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What's your biggest bonehead move sailing?

214K views 614 replies 265 participants last post by  Michael Lambert 
#1 ·
Tell me yours and I'll tell ya mine ;)
 
#2 · (Edited)
That doesn’t require much thought now or then. Of all the stupid things I have done my most stupid move was trying to sail across the path of a hurricane. It did a lot of damage to both the boat and me and that move goes a long way towards explaining why I am the way I am today over thirty years later.
All the best,
Robert Gainer
 
#3 ·
Let's see, there's so many.... I guess it was not pulling the rudder on my first sail (which was documented here) while trying to get the boat out before it sank. Needless to say, the wooden rudder didn't survive. This also made a nice set of holes in the transom. The outcome was nice though. I got a stronger transom, learned a lesson and the new rudder's more efficient and deeper than the old one.
 
#4 ·
When I first got my boat I sailed through the Race where there were a bunch of guys in small boats fishing. I assumed that they were NOT anchored, but drifting and casting their lines... I and sailed right through them and snagged one guys anchor line which we had to cut. Ruined his day of fishing. I was embarrassed. I got his name and addy and sent him money for new ground tackle. Who would anchor in the race near Race Point? he did! Live and learn.

jef
sv shiva
 
#558 · (Edited)
Did almost the same thing one foggy night. Fishing boats anchored with running lights on. My cousin Henry was at the helm at the time and he expertly weaved his way through the fleet. As we exited the crowd, he turned to me, with glasses misted over and boomed, "You better take her, Bill. I can't see a damn thing!" :)
 
#5 ·
SanderO

Anchoring in the Race is probably better than drifting in the race.. which would probably be far more dangerous. :)
 
#7 ·
First day out on the new sailboat, and I lost my charcoal grill grating, food, coals and cover overboard. I somehow forgot to attach the dummy cord.

Few minutes later when I was hauling up the anchor, since dinner was ruined, I lost a Skegen wrist watch which just literally popped off, then I turned and dropped a winch handle from the pocket at the mast, it bounced once, hung on the toe rail for a minute, as if to say "goodbye dummy" and then it went ker-pluk down to davy's.

Well, at least I haven't lost anything else since then!
 
#8 ·
While these happened on a sailboat, IMHO, these belong more in the sacrifices to the sea gods thread than as bone head sailing moves. :D
First day out on the new sailboat, and I lost my charcoal grill grating, food, coals and cover overboard. I somehow forgot to attach the dummy cord.

Few minutes later when I was hauling up the anchor, since dinner was ruined, I lost a Skegen wrist watch which just literally popped off, then I turned and dropped a winch handle from the pocket at the mast, it bounced once, hung on the toe rail for a minute, as if to say "goodbye dummy" and then it went ker-pluk down to davy's.

Well, at least I haven't lost anything else since then!
 
#9 ·
Lancer28,
If you are not already related to CruisingDad, you're soon going to feel that you are. He has so many different types of grills on board that his proudest piece of deck gear is his bbq retrievel unit. He had to sacrifice his davitts to mount it, and some say he resembles a Navy salvage tug design that never made it off the drawing boards, but he is quite proud of it. He claims to have made recoveries while full and by, but that claim is tempered by the fact that he may be the only sailing vessel legally entitled to be "constrained by draft".

He'll probably be along after awhile to tell you about it, although I'd keep the location of loss a secret. Be forewarned, do not be confused when discussing matters electrical with him. Many posters assume that when he posts "kW-hrs" he means amp-hours. He means what he says. (g)
 
#10 ·
The kW-Hrs are only possible since he replaced the keel on his boat with a working pebble-bed nuclear reactor... raw water cooled of course.
 
#14 ·
Many years ago while teaching sailing and running before the wind. I had an accidental jibe. Which surprised my students and myself. So I said with a straight face: "That how we don't do a jibe." To this day those students never figure out that I had made a mistake.:D
 
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#15 · (Edited)
1. Forgot to attach the jib sheets to the storm sail in 45 knts of wind, not pretty.

2. Cranking up the jib halyard from the mast in strong winds with the main already raised, usual procedure, but not paying attention to the fact that we were on a starboard tact which brought the main to the same side as the winch, and yes, ripped a 3" slice in the main with the winch handle...arhhhh.

