embarrassing photos!

My props when I hauled in Nov!! I'm sure someone has some others to add

I'm guessing my diver would take care of that if it happened to me. I'm also guessing he would charge extra.

Crab pot sculpture on our Albin 27 years ago

Which raises the question regarding the benefits of line cutters.

No picture, but what a mess. I was going into Orange Beach Marina. While still in Terry cove my Blackfin caught an old wire crab trap, and wound the whole thing around the prop and tight against the hull. We drifted over to a shallow area. I went overboard. It took a couple of hours using wire cutters to clear up that mess.

No photo but another "line in the props" issue. We had anchored at Sucia Island in the San Juans and tossed out the crab pots. A while later I went to check on one and the floating line had gotten twisted around the prop while we were swinging a bit on the hook.

My bad for using a floating line, but that didn't solve the problem. I finished my margarita, put on a mask and snorkel and fins and was getting ready to go overboard. The water was very clear so I stuck my head off the swim platform to assess the situation. I could see where the line went from the cleat, around a couple of blades on the prop, then down to the crab pot.

I figured another margarita was in order while I thought about how to get the line off without getting in the water. All of a sudden I had a brain storm . I grabbed the boat hook and hooked it around the line, between the props and the crab pot, and pulled it up so I could grab it. Then I was able to undo the line from the cleat and pull it through where it had wrapped around the prop.

Voila! No cold water swim for this kid. I only got my head a bit wet from looking beneath the water and my arms from pulling the lines up.

Must have been the magic elixir in the margaritas that did it!

Again, no photos, but a story. I was moored off of the "Caves" at Norman Island in the BVI's with our 41' Beneteau. As I cast off our tether and keeping it in sight, put the engine in gear, the engine suddenly stopped. Since I was only about 75' off of a rocky cliff with an onshore breeze, I immediately deployed the anchor. After sending a young crewmember over the side to inspect and realizing that I was in no danger of drifting ashore or going anywhere else for that matter as an unseen tether from another mooring ball was firmly wrapped around my prop shaft.
As my blood pressure returned to some semblance of normal, my aviation / airline training kicked in: Assess the situation / Determine the risk / Evaluate the options / Execute the best one. We hauled the anchor up, placed it into the dinghy and set it to windward. We then relieved the strain on the fouled tether by pulling ourselves toward our set anchor, thus enabling us to free ourselves of the fouled tether. After starting the engine and carefully checking its operation, we proceeded toward our anchor and retrieved it onboard.
The moral of this story is that it is much less stressful to practice these emergencies at the kitchen table with a beer in your hand, than to be totally surprised when something like this occurs leaving you clueless for the moment. Those of us who boat (or fly) have willingly accepted a greater level of risk for our and others lives and it is incumbent upon us to minimize that additional risk.

sunchaser said:

Which raises the question regarding the benefits of line cutters.

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Practical Sailor did a pretty good test on line cutters a couple of years ago. If I remember correctly, they work moderately well with tight lines and some line cutters, but others were pretty worthless. Slack, floating lines will pretty much negate all of them. You should be able to find the information in the archives on their web site.

As a diver that has cut quite a few lines out of props, I found that spurs were useful as they gave me something to cut against.

YMMV

Different problem, on the other end of a boat ...



The GPS alarm was correct ... we were dragging the anchor ...

I took this picture of a neighboring boat in Squirrel Cove in BC trying to raise his anchor. He had a little surprise when the anchor came up. That log on his anchor was perfectly balanced.

windmist said:

I took this picture of a neighboring boat in Squirrel Cove in BC trying to raise his anchor. He had a little surprise when the anchor came up. That log on his anchor was perfectly balanced.

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That must have been what we looked like from a distance 30 years ago aboard my dads old houseboat. Thanks for jogging the memory Ron. That was a miserable 2 hours but hey, we saved the anchor.

While I can get away without pictures, let me tell you about this fish...................

Block Island, bout 1964: Anchored in the big harbor w/ 40 lb Danforth. Stayed anchored for a few days. Spent hours trying everything to retrieve anchor. Finally cut line. Bummer, must have been snagged on a cable or something! We had another for spare. To this day I carry three full sized aboard... just cause ya never know!

