MAYDAY! We're sinking! Lady K Sailing - Episode 39
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- Опубликовано: 3 янв 2019
- We almost sink, get rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter, and everything gets wrecked.
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Declan DP License Code: DDP1590562
![LOST AT SEA - Our Atlantic Ocean RESCUE [Part 2] #catamaransailing #atlanticcrossing #81](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gXpuUAl3CqQ/mqdefault.jpg)
"Nobody can move water faster than a scared man with a 5 gallon bucket!" - one of my brother's lessons in life - but how your muscles start to ache! Thank you for sharing this story with us. I can only imagine how difficult it was for you both.
I’m in the coast guard stationed in Miami good to hear the positive reviews glad to see you guys are safe
You guys and gals are truly hero’s thank you so very much for what you do ❤️
I second that✌🏻💗😊❣️
Woooo!
was in serious circumstances twice incl the double noreaster 83 that sank several sail boats. my boat was towed into charleston by the CG, crew and friends safe (i was home in tx dry). they were instant on our ssb re pon pon, stayed in touch with us til the crisis was resolved off burmuda (another boat). was at sampson cay (bahamas) when a diver was badly injured by a shark. he was whisked to miami by the CG under an hour after the attack.
I was in the Coast Guard from 1983 to 1989 and responded to my share of SAR (search and rescue) missions, and I am so proud of you all finding the cause and correcting it rather than abandoning ship. We usually pull people up in the baskets, but you guys showed your strength and determination. Semper Paratus “Always Ready”!
Only 6 years in the Coastguard? What did you do for the rest of the time? Best regards, Al
RESPECT!!! To your Coast Guard, and to the Mariners who came to your aid without question or delay. Faith in the Nautical community INCreased!!
I have seen this failure before, so I thought I would share my experience.
It is highly doubtful that this fitting failed because of pounding into the waves. Instead - and I think the far more likely scenario - is that some time ago, when your boat was hauled out or launched by a travel lift with straps, a strap was inadvertently (or unknowingly) led over the transducer. When the weight of the boat was placed on the transducer as the boat was lifted, the through-hull failed. It did not leak immediately because the transducer fits snugly with two O-rings that seal it well. But, over time, the transducer - with the broken portion of through hull threaded into it - pushed upward and you began taking on water. The lesson is to remove the transducer from the through-hull any time you are hauling or launching the boat so that the straps can not "brute force" the transducer upward. (...The dummy plug is flush). These transducer/through-hull units are very strong and will not fail from anything that should happen while sailing (crashing through waves, etc.) However, they can be damaged when the boat is hauled or launched without proper care. Again, I have seen this exact failure a couple of times, and both were much as I've described above. Hope this information helps as you sort this out, and that others with these transducers can understand that these units are NOT "unsafe" in regular use - they simply require a little extra attention whenever straps are used to lift the boat. Good luck as you move on!
Regards,
Tom Scott, Morgan 30 Whimsy
This can also happen from just a piece of debris striking the exposed part of the speed sensor while underway. You probably wouldn't even feel it hitting...could be just a piece of semi submerged lumber, or something with enough weight to damage a thruhull.
@@58dorsett Not likely, I think. When these units get hit by debris the impeller and the two side tangs typically deform or sheer and show damage. Only when the force is perfectly vertical or perpendicular to through hull will the through hull fail like this. Also, there is simply no room for "give" when the strap is pushing upward which makes this failure almost unavoidable. Even if you hit a log with boat underway, the log would be forced down a bit, and the boat lifted up a bit, and the failure would not be as clean and square as this. I think the only way this could ever happen is from an error in lifting the boat. If the unit were hit by debris, the impeller or side tags would have been mangled - and the through hull would not have broken cleanly at the top. My opinion only - your mileage may vary.
Isn't this also why the big money boats use the all metal ($$$) transducers?
Best just to removed them & seal the holes. Modern depth transducers can be installed in hull, as long as it's not a metal hull and the impellor ones are rubbish & un-necessary nowadays anyways. Less holes the better.
@@AndysEastCoastAdventures I agree with the less holes the better. However paddlewheel speed impellers are generally not rubbish. Many popular brands use transducers made by Airmar, and these high quality units have been proven and refined over 30 years. They work well. Knot meters can be quite useful for maintaining a higher level of situational awareness with regard to what is happening to your boat as you sail. GPS provides a very useful speed over the ground readout. A knot meter (with impeller) provides you with speed through the water. The difference between those two values is indicative of what the tide or current is doing to you - and that can be very handy to observe and consider in many situations. A quick glance at GPS speed compared to knot meter speed tells you what is affecting you right now. Additionally, since impellers do have to extend through the hull to reach moving water (unlike many depth meters), many have additional features included - like water temperature, for example. Water temperature can be a good bit of information to have readily available when making a Gulf Stream crossing. The impeller driven knot meter also provides "trip specific" information that can be desirable to study as well - like maximum speed, average speed, and water distance sailed (log). Unlike GPS, a knot meter/log does not require dependence upon any aids outside your vessel to operate, and it provides basic information to assist in dead reckoning navigation in the event of a GPS outage. Food for thought - and i do appreciate that some people will find knot meters useless. However, I like and use mine a lot. And when it dies, I will certainly replace it.
