Boarding an anchored yacht in horrendous conditions

[Alan Gomes]

I ran across this video on YouTube and thought some of you might find it interesting. It is entitled, "Dangerous attempt to board yacht off Pitcairn Island during storm."

No kidding! :0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6gMDlTTN6A

 

[ignacio]

Interesting history of that island: It's initial European inhabitants were mutineers from the HMS Bounty. I'd read about the few safe anchorages Pitcairn has in Landfalls of Paradise. Great video. It's incredible how often the hull and deck disappears from view throughout the video...is it really just one anchor holding that boat? That's their home and means of travel...strong motivators to save it, which apparently they did. Amazing dinghy launch at 4:42.

 

[Rick R.]

I saw this several years ago and it still resonates. It's amazing how well their inflatable performed in those seas. I would think raising the anchor would be a nightmare in those conditions.

 

[Loren Beach]

Tough to watch

Looks like they should have left a midships boarding ladder deployed. And how!

From the hobby-horsing of their boat I can really see why sailors regularly anchoring out advise against stern ladders and advocate a midships ladder.

:0

Loren

 

[gadangit]

Regarding that dinghy, does anyone have an opinion about how well a torqueedo would perform in those conditions?

Chris

 

[Alan Gomes]

Interesting history of that island: It's initial European inhabitants were mutineers from the HMS Bounty. I'd read about the few safe anchorages Pitcairn has in Landfalls of Paradise. Great video. It's incredible how often the hull and deck disappears from view throughout the video...is it really just one anchor holding that boat? That's their home and means of travel...strong motivators to save it, which apparently they did. Amazing dinghy launch at 4:42.

Interesting indeed.
When I was in high school I had a number of ham radio contacts with Tom Christian (VR6TC), a descendant of Fletcher Christian of HMS Bounty fame. I see that he passed away only a few years ago (http://www.arrl.org/news/tom-christian-vp6tc-vr6tc-sk)

 

[Loren Beach]

Regarding that dinghy, does anyone have an opinion about how well a torqueedo would perform in those conditions?

Chris

HP at the prop needs to be compared between the electric and petroleum fuel outboard...
Early 12 volt DC trolling motors used to publish only a thrust #... I recall that the actual HP expression was not as impressive.

http://www.torqeedo.com/en/products/outboards
Nowadays they seem to come in a lot of output sizes, some quite powerful.

The boat in that video looks like a RIB with a good-sized OB on it, but I could not tell the HP size from the video.

Loren

 

[gadangit]

The genesis of my question comes from a comment from a woman we know who has skippered a boat around the world twice. She is a big proponent of a larger rather than a smaller dinghy motor "cause you never know when you need the extra oomph to get back to your boat." This video reminds me of one of those moments. Lisa has never forgot what she said, but is also interested in a torqueedo for the other 99.9% of the time when she can actually put the motor on the dinghy herself.

HP at the prop needs to be compared between the electric and petroleum fuel outboard...
Early 12 volt DC trolling motors used to publish only a thrust #... I recall that the actual HP expression was not as impressive.

http://www.torqeedo.com/en/products/outboards
Nowadays they seem to come in a lot of output sizes, some quite powerful.

The boat in that video looks like a RIB with a good-sized OB on it, but I could not tell the HP size from the video.

Loren

 

[toddster]

Hmm... remind me to move "relocating the boarding ladder" up on the priority list. Oh wait... everything is already priority 1

There is a guy who anchors his boat off our town and lets it bob around like that for months at a time. I used to be tempted to join him in this "free" anchorage, but changed my mind after watching the boat for a while. I assume it's got a retractable keel. He told me he uses a 65 lb Danforth for the (24-foot?) boat. And it's got massive chafing gear with multiple snubbers.

 

[Christian Williams]

A Torquedo is only about three horsepower equivalent. I'd like more for that Pitcairn job. On the other hand, the Torquedo runs underwater and upsidedown, so being capsized by the surf wouldn't bother it at all.

My main takeaway from that famous video is, as others have commented, the hapless border had no upper arm strength at all.

 

[bgary]

the hapless border had no upper arm strength at all.

On the flip side, when he was a hapless swimmer he managed to avoid being shredded by the prop on a barely-controlled RIB. Points for that.

 

[Alan Gomes]

On the flip side, when he was a hapless swimmer he managed to avoid being shredded by the prop on a barely-controlled RIB. Points for that.

Not to mention not having the stern of the boat slam down on his head and split his skull open.

That guy is one lucky dude.

 

[toddster]

Well, I wasn't going to go there... but technically, a pull-up is a back exercise. Good grip would help here too.

Lets get some use out of this thread. The video ought to provide a good illustration. Where is the best place to mount a boarding ladder?
Front of the cockpit? At the shrouds? Somewhere else?

 

[Christian Williams]

Several of us (although not me) have Mystic folding ladders midships, and like them.

I find the Ericson stern ladder useful, unless the boat is pitching at the mooring. But the reverse transom doesn't help, especially with dinghies.

Most important, in my mind, is some way to climb up whatever you have--even if it isn't deployed.

I'm adding a pull tab under the lowest rung, so a swimmer could deploy a line with loops or maybe steps in order to mount a ladder that's not "down."

Even in a calm, most of our boats, most of the time, are impossible for unathletic people to get back aboard unassisted.

 

[Rick R.]

I thought the guy who fell off was going to get a buzz cut, lucky! About boarding while hobby horsing, our boats tend to be a challenge to not damage a dinghy tube when boarding in rough conditions.

Then again, we had a hard time not tearing up the handle on our dinghy when boarding people from a Fountain-Pujot Catamaran in the BVI.......:0:0

 

[Joliba]

What happened next?

Does this video have a sequel or follow-up account? I am quite curious about what these two men do next. Whatever their plan, it appears that they have a long day ahead of them.
Mike Jacker

 

[Randy Rutledge]

Last time I boarded a boat that big without a ladder was in Mobile bay last April, I had been swimming for three hours and was exhausted, when my turn came I pulled up the stanchion and grabbed the top of it and the life line and swung a leg on deck, of course I was motivated when that boat stopped by to rescue us. Later I tried that with Rumkin (E29) and was unable to board that way. The rolling of the boat in the storm may have given me help getting to the top of the stanchion or the desire to get on the boat and out of the bay.

I try never to anchor on the windward side of land, I have awaken to find that things have changed and I am in the wind instead of the shelter. Rick that is why I like Ft McRee the horse shoe area gives great protection.

 

[Jeff Asbury]

I have a detachable midships boarding ladder. Note to self after watching this is to have it always deployed when at anchor or on a mooring. I was at Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island Thanksgiving day 2010 when we had Santa Ana conditions blow in with pretty big swell and wind waves after I had already taken my dink ashore. I didn't even consider trying to take the dink back to my boat. The Harbor Master almost made the call to evacuate the harbor. Fortunately conditions subsided after a couple hours. I remember seeing lots of boat owners on their decks looking pretty worried. Of course it was nothing like what was shown in this video. :0