Gong Show
Well-Known Member
Kedging is useful in this sort of situation.Well played.
Must have been a horrible feeling when that wake rolled in.
Confessions of a sportfishing wannabe
- Thread starter smp747
- Start date
Must have been a horrible feeling when that wake rolled in.
Lots of great boating advice above.
It must have been mentioned already, but for Survival if all else fails and you are in the water waiting for hypothermia to lull you to sleep:
- get and ALWAYS wear a mustang type inflatable life vest (or other floater)
- have a hand held VHF radio in hand with GPS/DSC (and your MMSI inputted) The red emergency button will automatically broadcast where you are. You will have trained yourself on its use.
- keep a wetsuit on board, or better a survival suit but they are bulky and $$. Even a shorty wetsuit will vastly extend cold water survivability (also handy when you need to dive under to clear a prop etc)
I run a 30' twin diesel, w a tender, so am hopeful I'll never have to go overboard, but in rough conditions, just having my lifejacket on, the VHF clipped to my belt, and my wetsuit close by make a tricky situation a lot more comfortable
It must have been mentioned already, but for Survival if all else fails and you are in the water waiting for hypothermia to lull you to sleep:
- get and ALWAYS wear a mustang type inflatable life vest (or other floater)
- have a hand held VHF radio in hand with GPS/DSC (and your MMSI inputted) The red emergency button will automatically broadcast where you are. You will have trained yourself on its use.
- keep a wetsuit on board, or better a survival suit but they are bulky and $$. Even a shorty wetsuit will vastly extend cold water survivability (also handy when you need to dive under to clear a prop etc)
I run a 30' twin diesel, w a tender, so am hopeful I'll never have to go overboard, but in rough conditions, just having my lifejacket on, the VHF clipped to my belt, and my wetsuit close by make a tricky situation a lot more comfortable
I meant to add something potentially important to the story of getting people towed off the sand beach in post #41 - that other experienced mariners that post on here (e.g. Squire, Sharphooks, BC Coast Pilot, Flashman, Loghauler, Gong Show and all the many others) and SAR specialists would likely agree with and have already thought of - the NUMBER 1 rule of assisting in any capacity for any marine incident is:
Don't get yourself into the same spot/risk/tragedy as the original vessel you are trying to assist.
So with that declaration in mind - there are some things to think of and do when assisting in such a situation...
1/ Be prepared with a long enuff tow rope (likely 100 feet or so) and maybe even rig up a bridle on both ends
2/ have good communications with the original boat operator and an assistant to handle the lines
3/ describe the plan and the risks to everyone beforehand and during the operations, and finally
4/ mitigate every risk you can think of until everyone is in a safe place
What I did in this particular situation (and these suggestions may be of assistance to any mariners and/or sportfishing-wannabees reading this post in the future) is to:
Get ready on the incoming tide before the boat starts to float and be prepped for the time on the higher tide when the beached boat should float by:
1/ Standing by close - but not getting too far into the beach and having the same thing happen (getting taken ashore by the surf)
2/ Standing by in water deep enuff to keep the leg down and not slamming the bottom in the surf, and pointed out into the surf so you have power and control
3/ using the wind/surf to take the end of the tow line into the grounded boat where someone in waist-deep water could retrieve that end. Don't get too close into the beach handing over the line. Poly floats - nylon does not. A float/bumper on the end of the rope may help. If the boat is ashore - it is easy access to the strongpoint/eye on the bow that trailered boats have can be used for towing. Those easy on/off carabiner-type clips/shackles are useful here. On the towboat end - a side line off the other stern cleat can make a bridle when attached to the tow rope on the opposite stern cleat and be adjusted in length to keep the tow pull strait and centered and keep the lines off the outboards.
4/ Once hooked up - keep a light pull on the beached boat until it starts to float - then give it. Getting the bow out into the waves and the beached boat sliding along the beach until it is deep enuff for them to drop the outboards/legs and start-up is crucial. Less weight (passengers out) until any heavy boat is at least turned into the waves is often helpful to get the boat turned if you are already towing hard and nothing is happening. If it instead a small, light boat - they might be able to do turn the bow out while they are on the beach beforehand using their legs and pushing on their bow by leaning their back/butts into the hull at the bow. This will all take communication, co-ordination & timing.
