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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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July 4th tow thank you

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FrankV
Navigator

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USA
135 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/08/2005 : 22:58:35

On July 4th, we went to Grapevine Lake to motor to the fireworks viewing area. Half way there, our 25 year old Johnson gave up the ghost with lots of impressive white smoke. We deployed the jib, and started back to the marina while there was still light.
The wind was blowing from the marina, and there was no way we could tack back and forth with all of the motorboat traffic.
Then, we saw a sister Catalina 25 with swimmers in the water. I have towed in a few boats over the years, and now it was my turn. We sailed up and asked for a tow. They pulled in their swimmers, started up and towed us in on our anchor line rigged off of the two front cleats.
It was a well done, even tow at just the right speed. The capatin slowed before entering and asked us where to go. He let loose our rope at just the right time, and we coasted perfectly into our slip.
Many thanks to the captain and crew of the 25 for the rescue. We sat on the dock and watched the fireworks!

Frank Vaughan
250 WK/SR

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 07/08/2005 : 23:22:03

>"I have towed in a few boats over the years, and now it was my turn."

Indeed... what goes round comes round: good deeds included. (hopefully)

Towed in a poor bloke a couple months ago... stuck with wife and kids in an ancient C22 rather inappropriately named "Hunter" (in rather large letters too). I was nearly back to my slip when I spotted him wedged between two pilings trying to paddle his way off a mudflat on a falling tide.

I had seen him trying to sail the boat against the tide under main alone earlier that afternoon... making negative headway. Was wondering what the heck he was doing.

Turns out he'd just bought the boat... (real cheap). In a classic 'bad day', first the jib halyard broke, then the motor died, then the tiller broke after making contact with the mudflat. They were pretty much helpless at that point.

I towed him a mile or so back to his own marina, brought the tow alongside and parked him against his dock.

I think that was the 4th or 5th boat I'd towed in... other recent tows were a Laser stranded halfway down the bay when the wind died, a Pelican with a fouled rig, a runabout with dead engine and a couple kids in Kayaks that had gone way too far from the dock on an outgoing tide.

Edited by - on

lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 07/09/2005 : 01:19:17

I've towed 4 or 5 powerboats and jet skis back to their launch points in Folsom Lake over the last several years, and once towed a disabled 27' sportfisherman across San Francisco Bay from Angel Island to San Francisco's Gas House Cove marina. That was an experience I hope to never repeat. That big cruiser probably outweighed my boat - a Catalina 22 - by at least 3 or 4 times, and of course all I had for power was a one-lung Honda 5! I was barely able to make 2 knots, and it took at least two hours to get to Gas House Cove. And that was only the start of that skipper's bad day: he had launched that morning at a marina much further south (Redwood City, if I remember correctly), and I don't know how the story finally ended. There was no way I could tow him all the way back to his launch point, it would have taken at least 10 or 12 more hours at 2 knots, so I guess he eventually had to get a commecial tow from Vessel Assist or something. I don't know if Gas House Cove even has a ramp, or a travel lift, although if it did, I guess he could have hitched a ride back to his vehicle. I just wanted to get him back to the closest port within reach so that he wouldn't get sucked out the Golden Gate on the next ebb. Thankfully it was slack water during most of the time I was towing him, or we might not have made it. He had plenty of gas, and his boat was actually almost brand new, not some old piece of junk; it was an electrical glitch of some kind in the ignition system I think. It was a V-8 inboard gas engine, and the starter was cranking just fine, but it just wouldn't start. The boats I have towed on Folsom Lake were all out-of-gas. Almost every summer weekend day, there are at least a few people that run out of gas on the lake, usually jet skis or waterski boats. Jet skis with two stroke engines seem to be prevalent in this group. I think people rent them, not realizing how thirsty 2-stroke engines are, and get taken by surprise when the engine draws the last drop out of the tank after only a hour or two, and they're 7 or 8 miles away from the marina (oops). We rented a Kawasaki jet ski once, many years ago when our daughter and her friends were in 5th or 6th grade, and it's 5-gallon tank had to be refilled from jerry cans about every 2 hours; I had to make two runs during the day to a local filling station to buy more gas. I think we went through about 25 gallons in that 8 hour day (and the kids weren't constantly running it, they took swimming and food breaks). Makes me appreciate the 4-stroke Yamaha 8 on "Quiet Time". It has only used about 3 gallons since I last filled the tank Memorial Day weekend.

Edited by - lcharlot on 07/09/2005 01:21:21

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 07/09/2005 : 20:18:26

I've towed a C30 and a Bayliner flybridge sportfisher with my C25 and trusty 8 HP Honda.

Remember this - loop the towline over your cockpit winch instead of the stern cleat. You have much better steering. If its on your aft most stern cleat your rudder won't be able to turn the boat against a taught line.

Always have a sharp knife and be ready to cut the tow line. Saving your boat comes first.

When its time to dock the tow I think the best thing to do is get them up to about 3 knots and cast off the line, get out of the way, let them dock. If its a big power boat this may not work so shift to a push. Lash your boat alongside, well protected with fenders, and with your stern way back behind his.

What goes around comes around.

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.