Sailing big on a small sailboat by J. D. Cardwell

Author:J. D. Cardwell
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Sailing., Sailboats.
Publisher: Sheridan House
Published: 1997-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

THE CHALLENGES

shallow islands on some inland lakes. Most of the time the collisions result only in scrapes on the boat’s bottom, or perhaps gouges in the gelcoat. Occasionally, if the log, stump, or rock is of sufficient weight and mass, and if you are moving a't a sufficient speed, the boat’s bottom can be fractured or even holed. If this happens, you need to do two things. First locate the fracture or hole and determine if your bilge pump can handle the leakage. Second make some immediate repairs and assess your ability to return safely to shore without foundering. If you do have a reasonable doubt about your ability to return safely to shore, you must still undertake a repair effort and use your VHF radio to notify the local authorities of your difficulty and request assistance.

Basically, your repair efforts should center on minimizing the flow of water into the interior of the boat. I use the word “minimize” because you will not be able to completely stop the water coming into the boat. You can, however, slow it significantly. Flere’s what you do. First, locate the break in the hull. Second, if you have been holed, stuff the hole with towels or similar items. Once the cloth is saturated, the water flow will slow. If you have a piece of wood or other rigid object to fit over the cloth in the hole, do so, and try to brace it in place. You can also use some line and sailcloth to cover the hole from the exterior of the hull. The external water pressure will push against the sailcloth and form a pretty decent seal.

If the hull is cracked or fractured, try placing a piece of rubber or vinyl matting over the area, cover that with a towel and rigid object, and then brace it in place. Since the fracture was caused by an object striking the hull from the outside, the brace should help reclose the break and slow the intake of water.

Once you have the area sealed to the best of your ability, try to determine the proximity of the break to the waterline. If it is at or near the waterline, try moving everyone to the opposite side of the boat. The resulting heel may lift the break up and out of the water and stop the leak altogether.

Although you should worry about hitting submerged objects,

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