| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Britanic
RO# 27562
|
Posted - Apr 25 2012 : 21:35:36
|
I don’t know why I didn’t post this before, but now seems like a good time before everyone really gets into the season. Last year I did something foolish, I simply didn’t pay attention, nor did I think. It was only for a short while, but it could of cost me everything.
Quick background. My grandfather taught me how to sail in a 40+ sloop when I was around 7. The damn thing had a tiller instead of a wheel and it would drag me across the cockpit sometimes. Guess I was OK piloting around the dock because soon after he would let me bring Her into the marina. I can remember feeling the old diesel in the floor beneath my feet as we would come down the fairway at what I guess was 6 of 7 kts, seemed like we were speeding thru there. He would let me stay on until I freaked and let go, then he would spin Her in the slip bow first, I always felt like we were sliding into home plate.
Soon after that, my father bought a 22’ Grady. We kept it at the south end of LBI NJ and fished the ocean most weekends. When it was too rough, we would drift the bay for fluke. Then came the 25 Grady and pretty much the same thing, although we would stay out in four footers in that one. This went on into my late teens and I became very comfortable but always respected the sea.
Fast forward to now and here I have my own boat and family. Two daughters aged 2 and 6. My wife grew up around boats and we are blessed to be able to share this lifestyle together. Our current boat is a 34’ Silverton convertible; we have put about 350 hours on Her in the last five years. It’s an older boat but we keep it bristol. It’s not a high end or high quality boat, but for the four of us and our two dogs it serves us well and has really been a great boat. Simple, reliable and safe – for the most part.
Last year we headed out for a typical 2 hour run, it was clear and calm. That day we decided to run up to the Barnegat Light house and have lunch just off the inlet in a well-protected cove. Normally I will run up past the lighthouse just into the mouth of the inlet (bay side) and turn back. This day the ocean was gleaming. I had checked the weather on the radio earlier that morning and swells where 2 to 4 feet, which around here is pretty much every day.
My oldest was in the salon lying on the coach. My wife was in a deck chair, back to the cabin bulkhead, in the cockpit. 2 year old was sleeping in my wife’s arms, wherein’ Her Lil Mustang of course. We have a factory cockpit snap in carpet, nothing really moves around down there. Ocean looked great from where I was, boats where around and I decided to run out to the end of the last marker, a bell buoy and then come back in and go to the cove. Once I got three quarters of the way through, I realized we had about 6 foot rollers and the tide was coming in. Nothing too bad, but decided not to run to the last set of markers. I ran out past the jetty slowed, turned and started coming back in.
We were going about 10 kts, 7 to 8 is hull speed for us. Tabs up. Waves where spaced far apart, and tame, we were enjoying the ride and where just about to enter back in between the jetties. Before I knew what happen I was on the bridge floor and we were healed far over on the starboard side. I heard the galley empty below me and some larger items falling. Then my oldest daughter screamed. Seemed like we stayed that way for 1 to 2 seconds and then she came right back up. Pissed that I had literally been knocked out of the helm chair but managed to keep my grip on the wheel, I pulled myself up, yelled down if everyone was OK – now a bit panic stricken realizing I didn’t hear my wife during the roll – but soon reassured when she yelled up “yeah, get in!” I hit the throttles, rode the backs of the rollers till we were inside far enough and then full bore thru the inlet. Just inside I dropped the anchor and went downstairs.
My six year old was hysterical having been literally thrown off the couch. Much of the galley contents was now opposite in the dinette. My two dogs, one 50lbs and one 80lbs didn’t look happy. My wife was in the same place, the deck chair against the cockpit bulkhead with my still sleeping 2 year old in Her arms. Our large cooler filled with ice normally far aft in the cockpit had slip to starboard and had spilled a lot of ice. I went to pull it back to the center of the boat and could not move it. The boats stern cleats are horizontal inside the cockpit, inboard side of the transom. The cooler slid so hard that the cleat punctured all the way thru it, like a giant nail, and was holding it there. My wife didn’t say a word.
Nobody was hurt and nothing was severely damaged, but I knew right then how lucky we were. I mentioned the boat is a Silverton, it’s not the boats fault. Sure it’s no Hatt or Viking, but that isn’t the point. A confused following sea hit me square in the port quarter and threw us over, BECAUSE I took my eyes off the sea for a couple of seconds, probably two to three seconds.
I KNOW that inlet.
I KNOW my boat.
I had 25 years’ experience running inlets.
I made a couple big mistakes that day, but most importantly I let my guard down.
A few more things I realized.
If she went over, I nor my crew would have been prepared. We have a life raft, EPIRB, kids were wearing vests and we were within feet of other boats, but I fear the worst would of happened.
