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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

towing / being towed

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/09/2004 : 21:08:46

Ideas for a C25/C250 should assistance towing be needed.

(1) If you are getting towed, make a bridle and connect it to the forward cleats. The towline should connect to the bridle. Since our cleats are not very strong, rig "backing lines" - these would be lines run from the forward cleats astern. The tighter you can get them, the better. I would run mine to the cockpit winches. This spreads the load that may otherwise tear the forward cleats out of the deck. Do not attach to the mast or directly to the cockpit winches - tow point must be as far forward as possible.

(2) If you are towing or getting towed, if the towed boat is yawing too much : (a) lengthen tow line, (b) trim the towed boat down in the stern (transfer weight to the back). Towline should be as long as possible and have as much catenary as possible. Make sure the tug and towed boat are in step (ie. if one is coming down the face of a wave, the other should be, too). Don't have the towed boat do any steering (lash tiller)! Go slow. If yawing persists, have the towed boat drag a small sea anchor or simply drag some lines with knots in them.

(3) If you have to tow someone, make a stern bridle and fasten it to your cockpit winches. Center the towline on this bridle ASTERN of your stern pulpit. The idea is to have the point of attachment forward of your stern so that your stern is free to pivot when you try to maneuver. Make sure you can cast off the tow bridle easily. I'd use a floating line and be real careful of my engine. The biggest danger towing is that he'll drag you down or pull you into trouble. If you lose power cast off and get out of the way! Have a knife handy. Don't cut a rope on your deck, cut it right across the cleat or winch.

(4) When you are trying to maneuver someone into a dock or wherever maneuvering is required, it is better to push than to tow. If your boat is pushing alongside, make sure that your stern is at least 1/3 of the way behind the pushed boat. Then you have maximum turning ability.

(5) Tow with nylon, not dacron lines. Never mix line types. If you have to tie two lines together, use a carrick bend or if you can't tie that, a double bowline. There's also a double sheet bend that is very easy to tie and very strong.

(6) If you try to help someone, you are protected by "good samaritan" laws.

Lessons from Assistance Towing applied to a C25/250, part of my USCG 100 ton Captains class (with towing endorsement).

Oh yeah, going offshore? Join Vessel Assist. My instructor is a member of Vessel Assist AND Sea Tow. 10 years of membership is cheaper than 1 tow.

Indiscipline 1978 FK SR #398

Edited by - JimB517 on 11/09/2004 21:16:17

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 11/09/2004 : 21:36:56

Jim,
I have always believed that the single most important thing when being towed is the ability to cut yourself loose. If the good samaritan lacks common sense you may need to save your ship. Does the course speak to that?

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 11/09/2004 : 23:12:58

Yes, if you're being towed, stay on your boat unless its sinking. Do not steer (lash the helm). Always have a sharp knife at the ready, or axe, or bolt cutter. Put on life jackets (of course). Be ready to anchor.

He said, don't cut the rope against your own deck. Cut against the winch, cleat or other point where the rope is attached. No use tearing up your deck.

Instructor - retired Navy Commander who "came up through the deck plates". He was a Master Chief before going to officer school. Sitting listening to this guy talk is worth the money alone. There's so much to learn from him beyond the course material.

I am full of fantasy about being on the bridge crew of a big, big ship.

Edited by - on

Jeff McK
Captain

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USA
389 Posts

Response Posted - 11/10/2004 : 10:39:25

Jim,

Excellent information! One addendum that is almost a DUH, but really important. Do NOT stand in a direct line with the tow rope. If that sucker snaps under load it could fly back at you very quickly & cause serious or even fatal injuries.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 11/10/2004 : 12:28:02

One more thing... The towing vessel should know and keep in mind the hull speed of a displacement-hull vessel (like a C-25) being towed. Any attempt to reach or exceed this speed is likely to cause damage and/or a dangerous situation, such as the tow line parting or hardware letting go and hurting somebody. Especially if you're being towed by a good Samaritan, tell him to hold it to 5 knots or less--if he goes beyond that, neither he nor you will know for sure how much strain is being generated.

