[Rhodes22-list] Grounded My Boat on a Sandbar - End of the Story

[Leland]

David,

Good story.  

You said, "Much better to stay out of
situations where it might happen but it's enticing to go there because the
Rhodes will allow you in some very skinny water."  Most excellent advice.  I
go aground all the time.  I can't help but show-off for other boats and
people on shore.  I wait until the depthfinder changes from 3 to 2 foot
before I tack.  Once I sailed past a group standing in the water. 
Fortunately the bottom is soft almost everywhere I sail.  I can dip the prop
into the water and eventually power right out of the muck.

I only went hard aground once while powering at almost 6 knots.  I went
flying into the cabin and the rudder/tiller popped off of its supports.  Up
until that time I hadn't realized that it was designed to break loose.  It
was connected to the motor so at least I didn't need to go fishing for it. 
Getting the boat off of the rock took a lot of powering and shifting of
weight.  I thought for sure I'd damaged the keel, but when I pulled her out
of the water the only real harm was to the barnacles.  I can't believe that
fiberglass is that tough.

You said that 10 to 20 knots was a good wind for the Rhodes.  You can join
Hank and Rummy in the X-Games.  If I start spilling my beer I know it's time
to go in or quit drinking.

Zero knot wind according to my electronic anemometer:  I don't know how this
works, but the boat actually moves.  Wind up high?  Earth's rotation? 
Magic?  I've measured this phenomenon many times.

0 to 3 knots:  Not exactly sailing until you hit 3 knots, at which point you
can keep the 175% Genoa inflated on a close reach.

3 to 5 knots:  A wonderful relaxing sail.  Especially wonderful in that the
bigger sailboats are powersailing.  At 5 knots you aren't burying the rail
with the full Genoa, but you can already pick up some speed by reefing her
in a little.

5 to 8 knots:  Life doesn't get any better.  With a full main and Genoa
reefed down to near 100%, you can comfortably sail on a close reach and have
enough wind to move well on any point-of-sail.

8 to 12 knots:  Depending on the chop, this might be the most fun wind
window for me.  You can quickly go from point A to B on any point-of-sail. 
You can bury the rail if you wish or reef to less than a 5 degree heel and
still maintain a good speed.

12 to 15 knots:  I like to sail with the poptop up and at 12 knots it's
definitely time to lower the boom.  On a close reach it's about time to
start reefing the main if you want to keep your heel under 15 degrees
without crew ballast.  Where I sail, this wind typically results in small
craft advisory due to excessive chop.  It doesn't keep me from going out,
but it starts to be more work than fun.

15 to 20 knots:  My first couple of years with my Rhodes I looked for wind
like this so I could learn.  What I learned was that I don't like sailing in
wind like this.  If I'm already out I don't pull in the sails, but good luck
making much headway into the wind and tacking becomes difficult.  I enjoy
amusement park rides for their typical 3-minute duration.  Getting slapped
around for a few hours eventually gets old.   

20 to 28 knots:  Time to start the iron genny.

28 knots to infinity and beyond:  Even Stan says it's time to hang it up.

Results may vary.  As with many recreations certain side effects may occur. 
Nausea and vomitting are rare; giddiness and a sense of euphoria are common. 
Alcohol may intensify the effect.

Lee
1986 Rhodes22  At Ease
Kent Island, MD



David Culp-3 wrote:
> 
> Hit the send by mistake...
> 
> Anyway, with 1/2 a main and no jib the knot meter was indicating 5.8 kts
> on
> the reach and 6 + on a run.  It was a pretty wild ride and when the
> following waves would hit me, the boat sort of came up and was almost
> surfing a little bit it seemed.
> 
> I attribute the shape of the hull to allowing me to have just enough
> flotation to get off the sand in that little bit of water.  Also, the wind
> and water pushing against it didn't hurt either.  Amazingly, I did not
> ship
> one drop of water during the whole business.
> 
> I don't think you can plan on what to do when you run aground in a boat
> since every situation is going to be different.  Much better to stay out
> of
> situations where it might happen but it's enticing to go there because the
> Rhodes will allow you in some very skinny water.  I have been out when the
> big winds come and it usually isn't that big of a deal, you just find out
> there are certain directions you aren't going to be able to go.  In this
> case, I had no where to go but the wrong way.  Getting the sails down was
> the main thing.  Securing the rudder and anything else that can move
> around
> is next.  One thing that I had considered briefly was leaving the boat and
> wading/swimming to shore if the boat had stayed grounded.  I'm glad I
> didn't
> do it.  Not to mention the safety aspects in those kind of conditions,
> just
> think if the boat had come off the sandbar with no one in it.  In those
> winds, when it hits the lee shore there is going to be a lot of damage.
> Luckily this time, no damage at all and lessons learned.
> 
> David
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