The Big One that Got Away

[sailorboy1]

Was heading out the harbor the other day. The channel was narrow and the wind was up and we were motoring into the morning sun.

As normal I'm pissed about the lobster pots that are in the ficking channel. I suddenly realize that I have lost one of them in the glare and don't see it anymore and quickly put the engine in neutral.

Shortly after that the boat come to a STOP! The wind is blowing 15-20 but the boat isn't even pointing into the wind. Now I'm pissed AND stressed!

So I had some room and feel that if I could free myself I could sail out into the clear, so we put out the head sail. Now we are still not working with the sail out and rigged for a reach. The GPS says we aren't moving and I'm in awe of the lobster pot that can hold a 20,000 boat in 15 knot wind with it's head sail out. We let the sail out and then bring it in in an attempt to make the boat turn to hopefully get the lobster pot line to slide off.

No luck! That pot has us and we can not get the boat to turn etc. and I'm going though my options in my mind. One of which is calling for help because I'm not going in the water to try to free the line (don't even have a mask etc.)

I'm in fear of using the engine as it doesn't have a cutter and I don't want the line to wrap. But I figure it was wrapped at the start and hope that it is only wrapped on the keel. So I send my wife down to watch the prop shaft and but it in reverser and give it some power. To my relief the prop turns and we start to move backwards so I put the engine back in neutral.

Then to my relief up pops the lobster pot float! I put the engine in forward and give it some power as we are now blowing back toward the jetty etc and I need to get the hell out of there.

This makes the boat shake etc and I'm now worried that I'm done something to my prop and quickly roll the head sail out. We get moving and head back out the channel. I'm thinking "well we will sail home and then get a tow in". But decide to try the engine again and it appears to be working fine and I decide that the shaking was just a combo of reversing direction in choppy water and my stress level.

We sail off and for the next 30 minutes feel we are in a lobster pot mine field (it was a heavy potted area).

We bet that lobster pot was later telling his friends of the "one that got away" as it hooked us but just couldn't land us.

[dwhatty]

As one who regularly boats in the lobster pot minefields of Penobscot Bay, your story has an all too familiar ring.

[cnj]

Originally Posted by dwhatty

As one who regularly boats in the lobster pot minefields of Penobscot Bay, your story has an all too familiar ring.

Ditto here in Naragansett Bay. There's one section off of Prudence island that gets so bad sometimes that we can't sail and need to turn on the engines to get around them.

C of CNJ

[O.C.Diver]

Kind of like the crab trap minefields of Chesapeake Bay, except that crab trap markers are smaller.

Ted

[hpeer]

1.....I never have a problem, long full keel and prop in an aperture (wife's boat. )

2.....However, in my boat, with a long fin, I'm sailing up about 49N, light wind, doing maybe 2 knots, no one in sight, so I'm down making tea. But the sun starts coming in the wrong porthole. What the ???? I had split the difference between a net float and its tether buoy, the connecting line is wrapped around the keel with a buoy on each side of the transom. I had not seen anything but ice bergs for the trip. Not a bloody soul or boat or buoy in sight for 2 days and I'm frigging anchored to a mooring. What odds????

[IdoraKeeper]

I don't know about Lobster pots but I do know about crab pots...Idora will get anything imaginable in the prop because it's so close to the surface. So far I have trashed the dingy painter, wound up monofiliment. snaged cab pots in the dark and sucked up a too long jib sheet...ect ect. I am sure that it's entertaining to watch but argggh the humility factor.

Todd