One cool thing about the boating community, your never alone. That's gotta be comforting
It’s amazing. We knew we had a tight-knit community back at our home club, but being out here now, we see it’s very much the same. Doesn’t matter what boat you’re on, who you are or where you came from - we all stick together and help where we can. It’s the best life!
God bless the coast guard and the heroes that surround us.
As a single, senior female considering a live-aboard situ, I very much appreciate the sailors with RUclips channels who are willing to share the problems that can arise! I could “feel” your anxiety, though, so it was tough to watch. I just discovered your channel by watching one of your reviews, so this situation is well behind you as of this writing, but I’m glad it all worked out. There is SO MUCH to learn! Also good info in the comments!
After watching this I might put a light in the stern that turns on when the bilge pump is running.that way if I see it running I can go check things out
SV Aja
Your experience is really a case study for when good times go bad and how they are dealt with. You did well. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Well done.
Thank you! 😁
I initially thought - clickbait. Glad that I watched it and that you posted this. Very genuine and I feel like I know have at the very least gained some valuable insight. Thank you.
For sure panic might have finished you .
Urgency is OK upto when it makes you make bad decisions .
Not knowing what was leaking was not good .
Eventually arms get tired , pumps break down and you lose the race and you are too exhausted to stand a chance .
I'm so glad you survived and are able to fix your boat ! Take care !
Note : the worst day of your life makes every other day better !
It's a win win if you are able to say the words ...
That girl is a sailer, and a champ...my wife would have been hysterical.
Captain Q always asks boat owners, "Do you know how many thru-hulls are in this boat. Know where every thru-hull is." Good job, you saved the boat!
Freaked me out... Then I seen it was from three years ago... Glad you did not lose the LADY K
Thank you Coast Guard. They came to your rescue. They are marvelous even though they haven't gotten paid for a month.
Things to consider for the future: cockpit mounted, manual high volume bilge pump. Y-valve in your engine water intake so you can use it as a high volume, engine driven bilge pump. Checklist for all hull penetrations. Separate bungs/plugs should be dummy corded to each hull penetration/seacock ready for immediate use. Wouldn't sail offshore without any of these things, plus two, separate, electric bilge pumps.
So glad that didn’t happen on an Atlantic crossing. Good job finding the leak and having the equipment to seal it.
Candice was amazing...she didn't stop working until everything was right.
She kicks ass. Lucky guy.
Thank you for sharing this experience with us. Even though it was 5 years ago I'm glad everything worked out and you handled it like pros. Smooth sailing never made a good sailor.
Boy is that ever a pearl of wisdom.
You guys are probably not feeling lucky, but in hindsight you truly were , you handled a crisis much better than most would. I said it before and I'll say it again , she's a tough boat with a strong crew! Rum time!
Thank GOD you guys were able to overcome this crisis and are safe. A loud high water alarm is definitely a requirement to solve emergencies like yours. Thank you for creating this video and sharing with the world. I will take all your advice and be prepared for an emergency like that. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere.
It really can happen to any boat at any time. We’re making a lot of changes around here to make sure we’re ready for anything
Lessons learned, get an external indicator/alarm linked to the inboard one.... Store perishable non-water-safe items high off the ground and plastics etc at ground level.. Test bilge and other emergency equipment.
I think its awesome that multiple strangers came to your aid
So do we! ❤️
Great video, and a wake up call for many I'm sure. Thanks for posting. I've just glassed over 6 through hulls in my boat. One of them was a new paddle wheel fitting. It fell out in three pieces and was leaking. It would've failed before long and it would have been a catastrophic leak. I've decided the less holes the better now, and all in readily accessible places so I can check em.
This is the second video of a sinking of a yacht caused by a log through-hull that I've seen in a week. Sailing Zingaro was the other victim. Have a look. Well done for saving everything.
New Viewer here. You kept your heads and did what was needed, physically and mentally. Good on you two!!
Such high emotions. Geez! You made me cry.
You guys are very lucky, everythingthing was in your favor that day. And you still got your boat!
The worst day of your lives, and obviously also the best day of your lives as both of you are safe and you didn't lose your boat. A very dramatic event, hope I'll never have to experience something like that on my boat. Good luck to both of you!
SV Tiger Lily, Norway.
Thank you very much for sharing. I'm glad you two are safe.