5/ Both boats need to be in a safer spot before the rope is disconnected. Again, this will take communication with the beached boat operator before and during the operation. The tow rope can get caught in their props if the operator guns their boat rather than letting the tow boat keep pressure on the line by pulling. Disconnecting can be dangerous for them with getting someone out on their bow, and it takes a few minutes to demobilize everything. Meanwhile both boats are drifting. The best option is to tow everyone still connected out into safe water - deeper and no surf - like around a corner or into an adjacent cove before letting go. Again - this takes communication & co-ordination.
Anyways - I hope these experiences and suggestions help someone sometime in the future.
Don't get yourself into the same spot/risk/tragedy as the original vessel you are trying to assist.
So with that declaration in mind - there are some things to think of and do when assisting in such a situation...
1/ Be prepared with a long enuff tow rope (likely 100 feet or so) and maybe even rig up a bridle on both ends
2/ have good communications with the original boat operator and an assistant to handle the lines
3/ describe the plan and the risks to everyone beforehand and during the operations, and finally
4/ mitigate every risk you can think of until everyone is in a safe place
What I did in this particular situation (and these suggestions may be of assistance to any mariners and/or sportfishing-wannabees reading this post in the future) is to:
Get ready on the incoming tide before the boat starts to float and be prepped for the time on the higher tide when the beached boat should float by:
1/ Standing by close - but not getting too far into the beach and having the same thing happen (getting taken ashore by the surf)
2/ Standing by in water deep enuff to keep the leg down and not slamming the bottom in the surf, and pointed out into the surf so you have power and control
3/ using the wind/surf to take the end of the tow line into the grounded boat where someone in waist-deep water could retrieve that end. Don't get too close into the beach handing over the line. Poly floats - nylon does not. A float/bumper on the end of the rope may help. If the boat is ashore - it is easy access to the strongpoint/eye on the bow that trailered boats have can be used for towing. Those easy on/off carabiner-type clips/shackles are useful here. On the towboat end - a side line off the other stern cleat can make a bridle when attached to the tow rope on the opposite stern cleat and be adjusted in length to keep the tow pull strait and centered and keep the lines off the outboards.
4/ Once hooked up - keep a light pull on the beached boat until it starts to float - then give it. Getting the bow out into the waves and the beached boat sliding along the beach until it is deep enuff for them to drop the outboards/legs and start-up is crucial. Less weight (passengers out) until any heavy boat is at least turned into the waves is often helpful to get the boat turned if you are already towing hard and nothing is happening. If it instead a small, light boat - they might be able to do turn the bow out while they are on the beach beforehand using their legs and pushing on their bow by leaning their back/butts into the hull at the bow. This will all take communication, co-ordination & timing.
5/ Both boats need to be in a safer spot before the rope is disconnected. Again, this will take communication with the beached boat operator before and during the operation. The tow rope can get caught in their props if the operator guns their boat rather than letting the tow boat keep pressure on the line by pulling. Disconnecting can be dangerous for them with getting someone out on their bow, and it takes a few minutes to demobilize everything. Meanwhile both boats are drifting. The best option is to tow everyone still connected out into safe water - deeper and no surf - like around a corner or into an adjacent cove before letting go. Again - this takes communication & co-ordination.
Anyways - I hope these experiences and suggestions help someone sometime in the future.
tinboatrobb
Well-Known Member
I've been fishing out of a 14ft Lund for years. It has all the bells and whistles. We fish Oak Bay and the Victoria waterfront.Great thread, keep the advice coming. I am in same boat (pun intended) as OP, except I am out of Nanaimo and working with an even smaller vessel - 14' aluminum with 25hp tiller steer. For now, anyway.
drpower
Active Member
31 years guiding west side of Haida Gwaii. Coast Guard RS and Seaspan 15 years. My whole life and even before it has been on the water, born from a German marine engineer and my Grandfather was a Mexican commercial fisherman. The best advice I can give is never think you're better than the water that can kill you in 1000 ways.
Good Morning I was looking for some free Haida GwaI advice .trying to decide between Masset ( seems very hard to get decent Moorage, from what I can see )and the west side for a couple weeks of fishing and crabbing. July 17 this year. Any advice would be appreciated.
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
The most sage advice I ever heard about maximizing safety on the water:
The sea is not quite so dangerous if you’re not in a hurry
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