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Sailor ran aground today

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5369 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/20/2013 : 22:01:24

A 45ft Beneteau ran aground today in a very tight spot in Milford Harbor. It was right in the narrow channel at the mouth of the harbor between two major breakwaters separated by about 100 yards.

Winds had piped up to 20-25 kts but current was nil at the time. I assume since it was a busy day, this out-of-towner decided to stay well to the right of outbound traffic on his way in which put him onto a rocky sandbar at about an hour before dead low on a nearly full moon. OOPS!

When I went by several kindhearted powerboaters offered him towing assistance, but since the channel is so narrow and other boats who had no idea what was going on - did not or were unable to stop or get out of the way of the Good Samaritans caused several near-misses.

As I passed, I noticed that a rather new and large sailboat with three harried crew and a captain were shouting at one another, and at passing boaters. I could not see any obvious damage to anything other than a few oversized egos.

As I realized what was happening, I got on VHF-16 and 09 and called a Security Call several times to warn unaware boaters of the problem.

I also alerted the local USCG Sector Long Island Sound who asked for a set of coordinates, a location, the condition and name of the boat, and whether the boat seemed to be taking on water or if any of the crew had gone overboard.

I explained to the USCG officer that it seemed like a guy made a wrong turn and got stuck on a sand bar, was now sitting at about 10 degrees off vertical, and probably had to wait 2-3 hours until the tide lifted them off. He got the picture.

Here are several charts I copied from GeoGarage of the area:

Wide Shot of the Region between Stratford and West Haven CT

The red box shows the area of Milford Harbor

Mid-range shot

Charles Island, Gulf Beach, Ft Trumbull Beach and the Milford Harbor Entrance

Harbor Entrance Close Up and Location of the Stranded Boat

You can see the sandbar in this photo pretty well.
THe buoys mark the channel precisely. This guy went left of the red marker on his way in. RRR?!

The town, the state and the DEP are working with the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge this area, and are expecting to do so before next Spring's boating season.

Too bad this was just a year too soon!

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

Edited by - Voyager on 07/20/2013 22:04:04

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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4024 Posts

Response Posted - 07/21/2013 : 06:31:32

I've been to Milford Harbor and know that it is a slim entrance. Hung out behind Charles Island back in the day. I always wondered about how may boats hit the sand bar on the west side of the island.

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britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 07/21/2013 : 07:06:48

I'm using the Maps.google upgrade, here's how it looks

<center>[url="https://www.catalina-capri-25s.net/cgi-local/MBR_system.cgi?VM+1000-2114"]

Click to View Full Sized Image[/url]
<b>Milford Harbor Entrance</b>
Screen shot of Milford Harbor Entrance on Maps.google.com the new version with super zoom!)</center>

Paul

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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5369 Posts

Response Posted - 07/21/2013 : 08:24:27

Paul
Great shot - very clear.
While the entrance looks wide enough, only the left half is usable at low. The other half is about 3 ft at lower-low tide. There's a red can about mid-channel just out of Paul's shot which should have been a dead giveaway for the Cap'n. You'd literally have to steer around it to land where he did.
Tidal range in this part of LI Sound is about 7 ft at high, and you can be a bit more casual then.

Scott,
You're right about the sandbar (tombolo) to the west of Charles Island. It's a 1 mile-long natural causeway from the mainland beach to the island that's dry at low tide and about 3-4 ft under at high. Most power boaters drive right up to it and stop short. Sailors can watch the depth meter plummet from 12 to 6 on approach. It's visible even at high. But some folks do ground out there. I know some locals who push it but I don't.

The bar and island make the area an awesome anchorage. If you've got persistent 10-15kt SW-erlies, a 2-3 ft short period chop will develop. The sandbar will stop or break the waves and create a calm area behind the island for a lunch stop or overnighters on their way north or south.

For those who want a mooring or slip, there are plenty in the harbor (ch9 for Milford Landing) with upscale and family restaurants on the walkable town green. While Black Rock and New Haven harbors are nearby, neither provide as easy access to town as does Milford.

Edited by - Voyager on 07/21/2013 08:27:27

britinusa
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Response Posted - 07/21/2013 : 09:56:10

Is that the red can just off the Stbd Qtr of the power boat in the pic? (Gotta love the new resolution of Google Maps)

paul

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Voyager
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Response Posted - 07/21/2013 : 19:07:50

You're right - yes it is Red #8

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DaveR
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2015 Posts

Response Posted - 07/21/2013 : 19:18:09

Not much different than my Ponce Inlet or a thousand others I'm sure. The tide makes all the difference and I'm certain much more there than here. What an awful mistake to make, I wonder if some kind of equipment failure might have played a roll.

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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2013 : 08:16:35

Looks like a warmware failure to me.

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OJ
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4382 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2013 : 10:28:32

Here's a question from a naive inland lake sailor, but isn't that what depth sounders (with alarms) and chart plotters (or even just charts) are for?

Edited by - OJ on 07/22/2013 10:32:37

Voyager
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5369 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2013 : 20:55:58

OJ and Dave may be onto something here. While there was a pretty stiff wind at the time that could have pushed the boat around the buoy, or the boat's engine could have died, or the prop could have fouled on a line… whatever.
The captain struck me as a person who might be a little excitable. Of course if I had done something like that I'd be excited too. Poor fellow was hollering at his crew while hollering on his cell phone AND hollering on his VHF all at the same time. The crew were trying everything like tossing lines to passing good Samaritans.
Finally while I did not stick around, it appeared they were rescued by BoatUS towing.

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MattL
Admiral

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990 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2013 : 22:52:56

Green to green, red to red. All is clear, go a head. When in danger, or in doubt, run in circles scream an shout. :)

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