Amazing job guys most people would of left the boat but you guys rose to the top of your game and saved your yacht this video will go viral cheers
Bingo Slipstream! They did a great job!
Yeah, I couldn't agree more. First class teamwork to save your home :)
would have, not would of!
You only leave the boat when you're feet touch the water and you're up the mast.
Most people would have left??? No they wouldn't, they'd stay and try to find/fix the problem, and worst case scenario, step into the dinghy as the boat sinks. It's not particularly rough, they've got a dinghy, hand-held vhf, and I'm tipping an epirb etc. Personally, unless I thought conditions were life-threatening in the dinghy I'd not bother with a mayday. Maybe a pan pan to "GET ME A FUCKING PUMP, PLEASE". Panic aside it's actually a pretty simple situation. One person check all through-hulls, find/plug hole, while the other sorts the dinghy/survival equipment, then bail water.
Not the best way to wash the inside of the boat, however few lessons learned for both them and us, but basically they did pretty oright!
I was on a 52 foot Hatteras during 3 day fishing tournament and we were running at night to a new spot when we hit something and it completely destroyed the port side prop and ripped the shaft basically out of the boat, and it was blowing 25-30 knots on top of it all and I'll be the first person to admit I don't care how prepared you,"think" you are for that moment, when it happens it's really hard at first to do anything productive and when you think back you remember doing stuff but it's foggy and your like what the heck was going on, what was I doing, cause like most people we freak out but thankfully you had each other and you both had a plan and you stuck to it but most important I think is you never quit and your faith in one another gives you strength and that creates a unshakable bond!!! Great job guys glad your ok and the boat lives to sail another day!!!
I do enjoy these videos. I take applaud you for staying calm. As you've shown you think much clearer when you're calm. I think it really shows how good maintenance is so important. If I could offer some constructive advice to all. Make sure your bilge pump is in top order and consider having a back up. I have 3 (2 electric 1 manual). 1 decent (1000 or 2000gph) bilge pump would have handled this leak and kept the boat dry. They're not expensive ( about $50) and worth their weight in gold when needed. I really like the idea of having an external alarm or light for an early warning. Also, along with your stash of softwood plugs, it's worth keeping one of the appropriate size wooded plug tied to the relevant seacock or hull penetration. Saves having to find the stash and get the right size one in a hurry.
Thanks again and happy sailing to all.
Hey guys, just remember: any problem that can be solved with money isn't really a problem. That's the truth some of us begin to realize as we age and come up against issues with health, loss of loved ones, and so on. Be of good cheer, and courage!
So very true. Thanks so much
You said that a lot more nicely than I was thinking it. Thanks you.
This seems callous to those who have very real problems stemming from not having enough money. Not being able to afford medication, food, or rent are very real problems, all of which can be solved with money.
@@recurrenTopology Its a matter of perspective, which is my point. My comment addresses the reality of average persons. You can always drum up extremes to confound any statement, but I'll tell you this: I'd rather have trouble paying the rent than being blind or losing my child! In this country, anyone with a brain and a will can earn money to pay rent and put food on the table. But take it from someone who is aging and beginning to suffer its ravages, you learn that there are things money can't fix - no matter your ability to make more - and that is true desperation, when there is absolutely nothing you can do. So be thankful if you are not in this condition. You are one of the lucky ones!
@@jackrabbit5047 I don't think it's correct to categorize one form of suffering as "true desperation" so as to imply that others forms are not truly desperate. I do not want to over presume, but your opinion strikes me as one which results from you never having had problems of poverty. Allow me to give a personal example which demonstrates a desperation born of not having enough money, and though just an anecdote, I think it is illustrative of a whole class of problems people in our society suffer.
My friend is in his mid-20s, of sound body and mind, a single child of a middleclass family. His father died 5 years ago after dealing with the complications of a stroke, the care for which drained his parents' savings. After his father died his mother began to develop dementia. He moved in with her while it was still mild, because she started needing help but couldn't afford any. As the dementia worsened, so did her need for care. As I said, my friend's mother was broke from the expense of taking care of his father, and he was only just starting his career, so had limited savings. Eventually the caretaking demands of his mother got him fired, as she is now at the point where she needs 24 hour care. He can not afford the care she needs, so provides it himself, but providing that care necessitates his not working. It is a truly desperate situation. Money would not fix his mom's dementia, but it would give my friend his life back.
Incredible how you worked through this challenge and wonderful the support that come to assist.
When I bought my Tartan 30 I had to move it to a boat yard to do some work, and noticed a dribble of water coming from the ST-60 mount. After pulling the boat I tapped the through hull with a hammer and it wedged itself out. After seeing that, I changed everything with a hole in my hull. So many people buy boats with the old transducers still in with the wires clipped. Glad you folks were able to recover from this.
