In The Blink of an Eye

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

by Bill Holcomb

            In over thirty years of sailing, providing sailing lessons and racing sailboats; safety has always been "part of the program". And, since I single-hand often, I've had a strong inclination to wear a lifejacket often. There's even a list of times when lifejackets are required:

            At night

            If there's thunder or lightning about

            If the main sail is reefed and a small jib is set

            Winter sailing

            Single handing

            etc.

            I didn't follow the "rules" religiously, but generally did.

            Along with the "rules", I had thought often about what to do if someone fell off of my boat....or a boat that I was riding on. There were even occasional (if not frequent) "man-overboard" drills where a floating cushion was tossed over and then "rescued". If I lost my hat, I'd generally go about and attempt to rescue it before it sank.

            While hoping that I'd never have to use any of these safety skills, I figured that I was pretty well skookum as far as man-overboard went.

            On April 1, 1995 - Yes, April Fools Day - I had arranged to teach a private lesson on my students 15 year old Catalina 22. Part of the lesson was to be tuning the mast's standing rigging; and part to be sailing if the weather cooperated. The tuning went perfectly and by about 10 o'clock everything was ready for a sail. The mainsail was already bent on and we rigged the 110% jib as the wind was blowing in the 10 to 15 range (and we could see some of the racers with their 150's rail-down in the gusts). The engine fired right up and away we went.

            The first hour and a half were spent broad to beam reaching until we were about 4 miles or so downwind from the marina. We turned the boat and began working to windward. When the first gust hit, Steve (the student) let go of the tiller as someone had told him to let go of everything in a big gust so that the boat could find its own level - kind of like a small airplane will fly straight & level if you go "hands off". Of course, the boat proceeded to inadvertently tack with the jib backed; then spin out of control downwind into a jibe.....Pretty thrilling!

            I told Steve that he needed to keep control of the boat and to "feather" the boat into the wind to keep from heeling over too far. We also discussed moving the traveler position to leeward to decrease heeling and about sheeting out the mainsail. We worked back to a port tack and took a couple more gusts.  Everything seemed to be just fine..........

            That was when a BIG GUST hit us. The Catalina 22 rolled to starboard until water was pouring in over the coamings and into the cockpit. My first thought was to wonder if the thru-hull valve for the cockpit drains had been opened. About that time, an additional puff hit us and we rolled further. I lost my balance and began falling from the high (port) side of the cockpit into the water. There were no lifelines or stern rail to grab onto; and I remember thinking that if this didn't work out, that Kathy would be pretty upset with me. As my left hand was entering the water, I looked to my right and saw the tiller (Steve had let go of everything again). I grabbed it and hung on! Of course, I was completely off of the boat in the water and that had pulled the tiller hard a'starboard - causing an immediate tack.... I don't know if we did a complete "spin around", more than one, or none.

            However, I was in the water hanging onto the tiller. My sea-boots were full of water as well as my foul weather pants that were tightly velcro'd around the boot-tops. My pants, long-johns, shirts, wool sweater, down vest, etc. were all quickly soaked through and saturated. The water was cold, about 40 degrees. It was now that I remembered that my lifejacket was in my bag on the cabin floor, not on my body. And, I realized that I might be in trouble. 

            There was a swim ladder fortunately on the starboard side of the transom (close to me) and I made my way to it carefully. I was still hanging onto the tiller. As soon as I reached the swim ladder, I lowered it into the "down" position and grabbed onto the top rung - letting go of the tiller then to hang onto the ladder with both hands. The boat immediately started to sail downwind at about 3 knots dragging my feet and legs away from the transom. I finally was able to get my right knee onto the bottom rung of the ladder, but was unable to lift my left foot onto the rung because of all the weight of water in my pants and boots. And, there was just too much weight of water for me to lift myself bodily higher with the boat sailing off on its own downwind. It was now that I asked Steve to give me a hand to get back into the boat.

            We took the sails in and motored the 45 or so minutes back to the marina and everything worked out fine.

            They say that in flying, any landing you can walk away from is a good landing. However, the more I've thought about my situation, the more I think that I've probably had a pretty close call. There are many "what ifs": What if I hadn't caught the tiller; what if there hadn't been a swim ladder; what if the motor hadn't started right up; what if...what if.

