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Slow day on the Potomac
LaRea
Member, Moderator Posts: 7,550 mod
Every year, our club does a brunch cruise ... captains share their boats with non-boaters for a day on the water and brunch at a local restaurant. This year, Old Dominion Boat Club hosted us at their stunning new facility in Alexandria. But after a solid week of flooding rain, and with a huge amount of debris floating in the Potomac, I was the ONLY boat to get underway! The other 60+ people went by land. We slow-cruised for 90 minutes, dodging huge trees the entire way. Definitely not a day for cruising on plane.
The new ODBC is amazing. One of our past Commodores chairs their Board of Governors, and they really laid out the red carpet for us. The first photo is from the rooftop deck, with a Rinker in the foreground and the Wilson Bridge on the horizon. Second shot is a 50-foot tree in the river -- one of many. Third shot, double rainbow near the entrance to our marina!
The new ODBC is amazing. One of our past Commodores chairs their Board of Governors, and they really laid out the red carpet for us. The first photo is from the rooftop deck, with a Rinker in the foreground and the Wilson Bridge on the horizon. Second shot is a 50-foot tree in the river -- one of many. Third shot, double rainbow near the entrance to our marina!
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Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Go Steelers!!!
Sharing my story with a few friends the conclusion was a deadhead must've snagged the anchor, and it somehow pulled the boat forward until the anchor pulled out. The wind at the surface kept us a little ahead of the deadhead/anchor, and it would reset and pull us forward again, before pulling the anchor off the bottom and drifting again.
Flash forward to the end of the summer. One of the last times we were out the river was getting low. We anchored (with our new anchor, chain, and rode) in the same place we always did, but I couldn't get the anchor to set. We drug it backwards in the mud maybe 100', and we're getting close to a floatilla behind us, so I have the BIL drive while I pull the anchor back in to reset. The anchor has a rode stuck in the fluke, and I start pulling until I get the bitter end. I attached a floating toy to it, had the BIL pull us back into position, and we got the anchor set. A passing jetski was nice enough to pull the toy to the back of our boat and we started pulling. I didn't want to cleat it off - I though I had just found some rope lost down the river, but the end was stuck fast. We pulled a bunch - two grown men - and it wouldn't budge. I got curious and threw my mask on (this part of the river, low flow in September, you can see maybe 3' in if you're lucky) and started to pull myself down to the bottom. There was an anchor stuck in a branch on the bottom. I pulled it free against the current, and my BIL pulled it up to the surface. I won't say it was my anchor, but it was the same type, with the same amount of chain, and when held up to the remaining length (which I kept to secure the bimini before zipping the boot) it was nearly 100' total - exactly what I lost. One fluke was seriously bent, but my buddy at Rockville Harley Davidson was able to heat/straighten it for me with a bearing press. Still use it today, on my 28' Rinker, as a stern anchor.
I'm going to start doing that! Always better to be prepared.
A sharp serrated knife, so you can saw it off.
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E8K09S/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
A little expensive, there are cheaper models, but this is sturdy, saltwater resistant, and incredibly sharp!
Re:Sharp knives - I always keep one in a sheath in the cockpit for a variety of mooring and safety related issues. Here's one: Day one of the boating season 2013. Brand new Rinker EC 310 going through the first lock of the Rideau Canal System. Lock helper (turns out it was the first day on job for a summer student), secures my bow line to a shore cleat to run to the Lock Master's House to stamp my lock pass - the Admiral is with him. I'm holding the mooring line at the stern wrapped around a cable. All of a sudden another summer student starts emptying the lock. I yell at him to stop he can't hear me. By the time I secure the stern line and climb to the bow the boat is tipping sideways partially hanging by the bow cleat. The mooring line is stretched to its snapping point. I slice it and it recoils like a pistol shot. The lock master who has seen all of this from the other side of the lock is apologetic. This is how fast things can go wrong and how having the proper tools handy can avert serious damage/injury.
Re: Masks and anchor rode. I hope this gets everyone's attention. In 2015 on our EC 360 I was on the way to the cottage with a dive tank. I saw a lady waving and screaming frantically. A member of the boat had used a mini scuba tank to go down to free their anchor. I have one too. They're called Spare Air and are emergency scuba side tanks. They have between 100 - 150 breaths at 30 feet (less at greater depths). He was pulling on the rode - it slacked, he wrapped his hand around for a better grip and it tightened pinning him. Got in the water with my tank. Thought I was going to have to cut his hand off as he was pinned by chain - fortunately there was rode that I cut freeing him. They had tried to play out more rode but the current kept taking the boat keeping the rode taut. His hand had already been broken and could have been severed. What saved him was "rope"anchor rode (instead of all chain), a spare air mini tank, a very calm disposition and luck.
I have been scuba diving tor 40 years. Even with a full tank I would NEVER put my hands anywhere near a snagged rode line and only in dire circumstances even use a pry bar or such device to free it. To do so is incredibly dangerous. I have been temporarily trapped under water before - it is a truly awful feeling.
In such a circumstance I recommend: cut the friggin' rope rode or release the chain rode and come back another another day with TWO scuba divers unless you want to spend your last three minutes looking up at your hull.
