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Sailing failures

13K views 109 replies 29 participants last post by  mbianka 
#1 ·
I’ve read many books of people who have braved treacherous seas and other obstacles to solo sail around the word. The General lesson these stories have is that with guts, a worthy boat, and determination you can do it. These stories kind of pump you up to take the challenge, whether justified or not. Are there any books or stories of people who have attempted it then part way through the trip just say “**** it....this sucks...I’m going home.”? A book that can give another, and possibly a more realistic, view of the subject. I know that in the recent Golden Globe RTW Race, one participant, a professional sailor, quit early in the race saying “this isn’t for me....I couldn’t get in a groove”, but I haven’t read anything further. And better yet, if someone here had a first hand, or second hand account, it would be great if you shared your experience.
 
#2 ·
I don’t know if it was a “failure” but along your lines....

I had ambitions to make Greenland this past summer, leaving from Newfoundland. Didn’t go aas planned. First night out the engine, running it to charge batteries, started making some bad sounds. So I diverted to St. Anthony. Got things fixed easy enough but lost my wx window. A week later I started again and the second day the engine was overheating and after doing all I felt comfortable with at sea I aborted the trip.

Now it was cold and wet and miserable. Going into St Anthony put me off course and into the ice berg track. I was poking along in the fog, cooped up below due to the cold and wet, staring at the radar for bergs as I had no visibility. I was miserable and although I didn’t put a name to it at the time, terribly depressed.

I turned for home, shortly the weather improved, I got some wind and my mood picked up tremendously.

I suspect that being in similar circumstances again I will feel the same depression. Hopefully I’ll be able to recognize it for what it is, put a name on it, and more successfully manage it.

It would not break my heart to never have a repeat of that feeling. But that may be unablvoidanke.

Who knows?
 
#4 ·
A guy hung himself in the marina in Johor Baru, Malaysia when I was there.
His engine was in parts spread around the saloon.

No, he didn't write about it.

I suggest one never read the books about cruising. Just go.

It really quite easy. You do need some money and a bit of luck. More luck = less money. And to sail conservatively because breaking kit is not replaceable at sea no matter the luck or money.

In general there is no book in failure... But there's no book in Easy, either. There's only books in drama.
People tell me to write a book but I tell them it wouldn't sell. Who wants to buy a book called: "Marks Circumnavigation, It was Nice, Nothing Bad Happened".


Mark
 
#10 ·
A guy hung himself in the marina in Johor Baru, Malaysia when I was there.
His engine was in parts spread around the saloon.

No, he didn't write about it.

I suggest one never read the books about cruising. Just go.

It really quite easy. You do need some money and a bit of luck. More luck = less money. And to sail conservatively because breaking kit is not replaceable at sea no matter the luck or money.

In general there is no book in failure... But there's no book in Easy, either. There's only books in drama.
People tell me to write a book but I tell them it wouldn't sell. Who wants to buy a book called: "Marks Circumnavigation, It was Nice, Nothing Bad Happened".Mark
Even with my slightly more dramatic seafaring adventures, I'm not sure many would be interested enough to read a book of my voyages, though quite a few have suggested it.
However, and perhaps it's because I began my adventures before there was a "get out of a scary situation for free" card (the USCG), there were a few books worth reading as text books for survival at sea in extreme circumstances, IMO.
First and foremost, "Once is Enough" by Smeeton, a book which literally saved our lives because, in similar circumstances, after of reading that book, I knew exactly what to do to stop the sea water ingress without a moment's thought. And moments meant a lot in a hurricane at sea after a capsize!
Though I do not for a instant believe how the authors explained either vessels' sinking, I did find these 2 stories of their survival thereafter of terrific import, again in the days before the free card.
Survive the Savage Sea and 117 Days Adrift. However, both these stories reinforced my resolve not to abandon my vessel until I had done everything within my power to stop her sinking, and then only to step UP into my life raft/boat, and not a second earlier.
 
#5 ·
Slayer, not sure this is what you are looking for. I can think of 2 that are close, although I think you are working on more failure of the spirit than unavoidable bad outcomes, although in many of the stories here those 2 items are correlated.

Heavy Weather Sailing by Coles
Total Loss by Jack Coote
 
#7 · (Edited)
No question that there are a lot of solo sailing attempts that have not gone as planned and the sailor abandoned the attempt. There was Donald Crowhurst in the first Single Handed Around the World Race. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=donald+c...=c&hvqmt=e&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_9sa0gdzt2q_e

Another one from that race is Bernard Matessier though he didn't actually quit sailing just dropped out of the race on the final leg in the Atlantic when he was far ahead and would've been the sure winner. He elected instead to continue sailing half again around the world to Tahiti. https://www.amazon.com/Long-Way-Ber...ords=moitessier+bernard&qid=1570982957&sr=8-1
 
#8 ·
Does this count?

I set off to explore the west coast of Newfoundland in 2018. I motored 15 miles to the first anchorage, dropped the hook with the intention moving on the next day. One day bled into the next. Soon it was week into week, and finally month into month.

