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Old 09-10-2015, 06:18 PM
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Frightening Sails??? What's your worst.

What was your worst experience on a sailboat? Mine was a pretty benign experience but was emergent because I didn't have a clue

Background: ex Navy Ship Physician Asst; lowered out of helo's to rescue people of ships; worked oil rigs and service ships for oil industry; rode out 3 hurricanes on large ships, on the bridge...winds over 100 mph and waves easily 80 feet....tossing a 400 ft long boat like it's a cork.

So my worst scariest episode on a boat:
My first boat was a C&C 24...I bought it on a Friday and exactly one week later my wife and I left our 13 year old (Andrew) home and went out on the boat. I spent up to 6 weeks at a time at sea so she figured I knew everything.

So we get off the dock with our Evinrude 9.9 hp and all is well. It was late October and the boat was coming out the next Tuesday...I'd had the boat on the dock for exactly 1 week and this was my second venture out on her. We start out and all is good, 10kts wind etc etc....I figured we'd go around the island which means we go to the outer harbour. On the way out there the wind came from behind and much colder. I looked back and saw these darker clouds that would suggest it might get "blustery"...

The wind came up 25 - 30 kts steady and I was headed out the harbour wing on wing. I know NOTHING about sailing and don't know what to do...except "steer this boat and keep your head"....ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT NEXT STOP IS BERMUDA (did I mention I didn't have a clue)....the seas aren't even up yet as this is pretty sudden. I am new to this boat, so I go through my mind what I have to do. My wife thinks all is OK...honest to ___k...she has no idea we were in trouble. I know I need to get the sails down and go through it in my mind....I need the help of my wife...and she has the same amount of sailing experience as me...NONE!

I look at my wife and say "it's getting windy, I'm going to take the sails down...and I point dead ahead at a large ship on the horizon..."keep the boat pointed at that ship" She did it perfect and I got the jib down and stuffed it below. I then came back, started the 9.9 and turned the boat...main still up the boat leaned to the toe rail, engine screaming. I picked out a landmark downtown and told Melinda " keep the boat going toward that tower"...OK...and she did it. I got the main down and wrapped it.

So now the C&C 24 is headed back to the dock at about 2.5 kts....engine screaming all it can do. We covered so much ground that it took us about 2 hrs to make it into the opening of Eastern Passage through building seas and white caps. About a mile from the club I haul out my cell phone...a fine thing to have in 1999...I had the yacht club on speed dial and called them...Brad (my buddy the sailmaker) came to the phone and I told him I was on my way in and didn't think I could dock the boat. Brad said "we will be there to catch you". 20 minutes later I come into the marina and do my best to bring it in...6 guys are there to catch me with 30 kts on my stern and I have about 3 previous docking experiences with ANY boat. I bring her in and the guys are lined off the catch me...my 9.9 goes into reverse and full throttle...might as well have tried to stop it with a break pedal on the cockpit floor...nodda. She rode onto the marina about half way to her keel then slid back in slow motion.

As she slid back the boys grabbed her and tied her up...Brad looks at me and said "you look like you need a beer". Melinda was worried about damage to the boat but everyone told her that won't hurt it...so she says "I'll just go home and check on Andrew...I'll pick you up later"....and off she goes.

She got about 50 feet away and I say "Holy ____, Holy ____ etc. I explained to the guys what happened and Brad says..."well the Wife took it well"...I explained she didn't realize what was happening at the time and the guys are just mesmerized that she took it so well. It was a couple of years later when I told my wife about her near death experience. She said "I just did what you said". "You looked so calm I didn't worry...figured you had it". (In my mind I say Holy ....K). Training from working in an ER I suppose LOL...poker face.

Now, something like that happening today...nothing to it...but THEN it could have gotten us both lost and with a 13 yr old home waiting for us to come home.
__________________
Mo

"Odyssey"
1976 C&C 30 MKI

The pessimist complains about the wind.
The optimist expects it to change.
The realist adjusts the sails.
...Sir William Arthur Ward.

Last edited by Mo; 09-10-2015 at 06:27 PM.
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