tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266108914902271629.post2497446647419198301..comments2023-09-25T08:48:48.104-07:00Comments on John Vigor's Blog: A curse on big wakesJohn Vigorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215080385571534292noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266108914902271629.post-75050601943328100522010-12-13T13:42:02.905-08:002010-12-13T13:42:02.905-08:00I was single-handed making my way north motor sail...I was single-handed making my way north motor sailing about 10 miles offshore, when a strong diesel stench wafted from down below, it was about 11:00PM. A quick look showed me the return line had a pinhole burst. I was directly outside Ocean City, Maryland so I decided to go in, anchor, do a repair and get some sound sleep. Ha!<br /><br />After a rubber gasket and hose clamp quick fix I headed in. The entry buoys and lights were all in front of an amusement park under full swing. Yikes, that was tough finding the jetty. After I got in and turned the corner I found about a 3 knot current wanting to sweep me into a bridge. Dropped primary anchor quickly praying my engine didn't fail. I started dragging, maneuvered over and dropped second anchor all the while a neighboring boat is yelling at me that I'm to close.<br /><br />I seemed to be holding so I checked the tides and realized they shouldn't turn for about another 4 hours so I ignored him let out a little more scope and did a marine-tex repair on the return line.<br /><br />Now it's about 2:00 AM I'm beat, I nodded out for maybe an hour in the cockpit. I was so scared of that bridge when I woke up, I needed to move. The marine-tex hadn't had a lot of time so I decided to wrap my repair back in rubber and a hose clamp and get out of Dodge.<br /><br />With the muddiest anchors I've ever pulled up in my life partially secured to the fore deck, I figured I'd rinse when I got in the channel, I headed out.<br /><br />Your post was about big wakes right?<br /><br />In the channel, one after another, maximum wake speed they came. These were 40 and 50 foot giant Hatteras fishing boats going out for the day. They showed me, a little 30' sailboat, not one split second of mercy in that channel. Muddy chain, rode and anchors were banging and thrashing all over the foredeck. I could barely stay in the cockpit. At one time, two boats, one on each side were racing to get buy me. Their wake put my mast over so far that it almost smashed into the next boat that was passing me. I was screaming bloody hell and at any time I had a free finger it was flying towards them. They can be thankful I wasn't armed.<br /><br />That, is my big wake story!Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11290928283713813594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266108914902271629.post-48920712429322213522010-12-13T07:13:18.188-08:002010-12-13T07:13:18.188-08:00I'm a powerboater, John. And I agree completel...I'm a powerboater, John. And I agree completely.<br /><br />You see, my powerboat only weighs about half a tonne, crew included. She's flat bottomed. So every time 45 feet of gold-plater goes past at 17 knots (they never cruise fully on plane, of course, because that would require looking up from the chartplotter now and then) we have to slow to idle, change course to take the 4' breaker on the bow, dry off the bow crew and check for parts that got rattled loose.<br /><br />I have encountered some very considerate big-powerboat folks, though. They'll give a horn signal (one or two whistles) a few hundred metres back, then they'll either slow to idle and pass a few boat-lengths away or speed up (fully on plane, where the wake is much smaller than at 17 knots) and pass a hundred or two metres away. I wish more were like this.<br /><br />I do see one problem with your curse- many of these ills automatically befall such boats, which frequently seem to have high-strung, finicky engines crammed into tight spaces, and with build cost pressure leading to corner-cutting in any place you can't see. (The whisky thing, of course, remains a valid curse.)Matt Marshhttp://www.marsh-design.comnoreply@blogger.com