AshoreSchool.com Presents: A Teachable Moment
Lawrence (Laurie) Pane sailed around the world with his wife, Carole Wells, and young son, Ryan, taking six-and-a-half years, traveling more than 40,000 miles and visiting 56 countries. He co-authored with them the very successful Chasing Sunsets, a practicing devout cowards circumnavigation with this wife and son. Laurie's second book, Steering You Straight makes a wonderful reference book for those who are interested in cruising. (We have read them both and thoroughly enjoyed the perspective Carole and Ryan added to "dad's view.)
This 'Teachable Moment' is from: Chasing Sunsets, Chapter 10
Lawrence (Laurie) Pane sailed around the world with his wife, Carole Wells, and young son, Ryan, taking six-and-a-half years, traveling more than 40,000 miles and visiting 56 countries. He co-authored with them the very successful Chasing Sunsets, a practicing devout cowards circumnavigation with this wife and son. Laurie's second book, Steering You Straight makes a wonderful reference book for those who are interested in cruising. (We have read them both and thoroughly enjoyed the perspective Carole and Ryan added to "dad's view.)
This 'Teachable Moment' is from: Chasing Sunsets, Chapter 10
CHANGING THE STARTER MOTOR
About half way up the Red Sea, Marsa Esh Shiek Ibrahim was a typical hole-in-the-reef anchorage, with enough room for three or four boats and entrance markers for a change. There was a small fishing camp on the flat, arid shore. The fishermen, using small sail/paddle boats, skimmed in and out all day.
Here I decided that, before the engine starter motor failed completely, I would remove it and install the spare. Let me set the scene. We were anchored between "Marita Shan" and "Sky Bird" in a hole in the reef barely big enough for the three boats to swing in. Night was falling, and there are no long twilights in the tropics. To get to the engine, I had to pull up the companionway steps and most of the salon floor. Changing the starter motor took almost three hours, as nothing was easy. Eventually I got it installed, and pressed the remote starter switch mounted near the engine.
The starter whirred, the engine started and we all cheered wildly, congratulating ourselves on not being stranded in the wilderness. We heard the other boats calling us on the radio, but with all the noise of the engine, we thought they were calling to offer congratulations.
Replacing the floor and stairs, I climbed into the cockpit to discover we were in trouble. Somehow the gear lever had been knocked into "forward," and using the starter switch at the engine had bypassed the safety interlock. We had dragged the anchor and driven ahead into the dark, reef-filled water. Quickly taking us out of gear, I went forward and pulled up the anchor. Guided by the lights of the other boats we turned around and re-anchored.
The morning light showed how lucky we had been. The wind direction was such that we had pointed up the only crack in the surrounding reef, which shallowed very quickly. A couple more minutes and we would have jammed into the reef. A different wind direction and we would have been on the reef. If the rudder hadn't been set straight ahead, if we had been anchored twenty feet or so to either side, if we didn't have such a big anchor to slow us down, if we hadn't heard the calls, the end would have been very different.
Thoughts on avoiding the situation
We did have to change the starter motor as it had been operating intermittently for several days. A motor is absolutely required when sailing up the Red Sea as there is no other way to safely enter the very narrow holes in the reef that lead to the anchorages and no other way to fight northward against the square fronted short waves that bring sailboats, even large ones like ours, to a complete stop.
We did have a spare starter motor. There is a cruiser saying (I think I first used it) that the only way to have enough spare parts is to tow a clone of your boat behind you. However, there are some essential spares, and a starter motor is one of them.
What I didn't know was that one of the four bolts holding the starter motor in place was a special, non-standard bolt, and of course that was the one bolt I dropped into the bilge. Creating a replacement for this was one of the reasons that the job took over three hours instead of the expected 30 minutes.
I also didn't check that the gear lever in the cockpit was in neutral. Everyone knows there is a cut-out that prevents your starting the motor unless the transmission is in neutral, so checking is not a normal process. Not everyone knows - I didn't - that, on my boat at least, the remote starter switch bypasses that cut-out.
If I hadn't been so tired by the three hour effort, I might have checked everything before trying to start. If the job had taken only the expected 30 minutes, it would still have been light outside, and I might have seen the gear lever was engaged.
We were saved from severe damage at best by the fact that we had out a properly sized plow anchor and a lot of chain. That stopped us about ten feet off the reef. A plow anchor, at least two pounds weight per foot of boat length, plus chain rode, is the best insurance policy anyone can carry.
Thoughts on dealing with it better
Be more patient. The more tired I got, the more I should have stopped and thought before doing anything. That rule really applies to everything that is done on a boat, from changing course to dropping anchor. I should have taken a moment or two to go over my safety check list, but didn't.
I should have checked, before we set out on our circumnavigation, to see if there was any special equipment, parts or tools that might be needed. A quick look at the engine owner's manual that night clearly showed the special bolt - hindsight is wonderful.
I should have changed the starter motor a couple of days earlier, when we were anchor-bound by a northerly wind and I could have done the work in daylight, and taken a lot of rests. However, the lure of a wild camel herd ashore was too much, so all thoughts of work were banished. Even now, knowing what happened later, I still think I made the right decision, even though this last thought goes totally against the premise of this section. Cruisers chase camels, they do not mend malignant motors.
About half way up the Red Sea, Marsa Esh Shiek Ibrahim was a typical hole-in-the-reef anchorage, with enough room for three or four boats and entrance markers for a change. There was a small fishing camp on the flat, arid shore. The fishermen, using small sail/paddle boats, skimmed in and out all day.
