challenge: adrift, no anchor, no power, flat calm water

[boatman61]

If I was doing 7kts when the engine died and there was only 4/500 metre's to go I'd keep my heading..
40 tons takes a while stopping with the way on.. and with the favourable waft of breeze should be more than ample to clear the breakwater..
What's on the other side.. have I time to rig a hose with a bucket off diesel to run the engine again..?
Damn.. forgot.. not a sailboat... sigh.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by boatman61

If I was doing 7kts when the engine died and there was only 4/500 metre's to go I'd keep my heading..
40 tons takes a while stopping and the way on.. with the favourable waft of breeze should be more than ample to clear the breakwater..
What's on the other side..?

shiny white expensive supa yots of course murphy!

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by atoll

shiny white expensive supa yots of course murphy!

Oh that's all right then...
****... left all my fenders on my BIB chain so's I'd find my BIB anchor which I had to leave coz my windlass broke under the strain..
CUSHIONS..... QUIIICCCCKKKKKKKK...!!!!

[atoll]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Oh that's all right then...
****... left all my fenders on my BIB chain so's I'd find my BIB anchor which I had to leave coz my windlass broke under the strain..
CUSHIONS..... QUIIICCCCKKKKKKKK...!!!!

yeah but i would get all the girls to take their tops off first, whilst waving the cushions in the air,this would guarentee a rescue from at least half the supa yot dekkies

[Pelagic]

Now that it is a 40 ton power boat and 2 knot onshore wind….

If you have a tender and outboard… then first thing with the remaining momentum, turn away from closest danger to give you more time and rig up tender as before.

You say 400 yards in 2 minutes left before breakwater.
That calculates to about 11.8 knots speed before Engine failure

You don’t say if the tide is incoming or outgoing…
If incoming Tide and breakwater is a straight shot of dredged channel, current will tend to center and carry you on in.

So consider using your remaining steering and windage to set up in mid channel and drift in, with poles fenders ready to fend off breakwater.

Then kick yourself in the ass for not having a spare anchor

[svmariane]

Power boat with dirty fuel? Suggest this to the fiance minister:



But to your point...

1) Dinghy motor. Hang it off the stern with a couple of your mooring/dock lines. Or off the quarter with one line. In your scenario, you just wanted a bit of propulsion to give steerage to stay off the rocks, right? I've done this setup off the stern before, when the main motor wouldn't start and we headed into an anchorage sans wind. But I'm not sure I could meet that ~2 mins time frame even now.

2) Make an anchor. Mooring/dock lines and/or genoa sheets tied together with sheet bends - rip a halyard or two down - anything to make a long line. Tie the dinghy motor on the line & toss overboard.

3) Fenders out, pop a cold beer, and think to self: This is the LAST time I leave port without a functioning and viable anchoring system.

[sww914]

No dinghy with a motor? Too lame to sail off?
Knock the one pin on the boom gooseneck out. Undo the little thingy that holds the main slides up in the mast and pull the luff of the main out. Drop the topping lift and set the boom 1/2 over the lifelines and 1/2 on the cabin top. Let the mainsheet loose. Tie something long to the head of the main and the bitter end to my stern. Throw the whole mess off and hope that the boom catches a rock. If not, it'll make a helluva drogue.
Next I'd start threading bicycles and spare starters and alternators and zincs and the Sailrite over a spinnaker sheet like fish on a stringer and throw that over too.

[sww914]

BTW, I'm not sure what their boom(s) are made of but I'm talking about the stuff that's on my boat. I know about some of the stuff on that boat and there's a lot that could be done that's similar to what I suggested.

[Sabbatical II]

Originally Posted by sww914

No dinghy with a motor? Too lame to sail off?
Knock the one pin on the boom gooseneck out. Undo the little thingy that holds the main slides up in the mast and pull the luff of the main out. Drop the topping lift and set the boom 1/2 over the lifelines and 1/2 on the cabin top. Let the mainsheet loose. Tie something long to the head of the main and the bitter end to my stern. Throw the whole mess off and hope that the boom catches a rock. If not, it'll make a helluva drogue.
Next I'd start threading bicycles and spare starters and alternators and zincs and the Sailrite over a spinnaker sheet like fish on a stringer and throw that over too.

I'm amazed at what some people think they could accomplish in 2 minutes. None of the above answers is very convincing. I'm just wondering Rebel, do you think you could give me your phone number and when next such a dilemma presents itself I could ring and have a chat with you before I waste energy of some of the fanciful solutions above?

[sww914]

So where's your good idea Greg? Give up or call for help?

[sww914]

Besides that Greg, we had our engine fail 1/2 a mile from where this was a couple weeks ago in the exact same conditions. You don't see me on the flipping beach!

[JPA Cate]

Hey, Reb,

How many folks aboard? One could change fuel filter; another, work the starter motor just enough to maintain headway.

Or, if dinghy is in water with motor on, use it as a side-tied push boat, easy to move boats that way.

Locker lid lashed to spinnaker pole to use as sweep?

Allow boat to go sit on shoal, then have time to deal with fuel system?

[Hoohaa]

Don't know if this would work but it could buy you some time if it did.
Just put it in gear and and use the batteries to crank it over and turn the prop. Has anyone tried it?

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Hoohaa

Don't know if this would work but it could buy you some time if it did.
Just put it in gear and and use the batteries to crank it over and turn the prop. Has anyone tried it?

Classic way of cheating in a yacht race if there is no wind, lift decompression levers and gently turn engine over on the hand crank. Just prey it doesn't fire up and give the game away.

Pete

[GeoPowers]

With minimal wind, no waves, and assumed no current- Pump your rudder to swing your bow toward the gap in the breakwater. Call for an assist on VHF, ghost on in past the breakwater using the small amount of windage from the vessel's freeboard, and wait for someone to show up with a hook, or a tow line to take you to a mooring/dock.

Using the dinghy is best idea but I assume that is too easy an answer (no dinghy on board or not on davits so would take too long).

Frank