These days I don't normally sail with my wife cuz she drives me nuts
when she does. Asks too dang many questions I have answered many times
before and I long ago lost my patience for teaching her and I figger
she outa just figure it out for herself, if she is really interested.
With her around I cant relax and concentrate on sailing. BUT, I
decided that we ought to spend more time together so I convinced her to
go out for an hour or so..........big mistake.
I was a nice chilly day here in N. Fl with the wind outa the north,
unusual but nice. We had our 10 yr old daughter aboard and I motored
out and turned to go south out the ½ mile long channel. Put up the
jib cranked the diesel up all the way to blow out the carbon and got
out in a hurry. Put up the main and went off on a course of 140 with
engine turning over the charge the batteries. After about 15 minutes,
the engine slowly died. No problem, it'll probably crank when we
need it and even if it doesn't, we can always tack down the channel,
I've done it before (except not on a falling tide......). After some
easy sailing in nearly 18 kts with reefed main , decided to go in as it
was getting chilly. Engine wouldn't start. Couldn't get any
course N of 270 going west toward the channel marker tripod, CRAP,
turned to NE and went a long way into the shallows till the tripod was
240 from us and then turned back to it. Wind seemed to be out of 340
so I figgered we'd have just a little trouble but not too much going
down the N-S channel. Went past the channel entrance tripod tower
going west and then turned back toward it.
Was really surprised at how little northing we could get and only ended
up about 150' north of the tripod when I had to tack back west so I
wouldn't go too far into the shallows. My wife was running the Jib
and I was steering and she somehow didn't get the jib to tack so we
had to jibe, no problem except we lost some ground. At the other side,
tacked again and went back east. Tacking on the east side needed
really good control of the jib and she just couldn't get the hang of
it and we had to jibe again but I managed to make up for it in gusts
making more northing. On the next tack she missed again so we traded
places. Unfortunately, she just couldn't get the hang of it and I
kept finding her with the tiller hard over for some reason so I took
over steering again. On the next tack, she missed again and I actually
had to give up about 100' to avoid hitting a marker.
By this time I was ****ed and demanded that she just sit back and allow
me to get us in. She keeps talking about getting help on the radio but
I kept telling her we didn't need any help cuz we were not in any
trouble and she keeps goin on about it making me nutso. Finally, I get
into the groove, controlling the tacks and all and making real
progress. On one tack, the wind picks up and I manage to get a good
angle north, so much so that I decide to go a little more past the side
of the channel than usual, after all, even if we go aground, the N wind
will push us off............
Well, I go aground, no problem I thought, I turn the tiller to make us
jibe and let out all the RF jib to push her head around and SHOCK, she
doesn't move. DANG, it didn't feel as if we went hard aground but
the wind wouldn't push us off no matter what. Suddenly wife is
demanding I call for help. I say "Hell NO" we are not in trouble
and I'm getting us off. OK, I try to start the engine again, a few
sputters but then nothing. CRAP, she demands that we "Call
somebody" so I ask, "Call ****ing who" and she says "The Marine
Patrol or the Coast Guard" to which I reply that we are in NO danger
at all and in fact are only ½ mile from shore in water so shallow I
can walk to shore if necessary. I commence to trying to rock us off,
no luck. She wants me to call somebody we know on shore but I tell her
I don't have their phone numbers and I'd prefer to wait for the
tide. She says, "How will we get in then, the same thing will
happen". I tell her that by tomorrow the wind will be outa the south
and we can then sail most of the way in. "TOMORROW, It is COLD, WE
HAVE ONLY ONE BLANKET and no food and I have to get to work in the
morning and Katie has o go to school and...." Katie replies "I
want to stay, I want to stay". I say, "Dammit, we have three
parkas, a blanket, several sheets and even some apples and snack stuff,
no problem". "We need to get home" she says. "AAAAAAUGH, OK,
I'll try the radio", so I try to call the local coast guard
auxiliary that I know will not respond, "See, no answer". This
doesn't stop her, she just ****ed off and threatens to use her cell
phone to get our 16 yr old son at home to call for help. So, I get
browbeaten into calling TowBoat US and get them ok. They tell us what
it'll cost/hr and I tell em we'll call back if we really need help.
Then, we see the only other boat on the water go by ¼ mile away, it
is SeaTow so she convinces me to call them. Thank You God, they are
responding to a genuine call for help and cannot get to us.
I go below and try to bleed the engine, an easy thing to do if she
would get off my back about my tools being all over the cabin. I have
an electric fuel pump because it makes bleeding the engine a breeze but
I get NO fuel out the bleed ports, "HUH"? I think back to years
ago when the electric pump diaphragm had gone bad at the dock, no
amount of pumping would get fuel to the fuel filter, CRAP, its happened
again, bad timing too.
I go forward to try to push off with the very very long extendable boat
hook, nothing at all, we are hard aground. SO, I decide to make the
best of it and get out my Delta anchor and manage to throw it way out
so don't go too far if we float off.
Suddenly "GROAN", I see SeaTow coming down the channel toward us,
they managed to get the other boat out of distress. If I tell them to
leave I'll never hear the end of it so I humbly tie their tow rope to
our cleat and they pull us into the channel bumping the bottom a lot on
the way, clearly the tide has really gone out. They tow us to the dock
and I go to pay. By this time I was seriously happy to be off the boat
with my wife so even the astonishing cost of $480 didn't faze me
much. It was $10/ft for the ungrounding (28' sailboat) and then $165
minimum and a couple other fees.
20 YEARS OF SAILING AND I HAVE NEVER NEEDED TO BE TOWED IN. Shame,
shame, shame. I've been hard aground before with my friends, no
problem, just wait for the tide and party till then. If I was with
them or myself and able to be relaxed about my tools being all over
I'd have just rigged up a gravity feed for the engine but
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I had to listen to so much crap I finally
gave in to such debasement. I love my wife but will not sail with her
again. Yes, I'd still be aground with my 10 yr old daughter with me
but we'd have fun fishing and I'd get off in the morn.