Just to name a few ;)
 
#16 ·
I'm still learning better ways to screw up, but to date: changing my mind regarding which way to go around a small island while in a strong following current :eek: . (Hello, my name is Mike and I have run aground :D )
 
#84 ·
I was sailing a rhodes 19 with 8 of us packed into it on the Charles river. We got near the shore and some of the guys got into a shouting match with some people on the shore. I was steering us to follow the shoreline about 10 feet out when the boat ground to a giant halt. Everyone looked around and laughed. I had to jump into the river and push us off. I kind of felt stupid in front of my friends.

But the dumbest thing I ever did was take my brand new Hobie 16 catamaran out in a small boat wind warning. We flipped the sucker a few times and ripped the sail. I was 16.

offshore
 
#17 ·
Mike-

There are three kinds of sailors—those who have run aground and admit it; those who have run aground and are lying about it; and those who just sit at the dock, drinking martinis out of their stainless steel martini glasses. :D
 
#18 ·
Mike-

There are three kinds of sailors-those who have run aground and admit it; those who have run aground and are lying about it; and those who just sit at the dock, drinking martinis out of their stainless steel martini glasses. :D
Do you use a miracle cloth to polish the stainless steel martini glass ?, lol
 
#22 ·
I don't know if I have told this story before.
If you have already heard it than please disregard.
Not so much a bonehead move, but I thought it was hysterical.

After our initial shake out of the new to us boat, we began our journey from Lake St. Claire, up the St. Claire River, up Huron, through the Straits and down Michigan.
Our first day was spent motoring up the St. Claire River. In itself this was very uneventful. Upon reaching the City of Port Huron, we had anticipated staying at the City Marina which is located up a small; very small river; The Black River. The Black River is some what congested, with slips, restaurants, and small marinas on both sides. With the boats moored on both sides of the river, it made for a fairly tight squeeze for us.

To get to the City Docks, you have to pass under two lift bridges.
We arrived late in the afternoon/early evening. The bridges are opened on demand as requested.

We approach the first bridge, I get out the air horn, and I give one long and one short. As I am giving the last short, the horn looses pressure and fades away into "I got nothing left."

The bridge opens (Thankfully) and we pass through.

Now we are in the small Black River, between the two bridges, with no horn. I try the radio with no luck. I thought possibly the tender would open upon seeing us, again, no such luck. Suddenly I remember that the PO had left us one of those emergency type horns that you manually blow through. I run down to the nav desk and grab it.

I hand this contraption over to my teenage daughter and say, "Samantha, you play the trumpet, you blow on this thing. One long and one short."

My daughter looks at me like I have some sort of defect growing out of my head and says, "I'm not blowing that thing. You do it."

Teenagers, sometimes you just want to kill 'em.
I blow the manual horn. It sounds like a dying cow, one long and one short. The bridge immediately opens and we pass through.

The dying cow horn worked as well as any fancy air horn out there.
I since have gotten the air horn that you can blow up with a small air pump. When it runs out, you simply pump it back up.

The Moral of the story; The Dying Cow horn works in a bind.
 
#24 ·
Check to see if it is the bottle. If it is... I believe the cap is a fairly standard soda bottle thread, and should fit many other bottles as well. Look for one in a heavier plastic, like a 1 ltr. bottle.
 
#25 ·
Not really sailing, trying to get sailing ....

I was backing out of the slip, looking behind me to make sure no one was coming down the fairway. I turned to look forward just in enough time to realize I had NOT disconnected the shore power, slammed the transmission into forward and gave it full throttle (causing the admiral and my daughters to look at me like I had lost it!), and narrowly missed pulling the shore power stand into the water. Bet I won't make that mistake again!
 
#26 ·
I've seen powerboats do this...but this is the first time I've heard of a sailboat attempting it. ;)
 
#28 ·
Yeah, nothing like motoring into your trailer at 2 knots becuase:

A. The little motor has no nuetral or reverse.
B. You have to use said motor to steer because it was too shallow to hang the rudder.
C. Ya got lazy and didn't use the oars intead after getting within ten feet of the trailer.