After nearly three months we hauled anchor, motored the 15 miles back to the dock, and called it a season. It was the best “failure” of my cruising life :).
 
#9 ·
Will confess I had the first boat I ever had built for me! In fact the first new boat I’ve ever had with the intention of going rtw. Had it together. A good strong boat. 30 years of experience including multiple ocean passages. Enough funds. Retired so enough time.
Thing I didn’t have was the wife entirely on board. Her kids health went south. She said “I won’t be more than a days flight away from family “. That meant including the time getting to an international airport. She has two grown kids with arrthymogenic right ventricular dysplasia. Although both have in dwelling defibrillators but they can die at anytime.
She’s my world. A boats just a boat. Easy choice. It wouldn’t mean anything without her along. She’s done passages. The passage is less stressful for her than being away. She’ll go when she thinks things are safe. Otherwise she flys and meets me.
Maybe it’s sour grapes but have come to believe the rtw thing is some egocentric fantasy for many. Some need it for themselves to feel validated. Some just like to sail and almost unintentionally end up doing it. Don’t know which I would have been but think the latter as we always talked “let’s go to the leewards. Then maybe the windwards. Then maybe the ABCs. Then maybe Panama. Then the SP....”
Do I miss it ? Yes. Do I regret not doing it? No.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Was doing a simple weekend favor for a friend. His brother bought a Hinckley Pilot. Had it wooded and totally restored at their Maine yard to use it as a gentleman’s day sailor. We were to take it from there to Duxbury Ma. CG had buoys out. Forecast was benign. Snowed while leaving. Turned to freezing rain. My friend and his brother went below to sleep after dinner. I took the second watch. Other crew (4 aboard) stuck his head out “hey the floorboards are floating!!!”. Turned on the engine which was still hot from leaving. Woke everyone. Owner started yelling “we’re going to die...we’re going to die... we’re going to die...”. Brother punched him out. Duck taped him into a sleeping bag and put him in the v berth. Everyone searching for the leak. Pitch black. Winds and seas building. Reefed but headsail blew out. My friend found leak. Engine through hull partially sheared at flange. Presumably struck by milk carton filled with spare anchor chain. Water up to settees. Everything floating. Water over tanks and batteries with pitching. Made wrapping with oily rags then Spanish windlass around it to tighten. Leak slowed. Block failed. Boat jybed. Main gone. Friend hypothermic. Boat stank. Diesel fumes and crap. No nav. No radio beyond low watt handheld. No one around. Big wind and seas. Into oilworkers suit. Augment barepoles with warps. Blown east north east. Rain and sleet and sea smoke. Drive blind. Two functional. Can’t go below as stench makes you puke. 15m on then off. When off pump. 48 hours. Things quiet. Cut away tatters of sails. Friend in bad shape. Was in cold water fixing leak. Attend to him. Check his brother. Make tea. Drink heated coke. Eat sneaker bars. The rest slop. Throw out what we can. Sleep. Next day take cockpit sun cover. Fold it on diagonal and make a sail. Try to make westing. Can’t do better then a near reach. Hit land a couple of towns north of Duxbury in situate. All go to hospital. All get hydration, electrolyte correction, warming beds.
Find out we were called overdue. Search given up. My first wife had already called on the life insurance (says why she ended up the first). Two weeks later go to see boat. All varnish gone. Inside and out. All mold. Still stinks. Glass crazed. New name done in leaf gone. Trashed.
Says why I won’t do passage by myself. Will single but not passage.
That June do Marion.
 
#16 ·
Before I scare people away.
Above occurred decades ago. Now just wouldn’t happen. CG would report if buoys were out. They caught big static for this event as other boats also got in trouble for this forecast. Forcasting is currently not even dependent on buoys. Personal and boat epirbs are cheap and everywhere. Handheld nav and comm exists, works and is cheap. Stop leak tapes, putty’s, quick set epoxy exist. The whole thing would be a non event and we wouldn’t have left in the first place.
Still, single passage is way dangerous even now. Just having an able bodied adult even if not skilled totally changes everything. I’m alive because there was one with me.
Slocum was good. In fact a great sailor. But he was also lucky.
Think the most dangerous sailing is coastal. People set off in a different mindset. Boat and crew may not be set up for what can happen even now. We go coastal with all the stuff and the mindset as we would for passage. Think you should too. Won’t leave on a iffy forcast. If not feeling good. With things broke. With out spares. Be a boyscout. Want you posting on SN.
 
#21 ·
On passage our inflatable is deflated, upside down and lashed to the fordeck. It stay put when green water washes over the boat. So Marks scenario isn’t in our bag of tricks. Have seen more than one boat lose their dinghy or wreck their davits leaving it hoisted in the davits. That scenario seems a good idea for KKs and Norhavn but not for many sailboats.
Out raft is certified on schedule and stored in the cockpit. The ditchbag is an arms away. Same thoughts different execution.
Thought about those combo raft/dinghy thingies until got to mess with one. Didn’t think about it any further. I’ve been tossed out of my dinghy going back in to pickup the laundry. Just hit a wake the wrong way from momentary in attention looking at the phone. My bad but wasn’t texting rather looking at the time. Don’t like that idea either. Now if alone in the dinghy will put that red loop on my wrist rather than its usual place around the mounting handles.
Think I’ve made every mistake possible but seem to keep learning new ones.

