What is your greatest fear?

[Donna]

My greatest fear is a marina fire and today it was close to becoming a reality.

Yesterday I boarded my boat with Max, my 9lb. Maltese. I’m determined to get a few nuisance projects done so I planned on staying onboard for a few days.

For months I have complained about a an older large boat on my dock with a terrible gas smell every time I walked by. The couple who own it live aboard. Honestly I don’t know how. We all know how dangerous gas can be.

1pm this afternoon, fire rescue arrived along with FWC and the police department. One of the tanks on that boat let go and gasoline was pouring into the hull. The owner was using a shop vac (electric) to try and get it out. Needless to say, power was cut to the vessel and and the fire dept. came to each boat on my dock to evacuate us. This is my greatest fear. A marina fire. I calmly told the firefighter, I would be untying my boat and leaving my slip. My intent was to anchor out until the all clear was given. Luckily this did not happen. The boat in question is still here with holes in the fuel tank. Don’t light a match.

So, my greatest fear is a marina fire, what is yours?

 

[Comodave]

You really dodged a bullet then. There have been documented incidents where people have tried to use a shop vac to vacuum up gas and blew up the boat. Glad you weren’t hurt. Fire aboard a boat is the worst thing that can happen.

 

[Lou_tribal]

My greatest fear is to lose my mind and become crazy looking at the list of things to do on my boat!

L

 

[Lepke]

When I was young, about 1965, a wood 65' former aviation rescue boat with Hall Scott gas engines, blew up in a marina. It sank 3 other boats. I was a couple hundred yards away and turned to look. Big fire ball, wood and boats parts maybe 100' in the air. Wood splinters/planks damaged many other boats. In those days, many boats had house glass and it all blew out. It was mid-morning and a winter week, so not too many people around. The owner survived with burns on his legs and a lot of bruises. He later stated, he was in a hurry and didn't use the blowers.

 

[Wxx3]

My greatest fear is to lose my mind and become crazy looking at the list of things to do on my boat!

L

My greatest fear is not to lose my mind looking at the list of things to do.

 

[MurrayM]

Considering disasters or tragic loss of life and/or boats are usually the result of a series of contributing factors (giving one a chance to either avoid or minimize its effects) my greatest fear would be something which nothing I could do could ever prevent it...like a huge block of granite popping off a cliff or landslide screaming down a mountain creating a locally destructive tsunami.

 

[psneeld]

Happy you and the boat are OK Donna.


Goes to show that even the nicer marinas still can contain hazards.


This incident a black eye for liveaboards.


Those of us liveaboads that have sensors and alarms and are always around usually catch bad stuff before other boaters....not long after. Plus the shop vac debacle, really makes us look like threats to the boating population.

 

[FF]

Recreational boats will cease to exist either by the climate change sobers or the gross wealth tax folks demanding 5% to 50% of the boats value annually.

Boating been great fun ,while still permitted.

 

[O C Diver]

Glad you're safe Donna! Large gasoline inboard boats scare me when you can smell the gas.

Other boaters are my greatest fear. There are lots of safe boaters, and enough that aren't safe either through intentional actions or ignorance. In pursuit of a good time, it's amazing how many people do crazy things with their boats. Start with the percentage on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon that are intoxicated and operating a boat in congested waterways. While running my charter boat carrying scuba divers, I always contended that the highest risk was making it from the seabuoy to my slip on a Saturday afternoon.

Ted

 

[Larmex99]

I have crossed the Gulf of Alaska numerous times and even in June when the darkness is at a minimum I fear that bump in the dark of night that says OMG, you hit something. Yeah, that scares me. No SeaTow, no other boaters and hours away from any assistance. It is a lonely feeling for sure.

 

[Group9]

Being hit by a barge at night, because I've already had two close calls.

Once while asleep on someone else's boat, waking up, and coming out the hatch, and seeing one about to hit us, and once meeting one at a blind narrow turn in the ICW at midnight.

Not saying that they both weren't avoidable (and both of these incidents predated AIS). They were. But, still, they happened, and it was scary as you know what.

We also had an incident down here a few years ago, where a barge strayed from the ICW channel one night (it was a bend in the channel, and the tugboat just kept going straight), and ran over an anchored sailboat, killing the couple in it, and pushing the boat into the mud (they weren't found for a couple of weeks), and the barge and tug, didn't even know it had happened, until the Coast Guard came and checked their barge a few months later.