            I do know that I had never really thought about what would happen if I fell off of the boat. I hadn't ever thought about training guests, Kathy, family members or  students for that possibility. I was always pretty good about lifejackets, but not really "religious" about them. I'd thought about jack-lines and harness', but seldom rigged them - except for bad storms. I knew about the 50/50 rule - 50 degree water, 50 yards from the boat - 50/50 chance of being rescued. I'd always thought about the possibility of someone else falling off the boat. 

But In The Blink Of An Eye........

Ethenol In Your Fuel

Ethanol Fuel:  This spring and summer (more than any other that I can remember) there have been many sailors at Bayview, Idaho and elsewhere that have experienced engine problems with their outboards.  It happened to me this spring with my six-year old Mercury 8hp – electric start.  I could get the engine started; but, as soon as I’d throttle back so-as to shift into forward or reverse the engine would hardly run and often died.  Finally, I had the engine die as I idled up the slip row toward Snickerdoodle’s slip.  Fortunately, I had enough way on to drift into the slip, jump to the dock, and tie up.  I drove the car over to MacDonald’s Resort and talked with Gary MacDonald.  He suspected that the ethanol in the gas had “gunked” up the carburetor.  I went back to Snickerdoodle and checked the in-line fuel filter in the engine.  Sure enough, it, indeed, had little black flecks of “stuff” in it.  I replaced the filter… but the low speed problems continued.  Finally, I asked Gary to see if his techs could fix the carburetor.  They worked on the engine (blew out the carb) during the following week and the engine did run marginally better… but not as well as it really should.

Meantime, Kathy and I were in Seattle and I went over to Freemont (near Gas Works Park) and visited Fisheries Supply.  At Fisheries I bought a small Racor fuel/water filter (Racor 025RAC02).  This little filter is perfect for small outboard engines.  It has a 10 micron filter (replaceable) and filters both sediment and water out of the fuel.  The filter element is housed in a clear bowl so I can see if there is sediment building up and/or if water is being separated.  I installed the filter in the fuel locker with approximately half of the fuel line on the engine side of the filter and the other half of the fuel line to the fuel tank.  I’m glad that I installed the filter… it’s something that I should have done years ago.  But, the engine still didn’t perform as well as it should at low speed - idle.

I took the engine off Snickerdoodle and brought it in to Spokane Outboard in the Spokane valley.  There the carburetor was taken off the engine and completely disassembled.  The parts were placed in a special “sonic” bath that completely cleans everything of anything.  The carb was then reassembled and installed back on the engine.  The outboard now starts and runs much better - - I haven’t had to drift back into the slip……

I did some research regarding ethanol in gasoline and found some interesting facts.  Here’s a link to the Mercury outboard engine site describing ethanol and its problems.  http://www.mercurymarine.com/service-and-support/storage-and-maintenance/faqs/mercruiser/?category=ethanol

The problems are numerous:

First, ethanol is a strong solvent that can erode and degrade fuel lines and carburetor components – especially in older engines that were produced before ethanol was being added to gasoline.  Ethanol can also scour any shellac buildup from the inside of the carburetor.  Both conditions can put little bits of “crud” in the jets and plug them partially or completely.  Newer engines are more compatible with this condition than older engines.  But the newer engines still have similar problems over the “long run”.

Second, ethanol is hydroscopic - - it attracts water out of the surrounding air.  The longer the ethanol sits unused, the more water it can put into your fuel.  Of course, water doesn’t burn well in your engine.

Also, if significant amounts of water are present in a fuel tank with gasoline that contains ethanol, the water will be drawn into the fuel until the saturation point is reached for the three-component mixture of water + gasoline + ethanol. Beyond this saturation level of water, phase separation could cause most of the ethanol and water to separate from the gasoline and sink to the bottom of the tank, leaving gasoline with a significantly reduced level of ethanol in the gasoline at the top of the tank. If the quantity of water and ethanol is large enough to reach the fuel inlet, it could be pumped directly to the engine and cause significant problems. Even if the ethanol/water at the bottom of the tank is not drawn into the fuel inlet, the reduced ethanol level of the fuel reduces the octane rating by as much as 3 octane numbers, which could result in engine performance problems.