You unfortunate experience will help us prepare our boat better! Replacing all throw hulls and hoses and transducers. Install a second 2000 gph bilge pump. I also will Carry a ruel 3700 gph pump with 20 ft of hose and 25 ft of wire with alligator clips stored in a mesh bag And a small 24 series stand by agm battery. I was in the marine towing and salvage business as my side gig,that 3700 gph pump will handle a lot of water fast. Only takes a couple of min to deploy. Great channel! We watched all your Videos about boat manufacturers. Nice job! THANKS!
Thanks for sharing this. You two make a good team.
Glad you didn't lose the boat, well done keeping your wits.
A few plugs taped or tied next to all thru hulls works well. Also a high flow mechanical pump alongside back up pumps is useful. Check out the 120 lpm whale or jabsco pumps, they move a serious amount of water. Great idea on the high water alarm in the cockpit, ill look into that myself :)
I very much appreciate you sharing this. Sorry the comment is late. I just found you. The idea of using the engine as a back up, I've seen done before. The issue is clogging the intake and starving your engine or allowing debris to flow that damages or clogs your raw water pump. If I can make a suggestion, a portable water pump stored in a cockpit locker. They are available with battery clamps or with plugs for DC power.
Some very good things you did:
Call for help while you still had a radio.
Kept looking until you found and stopped the leak.
Took charge of your situation and made good choices.
Had a back up radio.
The two scariest things for a sailor are fire and flooding. No matter how big the boat or ship, they are both terrifying.
I met an old salt years ago that told me about the luck piggy bank.
Every time you do maintenance correctly and on time, your putting money in the luck piggy bank.
Every time you practice using emergency gear, your putting money in the luck piggy bank.
Every time you double check a route and the weather, your putting money in the luck piggy bank.
If you keep a large enough deposit in your luck piggy bank, when a disaster happens, you can make a withdrawal. As long as you still have money there, it is manageable. If you run out of money, all may be lost.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
You did very well indeed You did not panic. You kept your heads and you saved your ship. Great stuff too from the Coastguard and the vessels that assisted. Well done !!!
Get a freshwater hose and deluge those electronics with it . Then a hairdryer. You may still just save them.
You handled that experience like a seasoned sailor. Someone else may have panicked and jump ship. You got some replacement expenses ahead, but cheaper than buying a new boat. Sail on friend . . .
the Mk1 bucket in the hands of a fully motivated person does a mighty fine job. Well done for hanging in their and working the problem. It was very brave to stay on board and sort the problem. You should be very proud of yourselves.
I hate plastic through hulls, they get brittle with age and prone to cracking. The through hull for our paddlewheel speed sensor has a dummy plug that we keep fastened nearby to the internal hardware, allowing us to swap out and clean the sensor while in the water. Stainless steel wire holds the through hull adapter in place so it can't unscrew itself or pop off completely. The suggestion below to swap it out before haul out is wise advice.
If it don't kill ya it only makes you stronger. Well done!
Excellent presentation..congratulations for you clear thinking and smart actions!
Way to get-r-done! Recommendation, multiple elec. bilge pumps, at least one whaler hand pump. You can also use your engines raw water pump, disconnect from thru hull and use the flooded water to run thru the engine, you can actually do a dry run to see what equip. you may need.
A real lesson in perseverance! Y’all handled this situation much better than I would have. Good on you!!!
I can attest to the old adage, "The most efficient bilge pump is a scared crew member with a bucket".
Delivering a Roberts Mauritius 43' ketch from Airlie Beach in Queensland, Australia to Sydney 15 years ago. Anchored in a calm bay in the Great Sandy Strait next to Fraser Island... woke up early and stepped out of my berth into thigh- deep water! 2 electric and one manual pumps weren't holding her so we knew it was a major problem. Called the Coast Guard who were 10 miles away and were with us in 20 mins. Their auxiliary pump was good enough to just hold the water level where it was, and they towed us alongside to Tin Can Bay, where a slipway had been readied for us. By the time we had been maneuvred into position, after the CG pump had been taken out, we actually sank onto the cradle. Post mortem revealed the stern gland had basically disintegrated. If not for the rapid response of the Coast Guard we would've gone down. I feel your pain!
Such a good learning opportunity, thank you for sharing
Inspiring seeing the way you handled it.
You were lucky to be were you were at the time.
So you were heard and people could help.
Many years ago we sailed the Med in a First 27.
A small boat with a 8 hp disel..
We were sailing from Israel to Turkey , heading in to the wind in a typical Med choppy sea.
We woke up in the morning about 80 miles from home with the boat full of water.
It was as high as the leawerd bunk.
The boat was sluggish and as you did we began bucketing out.
The sea was coming over the deck, we could not do much but to turn around and head home...
80 miles in a sinking 27 foot boat.
We could not find the source of the leak.
And were convinced it was from the gland.