A word to the wise. Especially to the charter folks. Check everything including all lockers before you take off. I trusted a guy I’ve done multiple Bermuda races with and a very good yard that I still really trust and think is the best around. But s—-t happens.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Capta that’s an excellent setup. If I had room would do the same. It answers a big theoretical bugaboo of mine. Everyone focuses on sinking and weather. Another concern not often mentioned is fire. Getting off the boat and away from it quickly would seem wise. Would think risk higher in cold water setting with the heat on. But don’t know and don’t know the real risk of this occurrence. Have seen boats needing rescue from fire. People are commonly in the water or sometimes have time to launch a raft. But hard to get a raft to move any distance. You’re dependent upon differential drift.
 
#24 ·
A fire ate sea Is a truly terrifying experience.
My first sail to Hawaii as deck hand at about 15, I was on night watch alone a number of days out from San Diego when I saw flames coming out the portholes of the engine room under the cockpit.
With the only access to the engine room through a hatch under the seat of the forward port corner of the cockpit, it meant dropping blindly into a fire and smoke filled room, a rather uninviting thought. But so was this beautiful wooden ketch burning to the waterline and being stranded in the drink hundreds of miles from shore pre-EPIRB or life raft.
Fortunately, I found it to be an electric fire and killing the genset did the trick, but the 15 or 20 seconds it took to muster the courage to drop into that engine room are seconds I'll never forget.
 
#25 ·
After we’re safely in and settled we do the following. We’ve taken to put the loop on mooring lines around the cleats anchored to the dock or slip. The lines to the cleat on our decks is secured by a single figure eight so easily and quickly removed without need to leave the boat. Our engine key is left in when on the boat.

Think many fires are due to shore power plugs and in the Caribbean shore power columns. I’d much rather have to replace my dock lines than my boat. I have no trust that the surrounding boats have a safe set up. I have no trust in the yards on this. Even the fancy dan ones.
 
#27 ·
Fuel shut offs should be a considerable distance from engines and generators. Although we have shut offs near things we have secondary ones under the saloon floor.
However my big bugaboo is the propane solenoid. Ours is on the OPPOSITE side of the boat from the galley over the nav station seat. Had a pro captain tell me that’s stupid as it’s inconvenient. I know he’s an idiot as having the quick shut off no where near the most likely source of fire on a boat is infinitely wise. We also shut off at the solenoid then the stove. So line sits empty when not in use.
We keep our fire extinguisher under the sink so it’s near but accessible without getting too close. We keep a fire blanket there as well as setting off an extinguisher means a mess.
All extinguishers are ABC rated. There are multiple whole boat electrical shut offs in various places. as electrical fires are number two.
We have had grease in a pan go up once but otherwise in 35+ years no fires. Used a fire blanket. Did have a shore power plug melt once as column had an internal fault. Column was scorched and it’s internal wiring melted. Yard bought me a new cord. Didn’t plug in the rest of our stay.
 
#31 ·
However my big bugaboo is the propane solenoid. Ours is on the OPPOSITE side of the boat from the galley over the nav station seat.
I was on a Delphia 37 that had the propane shutoff UNDERNEATH the oven. Like, not on a panel below; you actually had to reach in a ways underneath the oven. It's a Polish design. Insert ethnic joke here. Otherwise it was a lovely sailboat.

We also shut off at the solenoid then the stove. So line sits empty when not in use.
This seems like a great, commonsense best practice. Not only is the line empty, but you know for sure that the solenoid is working. I try to remember to work this way when I'm cooking on a boat with propane.

However nobody else seems to do it. How many here actually shut off the solenoid before the stove?
 
#28 ·
You guys are ahead of me in this thinking.

I do have 5 fire extinguishers and one is kept in a deck locker.

We were boarded by the Dutch CG in St Eustis last season. The only gig was out of date extinguishers.
 
#44 ·
I've never read a single great adventure salty story scare the crap out you super brave facing the elements because everything went wrong and I almost died so I wrote a book to make money off it by making it a great sea story account BOOK!

Reading sailing forums the past 12 years or so I learned all I needed to know about those stories - don't be an idiot and if you aren't don't have a schedule that turns you into one
 
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#45 ·
#65 ·
Do you remember the one where a member here signed up as crew for the Transpac, and the owner of the boat owned Chinese restaurants and had his wife and 80 or 90 year old grandmother on board. The aforementioned crew member kind of mutinyed because the owner didn't have enough water or something. He tried calling a Navy ship to be rescued. I can't remember all the details but it was a crazy story. At one point the owner's wife showed up here and started defending her husband. It was a few years back but it was a contentious thread.
 
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