I think about that every time I anchor anywhere along the ICW where a barge could possible stray out of the channel.

 

[boomerang]

Wow Donna , I’m betting you aren’t going to sleep as comfortably onboard for a while.
My biggest concern of staying onboard is the same as yours with the exception of your experience brought reality into the picture. Glad you came through unharmed and only inconvenienced.
I’ve never been crazy about being berthed in a marina with other boats. In my lifetime I’ve seen too many catastrophic marina fires , some with casualties. When we’re on ours, I sleep better knowing it’s as safe as I can make it. All of the effort we’ve put into the boat checking the integrity of the tanks, wiring, safety systems/alarms is almost totally negated if we’re tied up next to someone in a marina that doesn’t have the same regard for safety and preventative maintenance as we do.

 

[Rufus]

I was crossing Lake Michigan in dense fog (daylight) last Spring when out of the murk appeared an 8-10 foot section of floating dock...steel frame, plastic float chambers, concrete walk surface....flock of seagulls aboard. No time to maneuver. It passed down the side of the boat not more than 25 feet away. I travel a lot at night, and fear smacking into something like that. Lots of junk out there with the incredible increase in water levels.

In our last marina the main hazard was unmanned run-away boats whose anchor lost purchase in a passing thunderstorm...clearly insufficient scope. It got so bad that a fellow marina resident and I kept a dinghy at the ready and set a watch when we knew a blow was coming. We could spot the likely candidates by looking at the angle of their rode. One summer we boarded two out of four runaways and managed to get the engine started on one, and throw an extra anchor out on another. Both were on a collision course for boats in the marina. Owners were at lunch or shopping in the village. Sailboats and trawlers.

 

[OldDan1943]

My greatest fear is to lose my mind and become crazy looking at the list of things to do on my boat!

L

My greatest fear is the IRS will find me before I die.

 

[Haloo]

...All of the effort we’ve put into the boat checking the integrity of the tanks, wiring, safety systems/alarms is almost totally negated if we’re tied up next to someone in a marina that doesn’t have the same regard for safety and preventative maintenance as we do.

There is an unoccupied sailboat next to us in our marina with moss growing on its lines, sheets, and gunwales. A dim light is visible inside when darkness falls. My wife and I joke that perhaps someone long dead is moldering aboard. Now I’m beginning to think we should talk to the marina about the potential hazard the boat represents.

 

[Donna]

I’m glad I’m not alone with this fear. As I was unhooking my electric, I only left 2 rope lines attached to the dock. Single handing my boat is not fun, but I knew I could do it given the circumstances. I stayed onboard last night. Just hoping tow boat gets them out of here today.

I know my limitations and know a fuel leak is not something I’m willing to take on even though I’m diesel for the safety of myself and others around me.

 

[OldDan1943]

There is an unoccupied sailboat next to us in our marina with moss growing on its lines, sheets, and gunwales. A dim light is visible inside when darkness falls. My wife and I joke that perhaps someone long dead is moldering aboard. Now I’m beginning to think we should talk to the marina about the potential hazard the boat represents.

A discussion with the marina dock master/management is a reasonable thought. After the discussion, make notes, names, time, date, talking points and conclusions.
Consider putting all this in the ship's log, if you keep one.

 

[Donna]

There is an unoccupied sailboat next to us in our marina with moss growing on its lines, sheets, and gunwales. A dim light is visible inside when darkness falls. My wife and I joke that perhaps someone long dead is moldering aboard. Now I’m beginning to think we should talk to the marina about the potential hazard the boat represents.

Absolutely! My concerns went unanswered for months and yesterday seemed like a surprise to the marina. Oh that’s right, I’m a woman. Guess they didn’t take me seriously. Even the firefighter that knocked on my door couldn’t believe I jumped off my boat and started untying and un hooking. Either get on board and help me or get out of my way.

I would at the very least have a welfare check done on that sailboat.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

My biggest boating fear is getting caught in a storm, miles from shore, having the rocking and rolling stir up some gremlins in my fuel tanks. I have a hard enough time changing filters and priming the system tied to a dock. Can't imagine what it would be like with five footers hitting my beam.

I am "anal" about my filters and tanks and where I buy my fuel. But still...

pete

 

[Portage_Bay]

My biggest fear is fire aboard. Yes, a neighboring boat fire at a marina is a serious concern. But fire aboard when away from help is my biggest fear. In the event of a marina fire I would likely have avenues of escape. The boat may be a loss but that's recoverable. A fire aboard when in a remote BC or Ak area would be another matter entirely.