Respectfully MT
Of course, even that isn't a perfect solution.
A few years ago, my sister was rafted up with four other boats (all 40-46 feet), and everybody went ashore for lunch. An unexpected storm rolled through, and an inexperienced boater fouled her anchor with the raft-up's anchor. In a moment of panic, what did she do? She cut their anchor rode and went home! The raftup got blown into shore with many thousands of dollars in damage. They eventually found the perp from her social media postings. Wouldn't have happened with an all-chain rode!
But I still let out some rope every time.
Fun story on why I have the Spare Air: I lost a pair of sunglasses paddleboarding on a private lake (part of a Groupon). They warned me to take them off but I knew I wouldn't fall. What I couldn't predict was the girl to my right would lose her balance and hit me in the head with her paddle. The sunglasses - custom Oakleys - hit a sign over the lake (used for slalom kayak racing) and fell straight down. They wouldn't let me take off my vest to get them in 4' of water at the time, and after 1-2 weeks of persistently asking the owner permission and getting no answer I decided to act. I bought a Spare Air online, had a local shop fill it for me, and got a buddy to sneak in with me. The lake was on several hundred acres of land, with the owners house and 3 generations of family living nearest where I lost my glasses, and about a half mile through the woods was a local residential street.
My wife was 8 months pregnant - it was mid-November in Maryland, cold, and moonless (why we picked that night) - and she didn't want to drive, so I recruited my Brother in Law. Of course, he's Latino, so to prevent him from getting shot if the police found him "prowling" I had the Mother in Law ride with him too. Then the Wife decided to come too.
I mentioned it Friday night to my buddy Xoom over a few drinks, and Saturday he showed up to support. So they dropped us on the end of the street and took off to drive in circles, hopefully avoiding suspicion. My friend (a mid-40's drinking buddy) and I crunched through the woods doing our best to be ninja's. The leaves had dried and fallen, and we were NOT quiet. We got to the lake half an hour later, and I left Xoom sitting by the side as I swam out to the middle.
I had a light (wrapped in a condom to keep it functional), my mask, fins, and Spare Air. But the lake was covered in hydrilla on the bottom, and I couldn't swim easily. I was wearing my old AF BDU's and was starting to have trouble treading water without making noise, and getting winded. That shot of whiskey on the ride over was catching up to me. I got to where the glasses were, took a deep breath, put the Spare Air in my mouth, and dove to the bottom. I was freezing, feeling around the dark for my sunglasses, and thinking of all the funny ways I never got to die when the Spare Air started purging. I tried cycling the button on the back but something was wrong - it was quickly discharging all my air. I inflated my CamelBak and it floated me back to the surface pretty quickly, but it was dark and I was confused which way to go until I heard "Calookackoo... *snicker* Calookackoo... *snicker snicker* Calookackoo *burp* *giggle". Pretty sure the whole lake heard it, so I took a breath and went back under. I swam as hard as I could for the side, quietly, moving gracefully as a drowning Ox at this point. The CamelBak was still inflated, and just splashing along the surface. We exfiltrated the area a little faster - but nearly falling into a small ravine. I was less worried about getting caught thinking the back of the police car would at least be warm. I was COLD. We texted our ride and about 20 minutes later hopped in the back as he tore off down the road.
After I picked the leeches off, I checked the Spare Air and this little guy fell out.
I had the local dive shop service and recharge it, and I've used it a few times since much more successfully.
Well, since we are talking stories and some about anchoring....yesterday we did the blue angels in Annapolis. Tons of boats in about 25 feet of water with a sand bottom. It's always a pain to anchor! I got there nice and early, set my anchor. Had another 400 and then a 342 @ransnan tie up onto me. Well, the wind changed direction after the 400 tied on me, but before Randy did. I had a lot of rode out (~130') for the number of boats that was there, but I'm never happy that I can't put out more because everyone piles in very tightly.
Wind picked up pretty good, just less than 2 hours later, about a half hour before the air show to start. Hmmmm.....the 3 of us are moving!!!! Man I felt like an A$$! Of course people were yelling at us & telling us what to do (like I needed help!) We all got unhooked without too many issues. My dang prusik knot on the front was a real pain, cause I had the boat running to keep from drifting any further, so my wife (& others on the boat, but you know, not familiar with boating) had to remove that knot before I could pull up my anchor.
Well, our real nice spot got gobbled up by other boats while this happened, and we all just anchored individually. The show was really good. My coworkers that were on the boat were very surprised how calm I stayed, especially when I had to leave the helm briefly to get a line that was tied very tightly between the two sterns of us and the other 400....all with someone behind me that, well, only thing I heard (from many things he was yelling) was you are now 6 feet away from my bow!!! You better get disconnected now!
After the show, we went to a nice calm anchorage near our marina and anchored and had some good cold ones!!!
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Once the boat was turning - I noticed we caught over 100' of rode with something heavy at the other end. We drug it into the party cove - into about 20' of water - but we were itching to get off the lake before the crowds hit the ramp. I marked it on the GPS and figure I'll dive on it next time we're there.