You have to always be keenly aware of your surroundings, your limitations and your exact situation, all the time.
We didn’t have lunch at the cove, we just went back. Not much was said. Once we arrived at the dock, the usual marina life took over and that was that. Only later in the evening when going to bed, my wife said to me “it seemed like slow motion, I swear the sea touched the gunnel and I was thinking of how I was going to swim up from under the boat with our baby in my arms”. My oldest was in the cabin, safe place for Her?
I am much the wiser because of this experience. As of now we simply don’t go into the ocean with the kids on the boat, not until they are older. And you can bet I am on my toes more now than before. There is risk with everything, you have to take it to a degree or life would not be worth living. My point with this is, the ocean for all intensive purposes was navigable. Experience sometimes equals complacency.
Be careful, be safe and have fun, but always be aware.
|
Edited by - Britanic on Apr 25 2012 21:38:50
|
Homeport: Barnegat Bay, NJ
|
|
|
mixman
RO# 25362
|
Posted - Apr 25 2012 : 21:45:32
|
quote:
I KNOW that inlet.
I KNOW my boat.
I had 25 years’ experience running inlets.
I made a couple big mistakes that day, but most importantly I let my guard down.
That was just fate giving you a little "wake-up call". It appears you've earned the courtesy (although I don't know how many ;-)
|
--Kurt
17 knot cruise at 5mpg (3.5/gph). Two hulls are better than one! |
|
Homeport: Chesapeake Bay
|
 |
|
|
Radioactive
RO# 3238
|
Posted - Apr 25 2012 : 22:41:47
|
You make a good point:
Safety is a continuous process, not a "sometimes" kind of thing.
Situational awareness is one part. Actually wearing appropriate safety devices is another.
( Yes, I know some of you do not wear PFDs. Your decision. Do what you like. I always wear an auto inflate )
We sometimes forget that the safety devices and procedures are for those extremely rare events that carry a "well above average" penalty for our unpreparedness. ie: You will end up always wearing/carrying a bunch of "stuff" that you "never" use.
However bad things do, in fact, happen. And should you be "one of that lucky few", you will quite possibly be very grateful for your own thoughtfulness relating to actually having what you need, at hand, when you most need it.
But always remember that those rare nasty events are unexpected. If you could plan for them you would not need to carry all that "stuff" most of the time.
SO:
Pay attention. Many of these possible events come up rapidly, so even a brief inattention can lose you the chance at avoidance or minimization.
And if all stinkum breaks loose, you will be far too busy attempting to get things back under control to be concerned with strapping on a PFD or trying to dig out flares etc.
Be safe, be happy.
|
Bill
"No matter where you go, there you are." -- Buckaroo Bonzai
"There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." - Kenneth Grahame |
|
Homeport: MS Gulf Coast
|
|
|
|
pdecat
RO# 842
|
Posted - Apr 26 2012 : 06:24:03
|
On the left coast at many inlets and bars big "sneaker waves" pop up just as the tide goes to ebb and are known to catch people by surprise.
|
Bruce
|
Edited by - pdecat on Apr 26 2012 06:31:09 |
|
Homeport: Gulf Coast FL
|
|
|
|
caltexfla
RO# 14522
|
Posted - Apr 26 2012 : 08:02:28
|
Good post!
I have a big heavy dynamically stabilized Hatteras and believe me, seas like that can make her move in all kinds of undesirable ways, which could be become every bit as dangerous without diligence. I try to avoid inlets on the ebb, especially coming in, even in good conditions.
|
|
Homeport: Wherever
|
|
|
|
Ghost
RO# 689
|
Posted - Apr 26 2012 : 09:12:13
|
Thank you for posting.
I learned the importance of honest debrief long ago. Never ever miss the opportunity to learn something.
If I may, I believe you just faced one of the biggest dangers one can face on the water. It wasn't the inlet, or a sneaky wave, those can be planned for. It was something much worse, complacency.
You may catch some grief by being honest, but take note and observe that it's not likely to come from those who have any real experience.
|
| What part of GALE WARNING did you not understand? |
|
Homeport: Everett Wa
|
|
|
|
PascalG
RO# 12212
|
Posted - Apr 26 2012 : 09:23:25
|
Good post!
So from what I understand the problem was really caused by cutting into the inlet too close to the breakwater? Conditions were fine in the inlet?
