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Making my escape...

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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/11/2009 : 13:25:57

So we're off. I was supposed to be headed to G-Bay tonight, but life got in the way so we postponed to tomorrow. Now a family emergency has come up and we may be pushed back another day. Still trying to work that one out.

Anyway - internet will be patchy where we're headed, but the Iris blog will get updated from time to time. See you guys in about a month.

"Iris"
1984 FK/SR #4040
http://frosthaus.blogspot.com/

Take a minute to register your boat with the association!!
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/owner_questionnaire.htm

Edited by - on

SEAN
Admiral

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USA
772 Posts

Response Posted - 08/17/2009 : 06:42:51

nice !!

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 08/17/2009 : 07:56:50

Hope the family emergency is minor and you guys have a great month.

Edited by - on

glivs
Admiral

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USA
836 Posts

Response Posted - 08/19/2009 : 18:43:39

Caught up on your blog this evening, sounds like you are off to a great holiday. Enjoy!

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 08/21/2009 : 19:23:37

Bad News...

As posted on my blog, we smoked the masthead electronics on a swing bridge on the way out to G-bay. Bad luck comes in threes, but we didn't recognize this as the first stroke of fate.

This afternoon, we left the marked channel for a shortcut to a marina using a route suggested in the cruising guide. We hit a rock doing nearly 5 knots. The boat hung up on the rock, and the motor failed, then we swung 180° and smoked the rudder on it. The rudder jumped out of the gudgeons (pintles? I always get them reversed.) Pulling the upper bushing out with it.

Without steerage, the wind was driving us into the rocks, and we couldn't get off.

After some frantic work, I got the engine running, but the boat was straddling the rock. To go forward, the engine would hit. Reverse and the keel would get it again. I turned the engine and got it running in reverse so that we spun off the rock (no rudder). After moving far enough that we were clear of obstructions, I payed out anchor line until I thought I felt the enchor hit something, then let it free-wheel until I cleated it off.

Now I went astern and reattached the rudder.

With the rudder on, we were able to negotiate our way to the nearest "port" - Henry's fish restaurant. This Island restaurant has limited facilities, and offers no repairs. Here we would be able to tie up though, and I could swim to assess damage.

Our Keel has a chunk of FG torn away at the lowest extremity of the leading edge. The Keel bolts look OK.

I took the rudder ashore to do some emergency FG repair work. Another sailor came over to be friendly with his dog, a spirited Austrailian Shepherd. Chuck offered to ttake the dog for a walk, and The fellow agreed, then went for a sit-down in the shade while I worked.

A few minutes later Chuck was screaming in agony and the dog came running back. She had fallen on the walking trail, and in her fall had broken her leg.

We were lucky that another sailor there was an emergency nurse who was able to properly splint the leg, and the restaurant owners called and got an emergency water taxi to the premises. She broke the leg around 2:00, and got released from hospital around 6:15.

I am now at a hotel in Parry sound, hoping that the boat is still foating. The kid has a cast on her leg and the in-laws are coming to get her in the morning. SWMBO, Buddy and I will be turning the boat around and taking it home (if its fit for travel) tomorrow morning.

We will be keeping an eye on the keel bolts and hauling her for repairs as soon as we get back to Simcoe. I am nervous about putting any loading on the keel until we get her in shape again.

That makes it 3. Time for the good luck to kick in.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 08/21/2009 : 19:40:50

Triple BUMMER! Was your cruising guide underwritten by SeaTow? Hope your daughter is doing OK. BTW, pintles are the ones like pins.

Edited by - on

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 08/22/2009 : 07:31:09

Holy crap what awful luck

. I hope the boat is OK and glad there was someone qualified there to set the leg, that was GOOD LUCK!
I think I'll see if I can't learn from this and NOT take shortcuts!

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 08/22/2009 : 08:22:38

I am so sorry to read about your problems. Family cruising is fun and shouldn't result in such trouble. I am glad that everyone is now OK and that there was good medical attention available for Chuck. Any damage to the boat can be repaired. I'd let that cruising guide author know that the short cut is dangerous.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 08/22/2009 : 09:26:04

The author wrote that based on "local knowledge"--("Everybody does it!")--but only the locals know where the rocks are. There are many examples of that around here, and the penalties are severe--not many soft groundings in this part of New England--just granite boulders and ledges!

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 08/22/2009 09:34:40

glivs
Admiral

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USA
836 Posts

Response Posted - 08/22/2009 : 18:34:41

Sorry to hear about the mishaps but glad to hear that the medical "emergency" was handled reasonably well albeit perhaps not as quickly as you might have hoped for. Let us know when you return safely and again once you've had a chance to assess the overall experience. Our best to Chuck and to you throughout this and hoping for a speedy recovery on all accounts.

Edited by - on

ruachwrights
Captain

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USA
258 Posts

Response Posted - 08/23/2009 : 18:13:19

Sorry about your troubles. Greenwich Bay has a sandy bottom which is fortunate since I did a bit of bottom probing myself at the begiining of the season. I hope your daughter is healing well. You did some fine work getting off those rocks though. I was glad to have my wife aboard when we did our recent cruise- there's no telling the trouble kids can get into. I hope your keel is ok.

Vern

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 08/25/2009 : 11:17:23

Well, We're home. Actually we got home at 7:30last night after 2 fourteen hour days.