However after turning around and having the sea come over the stern rather than the bow..
The level of water slowly came down.
As we pumped and bucketed , the boat was controllable agene .
We then realized the leak must be from the upper deck.
As much as we looked we could not Figure it out.
And then I had an idea, I asked my father to open the bulkhead in the forcabin and look inside, I then took a bucket of water and poured it in to the anker well.. in the bow.
The water went rite through giving my dad a salty shower.
The ankor had acted as a hammer slaming in to the fiberglass as the boat pounded through the chopy seas , it caused a hole the size of a fist, the water came in behind the bulkhead and in to the bildge and the maim cabin.
5 dollers worth of fiberglass and some epoxy fixed it and we turned around heading for Larnaka Cypres for a day of relaxing from our adventure .
What a team! Strengthening your team that was already strong! 🇨🇦
Many people would have abandoned boat. Great to see you both battle to success. Amazing how fast Coast Guard arrived on scene.
Glad you are okay. You omitted a public BIG THANK YOU to console boat guy, pump lending guy, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Yvonne Rediger yes really!
in a pinch, you can cut your water intake on your engine and put the newly opened end of the intake hose into the taken-on water to pump it out…
I'm going to save this video for the people that tell me I'm crazy for putting the brass or stainless through holes back in instead of the plastic ones.
You guys kept your heads together. Great job. You saved your lives and your boat.
I can relate to your experience. Glad you're safe! I'm a single-handed female sailor--and I had a breach from my prop shaft. ...took on about 700 gallons on my 27ft sailboat off the coast of So. California (knee deep ..didn't know where the breach was at the time). Hand bailed into my cockpit while I waited for CG to arrive...scuppers couldn't keep up, so I switched between bailing from cabin to cockpit and bailing from cockpit to overboard. It was around 2am when CG finally got to me...the temp was around 48F (don't know what the water temp was--but I was close to hypothermia when I was rescued...
I had/have an electric inboard, my electric panel was near the floor (1981 Catalina), and I didn't have a float switch on my bilge. So when I took on water it fried my entire electrical system (Catalina's lame floor design) and knocked out my bilge in the process. Was definitely an adrenalin-filled night for me.
Wishing you Fair Winds & Following Seas!
Sorry you had to go through that, nice job under pressure. For other's info you can close the engine intake through-hull, take the hose off, put it in the water, and the engine is now your secondary bildge pump... Glad you guys are ok.
I encountered a similar leak coming into our boat, we did exactly this as Zingaro mentioned. If the diesel is running and air intake above the water then it’ll keep going. Worked really well, pumped out really fast and saved our boat.
Excellent learning lesson! You both kept your "cool' and no trash
talk...thank you!
Wow...what a story! I'm glad you guys are safe!
Great job on saving your home. You two did great....definitely don’t beat yourselves up over “what if’s”. I know a little something about PTSD, and I can tell that Candice might be experiencing a little PTS (post traumatic stress), probably not at the “disorder” level. You will relive it in your mind over and over, but it does get better with time.
I do believe you will need to haul out soon. You need to dry out and clean. Some of the things that are working now, might not later with the salt water eating away at it. Haul out, spend a week or 2 cleaning, and continue on.
Again, great job on handling a very tense situation.
Hey great advice thanks. We’re hauling out as soon as we get to Georgetown
Your reaction and actions to this crisis are to be commended.
As people shares their bad experiences they do give good lessons to others at sea.Things can go wrong while we are at sea.Knowing how to react problems having the right tools may help to survive.This case two buckets instead of one.Even on calm seas thing may go wrong.Being prepared and having another person with you is safer.Big applause for both of you.You have acted right and prevented your boat from sinking.👍
Amazing story. So many folks would have panicked and not work through the problems. Great job.
So... we'll be checking and double-checking all of our hull penetrations now...
Imagine if that happened during an overnight passage or in deeper waters. There's your silver lining!
Man... nice job keeping your wits about you and solving the problem.
I think that a fire would be the worst event to happen on a small boat.
Keep a bung tied to each thru hull along with spares in the toolbox. They can split so it's good to have extras.
Bilge Pumps? There should be imho 3. 1” sump, Bilge 2x 2” one forward one aft. also 2 over board extensions hose and power in vase you turtle. My cost for this rig about 350.00 Catalina 38.
@@tangoreal9098 lol, I have a manual hand pump bilge pump, sure gonna update that for this summer :O
Glad you're both all right
This is why I have 3 bilge pumps on my boat. Good job though guys.
+1 Automatic electric bilge, manual bilge, and a heavy duty Whale lever pump in the DC kit. And 5 gallon buckets have so many uses!
This bilge pump was to small and in my opinion there should be allot more located throughout the boat. I'm glad you safe and I applaud your team work taking charge of the situation.
