Scare The Newbies Day! Let's Hear The Horror!

Once way back in the 1980's there was a beautiful Hobie 16 with yellow hulls and Rumrunner sails that had been sailed very happily many many times in Salt Run at Anastasia Island State Park in St Augustine FL. One day, after a particularly nice day of sailing it was time to load up and go home. This was accomplished in the usual way that we had done it a hundred times before, with a cold beer in one hand and with a radio cranked up.

The boat was winched up onto the trailer and someone sat on the boat to hold down sails so we could go to the parking lot and de-rig. Nobody noticed the new powerline that had been strung from the rangers station to a new lightpole at the ramp. As I pulled the boat up the ramp in my 1979 Toyota Land Cruiser (J40) I saw a huge flash of light, heard a very loud popping sound and all I could see in my rearview mirror was the bottom of my Hobie pointing straight up and laying on the ramp. Thankfully my friend on the tramp was fine but it took a few years for me to convince him to go sailing with me again.

The powerline had welded every piece of standing rigging together and it had to be hacksawed apart. The State Park Rangers moved the light pole to the side of the ramp closer to the rangers station. Problem solved.

I wish I still had that boat and that car.

Brad in Jacksonville, FL
G-Cat 5.7
future Stiletto owner

Edited by bradinjax on Nov 01, 2016 - 10:45 AM.

A few years back I bought a hobie 14 turbo with an oversized jib - read hooter. I won't mention from who as he is a regular on this site. BTW, wasn't a problem from who I bought it from, but he could have been more forthcoming about the effort to right this little monster after a flip!!!
So I'm off shore on a nice fall day with the wife (who is not much of a sailor) and her dog (Bichon Frize). Both in PFD's and having a wonderful time.
I see that she is OK with me pushing it a bit, so proceed to push a bit more. We are in about 2-3 foot seas with about 12 knots blowing. I come about and head back to shore and didn't anticipate the wave action too well. Here we go with the slowest motion pitch pole I have ever done. But this time it's with my wife and her dog in mid air flying over the front of the boat. Didn't know the wife knew that kind of language and certainly didn't know that the dog had dexterity in her middle finger of her right front paw.
We get settled into the water and I keep my wife and dog away from all the lines and do the usual to right this boat. Release the sheets, into the wind, get the line over the hull, etc...
No frickin way this boat is coming up. That hooter was wayyyyy too big and held way too much water.
Meantime, the dog is smartly trying to swim to shore, and my wife is letting me know that I am lacking in righting skills.
So just as I am trying to completely remove the hooter, along comes a waterman and hoists the top of the mast enough for me to get the boat righted. This is of course after bringing my wife and dog aboard their fishing boat.
It took a lot of convincing to get my wife back on that smart little boat to go home. Which was of course the last time she ever got on that particular boat.
She likes the Supercat just fine, and I have a tendency to push it a little less than I think I should when she is aboard

took the 450 Nacra out in 25 mph gusts after being challenged by the brother in law..so I told him I would if he would use our 26 foot pontoon boat as a chase boat safety boat..lucky we did cause on our 2nd starboard tack we stuck the leaward hull but good..stood her straight up..she popped back up like a cork and went over on her side..my daughter hit her head on the mast & got a concussion..I landed in the sail ..then I had to get to my daughter and hold her while the brother in law maneuvered in with the rescue boat..got her on the pontoon boat while my son stood on the hull of the nacra, then my son & I righted it but he was cold & had enough. My daughter was ok & will still go sailing but not in anything over 15..probably should have had helmets. :-O

came into the beach on a downwind..there was so much pressure on the sails I couldn't depower them..now I have a quick release on the jib clew & a snap shackle on the blocks to the main.. 😎

Edited by carl2 on Oct 31, 2016 - 04:16 PM.

bradinjax wrote: ) I saw a huge flash of light, heard a very loud popping sound and all I could see in my rearview mirror was the bottom of my Hobie pointing straight up and laying on the ramp.

YIKES! Glad the buddy wasn't holding onto the mast!

Pretty scary, keep em coming folks!