wrote:
snip..
They tow us to the dock
and I go to pay. By this time I was seriously happy to be off the boat
with my wife so even *the astonishing cost of $480* didn't faze me
much. It was $10/ft for the ungrounding (28' sailboat) and then $165
minimum and a couple other fees.
snip...

Whoo hoo! Around here the Coast Guard...or some friendly boater will
always come to the rescue...for free.

Don White wrote:
wrote:
snip..
They tow us to the dock
and I go to pay. By this time I was seriously happy to be off the boat
with my wife so even *the astonishing cost of $480* didn't faze me
much. It was $10/ft for the ungrounding (28' sailboat) and then $165
minimum and a couple other fees.
snip...

Whoo hoo! Around here the Coast Guard...or some friendly boater will
always come to the rescue...for free.

Re-thinking this, I regret posting it. It has me blaming my wife for
my predicament when I had nobody but myslf to blame. If I had
displayed much more confidence and a fun atitude I could probably have
talked my wife into enjoying the overnight grounding. Unfortunately, I
consider sailing to be an excercise in problem solving so I do not sail
for the same reasons she does. I DID invite her. I apologize.

David OHara

wrote in message
oups.com...

Don White wrote:
wrote:
snip..
They tow us to the dock
and I go to pay. By this time I was seriously happy to be off the boat
with my wife so even *the astonishing cost of $480* didn't faze me
much. It was $10/ft for the ungrounding (28' sailboat) and then $165
minimum and a couple other fees.
snip...

Whoo hoo! Around here the Coast Guard...or some friendly boater will
always come to the rescue...for free.

Re-thinking this, I regret posting it. It has me blaming my wife for
my predicament when I had nobody but myslf to blame. If I had
displayed much more confidence and a fun atitude I could probably have
talked my wife into enjoying the overnight grounding. Unfortunately, I
consider sailing to be an excercise in problem solving so I do not sail
for the same reasons she does. I DID invite her. I apologize.

David OHara


David,

I like your second post much better, but can you think of any other things
you should have done differently?

"KLC Lewis" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...

Don White wrote:
wrote:
snip..
They tow us to the dock
and I go to pay. By this time I was seriously happy to be off the
boat
with my wife so even *the astonishing cost of $480* didn't faze me
much. It was $10/ft for the ungrounding (28' sailboat) and then $165
minimum and a couple other fees.
snip...

Whoo hoo! Around here the Coast Guard...or some friendly boater will
always come to the rescue...for free.

Re-thinking this, I regret posting it. It has me blaming my wife for
my predicament when I had nobody but myslf to blame. If I had
displayed much more confidence and a fun atitude I could probably have
talked my wife into enjoying the overnight grounding. Unfortunately, I
consider sailing to be an excercise in problem solving so I do not sail
for the same reasons she does. I DID invite her. I apologize.

David OHara


David,

I like your second post much better, but can you think of any other things
you should have done differently?

You should have just had your wife taxied to shore.
She's wasn't wrong by not wanting unplanned adventure, but you weren't wrong
in wanting to handle the problem without dropping half a grand. If she
doesn't mind time away, I'd suggest you do your sailing alone or with people
who understand that challenge is part of the deal.
Scout

"KLC Lewis" wrote in message
...