@@Military-Museum-LP Could a bilge pump keep up with the amount of saltwater intake they were filling up with?
if you have three bilge pumps ... you'd better have 4 or more batteries to run them .... and make sure the pumps will continue running , well after the batteries have gone "dead", .... below 12 volts .... below 11 volts and below 10 volts ...
I have three electronic and two manual pumps but if it's a big hole you got no hope
Well done on saving your boat. Lessons there for all of us. Hope you get everything sorted without excess expense.
I sail a Catalina 30 out of Sandusky Ohio I was heading for the North Channel. After motoring two days up the rivers I made it into Huron after six more hours of motoring I rolled out my head sail and met your Indian friend
Kettle Point. Next thing I know I’m looking at the sky praying for big waves to get me off. It worked and I was free
But ten minutes later steam started pouring out and I was flooding. Mayday Mayday. The yanks sent a chopper
And the maple coast guard sent a boat they hooked me up and pumped me dry and brought me into Grand Bend
Brian Dale June on went below and found my problem. I had a gallon of antifreeze that broke the muffler when I went sideways. Not a bad place to get shipwrecked. I have been enjoying your shows 22:14
You’re hardier, more resilient, and stronger now, I hope the shock wears off soon. You handled it like a boss
It's amazing, how you guys worked through that emergency. Super fast response from others nearby. Angel's looking over you guys. Glad to see you guys are safe.
Good job guys. My Dad and his buddy sunk a 27' Catalina off of Tangier Island. The keel got ripped out slamming in the shoals. They had to be Helivacked. It was on it's first trip with a new owner to get it home to Onancock Creek From The Rapppahannock.
I find it hard to “like” this. I’m glad you guys are safe. Peace from Allegro.
You guys did a great job on finding the leak and keeping your wits about you. And you have taught me something about wimpy sounding alarms. I am in the process of installing one for my boat now and after watching this video I will make sure that I can hear it loud and clear from the cockpit. Thanks for sharing and well done :)
I've just watched this episode with a little reflection. Back in about 1990 I was crossing the Cook Strait, the often storm tossed strait between New Zealand's North and South Islands on my own in my 25 foot Spencer Stiletto; a glass over ply yacht I had had for a few years. I'd failed to get back north of three previous weekends due to southerly gales and decided that I'd just go this time as it wasn't too bad.
I sailed south of Karori Rock (on the bottom of the North Island) which is notoriously rough and tidal at times and eventually had to start beating up into Wellington Harbour on very strong northerlies. I had a 15 hp outboard mounted in the well in the cockpit and decided that I motor-sail in an attempt to get onto the harbour before dark. The waves were kinda big (I was getting a few in the cockpit!) and I was having a great time.
After a while I heard my boat name on the VHF from Cobar Radio run by a friend who lives up high on the southern coast and who keeps in touch with the fishing fleet, Ron (RIP mate) could thankfully see me. I pulled up the hatch boards and was about to lean into the radio when I saw that the boat was about half full of water. After calling Ron with a brief description and wait a couple of minutes please request, I leapt inside and and learned very fast that a worried man and a two gallon bucket, can move a lot of water.
I had already lashed the tiller so soi got into my work. Five minutes later I seemed to have the water level under some control, so I had another look for a water ingress point. I had already checked my three thru-hulls which were just fine so a bit of head scratching later, I went forward to look into the forward bilges for what I thought might be a hull breach but than thankfully found nothing.
At that point I called Ron back and told him what was going. He'd already called the water Police boat, Lady Elizabeth and advised me that they were planning on going off watch shortly.
I jumped back outside and found that I was closer to the infamous Barratt's Reef (the one that took the MVS Rangatira passenger ferry in April 1971 with significant loss of life! - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TEV_Rangatira_(1971)-) so I decided to drop my sails w3ith the intention of trying to gain ground into the harbour. Once the sails were down, I looked back inside and it seemed as though there was more water again.
At that point I decided that I make a PAN PAN call as I was quite close to a beach I could put IMPUDENCE on if worse came to worse. Wellington Police decided they would come and stand off and provide assistance anyway. Also within about three minutes, a helicopter that had been firefighting in the nearby hills was overhead and communicating my situation to the Lady Elizabeth. I continued bucketing water in between watch my forward progress towards the reef and harbour entrance.
The Police launch arrived about 10 minutes later and quickly put a crew mate aboard IMPUDENCE. Between the two of us, we got of the rest of the water as best we could while motoring under the 15 hp outboard around into Evans Bay inside the harbour where the Evans Bay Yacht Club slip way team were waiting to haul me out. At this point the Police took off back into the Cook Strait to rescue a fishing boat that had struck Karori Rock and was badly holed. They got him back into the harbour and kicked me off the Yacht Club slip way because he was at risk of sinking and I had found that I wasn't.
