We're Sinking!

[Sasha_V]

Err...Do not issue a MAYDAY until you are aseriously ready to abandon ship. They DO mind if you take that one back, they may even insist that you go ahead with evacuation fomr your boat if you have made that call.

You can however make a PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN call and get the information out there and have them standing by on alert, tracking your position and progress, without in any way relinquishing being the master of your vessel and responsible for all of its desicions.

I have had to issue one PAN PAN call in my life so far. I was very glad I did, and even more glad I did not start with a MAYDAY. As it was, me managed to save the boat by ourselves, (though a water police boat came alongside to shadow us for the last half hour or so, and when the diesel engine drowneda bit and stopped, they towed us the last three hundred meters to the dock because it was simpler then watching us drifting around the docks tryng to get restarted).

P.S, in answer to the last post, the coast guard tends to bring in the sunken boats if they are at all moveable because otherwise they cause problems in two ways. They are a hazard to navigation in that other boats run into them and then need the coast guard, or they spill contaminents into the water...But the second reason we have noticed is that other people will try to take them in tow and "Salvage" them or even jump aboard capsized or grounded boats in order to start removing winches and other hardware..often at great perril neccesitating rescue (and hopefuly arrrest, the bastards). So the CG usually gets tasked with bringing the boat in and thus avoiding further work down the line. There is even a recognised payment shcedule they can charge the insurance company or local parks/environment body for doing it.


Sasha

[AjariBonten]

I was actually on a boat in a very similar situation. We were on a 55' Dragger when we hit a ledge right after fueling and icing up. We cut the engine coolant intake and both 2" Jabsco washdown pump intakes and fed them from the bilge. (after closing the seacocks, naturally).

This JUST slowed the water down long enough for the nearest fire company to get to the boat with three 4" pumps, which kept us afloat for the two hours back to our local shipyard.

When we went up the railway we had a six foot long gash that was up to three inches wide in places about a foot away from the keel. Scary enough on a sunny August afternoon with flat-@$$ seas and less than half a mile from shore.

We were in then Fox Island Thoroughfare headed from Rockland Maine to Stonington Maine (44 07 30N 68 52 26 W)

[merttan]

That happened to my friend who owns a powerboat. The speedometer through hull installation poped in when he accelerated too hard... I don't want sound like the cool guy or the hero but, keeping it calm is really important. There was half a million thoughts going through my headat that moment. How cold is the water, we can see the shore, how far is it, how long it would take? etc... etc...
The smart guy has taken the vhf out and cleaned and left it in the house, so no vhf...
I keep USCG phone numbers recorded in my phone memory for at least the LIS harbors I travel most It saves time to dial 911 and get redirected... Have a fix for your location every 10-15 minutes with a simple gps tracker.(get a handheld gps unit, they are getting cheaper, and you don't need a fancy one.)
The USCG numbers and knowing approximetly where we were saved my skin that day, at least from swimming...
The plug for that through hull was in the engine compartment which was almost impossible to reach for us (CG used a goggle to reach it)... USCG boat came and took us aboard then saved the boat by pumping out the water and towing the boat at the same time...
And consider this; the bilge pumps in the market do not really pump what they really claim. I don't have a bilge (believe it or not) on my 22 footer. But I recommended my friend to install a 2000gph regular pump and 3500gph back up pump. If you can keep the diesel or genny running so you don't drain batteries within minutes. Bilge pump will not save the boat but will give you some extra time to catch up with the situation...
And always remember, the boat has the insurance, not your life!
(Unless your wife got one for you that you don't know about )
Take care...