Pre-Thinking Emergency or Dangerous Situations
Sailing is so much fun that most days we simply enjoy being
on the water with the wind pushing us along.
It’s only when the unexpected happens that we might be confronted with
something that we hadn’t planned for, something that was unexpected, that might
even have been dangerous. If, on the
other hand, each of us has done some “what-iffing” and pre-planned what to do
in these unexpected situations, then usually everything works out fine - - our
guests think that we are miracle workers - - and so on.
And it seems that the longer we sail, the more likely it is
that something unexpected with happen.
Sit around the dock or clubhouse with a couple of “old-timers” and just
listen to the stories of daring-do……
What an adventure it was the day – in 35 to 45 knots of breeze – that the
mainsail shredded itself along one seam without so much as a warning. Or the night while at anchor in a storm that
the anchor started dragging. Or the day
when we were returning to Radenbough Cove on Pennock Is. Alaska that we ran
aground on the reef on the eastern approach.
And so on……
Pre-thinking about what should happen in the event of an
emergency or a dangerous situation not only is the prudent thing to do…… but it
also is a neat way to spend these long winter nights. So, what would you do with the examples
above??? Or, how about the following
ones……
Kathy and I were sailing on a really blustery Easter sunday
afternoon several years ago. We had
sailed up to Whiskey Rock in 15 to 20 knots of breeze. On the way back to Bayview, the wind piped up
to 25 to 35 and the wind was right on our nose.
It was tough going and quite wet with a lot of spray in the air. Time had gotten away from us that afternoon
and while on a starboard beat toward Lakeview, it became apparent that if we
kept on sailing, we would not arrive back at the Bitter End Marina until after
dark. What were our options? What should we do?
How about the day that I went out single-handed in 5 to 10
knots of breeze? I’d had a great sail
for several hours and was somewhat tired from all the sheeting in and
steering. I’d taken in the sails,
furling the mainsail on the boom and folding and bagging the jib. The engine started right up and I motored
toward the marina. Just as I was about
to enter the narrow entrance into the marina, the outboard engine quit
abruptly. What should I do now?
Another day – with a somewhat stronger breeze blowing – I’d
furled the mainsail on the boom; but left the jib lying on the foredeck to fold
and bag after I’d gotten back to the slip.
Just as I was about to enter the marina – at the narrowest point – a puff
of breeze lifted the jibsail up the forestay – completely obscuring my
visibility forward. What can I do now?
One day while sailing up the lake to Sandpoint in a strong
breeze, I noticed that the boat didn’t seem to have as much boat-speed as I
would have expected. I was broad
reaching on port tack with full main and a 150% genny. I thought that I should have been going
around 5.5 to 6 knots. But, I was only
doing between 4.5 and 5 knots. Looking
aft toward the dinghy that we were towing, I could see that the dinghy had to
be taking on water… a lot of water. Now,
what should I do?
These are just a few examples of interesting situations that
I’ve faced while sailing over the years.
What did I do??? Well - - -
When the mainsail shredded itself, there wasn’t much I could
do except douse the jib and haul down the mainsail – then start the engine and
motor back to the marina.
Having the anchor drag in the middle of the night in a pitch
black storm was pretty exciting. So
exciting that I had an excess of adrenalin that produced extreme dry mouth and
I couldn’t talk for about four hours after we got things settled down. Of course, having an anchor watch warned us
that the anchor was dragging. We began weighing
anchor with the engine running and reset the anchor. That was the answer - - but in the pitch
black darkness that was only punctuated by flashes of lightning - - it was
quite a chore.
When we ran aground on the reef at Radenbough Cove, it was
on my brother’s boat. The first thing we
did was check the tide tables to see if the tide was coming in or going
out. Fortunately, the tide was coming in
and we floated off the reef about ten minutes after hitting it…… with no damage
to either the boat or the reef.
When the outboard quit, I was lucky enough to have not quite
reached the marina entrance and was able to quickly turn the boat back to open
water. I did the same thing when the jib
climbed the forestay.
When the dinghy began slowing our speed because she was
filling with water, I hove to. Then
pulled the dinghy up to Snickerdoodle with the painter and used a bucket with a
rope attached to the handle to bail out the dinghy to the point where I could
safely get into the dinghy and finish bailing.
I found that the water was coming up the daggerboard trunk and into the
dinghy; so I “plugged” the top of the daggerboard trunk with some foam rubber
to stop the water from coming in and continued to sail home.
For most of these situations, I try to think ahead and
figure out what I’d do if something happens…
I cannot think of every possibility – but just by thinking about
situations like these, I can fill my mind with alternative solutions that can
be used when “disaster” strikes. Try
doing this. It will make you a safer
sailor. And, while you are “what- iffing”…
consider - -
Who else should know about the “plan”. The skipper, certainly. Anyone else??? First mate, significant other, the rest of
the crew, kids??????
What is the plan? Is
the plan written down?
Does everyone aboard know how to use the VHF radio and call
for help.
Does everyone know the difference between a Mayday Mayday broadcast,
a Pan Pan broadcast, and a Security Security broadcast?
How about asking the crew – while you are all having
breakfast – “Say, where are the fire extinguishers?”
Or, “What VHF channel is used for emergency broadcasts?”
Or, “Where are the lifejackets (does anyone really say PFD’s?)?”
Or, “How do we rig the jacklines in case of nasty weather?”
Oh yes, that Easter Sunday when we were concerned about
getting back to the marina after dark with a strong wind blowing????? We took in the sails, started the motor, and
motored the three and a half miles back to the marina – getting there just
before dark. Incidentally, I knew that
the outboard engine knew that it was the “second class” mode of propulsion for
the sailboat and that it would be vindictive if it got the chance. That it would stop running when we most
needed it to run. So, what was the plan
if the outboard quit?
The wind was out of the southwest. We were motoring nearly due west. My plan was that if the outboard quit, to do
a “U-turn” and let the wind in the rigging push us east. Hopefully, be able to see what was wrong with
the engine and correct the problem. If I
couldn’t fix the outboard, my plan was to sail under bare poles up the lake to
find a protected anchorage and wait out the storm.
AND, when the outboard died while entering the marina, I did
a quick turn and “sailed”/drifted toward open water. When reasonably clear, I started looking at
the motor. Somehow, the fuel line had
unclipped itself from the engine – the only time since 1985 that it unclipped
itself. I re-connected the fuel line,
pumped the bulb a few times and restarted the engine. Life was good……
Hmmmmm…….. What if “x”
happened??????
