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I wonder what the rest of the story is...

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/26/2007 : 13:17:12

[url="http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_112507WAB_boat_hit520_SW.3bbac1af.html"]Boat hits 520 bridge[/url].

This happened here on Sunday afternoon. I'd like to hear this story from the skipper's point of view. On the face of it, it looks like a bonehead move. It was a bright sunny day, maybe he was blinded by the low afternoon sun, but how hard to see a mile long bridge that's basically perpendicular to your path?

David
C-250 Mainsheet Editor

Sirius Lepak
1997 C-250 WK TR #271 --Seattle area Port Captain --

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5895 Posts

Response Posted - 11/26/2007 : 14:35:58

You've gotta love it when the press gets caught behaving according to their stereotype, i.e., overplaying a non-story! A low speed, fiberglass sailboat (which only suffers <u>minor</u> damage) bumps their bridge, and the press reports that the public can rest assured that their mile-long, concrete and steel bridge wasn't damaged. It must have been a <u>really</u> slow news day.

If someone had suffered a hangnail in the incident, they would probably have rushed him to the hospital via Care Flight. Oh, the humanity!

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1981capri
Navigator

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USA
175 Posts

Response Posted - 11/26/2007 : 14:36:41

Oh, I hate to admit that it could have been me. Went out the other day on the Columbia river just east of the I-5 bridge, There was a light NW wind when we first went out. It was enough to tack back and forth across the channel but we were not making much headway up river. The wind got lighter and lighter and we started making negative VMG and the bridge was getting closer. I decided it was time to motor upriver a bit and since the motor hadn't run for a while and it was a cold day I pulled the choke out a bit. The motor started right up so I pushed the choke in, put it in gear and throttled up. Took right off for about 20 feet and died cold. I'm thinking "not good". Maybe I didn't warm it up enough. Pulled the choke back out and pulled. Nothing. Now I'm thinking maybe I flooded it. Push the choke in, pull. Nothing. Now I'm thinking really not good. The admiral is saying "please start the motor". I'm think what our options are here? Maybe just enough breeze under the bridge to tack into it and clear the bridge, then worry about getting out of the channel and anchor...hey maybe get to use my SeaTow card. Then I notice the clip on connection on the gas line to the motor was just a little loose. I must have brushed the clip when I pushed the choke in and it popped loose. I pushed the clip tight and pumped the squeeze bulb a few times. It started on the first pull and up river we went. We really never got that close to the bridge, but to close for comfort.

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 11/26/2007 : 15:46:48

Gotta agree with you Steve, there's no way the boat could have done much if any damage, even at hull speed. For all we know, he drifted down onto the bridge in a similar fashion to what Dan was describing on the Columbia, in which case all that would have happened is a severe case of being embarrassed. Maybe his rudder got stuck somehow, or autopilot didn't, who knows how he ended up there? I'm sure he didn't want to be there. I've come close to bumping the 520 bridge when I blew a tack and ended up in irons about 50-70 yards south of it and drifting north towards it. I was able to correct & get away, but felt pretty stupid about it and glad I wasn't going to be the rush hour spectacle for that day.

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Tom Potter
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1913 Posts

Response Posted - 11/26/2007 : 17:17:59

He didnt have two big yellow balls hanging from the rigging did he?

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ddlyle
Captain

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302 Posts

Response Posted - 11/26/2007 : 18:08:15

L.O.L. (the balls)

As we know, winds can be flukey around a bridge, and if he was like me, he might have been trying to sail through instead of starting his engine beforehand.

On my very second outing on my C25, I got a tire skidmark on my hull!

(rubbed on a piling with a tire on it, and there's more to that story also)
I soon replaced the old engine.
I handle the boat better now.

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DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 11/27/2007 : 09:31:43

Reminds me of when I lost a channel marker behind the genoa on my C-22 about 20 years ago and side-swiped the thing. Was very lucky it only moved the rubber on my bumper and didn't even rip the sail. Sure scared the crap out of me though, hahahaha (sure you can laugh now!)

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