It's funny though, with 25 years of sailing beachcats and making every possible mistake and screw-up I can't recall many actually terrifying (thought my life was in danger) moments.

Have been hurt a few times of course, last serious one was near the finish of the Round Deer Island race at Ocean Springs, MS a couple of years ago. Was soloing the Hobie 18, and sailing without wings for the first time in decades. Had been sailing through calms and squalls all day as small thunder showers drop on the fleet and passed on.

After 25 miles or so and less than a mile from the finish the most severe storm of the day dropped on me, high winds and heavy rain suddenly with the wind gusts shifting 90 degrees or more causing me to fling myself from one tack to another to keep the boat from going over. Then suddenly I was swept completely off the deck into the water, still holding onto the hotstick with my right hand. The boat powered up in a gust and accelerated dragging me along behind the rear beam on the port side.

I found that the back of my right hand holding the tiller was jammed against the half-moon wing strut support and I couldn't move the tiller or let go.

So I reached over with my left hand and moved the rudder blade directly to turn the boat into the wind a little to take the pressure off.

Once the boat slowed I was able to pull myself back onto the deck, I had swallowed a lot of water and the adrenaline was making me dizzy. But I still had a race to finish so got back into race mode.

AFter a couple of tacks I started noticing that there was blood EVERYWHERE! Noticed it was dripping from my elbow and the source was the back of my hand under my glove where my hand had been sawed open from the pressure.

But I finished the race and had a witness to the whole thing because there was a F18 right behind me!

Great topic idea.

My horror story is the money spent on my 'free' boat!

PS so worth it though!

Using that way back machine again, I was taking a potential new 5.2 customer out for a sail on Puget Sound and the wind picked up nicely after we left the marina. Everything was going great and the guy was having a fantastic time when he lost his footing and did that Tarzan act swinging on the wire way out in front of the boat and then crashing hard into the main beam. The boat was still going seriously fast, there was green water coming over and around the guy hooked on the wire. The boat was trying to run him over, he was gasping for air and what I really wanted to do was come to weather and slow down, but that was impossible, what the boat really wanted to do was go even faster by falling off (I know many of you have been in this situation too). I didn't like the idea of flipping the boat to stop fearing with him stuck on the wire still he could be further trapped, so I just yelled at this poor guy and told him that he had to pull himself up on deck and after a bit he did just that. Then I could round the boat up and see what condition he was in. Generally not good, serious bruising to the ribs, frozen to the bones and completely exhausted.

I sailed gently back to the marina got him dried out and sent him on his way. I asked him if he had had fun and was still interested in buying the boat. No reply. Geez the guy was a psychiatrist he should have been up for some abby normal adventure and excitement!

Oh well.

dg

NACRA 5.8…. just got the new sails and was sailing in Long Beach Harbor with what I thought was an experienced sailor… after all he bragged about being on the USC sailing team…. It was a good 20 kt breeze and this boat is honking… I have never experienced this much power from a sailboat…

Anyway we’re gybing and the sails get a good boost of air and the boat takes off with a burst of power that leaves me sliding off the boat… I look up from the water up to see the boat taking off with a terrified newbi with his arms flailing “Danger Will Robinson… Danger Will Robinson” while the boat keeps getting further and further away… and then, it pitch polls. But, this is a good thing as another 100 yard or so it would have hit the rock jetty at a pretty good clip…

I swim to the boat we get it upright, the crew gets on first and starts to power up the mainsheet and again the boat takes off while I am holding on to the dolphin striker being dragged through the water… after a few minutes of shouting “ cut the sheets, head up wind..” with nothing happening I finally held on to the righting line, played it out under the boat to the rear, turned the rudders for the boat to go up wind, and then reached released the main sheet telling the crew to DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING.

I get back on the boat and head direct for the beach to where I had asked the crew how much experience he really had sailing… to which the truth came out… he went out on one of the school’s Yinglings… once….

Another experience was the Sharknado Fish Guts saga..

