Idiots can own boats too!

[TorbayRob]

I have stirred up the mud on the Dart once or twice with the 14' - inevitable when you are exploring little inlets etc. I think when you know you're too shallow and that it's only mud/sand you can be forgiven (Provided of course it's done at idle not WOT! )

[Doc Oakley]

I'm happy to join the idiots club...yesterday, very weak neap tide at Aberdyfi, so in order to get a good day out on the water, decide to leave the Bonwitco at base and take the inflatable up the river as far as Pennal. Stopped for lunch after about a couple of hours trundling, dropped Mrs off on the bank, decided to tidy things up a bit, went astern, shifted forwards...no drive! Fortunately, very slack water (river is still today at this point) so able to deploy oars to reach bank. Immediate examination suggests sheared shear pin (though I don't recall hitting anything) - at least that's what I hope it is...

So, why the idiot? Well, the Honda 5 has 2 spare cotter pins and 2 spare shear pins stored under the cowl. But, I didn't even have a simple pair of pliers, did I? Or ever a Leatherman..I mean, we were only going up the river...

So, I had to row all the way back. 2.5 hours. Good job the tide had turned!

Lesson: basic tools, even in the inflatable! (I have a small toolbox on the Bonwitco).

[JORIDAPILOT]

A minor cats-arse-trophy as it ended up could have been much worse.
Last year whilst still at Saxon we returned from a day out to find the pontoon space completely full. Fenders all on the port side ready to turn round. Those of you that know Saxon will appreciate that you have to moor port side to so you have the stern to the forklift for retrieval. As the pontoon was full we parked on the opposite side so that the MDL staff could pull us round once they had made some space. The opposite pontoon is very short and we were bow on to the forklift.
Mrs Joridapilot jumped off with the bowline and went forward and I followed with the stern line, little did we realise that I had left the boat in reverse gear, we soon did realise when the boat was moving backwards, not fast but surprising how much momentum is generated even at idle speed, and we hadn't got either line around a cleat, too late for the bow line, I tried to hold onto the boat, about midships, by the coaming and was pulled along the pontoon by the boat. I very soon ran out of pontoon to walk along and was soon hanging off the side of the hull with nothing to put my feet on.
Fearing a severe soaking and the boat heading off for the east bank of the Itchen I suffered from an enormous adrenalin rush, somehow a Sampson like strength appeared in my arms and I managed to hurl myself through the canopy framework, I didn't know that I could even fit!!, and I crashed onto the cockpit floor in a huge heap, from then on it was simple to find neutral and then navigate back to the pontoon with only a severely bruised ego, not even a wet foot. Needless to say I have not done the same thing again, and I always check before leaving the helm. Had I not got back aboard Jorida would have caused damage to two other boats and ended up aground along way from home.

As an aside, you should have seen Paul the forklift driver move, he had seen events unfolding and was round in a flash, considering that he had had his 2nd heart attack earlier in the year I was very impressed.

[Matt13]

Blimey Paul that puts my little bang (or 2) on the swim platform at Saxon in the shade. Amazing what adrenaline can do to the body. What's it like at Hamble can you moor any side and does the ebb tide have the same affect it does at Saxon?

[Ianfs]

I think Pauls heading for the podium with that one.

Well done for getting into the cockpit and hanging on to her. That's amazing to think even at idle she could not be held.

[JORIDAPILOT]

Blimey Paul that puts my little bang (or 2) on the swim platform at Saxon in the shade. Amazing what adrenaline can do to the body. What's it like at Hamble can you moor any side and does the ebb tide have the same affect it does at Saxon?

Matt
We are slowly getting there, Saxon could teach them about a more slick operation but Jorida was in the water at the time requested this morning so no complaints today.
It is a much more pleasant environment to just sit and have lunch, we moved to a pontoon amongst the 60footers today, mind you they don't appear to move very often.

[JORIDAPILOT]

I think Pauls heading for the podium with that one.

Well done for getting into the cockpit and hanging on to her. That's amazing to think even at idle she could not be held.

I think Ian, if we had a line around a cleat properly then it would hold, after all you can drive against a line to bring one end or the other into the pontoon.
It happened so fast that we didn't get a line around at all, and you certainly couldn't hold her by just grabbing a rail.

[Ianfs]

If the truth be known Paul, it could happen to any one of us.

[Doc Oakley]

Update on the Honda 5...

Yep, shear pin - fitted new one, lots of grease on all relevant bits and we're good to go.

Simon.