I like your second post much better, but can you think of
any other things
you should have done differently?


When he wrote about throwing the anchor, I thought he was
going to try to kedge off.

SBV

"Scotty" wrote in message
news

"KLC Lewis" wrote in message
...

I like your second post much better, but can you think of
any other things
you should have done differently?


When he wrote about throwing the anchor, I thought he was
going to try to kedge off.

SBV



It's kinda funny, but no one has mentioned what started all of this: the
engine. If one relies upon their engine to be able to get back home or to
get out of trouble, having it "slowly stop running" should be a matter of
concern. I believe that the first order of business shouldn't have been
continuing the sail, but in finding out why the engine died, and fixing it.

On 19 Nov 2006 20:53:52 -0800, "
wrote:


Don White wrote:
wrote:
snip..
They tow us to the dock
and I go to pay. By this time I was seriously happy to be off the boat
with my wife so even *the astonishing cost of $480* didn't faze me
much. It was $10/ft for the ungrounding (28' sailboat) and then $165
minimum and a couple other fees.
snip...

Whoo hoo! Around here the Coast Guard...or some friendly boater will
always come to the rescue...for free.

Re-thinking this, I regret posting it. It has me blaming my wife for
my predicament when I had nobody but myslf to blame. If I had
displayed much more confidence and a fun atitude I could probably have
talked my wife into enjoying the overnight grounding. Unfortunately, I
consider sailing to be an excercise in problem solving so I do not sail
for the same reasons she does. I DID invite her. I apologize.

Well, you had me convinced you were right the first time, and now
you've convinced me again. Have you considered sales?
I do like the second convincing more.

--Vic

Vic Smith wrote:
On 19 Nov 2006 20:53:52 -0800, "
wrote:


Don White wrote:
wrote:
snip..
They tow us to the dock
and I go to pay. By this time I was seriously happy to be off the boat
with my wife so even *the astonishing cost of $480* didn't faze me
much. It was $10/ft for the ungrounding (28' sailboat) and then $165
minimum and a couple other fees.
snip...

Whoo hoo! Around here the Coast Guard...or some friendly boater will
always come to the rescue...for free.

Re-thinking this, I regret posting it. It has me blaming my wife for
my predicament when I had nobody but myslf to blame. If I had
displayed much more confidence and a fun atitude I could probably have
talked my wife into enjoying the overnight grounding. Unfortunately, I
consider sailing to be an excercise in problem solving so I do not sail
for the same reasons she does. I DID invite her. I apologize.

Well, you had me convinced you were right the first time, and now
you've convinced me again. Have you considered sales?
I do like the second convincing more.

--Vic

I think I have gotten too confident in problem solving without taking
into account the human dimension. This is probably why I enjoy single
handed sailing.
The solution would really have been to wait. There was no danger
although it is supposed to hit 30 degrees tonight. With two cell
phones, nobody would have to worry about us. Even if the wind direcion
did not change and I was unable to rig a fuel feed. SOMEBODY would be
coming down that channel on Monday.
I sulked the entire night after it happened cuz it really hurt my
pride. I probably should go make amends.

See ya.

Frogwatch wrote:
Vic Smith wrote:

On 19 Nov 2006 20:53:52 -0800, "
wrote:


Don White wrote:

wrote:
snip..
They tow us to the dock

and I go to pay. By this time I was seriously happy to be off the boat
with my wife so even *the astonishing cost of $480* didn't faze me
much. It was $10/ft for the ungrounding (28' sailboat) and then $165
minimum and a couple other fees.

snip...

Whoo hoo! Around here the Coast Guard...or some friendly boater will
always come to the rescue...for free.

Re-thinking this, I regret posting it. It has me blaming my wife for
my predicament when I had nobody but myslf to blame. If I had
displayed much more confidence and a fun atitude I could probably have
talked my wife into enjoying the overnight grounding. Unfortunately, I
consider sailing to be an excercise in problem solving so I do not sail
for the same reasons she does. I DID invite her. I apologize.


Well, you had me convinced you were right the first time, and now
you've convinced me again. Have you considered sales?
I do like the second convincing more.

--Vic


I think I have gotten too confident in problem solving without taking
into account the human dimension. This is probably why I enjoy single
handed sailing.
The solution would really have been to wait. There was no danger
although it is supposed to hit 30 degrees tonight. With two cell
phones, nobody would have to worry about us. Even if the wind direcion
did not change and I was unable to rig a fuel feed. SOMEBODY would be
coming down that channel on Monday.
I sulked the entire night after it happened cuz it really hurt my
pride. I probably should go make amends.

See ya.

Probably? Better come with flowers in ahdn...on your knees...bowed
head...groveling...