MacGregorSailors.com

I'm not quite Kevin, but I do follow " be prepared"... A mere Life Scout.

We spent the weekend on Hudson and fouled a tree, we cleared it, and I went to securite the hazard.

The LCD of the VHF was blank. Breaker on. Picked up the handheld , it was on and GPS located. PTT, it goes dead. Turned it back on, same thing. I dug into my go bag, picked up backup handheld. Dead battery, forgot to charge.

I am a bad Captain to go to sea without comm.

Ancient mariner proverb:
"Captain who go to sea without communication radio have nothing to say."

VHF say "Squawk little, talk less"

Ur lip,s were sealed with mummified duct tape as u were on a Covert Operation ! , if u had been on alert u should have know better & been using encrypted radio communication , shame on U , I hope u did not get into any collision situations with a moving target
My hand held vhf radio,s came with a back -up double A & tripe A battery pact snap in holder,s which r always now kept in an Emg. float container fully loaded with fresh batt,s . but I also keep on board the 12vlt cigar lighter charger,s for them so if u do happen to start running the bat down just plug her in LOL ! & keep on using it while it recharges ! Oh & they also came with 120V house charger,s
Just sayin That,s All

J

Bin there. Done that.
Radio was out. Big deal.
Backup comms (cellphone) landed in bilge. No problem.
Then batteries dead. Can't start engine. OK, now I'm in trouble.

Yes Catigal, you are a bad captain, - by the way, are you still an official in the Power Squadron? Some of us 'worse captains' could use a little help with certifications and stuff.

My bad captain confessions:
Like Cat, I once was radioless on the water, having forgotten to connect the wires to power. No wonder the sail group I was trying cotact couldn't hear me!

I once motored up the Royal River on an outgoing tide and got stuck in the mud less than 100 feet from the ramp dock. This happened before the dredging of the river, but i was able to back out with reverse thrust and hang out at a fishermans float moored in the river to wait for the incoming tide!

Due to insufficient planning and unintended consumptions, I once ran out of beer a day before the cruise was over!

The last time we took the mast down we forgot to unscrew the antenna connection. Hope we don't do that again.

Jeff

K9Kampers wrote:My bad captain confessions:
Like Cat, I once was radioless on the water, having forgotten to connect the wires to power. No wonder the sail group I was trying cotact couldn't hear me!

I once motored up the Royal River on an outgoing tide and got stuck in the mud less than 100 feet from the ramp dock. This happened before the dredging of the river, but i was able to back out with reverse thrust and hang out at a fishermans float moored in the river to wait for the incoming tide!

Due to insufficient planning and unintended consumptions, I once ran out of beer a day before the cruise was over!

There is absolutely no excuse for running out of beer on a cruise as soon as u noticed ur supplies were dwindling u should have rash-ion ur crew & the Admiral to less so as there would b enough for U !
I f u were the only one drinkin then u need to b demoted to cabin boy & trained to calculate ur boat,s required liquid supplies & then made too load them , also as a Skipper it is ur job to make sure this doe,s not happen at all , Just imagine what could have happened if u had become dehydrated & delusional was there anyone else on the boat who could have taken over !!
Now u will have to install a bigger holdin tank for all that extra ballast waste & if that,s not feasible then buy one of these from W/M

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/little-j ... cordNum=67

or use one of these liquid laundry bottle once it,s mty as they have a large entrance & do the same job for free
https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/S-1 ... 0jpA9UEAYY
Just Sayin That,s All

J

Highlander wrote:

K9Kampers wrote:My bad captain confessions:
Like Cat, I once was radioless on the water, having forgotten to connect the wires to power. No wonder the sail group I was trying cotact couldn't hear me!

I once motored up the Royal River on an outgoing tide and got stuck in the mud less than 100 feet from the ramp dock. This happened before the dredging of the river, but i was able to back out with reverse thrust and hang out at a fishermans float moored in the river to wait for the incoming tide!

Due to insufficient planning and unintended consumptions, I once ran out of beer a day before the cruise was over!

There is absolutely no excuse for running out of beer on a cruise as soon as u noticed ur supplies were dwindling u should have rash-ion ur crew & the Admiral to less so as there would b enough for U !
I f u were the only one drinkin then u need to b demoted to cabin boy & trained to calculate ur boat,s required liquid supplies & then made too load them , also as a Skipper it is ur job to make sure this doe,s not happen at all , Just imagine what could have happened if u had become dehydrated & delusional was there anyone else on the boat who could have taken over !!
Now u will have to install a bigger holdin tank for all that extra ballast waste & if that,s not feasible then buy one of these from W/M

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/little-j ... cordNum=67

or use one of these liquid laundry bottle once it,s mty as they have a large entrance & do the same job for free
https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/S-1 ... 0jpA9UEAYY
Just Sayin That,s All

J

Yeah, I did that my first time - haven't done it since

C Buchs wrote:The last time we took the mast down we forgot to unscrew the antenna connection. Hope we don't do that again.

Jeff

dlandersson wrote:Yeah, I did that my first time - haven't done it since

C Buchs wrote:The last time we took the mast down we forgot to unscrew the antenna connection. Hope we don't do that again.

Jeff

Yah. I think its a rite of passage.

If not that, then raising the mast with the VHF or nav light plug under the base plate.

Bad captain confession...

I once used a square knot when a sheet bend would've been more prudent!

I decided to re-attach my boom vang which came loose, while under way..... down wind... 30 knot gusts.... Chesapeake Bay...3-4 foot waves... no PLF.... Type IV throwable somewhere in the cabin. Needless to say, when my wife accidentally gybed the boat and she heeled 45 degrees, I went in. There was no way she could pick me up with her skills, but lucky for me another motor boat was passing by and picked up my ass. It was a close call but a couple of lessons were learned.

1. Always wear PLF
2. Always heave to when attempting repairs
3. Go over overboard procedures with the admiral.
4. Keep Class IV on deck
5. Use a tether in bad weather.
6. Hmm I don't know, reef the main maybe.
7. Don't be a dumb ass

Seriously though, it was a close call and I should have known better. Please don't repeat my mistake.