We've kept an hourly log throughout this trip, which is a little anal, but has allowed us to keep track of distances, position, and travel time. This proved very valuable on the trip back as a tool to estimate how far we could go in a day.

In the log we added a bilge check to each entry after the grounding. There was never any water in the bilge.

On our crossing of the marine railroad, the staff noted that a lot of water was leaking out of the keel, from the wound. I supose that we will have to grind away a fair bit of fibreglass to get to the extents of the damage, and then rebuild the keel.

All in all, the family thoroughly enjoyed cruising, although a bigger boat would have been nice. We found some hidden anchorages that were delightful (one was 8 ft deep with a sand bottom in a feeder stream, that was simply amazing - the stream's current held you exactly in position, and the rock around completely protected you from the wind. 100 feet upstream, there were perfect beaches.) We made some friends and were glad to be away from some folks. We ate at famous restaurants on wee islands with no access, and at no so famous restaurants where the plywood walls and crooked floors added to ambiance (the first had great decor, the second had great food.)

After the kid was hurt we had stangers offer assistance, and staff step in to push us ahead of the line. Certainly this is not a vacation we want to repeat, but it had a pile of bright spots. We will be cruising again. I will compile more detailed info once I have settled in and will post a thorough log then.

Chuck is getting everyone she can to sign her cast. Apart from 2 advil a day she is drug free, and she is as happy as ever. She will be fine before long, I'm sure.

Edited by - Prospector on 08/25/2009 11:23:02

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 09/11/2009 : 19:33:21

in the "that's so not fair" department, SWMBO has swiped the memory card with the photos on it and seeded her blog with our Vacation pics.

Some of them are pretty good, I shoulda gotten them edited into my posts faster. History says SWMBO will do a great job of retelling the story, and the pics will add to it.

www.ravens-rook.blogspot.com

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 09/11/2009 : 20:48:57

How in the world did I miss this end of this thread?

Chris, so sorry to hear about all your troubles, especially Chuck breaking her leg! How does that happen while walking a dog? If nothing else, you've got a great story to tell once it's far enough in the past to be funny instead of near tragic (comedy==tragedy+time).

Sounds like another example of the difference between an ordeal and an adventure is attitude, and it seems you guys had the right attitude. I'm glad things got sorted out so everyone and everything got home mostly in one piece.

Edited by - delliottg on 09/11/2009 20:49:24

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3477 Posts

Response Posted - 09/15/2009 : 09:53:48

Remind me to get my depth gauge working. Glad you made it out alive. Some folks don't really appreciate it when things are going well. You sound like you and your family held up ( and are holding up ) well after such "adventure". My, you know how to have fun on a Catalina!

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 09/15/2009 : 10:19:23

Red, the depth gauge was working. In unforgiving waters though, you can be reading 10 feet while you go over a rock thats barely submerged. This is the nature of shield country. You go in ready for the worst, and hope you are prepared. Anyone who has travelled Georgian Bay has seen their depth sounder go from 100 feet to 10 in a boatlength. Granted, the bay where we hit bottom was mostly around 15 feet, but up there anything under 20 means a rock is pointing up nearby.

Edited by - on

HeelinPatrick
Navigator

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USA
102 Posts

Response Posted - 09/15/2009 : 10:58:29

Wow, that's nuts, that will make for a great story later!

So, when you say fried the electronics, you mean the radar or something reflected off the bridge that was too close, bouncing back too strong of a signal, frying it? How common is that, how far away do you need to turn that stuff off??

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 09/15/2009 : 11:15:14

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by HeelinPatrick
 So, when you say fried the electronics, you mean the radar or something reflected off the bridge that was too close, bouncing back too strong of a signal, frying it? ...how far away do you need to turn that stuff off??<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">That's not an issue... Maybe his VHF antenna hit the bridge.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 09/15/2009 : 11:28:37

Hey Patrick, Fried is indeed the wrong word.

They are toast now though... One cup on our anemometer caught on a cross-rail of the bridge. When the little plastic cup caught, rather than breaking away, it hooked, and the mounting arm that all our electronics were on (Windspeed, direction, anchor light) swept upwards and into the bridge. The masthead was stripped almost clean.

The only thing that survived was our windex. I'm not sure about the availability of a SR Mariner measthead unit, but I do know that if I find one I can rebuild it if its non-operational. I have parts. Maybe I should post in the swap meet. As for the anchor light - well I was intending to replace it anyway, so no great loss there.

For further reference, our mast was down when we hit it off the bridge - in this configuration (In the pic you can just see the anemometer cup sticking up at the back - thee wood frame the mast is sitting on cleared):

Edited by - Prospector on 09/15/2009 11:32:58

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4312 Posts

Response Posted - 09/16/2009 : 17:14:34

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by delliottg
 ... once it's far enough in the past to be funny instead of near tragic (comedy==tragedy+time).

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Not at my house! You fall down (or any other calamity that might be funny later) and break a leg and my wife will be ROFLHAO. Even if she's the victim.

First time she ever got on Andiamo (before I purchased) she was stepping from the boat to the dock and missed. She went straight in the water. Never touched the boat or the dock on her way down (the look on her face was priceless). She came came up looking like a drowned rat and laughing hysterically!

Edited by - GaryB on 09/16/2009 17:16:01

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