Here I decided that, before the engine starter motor failed completely, I would remove it and install the spare. Let me set the scene. We were anchored between "Marita Shan" and "Sky Bird" in a hole in the reef barely big enough for the three boats to swing in. Night was falling, and there are no long twilights in the tropics. To get to the engine, I had to pull up the companionway steps and most of the salon floor. Changing the starter motor took almost three hours, as nothing was easy. Eventually I got it installed, and pressed the remote starter switch mounted near the engine.
The starter whirred, the engine started and we all cheered wildly, congratulating ourselves on not being stranded in the wilderness. We heard the other boats calling us on the radio, but with all the noise of the engine, we thought they were calling to offer congratulations.
Replacing the floor and stairs, I climbed into the cockpit to discover we were in trouble. Somehow the gear lever had been knocked into "forward," and using the starter switch at the engine had bypassed the safety interlock. We had dragged the anchor and driven ahead into the dark, reef-filled water. Quickly taking us out of gear, I went forward and pulled up the anchor. Guided by the lights of the other boats we turned around and re-anchored.
The morning light showed how lucky we had been. The wind direction was such that we had pointed up the only crack in the surrounding reef, which shallowed very quickly. A couple more minutes and we would have jammed into the reef. A different wind direction and we would have been on the reef. If the rudder hadn't been set straight ahead, if we had been anchored twenty feet or so to either side, if we didn't have such a big anchor to slow us down, if we hadn't heard the calls, the end would have been very different.
Thoughts on avoiding the situation
We did have to change the starter motor as it had been operating intermittently for several days. A motor is absolutely required when sailing up the Red Sea as there is no other way to safely enter the very narrow holes in the reef that lead to the anchorages and no other way to fight northward against the square fronted short waves that bring sailboats, even large ones like ours, to a complete stop.
We did have a spare starter motor. There is a cruiser saying (I think I first used it) that the only way to have enough spare parts is to tow a clone of your boat behind you. However, there are some essential spares, and a starter motor is one of them.
What I didn't know was that one of the four bolts holding the starter motor in place was a special, non-standard bolt, and of course that was the one bolt I dropped into the bilge. Creating a replacement for this was one of the reasons that the job took over three hours instead of the expected 30 minutes.
I also didn't check that the gear lever in the cockpit was in neutral. Everyone knows there is a cut-out that prevents your starting the motor unless the transmission is in neutral, so checking is not a normal process. Not everyone knows - I didn't - that, on my boat at least, the remote starter switch bypasses that cut-out.
If I hadn't been so tired by the three hour effort, I might have checked everything before trying to start. If the job had taken only the expected 30 minutes, it would still have been light outside, and I might have seen the gear lever was engaged.
We were saved from severe damage at best by the fact that we had out a properly sized plow anchor and a lot of chain. That stopped us about ten feet off the reef. A plow anchor, at least two pounds weight per foot of boat length, plus chain rode, is the best insurance policy anyone can carry.
Thoughts on dealing with it better
Be more patient. The more tired I got, the more I should have stopped and thought before doing anything. That rule really applies to everything that is done on a boat, from changing course to dropping anchor. I should have taken a moment or two to go over my safety check list, but didn't.
I should have checked, before we set out on our circumnavigation, to see if there was any special equipment, parts or tools that might be needed. A quick look at the engine owner's manual that night clearly showed the special bolt - hindsight is wonderful.
I should have changed the starter motor a couple of days earlier, when we were anchor-bound by a northerly wind and I could have done the work in daylight, and taken a lot of rests. However, the lure of a wild camel herd ashore was too much, so all thoughts of work were banished. Even now, knowing what happened later, I still think I made the right decision, even though this last thought goes totally against the premise of this section. Cruisers chase camels, they do not mend malignant motors.
LEARN: Free interactive sailing lessons will take you from an absolute beginner to a confident sailing student who can communicate well with your instructor and classmates.
READ: The electronic version of
L&A's Seafaring, Latitude 38, Carolina Currents,48 Degrees North, Points East, Great Lakes Scuttbutt, Southwinds, Caribbean Compass, Spinsheet, and Ocean Navigator.
DEFINE: Understand the definitions of common nautical words and phrases
CHECK: Five ready-to-use Day Sail checklists that
can be viewed for FREE on your iPhone or any
other Web - Enabled - Device
EXPERIENCE is a great teacher, and this is a
excellent place to start. In this section we bring you the experiences of thousands of miles of sailing, without leaving your seat.
CHART: 1018 NOAA charts over Google Maps, with US Coast Guard Navigation Aids and NOAA Chart 1
Symbols. Makes it the perfect tool for students exploring any US coastline
WATCH: Expanded section includes dozens of excellent videos involving sailing training,
knot tying, racing, bloopers, and fun commentary presented in High Definition.
UNDERSTAND: Our Points of Sail lesson clearly illustrates not only the Point of Sail and the Mainsail position, it also includes the tack, the wind angle,
and the masthead wind direction.
PLAN: Where do you go once you have learned
sail? These great websites will help
you plan you future behind the helm.
PREDICT: These excellent weather related resources were collected and contributed by Bill Biewenga.
All the resources you need to keep an eye
on the weather
SEE: Increase your comfort level and confidence
with sailboat images identifying key areas of a sailboat.
SAY: We welcome your comments and ideas. If something needs to be
clarified, or you think it's great,
just drop us a note and tell us...
MAIN: Return to Port