Gotta say, this little cheaply built boat is tough as nails. I've seen it chew up peices of someones new wood dock, absolutely DESTROY a trailer light, bend the trailer winch mounting post, all without any apparent effect on the boat.

I'm glad I'm getting most of this crap out my system before I go buy a bigger, more expensive and probably more tender boat like that C380.
 
#46 · (Edited)
I'm glad I'm getting most of this crap out my system before I go buy a bigger, more expensive and probably more tender boat like that C380.
Shoot.... I've done some of that with my trailer sailboat.... 7800# dead empty and built like a fracking tank. 2 kts into the trailer will keep you from getting your feet wet because you can just shoot up the trailer bunks like an overweight Shamu until you stop into the forward bracket! HAHAHA
 
#31 ·
OK - years ago, sailing a 12' skiff on Sydney Harbour, first boat, only been sailing for a month or so and coming up to a container ship that was manouvering towards a dock. Knew we had to give way but left it a bit late to tack. Caught in irons. Fell back onto the original tack and right under the bows of the ship. Only one way out . Hauled in the sheets and sailed that sucker between the ship and it's tug underneath the tow rope. The pilot on the ship certainly added to my vocabulary I can tell you. Very embarassing , very stupid, very lucky to have got away with it. :eek:
 
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#32 ·
I thought I had the best one untill TDW.

I was a nwebe when I saw a freighter coming in on the channel, I was close enough to spit on it as it passed. I had a great idea; It was to cross directally to it's stern as soon as it cleared my path. I made up new words as I got swamped from the prop blast. I thought I was a gonner, I guess that's why they invented self bailing cockpits.
 
#33 ·
That reminds me of my first experience with a freighter (fully loaded at that). My 2 boys, wife and I were about 2 miles out in Lake Huron in our new 19' bayliner. Ok, so it's not a sailboat story...
"Hey kids - let's go look at the freighter..."
Holy Crap! Do those things put out a wake! Sure was a good thing we had the bow cover on because when we fell into the wake the water washed over us and we came up like a bobber. After that the boys named our boat "Bay-Bobber".
OK - I'll shut up now.

Back to sailing stories...:D
 
#34 ·
It was in 1975. I was a Sea Scout then, before the mast and just learning the ropes, cruising to Canada aboard the ol' schooner "Truant". Well, we got to Saint Johns NB and tied up at the government pier to wait for slack water in Reversing Falls. The rest of the crew decided they were going into town to check out the new movie "Jaws" at the local theater. Well that wasn't for me so I decided to stand watch aboard.
Some time later, the skipper comes on deck and espies me sitting at the wheel playing my harmonica. Now, Capt. P.T. Harling was not the most pleasant skipper in the North Atlantic, nor was he in any particular good humor at that moment.
"Where in the hell is the rest of the crew?" he growled.
After I informed him of their likely whereabouts, he barked at me to go find out what time we should make through the falls. I threw myself below into the aft cabin and located the tide chart. I looked at the time for the falls for that day and reported the same to him.
"Well, go get them the hell out of the movie house and back here on the double"
"Aye, aye sir!" and off I scrambled! I met the crew coming down the pier and told them all that we needed to go, in a hurry and soon we were all back aboard and getting underway.
Yet, something was bothering me as we motored toward the falls and by the time I figured it out, it was too late for Truant's motor to pull her out against the current.
Perhaps I'd forgotten to take into account Daylight Savings time or didn't figure the time zone change into my calculation. Likely both. Either way, as we came around the turn and squared away for the falls, it looked as if we were going over the edge of a cliff!
White Water rafting in an ancient wooden Grand Banks fishing schooner! If you've never tried it before, I strongly recommend it! No amusement park ride could ever come close to that adrenalin rush! In fact, the only thing that ever sucked my nads further in was the lashing I got from the skipper afterwards!
Fortunately, we all lived another day, a bit wiser for it all.
 
#38 ·
Well, I'd like to tell ya that I've been off rapin' 'n a pillijin'! Unfortunately, it's nothing of the sort. A problem with me flipper has pretty much ended my 30+ year run as a mechanic. So now I've been back in school learning computers! Wow! Tell yea what, the brain doesn't work like it used to!!!
 
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