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Multiple Rescues today from SailNet Members

864 Views 26 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Arcb, 7 d ago

MarkofSeaLife

Discussion Starter · 8 d ago

This is to entice the reluctant other member to spill the beans, and photos on his rescue today.
We got one too about 7:30pm Mayday on the VHF boat that ripped his genoa trying to make the anchorage we are in until his engine failed. Couldn't sail in because theres weird wind conditions here, dead calm or gusting 30 knots because of a mountain. Quite a choppy sea.

Half mile off shore, 1 nms downwind from us. Stong Southerly where he is. "bullets' where we are. Darkness.

I decided to take the dinghy instead of the big boat for a variety of reasons (that might seem crazy LOL)

He had no AIS so position was from the Coast Guard but we could see his lights.
Took off and tied off to him on his leeward side, quarter. 1/4 power on a 15hp OB got us going at 1.5 knots. Heading towards the shore. A 40 ft mono came up and offered to do a tow and the guy on our boat prefered him than our dink

so we let go and returned home.

An hour later and they are still trying to anchor the 2 attached boats. - Thats one of the reasons I took the dinghy not the big boat

Relaxed now with a jar of rum.

Marjorie's first rescue, first interaction with MRCC in French. All good. She did a wonderful job

Mark

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Arcb

· #21 · 7 d ago

Alright,

colemj said:
I've never heard this, and always attributed that type of thing to racers. We reef earlier than necessary.

Mark

Tongue in cheek. Mayday a mile out from destination due to a shredded Genoa.

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MarkofSeaLife

Discussion Starter · #22 · 7 d ago

Arcb said:
Alright,

Tongue in cheek. Mayday a mile out from destination due to a shredded Genoa.

Single handed, young person, who loses 2 things, one sail and the engine. Some would call it prudent.

Maybe he knew something about the quality of his mainsail? Also, if you screw up here the next stop is Nicaragua 1,250nms away. He has no AIS, no Starlink, so as soon as he is out of VHF range he is stuffed.
It was night. I would be worried too.

The other thing he could have done is to advise the CoastGuard and tell them his situation and say he is trying to sail in.

Mark

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Arcb

· #23 · 7 d ago

MarkofSeaLife said:
Single handed, young person, who loses 2 things, one sail and the engine. Some would call it prudent.

Maybe he knew something about the quality of his mainsail? Also, if you screw up here the next stop is Nicaragua 1,250nms away. He has no AIS, no Starlink, so as soon as he is out of VHF range he is stuffed.
It was night. I would be worried too.

The other thing he could have done is to advise the CoastGuard and tell them his situation and say he is trying to sail in.

Mark

No local fishermen who would have taken a couple hundred dollars to tow him in? No one at all that could have provided commercial tow service? This is why USCG and increasingly CCG don't provide tow services.

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MarkofSeaLife

Discussion Starter · #24 · 7 d ago

Arcb said:
No local fishermen who would have taken a couple hundred dollars to tow him in? No one at all that could have provided commercial tow service? This is why USCG and increasingly CCG don't provide tow services.

Cruisers help cruisers.

.

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hpeer

· #25 · 7 d ago

From my experience, and I have yet to learn adequately, sailing the “lee” side of an island (Guadeloupe in particular but also Dominica) is a royal PITA.

I have gone from 0 to 30 in under 100 FEET. I want to sail, not motor, but it goes from no wind, to light Westerlies (nice), to light Southerly, to nil, to 30 knot East blasts.

The islands tend to get what I call “acceleration zones” around their tips as the Trades try to squeeze into the gaps around the islands. The S end of Guadeloupe can be fierce, the first time approached it I turned back because I was positive I was sailing onto a reef, just sudden white water.

I find it trying to predict how the winds will work, when it is best to hug the coast. I am learning hut it is slow.

What I THINK I am seeing others do, from Dominica to The Saints for example, is to hug the Dominican N coast as long as possible before turning North, to hold the wind shade and make Easting. And to hug the Guadeloupe South shore when making for the Stains or Dominica.

This year I let myself wander a few miles off the Guadeloupe coast heading South and then found myself too far West of Portsmouth. That made the last 6 miles a slow hard beat. Not what I wanted.

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hpeer

· #26 · 7 d ago

Arcb said:
No local fishermen who would have taken a couple hundred dollars to tow him in? No one at all that could have provided commercial tow service? This is why USCG and increasingly CCG don't provide tow services.

I don’t know how you would contact them, if they were capable. Mostly open Pangas with a 40hp 2 stroke. Frequently no radio. The French CG does sometimes try to facilitate a tow. But I have heard boats hailing passing boats asking for a tow.

I can understand the reluctance given the sever variability of conditions.

One of the nicer things about Portsmouth is are the “Boat Boys.” I have seen them tow in boats and they are just generally helpful. We rolled in at 10pm, and Titus met us, unrequested, and called us out by name, and guided us into the back of the pack.

They helped another guy who lost his windlass, spent a couple of hours and the bugger stuffed them, not a penny. Thankfully most cruisers are better than that.

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Arcb

· #27 · 7 d ago

hpeer said:
I don’t know how you would contact them, if they were capable. Mostly open Pangas with a 40hp 2 stroke. Frequently no radio. The French CG does sometimes try to facilitate a tow. But I have heard boats hailing passing boats asking for a tow.

I can understand the reluctance given the sever variability of conditions.

One of the nicer things about Portsmouth is are the “Boat Boys.” I have seen them tow in boats and they are just generally helpful. We rolled in at 10pm, and Titus met us, unrequested, and called us out by name, and guided us into the back of the pack.

They helped another guy who lost his windlass, spent a couple of hours and the bugger stuffed them, not a penny. Thankfully most cruisers are better than that.

Pan Pan is how you call for an unexpected tow due to a partially disabled propulsion system on the VHF. Text book Pan Pan. Gives commercial tow operators the option to compete for the tow or for kindly boaters (like Mark) to respond.

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