We’re sailing back into the harbor one summer day when my crew decided she wanted to get out of her wetsuit… it is about a ¾ of a mile low wind beam reach to our area know as Hobie Beach… Next to us coming in was one of these cattle call fishing boats with a bunch of drunks making their way down the throat to their dock somewhere in the harbor…

While she was pulling the suit off, there were a bunch of cat calls requesting further de-robing to which we ignored.. Shortly there after the fish guts started to fly…. Next thing we know it was like Sharknado with fish parts. This must be the west coast version of Mardie Gras beads… Needless to say my NYC temper got the best of me with a few colorful explicative remarks requesting this to stop… Few seconds later… BOOM, someone on that boat had an MLB arm because a full can of beer hit me square in the chest… then rolled of the boat before I could grab it… which was a waste of a good can of beer… the horror, the horror, the horror…..

Lucky I had my harness and PFD on otherwise this would hurt…

Now I am thinking in a few minutes it is going to be me against 20 longshoremen… odds that I could handle while driving in the opposite direction… We came about and put some distance between us and that boat and then hit the beach…

Few minutes after we tore the boat down and we’re getting ready to leave this F350 dual axel pulls up and this big burley of a guy gets out and I am thinking OK here we go… it was the organizer of the fishing trip and he wanted to apologize for the altercation… I was OK with the situation, but my crew was a redhead and she wasn’t OK… Let’s just say Master Gunny Tramonti would have been proud of her dressing this buffoon down…

Not all that scary but shortly after saillling on a wooden Hobby cat I built I Bought a H16 back in the mid 70s and after a bit of time sailing finaly got my wife to use the harnes and hike out which she was starting to enjoy. We had been out sailing a lot that summer and we where a few miles off shore when all of a suden she drops in the water like a rock, I am thinking how could she fall off like that as the boat flips, after a few tries we get the boat righted and I find that the trap line had snaped . Funny thing is now I have a 98 H18 with wings and she wont even get out on the wing, says there is to big of a gap betwen the hull and the wing, I told her she was to big to fall through the gap but she didnt think that was funny at all.

Jay

paddlers2002 wrote: I told her she was to big to fall through the gap but she didnt think that was funny at all.

:firedevil: HaHaHa, you sir are a brave man.

Lost a wheel on the road last monday..

Remind me again why we service those wheel bearings on the trailer. Wow! Looks like you lost the whole axle.

Lost my dignity and credibility too...

Bearings were fine, i stop after the first few miles to check if temperature is normal, that was 10 min before. I think the bolts weren't tight, i didn't check them. Lesson learnt.. Not good on a holiday... I removed the axle and took it to a sheet workshop in the next town

Edited by Andinista on Nov 02, 2016 - 06:52 PM.

(circa 2000)
I was caught in a white squall on my new to me h18. I was in heave-to
the squall came from the north and flew a young kite-boarder into powerlines above the causeway about 1/2 mile north of me. he dropped 30' or so on to the metal crashtrack that boarders the causeway road (barley alive).

His kite somehow blew into me and ended up wrapped around my forestay somehow (it melted off him/powerlines).
luckily i had a brand new ($3walmart) knife with me and popped his kite... then spent what felt like a lifetime cutting 1mm dyneema control lines that were all over the place. If it was a old/dull knife i wouldn't have been able to cut it (i had line for years)

Kid lived, but probably scarred for life -
i made it through that storm without damage (nor capsize), my friends to the south didn't do as well, 2 cats cartwheeling, i pretty beatup
..

another time i had 2 jack-ass's on jetski's jumping each-others wake (they did this right in front of me 3x while i was moving slower that a fart)
next pass they collided in mid air and both ski's had parts flying everywhere - one guy was not in good shape - i flagged down a powerboat to pick him up and take him to the hospital

---

another time 3 of us were sailing in the gulf and a helicopter with 4 people crashed about 1/2 mile from us in the gulf

...