My next biggest fear and not far behind fire is flooding. My boat, and I think most recreational boats, don't have good watertight integrity. Major flooding anywhere in the boat could flood the engine room and disable the boat and the ability to de-water.

 

[Ski in NC]

That shop vac sucking up gas is plain stupidity!!! That vac motor not only might make sparks, it DOES make sparks!!! Guy was dang lucky.

I have investigated several boat fires. One of the most common causes is crappy shore power connections combined with high electrical load. Leaving AC or heat or block heaters on. Shore power connection gets hot, ignites nearby material. Sometimes it gets caught in time for minimal damage, sometimes a total loss for that boat, or worse can get ones nearby too.

For that reason, I do not leave AC or heat on when my ride is unattended. Only things on are charger and dehumidifier. Total amp draw is 3-4amps, much less likely to start a fire than at 20amps.

If you leave your boat with AC running, give it ten minutes then go feel the cord right at the plug on the boat. If it is warm, you have a problem.

Take a look at shore cords. Like half of them have a scorch mark on receptacle. Every scorch mark was a fire that almost started.

 

[High Wire]

Wow Donna! Not out of the woods until the leaking fuel tank is empty and the bilge cleaned of vapors or the boat is gone. Those folks don't sound like the type that would pay extra for marine ignition safe parts. Loose battery or shore power terminal, or a cracked bilge pump motor enclosure still could blow it all away.
Fire is not my biggest fear on my Monk. Now my Phoenix with 5 gas tanks pushed me to do a full tank replacement project. Soooo glad I did that! Who would believe you could have 1/4" holes in the bottom of 2 tanks and still not leak a drop. Not me until I saw them. The neoprene strips glued to the tank bottoms sealed the holes.

 

[menzies]

I have thought of what to answer and I am struggling a bit. I really don't have a "great" fear, but I suppose my answer should be the biggest of all my small fears!

I may be a bit naive but an explosion is not on my list (don't keep the boat in a marina and rarely do so when cruising, and not sure diesel is a big candidate for an explosion - especially with a big halon system.)

So I would say my biggest fear, yet to put myself in a position to face it, is when we decide to do the islands to the ABCs and then even the Gulf all the way through the Canal and Central America coasts, u
Is piracy. Piracy at many levels, from armed robbery to worse.

 

[MurrayM]

That shop vac sucking up gas is plain stupidity!!! That vac motor not only might make sparks, it DOES make sparks!!! Guy was dang lucky.

A guy a couple streets up from me did that with a small shop vac and it blew up in his buddy's arms while he stood on the driveway. Luckily he wasn't hurt too bad, but the trailers tire caught fire and things were pretty hectic for a while. The boat didn't budge off the driveway all summer.

 

[Donna]

I have thought of what to answer and I am struggling a bit. I really don't have a "great" fear, but I suppose my answer should be the biggest of all my small fears!

I may be a bit naive but an explosion is not on my list (don't keep the boat in a marina and rarely do so when cruising, and not sure diesel is a big candidate for an explosion - especially with a big halon system.)

So I would say my biggest fear, yet to put myself in a position to face it, is when we decide to do the islands to the ABCs and then even the Gulf all the way through the Canal and Central America coasts, u
Is piracy. Piracy at many levels, from armed robbery to worse.

I get it. I’m diesel with a halon system as well. My fear was from the boat a couple of slips away from me with large corroded gas tanks and propane aboard. A couple months back, a fire broke out at marine land marina. That’s a few miles away from me. Destroying 2 boats. That’s a small marina compared to the one I’m in. All I’m asking for is some common sense. Going to hop off my wallpaper project and see what’s going on with that boat. I can’t even leave my dog onboard while I go to Publix for a sandwich.

 

[gsholz]

Finding a picture of a boat on fire next to your boat while you are out of town. A 40 foot Bayliner caught fire during a cold snap. The 57'Carver next us to was totaled but protected our boat. Fortunately, the wind was blowing away from our boat.

 

[The Other Gary]

I guess my biggest fear is my lady finding out what I ACTUALLY spend on boating.

 

[Donna]

Gholze, oh my God!

 

[Donna]

She knows. Lol!

 

[hollywood8118]

Falling overboard and watching the boat sail away on autopilot


HOLLYWOOD