Reasons to sink

When I hear of a boat sink the owner swears everything was in good condition. The reasons can be never ending.

Hows this, boat anchored near a ferry terminal, owner gets off with food poisoning. Nice boat Amal he can see it from his Hotel bedroom window.

Next morning its gone and about 1 meter of mast is out of the water.

Apparantly the boat rolled in the wake of the ferries and a heavy spare anchor stowed in the bilges slid around and knocked a skin fitting clean off.

That would do it, about 1/2 hour I would say.

 

There are no accidents. There are always multiple reasons. I have almost been punched a few times when I pointed out that there are no accidents.

I teach boating safety and related subjects and the chain leading up to an "accident" is one of the subjects the I cover. As above there were several things that went wrong from anchored in the wrong area to a thru-hull that was easy to break and not protected. If any one of those contributing factors had not happened then the boat would not have sunk.

The below is a quote that I sometimes read at the start of a section on "accidents" - I try and get people to wake up about attitude and to think safety so it is just part of the regular drill.


Much of Boating safety like all safety is attitude. John Vigor sums it up more elegantly than I.

Vigor’s Black Box Theory:

The basis of the theory is that there is no such thing as fortuitous luck at sea. The reason why some boaters survive storms or have fewer accidents than others is that they earn their “luck” by diligent and constant acts of seamanship.

Aboard every boat there’s an invisible black box.

Every time a skipper takes the trouble to consult the chart, inspect the filters, go forward on a rainy night to check the running lights, or take any proper seaamanlike precaution, he or she earns a point that goes into the black box.

In times of stress, in heavy weather or other threatening circumstances where human skill and effort can accomplish no more, the points are cashed in as protection. The skipper has no control over their withdrawal. They withdraw themselves, as appropriate. Those skippers with no points in the box are the ones later described as “unlucky.” Those with points to spend will survive-but they must start immediately to replenish their savings, for the sea offers no credit.

This method of “earning luck” was well known in practice, if not in theory, to sailors in square-riggers, who were told:

For six days shalt thou labor and do all thou art able;

And on the seventh, holystone the decks and scrape the cable.

From:The Practical Mariner’s Book of Knowledge, John Vigor page 20

 

I like that. It is indeed an elegant way to describe pre-planning, forethought and due diligence. Sometimes people think that I am really good at docking or other maneuvers. I tell them that I always have at least one back up plan, but usually two, in case something goes wrong. It then takes very little time to react and make a correction.

 

"..Reasons to become sink-able

Part 1, 2...3 "

 

Ditto gonzo, people tell me that all the time too, and say you make it look so easy. I use the final approach Aircraft procedures to illustrate my point. Dialing in the runway, speed, angle, sloop, flaps, engine %, flare, brakes. I don't how may times I've seen people (usally begineers) come into the Marina to dock and not have anything planned out until the last 10 seconds of the landing. I usually go over and take them to school a bit and insist that they go out and do it all over again to reinforce the forethougtht and skills needed to land the boat and make it look easy.

 

People tell me im sooo good at docking too. Last time I came in there was a crowd of people and they were selling hod dogs waiting for me to dock.

When I docked there was a cheer and pats on the back from the camera crew from the BBC.

But I don't like to dwell on it --I dont want to be a big head or anything.

 

when is it screening ..?

 

Just because it seems to fit here...

Sinking while at the dock
Below waterline fitting 44 percent
Stuffing box leak 33 percent
Keel and centerboard 7 percent
Rain 7 percent
Head back-siphoning 3 percent
Above waterline fitting 3 percent
City Water hookup 3 percent

Sinking underway
Struck submerged object 40 percent
Prop shaft or strut 16 percent
Below waterline fitting 16 percent
Grounding 8 percent
Stuffing box leak 8 percent
Storm/knockdowns 8 percent

This is compiled from a survey done of Boat US's insurance claims over the last few years. A little thought shows only about 14% of at the dock come from reasonably non-avoidable incidents. While underway a lot larger % could be considered just bad luck (I am not sure what underwater objects they are talking about). Either way, proper maintenance can go a long way to minimize your chances of sinking.

 

Due to my own incompetence I have run my ships with a couple of rules to keep the shoddy systems from wrecking my day..:

1- All thru hulls closed when off the boat for more than 1/2 hour.
Current set up has a sea chest so one valve to shut down all raw water into boat..

exception- galley sink drain left open during season.

2- All electrical off when off the ship- no shore power, dc panel shut down.

exceptions: solar panel circuit and auto switching anchor light left energized.

3- The larger casks of rum are carefully padded so as to run no risk of damage if they roll into a skin fitting...

I had to help a boat extract itself from another over the weekend. A 40' sail t-boned a large cruiser moored on the outboard end of a long dock with clear water on each side.
I asked the skipper about it and he said he had lost the tranny linkage... I didn't have the heart to ask if he had lost steering at the same moment...
He hit so hard that the flukes of his anchor cut right through the skin of the cruiser he t-boned.

 

Bugs the heck out of me when I see people stuffing things under their engine hatch like it's a trunk.

I've been on boats where people have the batteries in those cheap plastic boxes, no straps, no clamps holding them down. Sitting there waiting for a wave to take them wherever!

They they stow their canvas tops in the engine compartment - great idea, let's put some plastic and canvas and all kinds of aluminum struts kind of loose, kind of jammed in place in with the engine. What could happen?.

Or they toss an extra anchor and chain in a 8" tall bin, not secured at all. Let's see... it's flat calm now, so that's fine...

 

I often leave the boat for 6 weeks or so in the Mariana. When I sit on the ferry going home im thinking did I do this or did I do that.

I printed out a looong list of things to do I now know ive done everything. Ive had this a few years now. Like a check list on a flight pre check list.

It is a long list from anchor locked and toilet window shut to engine exhaust drains.