Flat battery

[Peter Nelson]

Hi All

Just a reminder and if you put things off like me, invest in a dual battery set up or jumper pack.

I went for a fish this morning and when getting livies  my boat wouldn't start. With the westerly blowing I was quickly making my way towards some rocks.

Lucky there was another boat there to assist.

Big thanks for the bloke that helped me(forgot your name sorry) and nelson bay marine rescue. 

While I anchored up I was lucky enough to have a small enough piece of rope to pull start the motor so I didn't need towing in the end( which wouldn't have been fun due to the swell between the heads. I recommend trying this at home if you havnt had a go before and check if you have rope suitable as large diameter anchor rope is too hard to use, I know some motors have a rope under the cover but mine didn't.

I'm not going out again until I set myself up properly. 

[Ah Me Ting]

1 hour ago, Peter Nelson said:

...

I'm not going out again until I set myself up properly. 

Once experienced, that 'heart in the throat feeling' can be a great motivator!

I'm a bit of a risk assessment, look at the worse type, for planning and set up. I then like to 'test' my redundancy / contingency planning.

As an example, for all you boaties out there, have you tried to:

• replace a spake plug on a rough ocean? What about all of them? (i.e. access, tools, no of spares)
• start you motor without electrics? (i.e. pull cord, cord condition, it's storage and access)
• refuel using a 'gerry-can' on a rough ocean? (i.e. funnel or jigger, pour angles and location, spillage)
• winch on your boat without your electric winch? (i.e. can you, what tools do you need, access)
• winch on your boat without the winch handle? (i.e. assume handle is stolen, bent, or broken)
• winch up your anchor without using it's electric winch? (i.e. can you, tools needed)
• replace a wheel bearing on the side of the road? (i.e. spare bearings, tools, rags, grease, etc.)
• replace a wheel (car or trailer) on soft ground? (i.e. like a beach or dirt track)
• hook up you boat without a jockey wheel? (i.e. assume jockey wheel collapse - how would you do it)
• navigate your local bar crossing at night with no electrics (i.e. no gps, no sounder, no cabin lights)
• anchor your boat on final approach to your bar crossing (i.e. assume engine fail)

When you actually try these, the access to tools, equipment, space etc. really hit home and highlight further risks. For example, refueling on a rough ocean comes with risk of fuel spillage which brings then a fire risk.

Try and do some of them with no light(s) too - like a wheel bearing, or putting on a spare tyre. You soon realise how a simple basic tool like a small torch can be invaluable!

 

[letsgocrabbing]

What about with a blind fold on as well?

"Arrrrr you are not ready to you take the pebble from my hand"

[Ah Me Ting]

1 hour ago, letsgocrabbing said:

What about with a blind fold on as well?

"Arrrrr you are not ready to you take the pebble from my hand"

While I understand and appreciate the humour, let's not take away from the safety and potential life saving, aspect to the topic at hand.

While some may find and believe what I posted to be unnecessary, trust me, when you are in trouble and have undertaken some precautionary testing, you'll feel much better knowing your efforts saved your life or those of your crew.

I for one don't even want to have to tell the family and friends of my crew I could have done more to save their loved ones live.

Once you've been in serious situations, as the OP describes, you'll realise a bit of forward planning, testing and even a few drills are well worth the effort.