The level at which phase separation can occur is determined by a number of variables, including the amount of ethanol, the composition of the fuel, the temperature of the environment and the presence of contaminants. It is very important (A) that the system is inspected for significant quantities of water in the tank before using gasoline with ethanol and (B) to limit exposure of the fuel tank to excess water. If phase separation has occurred, it is necessary to completely remove all free water from the system and replace the fuel before continuing operation. Otherwise, engine problems could occur.

Third, ethanol has about 30% less heating value compared to gasoline.  So, the ethanol actually makes the gasoline less effective when it burns in the engine… leading to poorer gas mileage and performance at both the top end and at lower engine speeds.

Forth, most outboard manufacturers state that their engines work with 10% ethanol blended gasoline.  However, all of the manufacturers caution that 15% or 20% ethanol blends should NOT be used in their outboard engines.  The problem is that many states are already mandating that 15% ethanol blends replace 10%.  If you are buying gasoline for your outboard engine at the gas station be aware of the blend.  If there is 15% or more ethanol, don’t buy it for your boat’s engine.  The cheaper price at the “pump” will be a lot more expensive when you see the repair mechanic.

Fifth, all of the manufacturers recommend adding an ethanol stabilizer to every tank of gas.  Some marinas add the stabilizer to their marine gas as a matter of doing business (MacDonald’s Resort at Bayview, Idaho does this)… other’s do not.  I have a bottle of ethanol stabilizer on Snickerdoodle now and use it if I cannot guarantee that the gas is already treated.  It seems that “marginally” too much stabilizer doesn’t have negative results.

Sixth, just about every mechanic recommends unplugging the gas line from the engine and running the engine until the fuel is burned out of the carb.  This is especially so if the engine is to sit for more than a week or two.  Many mechanics also recommend emptying the fuel tank as part of winter layup (put the fuel in your car’s tank), or anytime the engine won’t be used for eight weeks or more.  Start with new gasoline next spring.

This isn’t a pretty picture at all.  But, for those of us with outboard engines, fore-warned is probably fore-armed.

Anchoring Steps

Anchoring Steps –

First, Check your charts, local knowledge, etc. to select where you want to anchor.  Generally, I like to anchor in about 21 feet of water (3.5 fathoms).  Determine how much scope you want to let out on the anchor line….  Four to one for nice weather; seven to one for moderate weather; and at least ten to one for stormy weather.

Second, Observe your selected anchorage as you approach for other boats and their anchors, and other hazards.

Third, Once over your selected anchorage spot, release the anchor.  When you feel the anchor touch the bottom, begin backing the boat up and simultaneously pay out the anchor line until the required scope is out.  Cleat the anchor line and continue backing down till the anchor sets (digs in).  If the wind and waves allow, I like to back toward the shore so that I can be sure the required scope still lets the boat float in enough water.

Finally, When the anchor sets, shift the transmission into neutral and/or stop the engine.

One of the things I like to do if I’m alone or with an inexperienced crew is to lay out all of the required anchor rope in long parallel loops on deck before getting to the anchor spot (called “faking” the line on deck).  If I need 80 feet of anchor rope for Snickerdoodle, I’ll fake the anchor rope down the starboard side for 20 feet (about to my primary winches… and then fake an another “loop” of rope down the port side to the cockpit.  I cleat off the anchor rope to a bow cleat at the 80-foot mark.  Then, I’ll take a couple turns on the starboard primary winch and wrap the loop around the cleat with the loop of rope at the 20-foot mark.  I can then let the anchor chain pay out over the bow roller and bring the anchor back to the cockpit (having the anchor rope on the winch and cleat keeps the chain from pulling the rope off the deck prematurely).  I like to have the rope to chain shackle just down from the bow roller so that there is only rope on the roller and the anchor chain bows in the water below the boat.  When I’m just about to the chosen anchor spot, I throw the anchor out to the side of the boat and cast off the anchor rope from the cleat and winch.  The anchor sinks and the anchor rope begins paying over the roller as I continue to motor slowly toward shore.  When all of the anchor rope has gone over the roller, the bow cleat brings the rope taught and the anchor digs in and sets… this pulls the boat around 180 degrees and you are at anchor.