It s a common thing for smaller shallow draft boats to cut some markers, anywhere, but this is a good reminder that all inlets deserve respect!
|
Pascal
1970 Hatteras 53 MY
26' Starfish sloop
12' Westphal Catboat
16' Hobie Cat
13' Sandbarhopper
|
|
Homeport: Miami, FL
|
|
|
|
GSENT
RO# 12438
|
 Posted - Apr 26 2012 : 11:46:39
|
Enjoyed reading your post. Being a river boater, I can really appreciate what you coastal guys have to deal with. I consider myself a very experienced boater, but admit, I know nothing about boating big water. Maybe someday I will graduate.
|
| GARY STALEY |
|
Homeport: PGH, PA
|
|
|
|
Capt J
RO# 32809
|
Posted - Apr 26 2012 : 13:10:06
|
Good post.
I am glad to hear everything turned out ok.
|
|
Homeport: IN
|
|
|
|
getakey
RO# 32379
|
Posted - Apr 26 2012 : 13:12:22
|
Good post
I'm not familiar with running inlets. What would you have done different if you saw the wave?
|
|
Homeport: CA
|
|
|
|
knotheadcharters
RO# 19571
|
Posted - Apr 26 2012 : 13:13:54
|
My father had an 87 34 Silverton Convertable which he sold to his buddy when Dad bought himself another Silverton a 37 Convertable. Randy took the 34 up to Delaware Bay with a couple of guys to go fishing for a week. The weather was a little snotty but not too serious one day and they got hit with a sneaker wave that threw the boat over until the side curtains on the bridge hit the water, A FULL 90 DEGREE ROLL! The boat then snapped back!! Randy and Charlie were on the bridge and Wayne was in the salon when it happened. The point is those Silvertons are bad ass. All 3 said it scared the living hell out of them but they would not worry about getting caught in crappy weather again.
|
Chris
M/V Amar la Vida |
|
Homeport: FL
|
|
|
|
BoatCrazy
RO# 30843
|
Posted - Apr 26 2012 : 16:47:32
|
Great post. Never let your guard down.
|
| "It is what it is and it aint what it aint" |
|
Homeport: Long Beach NY
|
|
|
|
Britanic
RO# 27562
|
Posted - Apr 26 2012 : 19:44:43
|
quote:
Originally posted by PascalG
Good post!
So from what I understand the problem was really caused by cutting into the inlet too close to the breakwater? Conditions were fine in the inlet?
It s a common thing for smaller shallow draft boats to cut some markers, anywhere, but this is a good reminder that all inlets deserve respect!
No, the problem was I didnt pay attention to the following sea
|
|
Homeport: Barnegat Bay, NJ
|
|
|
|
Britanic
RO# 27562
|
Posted - Apr 26 2012 : 19:45:40
|
quote:
Originally posted by getakey
Good post
I'm not familiar with running inlets. What would you have done different if you saw the wave?
Would have taken it differently or simply pulled away from it.
|
|
Homeport: Barnegat Bay, NJ
|
|
|
|
realrez
RO# 5522
|
Posted - Apr 26 2012 : 21:25:37
|
ole barney strikes again. i run that inlet all the time it can be tricky. long time ago my buddy's dad invited us out on his 25 footer, inlet was bad but the ocean was calm dad sez no way we are going out cause we gotta come back in so my bud sez ill run thru and takes the wheel. we were just about to the end of the jetty and the water below us dissappeared, we fell a good 3-4ft
and bam we hit the water my buddy was thrown into the cabin and the rest of us were piled up on the floor. on the way down my bud pegged the throttle, so here we are layin in a heap on the floor and nobody in control of the boat rb2rb2@gr5tgr5tWOT blasting thru the last 100yds or so of a ripped up inlet. VERY VERY SCARY !!
|
|
Homeport: LBI,NJ
|
|
|
|
RWS
RO# 25075
|
Posted - Apr 27 2012 : 05:03:09
|
Thanks for sharing your adventure, especially for taking the time to describe the details.
These are the kind of things you cannot get from a USCG or Powersquadron course.
While I have seen our onboard referigerators spill thier guts, and we've taken waves over the bow on one other occasion, no event to date compares with your experience.
The advice is so very valuable.
THANKS !
RWS
|
1983 Trojan International 10 Meter
Twin Yanmar 315 Turbodiesels
Solid Glass Hull
Woodless Stringers
Full Hull Liner |
|
Homeport: FL
|
|
|
|
pdecat
RO# 842
|
Posted - Apr 27 2012 : 07:30:19
|
quote:
No, the problem was I didnt pay attention to the following sea
Most likely the tide was at the ebb and that wave might have appeared suddenly. Paying attention is always a requirement but knowing the state of tide is a big help in predicting events. Inlets will usually look far different at flood than ebb.
|
Bruce
|
|
Homeport: Gulf Coast FL
|
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| BoaterEd |
© 2010 BoaterEd, Inc. |
|
|
|
-
Always be aware - long
