How many times have you grounded in one day?

I grounded four times one night. In 1963 my father had me take his Columbia Defender (28-foot sloop auxiliary) with four-foot draft from a boatyard in San Rafael to home berth in Oakland. It became completely dark while transiting the narrow, dredged channel to San Francisco Bay. Had compass, chart, and binoculars, but the only light along the channel was at its bay entrance, indistinguishable from all the lights on the opposite side (Richmond) of the bay.

So, meanwhile hit the channel's edge, coming to a halt. Fortunately, had a flood tide, so proceeded on from grounding to grounding until reaching open waters.

No radio. ... My guardian angel protected me and saved my father from panic if I was overdue

I can only claim one time in a day, and it was enough. In 2007ish we were anchoring in the north cove of Saddlebag island near Anacortes. There was a moderate wind from the north and we didn't have a good set on the anchor - a barely adequately sized danforth in a loose mud bottom...we slowly dragged toward shore. Before I could move it broke loose and we then we were too shallow to risk starting the engines (30 ft twin gas powerboat.) Next thing I knew the boat was on the beach, getting pushed ashore into a gravel/rock beach by 2 foot wind waves.

I have no idea how I did it, or why it worked, but I the anchor off into the cove in the dingy in an attempt to kedge off and after several attempts it worked. That earned the boat a haul and the props redone.

It made me much more aware (and wary) of poor holding. Big anchors and good bottom. Fortunately the family cruising in those days included a preference for state park docks and buoys!

Lots of times...but I like exploring places.....plus many waters I traverse have limited NAVAIDS or the shoals come past the marked channel sides or sometimes there is less water in the channel than my boat's draft.

If you include the assistance towboat and intentional groundings, too many times to even count.

Its a function of type of hull, bottom composition, state of tide, and speed that should be of concern mostly...not bumping bottom or sliding aground. Control those elements and rarely is it a real issue.

Two times in one day on Florida east coast. Both times the bow struck bottom outside the ICW looking for an anchorage while the stern had over 5 ft and easily backed out. One the chart plotter had me sitting right on top of a depth of “8” ft.

Many times on purpose when I anchor off-of/next-to/attach-to islands in SF Delta!

I nose the boat into/onto shore and throw light weight aluminum front anchor ashore.

Then set back anchor via tow behind runabout. Then back off shore and adjust anchor lines to keep boat in position desired!

When nosed on shore there's still many feet water under rest of boat. Cliff like shore line edge drops off from inches deep to 6' + deep in a couple feet length. Boat stern depth is in high teens.

grounded. My brother and I got stuck badly in a bahamian inland lake, fed by a tidal creek. We had to wait many hours under a full moon for the tide to rescue us.
vessel was my 10' avon and needed only 6" to float.

I consider anything less than 24 hours just a bump! I have more photos of birds helping me clean the bottom than I wish to admit to. But then I tend to go where no man has gone before. Ask me why I will never own a boat without a full keel, single screw and keel hung rudder! I have never damaged anything.

I never did with Wayfarer, but I only had her for three years. I'm sure I would have eventually.

I did do this, though, I'm not too proud to say. Still makes my guts churn to think about it.

Wayfarer said:

I never did with Wayfarer, but I only had her for three years. I'm sure I would have eventually.

I did do this, though, I'm not too proud to say. Still makes my guts churn to think about it.

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BIG F'n OUCH!!!!

Wayfarer said:

I never did with Wayfarer, but I only had her for three years. I'm sure I would have eventually.

I did do this, though, I'm not too proud to say. Still makes my guts churn to think about it.

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You dodged one there! Even though your vessel didn’t suffer major damage, I’ll bet the invoice from the Coast Guard was pricey!

I hit bottom only three times in 40 years and only once in any one day. The most embarrassing was in a "swing keel" 34 foot sailboat that I was racing in a night time race. It was a new boat to me and when I hit a sandbar in 4 feet of water I didnt think of raising the keel and spent an hour getting free!! Lost the race.



The most dangerous was in a gale when I went aground at Dead Mans Reef in my 44 ft ketch. I was essentially solo as my wife was too frail to send forward to take down the jib. I went forward lowered the jib and got my glasses blown away and a nasty wound on the side of y head from a flailing sheet shackle. I finally got enough wind in the main and mizzen to heel the boat and sail free. The steel hull prevented loosing the boat. Just scratched, no damage.

Giggitoni said:

You dodged one there! Even though your vessel didn’t suffer major damage, I’ll bet the invoice from the Coast Guard was pricey!

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I wish I’d dodged it a little better, really. Rather unbelievably, we didn’t suffer ANY damage. I was sure I’d ripped the bottom out of her, but nope. Nothing more than some lightly scuffed paint. To be honest, I’m not sure if the company had to reimburse the CG for anything. I didn’t personally.

Art said:

BIG F'n OUCH!!!!

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You got that right.

Grounding? Some may call it a hull cleanning.

Not yet...............

I try to limit myself to only one a day. So far it has only been the tender..... knock on wood.

Wayfarer said:

I did do this, though, I'm not too proud to say. Still makes my guts churn to think about it.

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Small world. I went by there 5 days later.

Ted

Wayfarer, you win this contest!

One of the reasons I like single engine Yankee boats is the prop is so well protected. Possum spent a lot of time digging her own channels.

HopCar said:

Wayfarer, you win this contest!

One of the reasons I like single engine Yankee boats is the prop is so well protected. Possum spent a lot of time digging her own channels.

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Hi Parks - How you coming on boat search... Anything look good??

All

Notice that Ted went by there, he did not run aground there.

I've thusfar avoided finding the bottom out here on the rocky west coast, but growing up on Long Beach island, NJ we would find it routinely while exploring. It was always mud, sand or sedge, so damage was never an issue. We knew the channels like the backs of our hands, so we'd never run aground with any sort of speed on. Likewise in the Pensacola area where my grandparents lived...we knew where it was safe to touch bottom and where it was best avoided.

Art said:

Hi Parks - How you coming on boat search... Anything look good??

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Ellis had a 32 listed in their brokerage but I was afraid to spend the money. In the mean time I’ve got at least five small boats that don’t get used. I think I collect boats.

hopcar said:

ellis had a 32 listed in their brokerage but i was afraid to spend the money. In the mean time i’ve got at least five small boats that don’t get used. I think i collect boats.

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lol!

Bigsfish said:

All

Notice that Ted went by there, he did not run aground there.

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I probably draw a little less, maybe 30' less.

Ted

No excuses except if you said the shine of your boat forced the bottom to get out of your way.

Never more than 3 times in one day. I was not skippering. It was aboard a Ranger 33' sailboat on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake. The area was "Ball Creek" I guess it take 'em to go there on a fin keeled sailboat.

My wife was once. It was my fault she was at the helm. I needed sleep and was below sleeping when she called me up and said,"I dont think we are moving." Looking from one side of the ICW to the other and seeing the trees stationary, I agreed with her. We had gone very softly aground on a mud bar in the middle of the channel. It was right after Katrina and there were bars and junk all over the ICW around New Orleans. Backed off easily, but I didnt call the Tow boat a mile back that gave me all sorts of hell on the radio when I wanted to pass him. Karma struck him down....not my fault, he wouldnt have answered me even if I had called him....IMHO....LOL

I agree, once daily is more than sufficient.

Grounding

There are those who have and those who will... I have

On boats that didn't have plotters and sounders, yes.
Since then , no.

technically I didn't ground. The tide somehow moved the bottom of the ocean up to a point where the boat was no longer floating. (It was a long wait for high tide)