another time i accidental hit a (real big) fireman in the face after grabbing my spinnaker tack line from his hands
just a little later that day we got caught in a storm and we literally "HIT" island (4) at speed. I told him i had no rudders, we're gonna hit the island, hold on. Then i jumped off my boat and watched it duke's of hazard through the air... (he hasnt sailed with me since)

the boat takes off while I am holding on to the dolphin striker being dragged through the water… after a few minutes of shouting “ cut the sheets, head up wind..” with nothing happening I finally held on to the righting line, played it out under the boat to the rear, turned the rudders for the boat to go up wind,

I've never had a death defying experience, or anything i didn't think I could get out of.
I did experience a slightly different version of your being drug.
I flipped the 5.7, got myself sorted out & righted it, & did the Tarzan Swing to grab the V strap so it wouldn't go over the other way.
We must not have been pointed into the wind when I righted it, because when it came up the main swung around til it hit the shrouds, then the boat took off, with e clinging to the V strap. The water drag was such that I couldn't pull myself forward enough to claw my way up over the front beam.
I realized I couldn't hold on forever, & that within 5-10 minutes we would impact a tough shore.
My 5.7 has a tramp with a zig zag tensioning line along the starboards side, about a foot from the hull. The zig zags were big enough to hook my fingers into, so I went hand over hand til I got to the rear beam. I wasn't sure if I could let go & make a grab for the beam, but I could reach the rudder with my feet. By sandwiching it between both feet I could turn it enough to make the boat head up & eventually stop.

When we turtled the fleet a few weeks ago in a 31mph blow, breaking a wing strut, my crew,(a neighbor from my other residence) was rattled to the point of suffering a "tight chest". We made it back first, I put the H18 on a lift, then left on the jet ski to see if my other buddy was making out OK after righting the N5.0 from turtle. & limping home with a snagged jib that would not furl. He was just about to round the point, so I went back to the dock to help catch him as he rounded up. We secured the 5.0, went inside to find upset wives. Joe's,(name changed to protect the innocent, as he really is a good neighbor), wife had taken him home & put him to bed with a hot toddy. My wife was mad that HE was shaken up.
Every-time the wind honks now we suggest calling "Joe" to come sailing.

Edited by Edchris177 on Nov 02, 2016 - 09:16 PM.

Bearings were fine, i stop after the first few miles to check if temperature is normal,

boat ok? (looks light a real nightmare)
how do you check the temp?

The first and only time that I capsized with my wife on board was 20 m away from the dock. The mast went below the dock, taking it out was quite a challenge, with powerboat assistance. We took it out with the power boat and I righted it. But the rudders got blocked in perfect position for a fast and stable and navigation, with me hanging from the dolphin striker, unable to get on board. I moved back to the rear beam but wasn't even able to hold on so I let out. Then the righting line caught one of my feet and dragged me behind the boat . :-O Fortunately the rope let out my feet after a few seconds, because it was impossible to reach the foot with my hands and i was quite difficult to get the head out of the water for breathing. Plus I was very tired already.

Edited by Andinista on Nov 03, 2016 - 11:52 AM.

MN3 wrote:

Bearings were fine, i stop after the first few miles to check if temperature is normal,

boat ok? (looks light a real nightmare)
how do you check the temp?

No damage to the boat, luckily. Marks from the wheel inside the hull but no soft spot. The trailer remained stable behind the car after loosing the wheel, I could move quickly to the side without feeling the car uncontrolled, so no big deal there. The problem is what could have happened with that wheel... I'm already looking for a new solid axle, forget about repair...

I check the temperature with my finger..

No damage to the boat, luckily

WILD!
glad your ok (boat too)

how do you check the temp? - i'm really curious about this.... please provide details

Thanks.
I just touch the bearings with my finger, that's all. Usually at the first gas station after departure. If the bearings are fine they feel barely warm, if they are defective or lacking lubrication you can feel the difference.
I'm thinking now to get something like this, it's required here on the mining industry, I thought it was an exaggeration. Not anymore....

Edited by Andinista on Nov 03, 2016 - 11:51 AM.

What is that orange thing attached to the wheel?

