. By cutting and unwinding, it did not take long to get the mess cleaned up. Once I was back on deck with the engine running I had a sense of accomplishment in a situation that turned out to be OK.
What have I learned from this experience? Several things that I'd like to share with all sailors out there that may ever find themselves in a similar situation.
First would be prevention. From now on, I will make sure that lines and sheets are secured before I shift into gear.
Second, I will keep a locking blade knife on board. I now have one that has some serrations on the blade and has a lanyard to tie to me just in case I drop it. It will be sharp too.
Third, barnacles cut! While working in close proximity to the prop blade I kept rubbing rub against barnacles. Having a pair of Kevlar knit gloves would have prevent these nasty little cuts that they inflicted upon me and will additionally prevent me from cutting myself by mistake.
Fourth, the boat has more vertical movement in waves than you do while underneath. If your head is too close to the bottom of the boat, guess what? It hurts.
So, if you see a little Bayfield adrift it may well be me again. Look for a guy with a swim mask, knife, gloves, and wearing a motorcycle helmet.
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