So lessons learned:
1. Patience. Come back again when conditions and much more favourable rather than pushing the boundaries;
2. Maybe consider a crew when crossing Cook Strait - Yeah nah, I love single handing but refer Item 1.;
3. Even though you think all is well, keep checking inside and out regularly;
4. Somehow, I still had VHF comms even though my single battery was under water for some time. I put that down to the liberal coating of Vaseline I had put on the terminals. I still don't understand this one!;
5. And the Biggy. When you are getting smashed with big waves in the cockpit, water is going EVERYWHERE. In my case, it was lifting the forward hatch and pumping a little water into the boat with every wave (I got the fire brigade to put a big hose over the front and was amazed how much water got inside my locked down wooden hatch (replaced a week later with a lovely glass Lewmar hatch);
6. Always have comprehensive insurance which thankfully I did as repairs cost much more than I thought they would; and
7. Don't panic. I always felt in control and my Air Force training taught me to think then act. Despite the drama, it might still be my most fun sailing adventure (Yeah Right!).
Thank you for the reminder and you great coverage of your incident.
Mike, Taupo, New Zealand
I had a shaft packing give out and found out I was sinking was rescued by the CG and I'm CG! Hahaha. Happy all worked out for you and that's because you keep your head about when everything was going bad. You two have been tested and should feel good about yourselves.
Sorry to hear about your sinking. Thanks so much for the kind words. It’s truly a scary moment. I’m still not sure we’re past it.
Well that was exciting! I think I would have to have about 3 bilge pumps on-board, wired independently of each other. They make mini circuit breakers the size of the 12v fuses in any amp that will reset automatically. They plug in just like a fuse. We use them for things that have high amp spikes or for a charge wire. This was awful that this happen but the experience is priceless, to know you can handle something like this if you were out in the middle of nowhere has got to be worth something. First time on your channel, I am going have to watch them all. Have Fun!
That had to really suck. I hope you two managed to recover/replace all the important stuff, esp the papers. This is precisely why we want to get a fireproof/waterproof safe when we go all in, to protect the papers, etc, just in case we ever have to make that call that nobody wants to make. Kudos to the USCG. They were on the ball. Also good on you for not making the wrong decisions under duress, esp regarding a potentially costly salvage claim.
Thanks for sharing this experience. Thankfully all turned out ok. The great benefit is so many have learned from your experience. As we set up to adventure, we will prepare as best we can for such an occurrence. Lots of lessons here.
Uncle John here, so glad you made it through that mess .You two are great I love your videos.A great message for everyone DONT PANIC in any situation handle it and stress about it later May God keep you safe
Hey hey. Yes calm is key. There is a solution. There is a solution. I just kept repeating it.
Great advice Uncle John!
somebody was looking over you and the fact you had all that assistance was a blessing in disguise Lady K must have 9 lives 😻Lady K WINS Davy Jones LOOSES 🔱
Keep In mind, in a catastrophic situation such as sinking at sea ,you can cut the sea water inlet on the engine and use that to pump out the boat. Assuming the water inflow is less than the engine water requirements. It can work.
A lesson for all. Keep the wood plugs ready to go where you need them. Thanks for sharing.
GLAD YOU GUYS SAVED HER
First thing you do: Check all the hull fittings/sea cocks. Stop the engine. Close the seacock for the engine cooling and cut the hose at the lowest point (which in a semiflooded boat is underwater) and start the engine again, running it at full speed. The impeller pump is the most effective bilge pump and will be more effective than bailing by buckets. And you have your hands free for searching and fixing the leak.
Not a sailor but a power boater and we always keep a dump pump with us. 15 feet of cable with alligator clips attached to a 3000 gph bilge pump and 10 feet of hose that we can attach to a battery and pump water out fast. Our batteries are above deck in the console but its saved us once in rough seas when the bait well cracked and we filled the hull with water in in 10 to 12 foot seas. Also used the same pump to raise a small sunken 19 footer at the dock. Cheap and can save your life.
Glad you guys were ok! 👍🏾
Glad you guys made it through and saved your boat. Some hard lessons learned, but hopefully others will be able to benefit from them. Having a loud high water alarm, with cockpit speakers, is certainly something everyone should invest in. I would add having a written/posted list of all through hulls would be helpful as you seem to have lost some time while remembering about the speed sensor. Donning life jackets should be part of a rehearsed emergency drill. It is also not clear to me if you had more than one bilge pump, certainly that should not be a single point of failure.
I'm glad you two pulled through and got the situation under control.