Edited by - on

ronrryan
Admiral

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USA
561 Posts

Response Posted - 11/10/2004 : 12:30:35

One time a pal attempted to tow a grounded sailboat off a sandbar. He had a powerful trawler with two large props. The sailboat began to budge, then stopped short. The towline, which was the sailboats 5/8 anchorline, ripped the cleat and backing plate out of the sailboat forward deck, and the cleat came aboard the trawler like an arrow from a bow. Fortunately it missed the aft glass slider door, landing between two steps of a ladder to the bridge deck, where it embedded itself in the heavy fiberglass to the extent that the point stuck through inside. Anyone in the way would have been killed or severely injured. The power of stretchy nylon is something to behold!. Be safe, ron srsk Orion SW FL

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 11/10/2004 : 14:08:32

A while back I was working a regatta with our "mark set boat" I noticed the Ericson 32 blowing huge amounts of black smoke out of the back (and not moving). I went over to it and told the guy to STOP!. He was hard in the mud. I took one of his halyards out to the side and healed him over to reduce his draft. He then could motor off. Sometimes reducing draft is easier than plowing through.

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Jeff McK
Captain

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USA
389 Posts

Response Posted - 11/10/2004 : 21:43:30

Frank,

Sail powered dredging operations don't sound like a viable plan. Any chance this guy was from Kansas & forgot he wasn't driving his John Deere?

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5937 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2004 : 10:12:26

A friend had his motor fail when he was preparing to load his boat on the trailer. The water was fairly smooth that day and the wind was moderate. We lashed his boat alongside mine with a couple fenders between, and motored a couple of miles to the ramp. With his boat securely alongside mine, I was able to maneuver his boat and line it up to the trailer, and put his bow right between the bunks. If we had towed him behind, all I would have been able to do is to get him into the neighborhood of the trailer, and others would have had to figure out how to line it up by hand.

I'm not sure that the good samaritan law provides much assurance that the good samaritan won't be liable if the operation fails. Generally, the principle holds that people have no legal duty to render assistance to an injured person on the side of the road, no matter how obvious the need. But, if you do offer assistance, you have to do so with a reasonable degree of care under all the circumstances. If you negligently harm the person or his property by acting in a manner that is unreasonable under all the circumstances, you can be held liable.

To me, that doesn't mean you shouldn't help a person in need. It just means you should think about what you're doing, and be sure that, by your intervention, you can improve the situation, and not make it worse. Some years ago, in Florida, I saw a 25' sailboat run aground in 30+ kt. winds and choppy water. I was on a 38 ft. chartered sailboat with a diesel auxiliary. Our first thought was to help him, but there were times that we could barely get our boat to turn into the wind in those conditions, and if we had tried, we would have ended up right beside him. We called for assistance on the radio, and a twin-engine power boat responded quickly, backed right up to him with all the control he needed, tossed him a line and pulled him free, with all the power he needed. If you don't have the equipment or the skill for the task, it's better to wait for someone who does.

Edited by - Steve Milby on 11/11/2004 10:40:22

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2004 : 10:49:01

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Jeff McK
 Frank,

Sail powered dredging operations don't sound like a viable plan. Any chance this guy was from Kansas & forgot he wasn't driving his John Deere?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

This is our new Commodore and he is famous for plowing the mud. We only have two 32' boats, (lots of 30' and under) the other is a J, we all think his Ericson is pretty splindiferous! I think we also believe it could have a better home. (shame on me for saying that)

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Jeff McK
Captain

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USA
389 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2004 : 11:43:02

Frank,

Maybe the association could chip in & paint his hull a nice medium GREEN with a YELLOW boot stripe. If he's going to plow, he might as well look the part while doing it.

Edited by - on

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