Many a moon ago, and before I owned a cat, a friend of mine named Warren had a Hobie 16. I had crewed for him a number of times in some regattas and he was teaching me to sail a cat. I had worked my way from skippering in light air to about 15 mph on a lake. Now I was up to sailing in the ocean with swells. This was about my third time to skipper in the ocean; we were sailing at New Smyrna Beach, Florida. It was a beautiful day. We were about 3 miles off shore in mostly one and a half to two foot swells (3ft-4ft from bottom of trough to crest) the wind was blowing steady. We had been out about 90 minutes and Warren turned the tiller and main sheet over to me. It felt fantastic, we both were trapped out and as far back on the rail as we could get. When we hit the crest of the swells it felt as if we were flying. After about 30 minutes of me taking over I was feeling real comfortable. I remember looking around hoping I would see another boat. I was thinking we were cool and I wanted someone to see how great this was. Then in a blink of an eye I stuffed the leeward hull hard. Warren flew off the rail, I held on to the tiller, till I slammed in to boom and then into the drink. Warren must of clipped the sidestay because he had a six inch deep gash on his forearm. Fortunately he was a McGiver type person who kept a bag tied to the tramp with important things like duck tape, knife etc... We ran tape around his forearm. Then righted the cat. Luckily nothing was damaged on the cat but my pride. We headed straight for shore, with Warren at the tiller. When we got to shore we stopped a car (driving is allowed on the beach in New Smyrna Beach) so they could drive him to a lifeguard tower. I got some people to pull the cat up the beach then went looking for Warren's truck and trailer. I drove down to the lifeguard tower to find out, the lifeguards had one of thier trucks drive him to the local hospital. I then drove back to the cat and got some people walking by to help me drop the mast and I loaded the cat on the trailer. By the time I made it to the hospital Warren was sitting out by the emergency room doors all bandaged up and his arm in a sling. Warren said he didn't remember hitting the sidestay. He just remebers his arm burning real bad because of the saltwater. He said the doctor that stiched him up said it looked like hacksaw had been used. It took about 15 stiches inside and outside to seal his arm up. About a month later I bought a well used Hobie 18 and we raced it for a while taking turns at the tiller.

What is that orange thing attached to the wheel?

Prevents the scews out.
But apparently only available for trucks, not small trailer wheels.
Mining safety standard..

I'd gotten my Nacra5.8 in the spring of the year 2004 but this day I was sailing late in the fall the same year on an inland lake. In October in the midwest, most of the summer boaters, jetskiers, sailors and fishermen are gone, so sometimes we have the lake all to ourselves. The wind was blowing lazily and I was having no trouble just cruising along not holding the mainsheet, until a puff hit me when I wasn't expecting it and I started to capsize. Being my first cap on the 5.8, I rolled to my side on the edge of the hull just to keep from sliding down off the tramp. I stayed on the upper hull and gradually lowered myself down to the hull in the water. It was then I noticed there was a little blood on my sock so I started to look for the source and found I had cut my left leg just below the knee. I say cut but it was really 'popped' open from hitting something hard as I rolled over.

So now the cat is too heavy to right by myself, and with no one in sight, I have to just drift slowly to the leeward shore. Upon reaching shore, I find I still can't right the cat so I drop the mainsail and shove the cat upright again. Without pulling the main all the way back up, I push off to sail back upwind across the lake to the ramp where my car is parked. My leg has stopped bleeding by now having been thoroughly cleansed in the brown lake water, but it's starting to hurt.

After hauling the cat onto the trailer, dropping the mast and packing her up, all by myself, I head for town which is a 30 min. drive. By the time I reached the parking lot at the hospital, pulling the boat & trailer, I could barely walk from the pain. It was fully 3 1/2 hours from the time of the capsize til they got me stitched up (internal & external stitches.) Still not sure what I hit my leg on. Hello tetanus shot.