Here is what I have seen done and have done on motor boats. It works better in a sailboat, nice deep bilges. Put a T fitting on your engine raw water pump with a shut-off valve. Run a hose from the shut-off valve to a low point in the hull. If the water level gets deep again, open the T fitting valve and shut off the through hull valve. Your engine will continue to cool using the water in the hull. When the water gets low simply reverse the valves. Just make sure one or the other valve is open. You don't want both valves closed at the same time, it could damage the water pump impeller by running it dry. I would also consider installing two or possibly three bilge pumps along the inside keel. Make one live all the time and direct wire it to the battery with a float switch. This way if you're not aboard, the pump will run even if the electrical system fails. Good luck on getting the boat back in order.
Just a suggestion in case you ever meet a similar situation again, If your engine is running and If you can access the sea suction you could close the engine sea suction and remove the suction hose then run the engine at high idle and use the engine's sea water cooling pump to pump out the water. Obviously this could take some time to rig up but it can be a useful trick especially if you manage to stem the flow and just need to bail out fast. Also another suggestion is to install a three way changeover valve on the engine suction to allow you to take suction from inside the boat by simply changing over a valve. You should always have tow means of pumping out your boar and one of them should be a manual pump with as big a capacity as you can fit onboard. The suggestion to use the engine cooling pump comes from big ships which have "Emergency Bilge Injection Valves" fitted to the largest seawater pump in the compartment which is almost always the engine cooling pumps. This allows the main engine cooling pumps to be used as large capacity emergency bilge pumps. Glad you and your boat are ok, thanks for the video.
How incredibly bum twitchy!! I'm not going to patronise you both, but you showed a level of resilience and control that any Coast Guard/RNLI would have been proud of! I'm big into self-help/self-rescue (ex forces) and to find the issue then resolve it, I imagine massive brownie points in boating community! Ultimately you saved your house and in turn yourselves.
Scary experience but now you know what’s needed to have a safe boat. The old bilge pumps are a must to replace . A clean bilge also a must.
I’ve been on 2 boats where the problems could have been better with proper water out👍🏻. One was a 79’ and I called the coast guard n made them aware but got to a safe harbor. Now u are better sailors, good for you. Great video, your commentary is all good.
God bless you guys and your beautiful vessel You're blessed. Some people lose there home, being there vessel, and aren't lucky enough to repair, or restore anything. I can never imagine what anyone goes through in that situation. I've been on the water with dad since, I was a kid. He taught me so much. I'm 47 years old. At age 24, I purchased a 1985 22ft Sea-ray, with a cuddy cabin. One sink, and actually a head, Yay. lol. We stripped everything out of my cabin, and deck. Slowly I made her my own week by week, for year's. Even installed an outside freshwater shower. New Electronics, two new outboard motors, cabin, deck, sanded and repainted, my deck, hull, cuddy cabin walls. All my safety emergency gear, Ditch bag with all my survival supplies, incase I end up on an island, waiting for rescue. But now she still gets new ideas and, and I enjoy my adventures from duck key in Florida. With my friend's, family, and it's true serenity and therapy. Gid bless guts stay safe. 🙏 🤲 ⛵ ⛵
Thanks for sharing this, I can imagine it was to edit and watch. Lots of lessons and good advice for the rest of us.
The same thing happened to a French couple I met. They left the boat on autopilot while they bailed, unfortunately the autopilot took them onto a reef. Luckily they survived. You did well to think of dropping anchor and shutting down the engine. In fact, you did everything right, from start to finish and beforehand. Well done.
Thanks so much. Wow a reef. I can’t imagine
I am so sorry for your story thanks for the video
I run a 500 gallon bilge pump that goes out the port side of my boat and a 3000 gallon pump that goes out the starboard side. But I put the float switch for the 3000 on a two by four. That way, if I see water coming out the starboard side, I know I've got a problem
Good idea! I also tied wooden plugs to every thru-hull. I’ve also heard of a Y-valve connected to the engine intake and so the engine can run as an auxiliary pump. (Not sure how well that would work). I also make it a habit of peeking below to make sure everything is OK.
Wow.... nice job pulling it out !
i have a 3 way valve on the engine so it can suck up water from the bilge its only a emergency
SV Aurora, Morgan 382Gotta make sure you have a decent strainer on the bilge side of that 3-way valve since bilge debris can quickly plug up or destroy your engine water pump, and now you have even more problems with an overheated engine.
@@jim8142 Yep, you just have the three way valve set upstream in between the seacock and the raw water pump strainer connected to the engine's water pump. You also want to have a long hose connected to that valve that can reach far out in the bilge and ready to deploy easily. The last thing you want to do in such an emergency is spend time trying to fit a proper hose to a valve. That's definitely a last resort type of action, but a very cheap security element and option that can truly make a difference. This and having a backup high flow bilge pump. With all due respect, I can't believe he undertook a voyage with just one tiny bilge pump.
@@Niaaal he's a smart guy and learning along the way.
@@ianjorrick541 Yep, we all learn, the easy way or the hard way. I learned the hard way myself too, after burning through three bilge pumps in just one trip from Massachusetts to Florida