136-foot tug grouded on Bligh Reef PWS AK

Boris, that is just our normal "mooring" practice around here! There is a lot of difference between the hardness scale of the bottoms on the Gulf and SE coasts, most of the inland waters and the Pacific Northwest!

On the other hand, some of our bays are very wide and very shoal. We were bringing the Symbol 41 we had purchased in S. Florida to Penacola, and were on the Gulf Coast waterway--Marie was at the helm and I was in the head--I heard the "grave"l hitting the bottom of the boat--when it was about 15 feet outside of the markers due to the cross current in the bay. With the state of the Atlantic ICW dredging it is not unusual to run aground right in the middle of the channel--and it is going to get worse!
 
Both of my groundings were in Florida, home of the skinniest water I have ever seen. The first time we were on our way from Flamingo (Everglades NP) across Florida Bay to 7 Mile Bridge in the Keys. We were totally inexperienced in reading channel markers and that, plus dodging a bunch of crab pots floating horizontally did us in. When we saw the birds standing on the water we realized we were in trouble but it was too late. We pushed off by getting in the water -- we learned later that the mud makes that a dangerous activity.

The second time was at Sugarloaf Key. I was with a local who told me that I was clear to cross a channel to where there was a better ramp. Goosed it and hit some coral or some other hard substance and trashed both props, which led to some on-the-job training in prop rotation technology when we put the repaired props back on.

The full details are in the Doryman's Meanderings thread for anyone interested in knowing more.

Warren
 
An ancient mariner saying is:

"There are only to groups of sailers, those who have gone aground, and those who will" :twisted:

So far, the SleepyC is clean, but have found bottom a couple of times with the sail boat.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Doryman":250bzls9 said:
...which led to some on-the-job training in prop rotation technology when we put the repaired props back on.

Warren
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A laugh a minute... Glad nothing bad happened.
The first time we put our C-Dory in the water, and the first time we had launched a powerboat in 20 years, the dealer had left one of the engines stuck in reverse. A laugh a minute. :roll:
 
prevaricating

now that sounds like somethinig that may make you go blind but guess it falls into the catagory of lower unit maintenance.
 
Doryman":mhjgmy7g said:
Milehog":mhjgmy7g said:
A laugh a minute... Glad nothing bad happened.
Click to expand...

Well... if you would consider "nothing bad" having the boat in the shop for a week then nothing bad happened. Details here.

Warren
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Easy now, the 'laugh a minute' is tongue in cheek sarcasm.
To the innocent passerby a boat with the directional control problems you and I experienced would be a laugh a minute Keystone Cops (or YouTube) moment.
'Nothing bad' means no one was injured or killed and the hull wasn't ripped open. With the horsepower your boat has things could have jumped ugly in a heart beat. I'm not diminishing what happened to you, just putting it in perspective.
If I remember correctly from reading about your adventure that brand's lower units were prone to act up and you did tangle with coral earlier. It seems running in reverse is not the only stress the lower unit endured.
In my 'laugh a minute' case there was also a trip to the shop, the entire outing was ruined and time off I had arranged was wasted.
 
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