I have a little dink

MurrayM said:

I have a little dink

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Wow sorry to hear that! I don't have that "condition"

MurrayM said:

I have a little dink

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Think he meant "drink".

MurrayM said:

I have a little dink

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http://cli.ps/NuSb

Murraym, isnt there a million dollar reward for capuring Bigfoot?

Daddyo said:

Wow sorry to hear that! I don't have that "condition"

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Oh, sorry for the misunderstanding.

Due to the movement of my rather large dog, I had to make some rapid modifications to the little dink, or dinghy as some people call them. Being a quick thinking resourcefull lad, with deftness and precision I managed to create an opening along the dinks keel line with my Leatherman tool, and used the only thing at hand (so to speak) as a drop keel. Despite a minor reduction in length of the "keel" due to very low water temperatures, I must say it worked quite well, although did create an uncomfortable encounter with an overly curious female Killer Whale, but that's another story!

hypersloth said:

Murraym, isnt there a million dollar reward for capuring Bigfoot?

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I saw a Sasquatch hunter interviewed on TV once, and the interviewer mockingly asked, " Aren't you discouraged to have spent all these decades searching and you have never once seen a Sasquatch"? The old timer responded, "Well, I have spent all those decades out there in the bush, and I've never seen a Mountain Lion either" Just sayin'...

MurrayM said:

Oh, sorry for the misunderstanding.

Due to the movement of my rather large dog, I had to make some rapid modifications to the little dink, or dinghy as some people call them. Being a quick thinking resourcefull lad, with deftness and precision I managed to create an opening along the dinks keel line with my Leatherman tool, and used the only thing at hand (so to speak) as a drop keel. Despite a minor reduction in length of the "keel" due to very low water temperatures, I must say it worked quite well, although did create an uncomfortable encounter with an overly curious female Killer Whale, but that's another story!

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It’s bout time you "reel" your "Keel" back in and proceed to nearest head shrink... At your age... luring in a female killer whale with your private appendage... GEEEEZZZ!! In a court of lay you could be charged with in-depthcent exposure!! Penalty can be up to five years in frigid water to make sure your Keel can never again be extended for the purpose of taking advantage of any sea life! You my friend are the definition of a dangerously sex crazed boater. Decade ago, when they charged me for similar offence... I filled a jock-cup with ice cubes before trial. As my attorney had me reveal my greatly encumbered “Keel” to the jury... all 12 persons laughed the prosecution out of court; case was dismissed. Judge mentioned that in this case evidence must be large enough to see with naked eye in order for any chance of convection. After release from trial I immediately applied a hot pad and was soon able to resume lurid sea-taunt activities!! Jus sayen... :lol:

Art said:

Block Island, bout 1964: Anchored in the big harbor w/ 40 lb Danforth. Stayed anchored for a few days. Spent hours trying everything to retrieve anchor. Finally cut line. Bummer, must have been snagged on a cable or something! We had another for spare. To this day I carry three full sized aboard... just cause ya never know!

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I think I found that anchor around 1996 while diving, but it was burried so deep we could not get it out.

jleonard said:

I think I found that anchor around 1996 while diving, but it was burried so deep we could not get it out.

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Oh... that's OK! The $10,000 reward expired in 95 anyway!

Art said:

It’s bout time you "reel" your "Keel" back in and proceed to nearest head shrink... At your age... luring in a female killer whale with your private appendage... GEEEEZZZ!! In a court of lay you could be charged with in-depthcent exposure!! Penalty can be up to five years in frigid water to make sure your Keel can never again be extended for the purpose of taking advantage of any sea life! You my friend are the definition of a dangerously sex crazed boater. Decade ago, when they charged me for similar offence... I filled a jock-cup with ice cubes before trial. As my attorney had me reveal my greatly encumbered “Keel” to the jury... all 12 persons laughed the prosecution out of court; case was dismissed. Judge mentioned that in this case evidence must be large enough to see with naked eye in order for any chance of convection. After release from trial I immediately applied a hot pad and was soon able to resume lurid sea-taunt activities!! Jus sayen... :lol:

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Arrr Matey, good one!

My wife was laughing her head off and said, "Oh my gawd, you've found your twin!!"