What's your biggest bonehead move sailing?

[Catalina38SS]

That would have to be the trip home after buying my first boat, underestimating the trip by 6 hours, not checking the broken VHF to see if it worked, or the running lights, motoring at night between a tug towing a barge all of this during a nice little storm with my pregnant wife down below.

[sailortjk1]

Originally Posted by Catalina38SS

underestimating the trip by 6 hours, not checking the broken VHF to see if it worked, or the running lights, motoring at night between a tug towing a barge all of this during a nice little storm with my pregnant wife down below.

That sounds like the boat ride from hell!
You are lucky you survived.
No harm no foul as they say.
And welcome to the club 38ss.

[Michael Poole]

Loosing a rudder is probably the worst with the exception of loosing a mast.
The easiest way to compensate for lost steering is to simply create drag past the stern. Simply put things like a sea anchor, old tire (sometimes not easy to come by at sea), anchor not dragging, extra sail on a line, bucket on a rope. Well you get the idea, and if any one of these don’t work just add to the list.

By creating drag you will be able to steer the boat. Takes a little getting use to and does require a little work.


Capt'n Mike (NORA - 1984 O'Day 222)

[sandsailor]

Originally Posted by eMKay

Well, we went out today and had a nice sail. But this time it was not me that made a bonehead move, it was my wife! I sent her up to catch the dock and tie the front of the boat up, well she stepped on the dock with one foot without grabbing one of the posts, so of course she pushed the boat right out from under her other foot and plunk! Down she went. So after I ask her how the water is while trying to stifle my laughter I tied up the front while she waded up the ramp. Funny stuff.

mike didn't get laid that night either

[j34035]

Several years ago (4 boats ago) we pulled our 28.5 hunter out of the water to install a new Martec prop. All went well with the change, but before the yard dropped us back in the water, the mechanic warned me that we would lose some reverse power and would have to "rev the hell" out of it to stop as we pulled into our slip. This put the fear in me so I had this in mind as we motored back into our harbor and approaced the slip. I lined up the boat with the slip and put it into neutral to coast in. As we entered the slip, I put it into reverse and "revved the hell out of it" to back down. We accelerated; for some unknown reason (Brain fade?) I had shifted into forward. You can guess the rest. The boat was repaired and is now long gone with another owner, but the pier still shows scars from my moment of stupidity. The worst part is my wife re-named me "Captain Crunch" for a long time after that. Live and learn.............
DD

[ArgleBargle]

j34035 - that brought tears to my eyes.

this has been my first year owning a boat, and i've done several stupid things. i'll share one at a time, though.

the most amusing was after my knotmeter stopped working. i read about it and it sounded quite simple to fix. so, i unlock the transducer from the thru hull and have what i think is the appropriate sized plug at hand (it came with the boat from the former owner, so it must be the right size, no?).

I pull the transducer, expected geyser erupts, i shove the plug in. unfortunately, the plug is just slightly elliptical with a long axid wider than the through hull hole and a short axis shorter than the hole, but is very close to the size of the hole. so, the plug is jammed in the hole (the base of the plug well into it, so nothing to grab), but water is pooring into the compartment under the V-berth and I am sh@tting bricks (i still cant believe how quickly water came in around that plug). can't pull the plug out, but it isnt stopping the inflow.

lightbulb ignites over my head and i grab some navigation dividers with sharp ends, jam them into the plug and wedge it out and fire the transducer back in. compartment under the V berth nearly filled with water.

oddly, although i never did clean it, the tranducer worked fine after that.

i have since purchased slightly larger plugs.

[danielgoldberg]

Pulling away from the dock without disconnecting shore power. What some people will do to make sure they have a/c underway.

[Stillraining]

some buddies and I were aboard our Mac21..we all got hungry...so..I thought it would be cool to show off and pull the boat right up to the beach in front of this restaurant...now were not talkin a lot of beach here before the deck of the restaurant maybe 25' ...So anyway I had this plan to come in hot , chuck out a stern anchor and slow our way into the beach right in front of all these plate glass windows full of diners....Well the anchor did not bite and in we came to the beach alright...sideways banging on the beach...Did I mention the ferry dock to the right of the restaurant..
Needless to say we had a lot of attention and we all got real wet pushin that boat back off shore...Well after that we just had to go into the restaurant after tying up to a float and go introduce ourselves...I think someone bought me a Ham sandwich.

[sailboy21]

cutting off a J class boat in Newport Harbor while putzing around in a rented J22.. What? they can't be sailing through the mooring field right?? Uhhh ohhhhhh.

[CharlieCobra]

stillraining, why didn't ya just crank up the keel and sail her onto the beach? That's what I did with my V-21 all the time.