Prindle 18 - Annapolis to Oxford 30 mile race of mixed boats on Chesapeake Bay, Sept. 2015. Sailing with buddy who sailed mono hauls but never sailed cats. Weather was miserable, raining cool. Many cats including us and even Inter 20s had difficulty tacking, winds probably 15 - 25 kts. Start was delayed for about 2 hours due to difficulty with prior classes getting to line. Sailing into wind on non boarded boat, thought about heading home but as weather was supposed to "improve" decided to go for it. After 25 miles into the wind in 5 to 6 foot tight waves went up into Choptank River. Crew was not happy and was not having a good time. Looked across bay and a solid gray curtain was headed our way. Crew said "we got to get to shore". Advised him that was the plan but we were not going to get there as winds dropped off prior to storm hitting us. When it hit rain was so hard visability was about 25 feet. Wind direction changed and immediately flipped us. Crew freaked out and said "were gonna die". Advised him that were 1/2 mile from shore with life vests on and we are not going to die. Besides I had a VHF radio in my vest and at worst could hail for help. Went to pull out radio and in getting dusted it must have come out of pocket in vest. Its gone. Uncleated main and jib and turned boat into wind to right it. Asked crew to assist in righting and he said "I don't feet comfortable trying to do that". Tried to right on my own without success. Called wife on cell in waterproof case and told to call Cost Guard and advised her of our location. As could not get mast up enough to get water out of main finally just unclipped main from boom and tried to right boat again and it worked. Got myself and crew back on boat, Coast Guard called me on cell phone. Crew would not agree to sail anymore and Coast Guard hailed Tow USA who towed us to nearby marina. Wife went to pick up trailer to get us but I forgot I had the hitch locked and I had the key. She wasn't happy about having drive another 40 minutes back to get the key from me. Not a good day.

Summer of '88, Clearwater Beach. I just purchased new H18 magnum and was happily sailing with wife in light air. Before an afternoon summer squall came through we headed for the beach and furled the jib and released mainsheet quick pin before retiring to the car for some cold brews and wait it out. After 40 minutes the rain and wind ceased and I looked in my rear view mirror only to see the boat missing! I jump out only to see our new boat steadily drifting 100' away. Now here comes the stupid part: I run 40 yards down the beach and run into the water and begin swimming after my pride and joy. After sprint swimming for 60 yards I pause to get a bearing on the boat, which by this time is now much further away, having taken a broad reach course offshore. I sprint another 80 yards when it suddenly comes to mind the hydrodynamic comparison of the human body and a catamaran. I'm very winded at this point, especially with a bellyful of beer and realize I'm near my bingo point. With my last reserves I sprint one more time, finally gaining ground until I'm near collapse. I manage to grasp a rudder blade and hang on until I get catch my breath and crawl onboard. I rigged main sheet quick pin and sailed back to beach and a very upset newlywed wife.

My lesson learned from that point on, 1. Pull boat further up onto the beach fully out of the water and 2. Don't drink until all the sailing is done for the day.

I was in a race sailing my H18 solo at Santa Cruz CA 5 or 6 years ago. Going to weather in 12 to 14 know winds I went over. No big deal. A chase boat comes up asks if I'm ok I respond yes and they leave to help another H16 that's over while my boat is still on its side. I felt comfortable that I could right myself. Next I take out the water bucket and proceed to fill and hoist it to my shoulder (other end of bucket line is connected to dolphin striker) and right the boat. So far so good, up she comes and I drop the bucket and grab the low side dolphin sticker to keep it from going over the other way.

What happen next frightened me. The rope from the righting bag/bucket wrapped my ankle and the boat starts to power up. The bucket is now acting as a sea anchor! The boat does not want to round up, I'm facing the crossbar and being draged under the tramp and can't see what I'm sailing toward. I know I'm at least a 1/2 mile off shore so I have some time before hitting the rocks but I don't know if there are any other boats that I might hit. I also can't reach down to release the rope from my ankle for fear of loosing my grip on the dolphin striker. If I would have let go my worry was that I would now be dragged by the boat and be worse off. After several minuets the wind eased momentarily and I was able to get the rope off my ankle but it seamed much longer.

Once the boat was righted the chase boat must have thought all was well and I did not see them again until the end of the day. From that day forward I do not sail or race alone on the ocean and I now carry a knife!

Edited by Corkmaster_1 on Nov 04, 2016 - 09:49 PM.

Whew, very scary stuff!!!!! :-O