Proof I should never be allowed on a boat

[Lea Plath]

So, I was sailing in Scotland in the Summer and there was...an accident.

There were 2 buoys, a green one and a red one. They were meant to be for when you were coming into the Marina, however, I got confused and put the starboard one to my starboard going out the marina.

Well. See for yourself :P

http://imgur.com/a/jSX3e

[Malak'ai]

So, I was sailing in Scotland in the Summer and there was...an accident.

There were 2 buoys, a green one and a red one. They were meant to be for when you were coming into the Marina, however, I got confused and put the starboard one to my starboard going out the marina.

Well. See for yourself :P

http://imgur.com/a/jSX3e

Ouch... I'm no sailor but even I know that that can't be good for the boat (or the bank account :smalleek:)

[Dr.Epic]

So, I was sailing in Scotland in the Summer and there was...an accident.

There were 2 buoys, a green one and a red one. They were meant to be for when you were coming into the Marina, however, I got confused and put the starboard one to my starboard going out the marina.

Well. See for yourself :P

http://imgur.com/a/jSX3e

Use duct tape. Duct tape solves everything!:smallwink:

[Lea Plath]

Heh, it looks bad but it is mostly superfical. The lead keel is a little rusty and the fiberglass is broken off but it looks worse than it is.

[Socratov]

I can't see the picture at the moment, but I'll try to help by guessing:

If you rammed the buoy there is a good chance of tearing and a hole.

If the boat is made of fibreglass or wood it's easy to repair (might cost a couple of tenners, but ok). make sure the boat has dried for a couple of days to make sure there is absolutely no moisture at all left in the tear. then you first check for structural damage. Knock on the hull to see if other fracures exist and try to see where sturtures have broken or only slightly fractured. Then if you have identified all the problems, you start repairing them front to back, inside out. first sand the fractured parts and take away any loose material. then support the fibreglass with wooden slats and fix them in place. Drench the tears in 2 component epoxy (usually mixed to perfection on a 2 resin to 1 harder). Wait until it has hardened. sand or scrape the epoxy (it has a funny sort of waxy layer on it)and check the places of repair. Outside sand over the repaired area and smoot it out. if the surface isn't smooth (but more like a set of hills) smoothen it out by mixing epoxy resin and hardener (2:1) with sanding dust and apply like some kind of plaster or putty. let it harden again and smooth again until the outside is perfectly smooth. last step is to paint over the repaired area (if you really want you can do the complete hull becuase of potential colordifferences) and you're done.

[The Succubus]

Reminds me of a story I might have told one or two playgrounders...

The scene: An adorable 8 year old Succubus is standing on the jetty of his local sailing club on a blustery day. He has been taught everything he knows about sailing by his daddy, whom he trusts implicitly. One thing he hammered home was this:

"If you run into trouble, let the sail out and the boat will slow down."

Now, our little Succubus goes sailing across the water pretty swiftly for a little while and the wind starts to pick up. He's a little uncomfortable with this, so he turns the boat around back towards the jetty where 5 or 6 other kids are lined up, waiting for their turn in the boat.

The wind turns slightly, so now it's directly behind him and our Succubus is starting to get freaked out. Aha! I'll let the sail out and the boat will slow down!

Sail comes out...boat speeds up.

Ummmm...maybe I didn't let it out far enough?

Sail comes out further, boat is now hurtling across the water on a direct collision course for the jetty. Our Succubus is now frozen in mortal terror at the helm of the boat and the 6 kids are running for their lives down the jetty away from me.

WHAM!

The boat slams into the jetty and actually rises half way out of the water, stopping about two inches short of the centreboard at a jaunty 45 degree angle to the jetty.

I didn't speak to my dad for a week after that.

[Socratov]

and that's why you should never learn to sail form your father... :smallamused:

I only once discovered when I was sailing that my mast wasn't secured while the wind blew 6 bft. result: mast broken. Nothing woven glassfibers and epoxy can't fix

[Lea Plath]

I can't see the picture at the moment, but I'll try to help by guessing:

If you rammed the buoy there is a good chance of tearing and a hole.

If the boat is made of fibreglass or wood it's easy to repair (might cost a couple of tenners, but ok). make sure the boat has dried for a couple of days to make sure there is absolutely no moisture at all left in the tear. then you first check for structural damage. Knock on the hull to see if other fracures exist and try to see where sturtures have broken or only slightly fractured. Then if you have identified all the problems, you start repairing them front to back, inside out. first sand the fractured parts and take away any loose material. then support the fibreglass with wooden slats and fix them in place. Drench the tears in 2 component epoxy (usually mixed to perfection on a 2 resin to 1 harder). Wait until it has hardened. sand or scrape the epoxy (it has a funny sort of waxy layer on it)and check the places of repair. Outside sand over the repaired area and smoot it out. if the surface isn't smooth (but more like a set of hills) smoothen it out by mixing epoxy resin and hardener (2:1) with sanding dust and apply like some kind of plaster or putty. let it harden again and smooth again until the outside is perfectly smooth. last step is to paint over the repaired area (if you really want you can do the complete hull becuase of potential colordifferences) and you're done.

Nah, there isn't a problem and it might have been me or my dad.

Basically, we hit some rocks, twice.

The first time was me, listed above. The second time, we ran aground trying to go into a harbour at low tide and grinding on the floor a little as we tried to get out.

All that has happenned is the fiberglass on the keel has cracked off in 2 spots and there is a bit of rust on the lead keel. Nothing major. The photos are from the boat on dry land as it is going in for cleaning and repairs, like it does every winter.

And @The Succubus: Something similar happenned to me, but thankfully I was far out in the water and had a radio, so I ended up letting go off the sail and tiller and curling up till the fastness stopped.