Fifty Bucks for a Tow

[Jeff L]

Still beaten by VHF exchange...

Caribbean charters, this is S/V Noob, mayday, over

What is your emergency, NooB?

We can't find our anchor!

There are three anchors in the locker , Noob...please advise.

We had three, but it's a fourth night out

[Herschel]

While we are telling "give a tow" stories, let me add mine. "Cleopatra" and I were enjoying a great afternoon sail on Lake Monroe in perfect, moderate winds and nice temperature last spring. We noticed a runabout in the distance apparently drifting into our path. Two men were aboard. As we sailed by, we noticed one was in the stern trying to manually start the engine. It was not starting. I hollered out the question about possibly needing help, and they said, "yes". I told then I had to furl my sails and get my own engine going, and I would be right back. We did that, and set up our floatable tow rope from the two stern cleats. We took up the tow without incident. They were experienced boaters just trying to get a little more use out of an old engine after a tune up that apparently left something out. The ramp/dock from which they launched was one I have never used with my Mac, but I had been there once with a Hobie. I did not know how close the water depth would let me get to the dock by the ramp, so we warned them we might have to drop them a little off the dock due to low water depth.

Fortunately, the water depth, while getting down to about 2-3 feet was adequate to go on into the dock next to the ramp. The problem was a couple fishing off the rampside dock. As we got closer and closer, the guy did not make any effort to pull in his line even though it was obvious this was a restricted tow situation, and common courtesy required him to take in his line. Then, he starts yelling at me to watch out for his line. I came unglued at his audacity to think his fishing line took precedence over my boat at a ramp, and yelled at him to get off "my damn dock"! I yelled, and he yelled back, as "temperatures" on both sides increased rapidly.

Finally, he began to see that in a contest between his bobber and line and my 26-ft boat, he was going to lose! So he pulls in his line, finally, as my boat slides into place next to cleats. I figured anything could happen at this point. I am a p----d off 69 year old retired Navy commander at full tilt with his anger. Then, a funny thing happened. He starts apologizing in broken English with an eastern European accent. I quickly realized he was probably clueless about the customs of how to act around a boat ramp, and he finally summed up the situation, and saw why I was yelling at him. Anyhow, things deescalated quickly, and I got one of those many lessons in life that situations aren't necessarily what you think they are until you get all the facts. The towed boat got in all right, and "Cleopatra" and I enjoyed a slow motor back to our marina. Chalk up another lesson in life skills!

And, no, there was no beer involved. I did all that totally sober!

[dlandersson]

Actually, if he grew up in EE, everybody yells and gets excited. at first - it's like two Gorillas pounding their chests. Only when there's actual physical contact (or the threat of it) do people get reasonable.

[81venture]

So!

Did ya get the $50

[Chinook]

My on the water tow story takes place on Lake Chelan, a 50 mile long fjord near where we live. This lake is about a mile wide and it winds deep into the Cascades, with steep mountain ridges 7000 to 8000 feet high along most of its length, and very few sheltered places where you can get out of the wind and waves. The North Cascades National Recreation Area is located at the head of the lake. We were about 2/3's of the way uplake, motoring against a 10 knot wind on our way to Stehekin Landing in the NRA. We had paused to view Domke Falls and were just getting underway when I noticed this 18 foot runabout, bobbing around out near the falls. I figured he was doing like us, enjoying the view of the falls, but when I started to motor away, he waved at us to come over. He explained that he was camped 20 miles back downlake, and he'd run out of gas. He was in a borrowed boat, and had just assumed that he had enough gas for a 50 mile round trip up lake and back. I knew there was a boat camp a few miles back downlake, so I passed them a tow line and angled across the lake in 3 foot following seas. However, when we got close to the camp it was apparent that there was no way I could safely get them safely to shore. The place was very exposed and the water was quite rough. We turned back out into the lake to consider next moves. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of towing him 25 miles in the wrong direction. By the time I got him back to the nearest boat ramp it would be late in the day, and with the wind building, the run back uplake would be very rough. I decided on passing him some gas. I had a 2 1/2 gallon gas can which I handed to him. He poured it in and then I siphoned another can partly full and he poured that in as well. I figured that would be enough for him to get back to his camp, and maybe enough to get back to the boat ramp. If not, he could get further assistance from another boat camper. We said goodbye and then, to my amazement, he roared off at full throttle. No concept of running at a more efficient speed. Shortly afterward, we came across a Park Service patrol boat headed downlake. I flagged them down and suggested they check on the boat we'd helped, since I had my doubts about them. It all turned out ok, but I continue to be amazed at how ill prepared so many boaters are when they head out on the water.

[Ixneigh]

Ohhhhh ok ok if it's tow story night...

Last year in a squall, one of the local semi derilicts nearly hits me when he broke his mooring. He just misses my stern and gets snagged on my dinghy painter, that I promptly cast off since I don't want his heavy keelboat tied to my light Mac, on Mac sized anchors. I wave at him and tell him to take care of my dinghy. I expected him to ground on the flats astern just a couple hundred yards, but somehow (!) he manages to clear those and heads out to sea adrift in twenty five knots at night. No motor no lights. I did notify the coastguard who told me to call them if the guy didn't return.
Next morning a scan of the horizon shows the guy fighting back upwind into the harbor still towing my dinghy! As I watch, his main tears, and he won't make it with just his raggy jib. Now he's retreating to leeward... With my dinghy.
From below I get a coil of 200 feet of 3/8 line, it's not stretchy but the length should take the edge off it. I put my anchor lines in a float and cast off, heading dead down wind under power. Once out of the protection of the lee of the island it becomes apparent how windy it is and I have brief second thoughts as my boat rolls in the rising chop.
When I arrive at my target, I see his sails are hopeless. The best he can do is a reach with a horribly setting headsail. That course will put him in Bimini. Thinking it would be selfish to just grab my dingy and bail on the guy, I tell him to strike that sail and catch a line, which he does, on the first try. I let out my end slowly as I try to turn the tow into the wind. I snub the end, the line comes taut, and my boat stops dead. I give a bit more throttle, and a bit more. As soon as I can get a bit of headway, I lower the board to keep from crabbing. We are now staggering through 2-3 foot chop at about two knots. I hope that stern cleat holds! No I did not make a bridle. Fortunately the guy knows to steer his boat behind mine, and does a good job of it. The Mac seems game, except the outboard comes out of the water a few times. That stops after we get closer to shore. Once the guys mooring is in sight, I ask him to get ready to cut loose is end of the towline as soon as he has the mooring pennant in hand. I tow him around slowly and he grabs the mooring as I cut power and drift back a bit. He tosses me the line, and now I can return to my anchors. Later the guy rows my dinghy over and thanks me.
Lessons:
Stretchy line and a lot of it. The line was not ideal as it had very little stretch. I bought the coil on sale somewhere, but not specifically for a tow line. It worked because I took it easy.
Take it easy! I wasn't in a rush.
Experience helps a lot. I've towed before and the other guy, while a chronic drunk, is a good sailor. He caught the line the first time I cruised by and I did not have to f*ck around trying again. Same way under tow. He knew how to steer the boat to keep mine from crabbing sideways. He picked up his mooring pennant and released my towline instead of bungling it or getting the line fouled on something.
Lower the board to help the boats steering.
Maybe not go directly to your destination if you can get into shallow or more protected water first. I towed more towards an area I knew would be shallow and less choppy, then headed for the harbor.
Doing anything like this single handed bites, and things can go wrong in a hurry. I was lucky the guy got the line first throw and I didn't have to recoil the line, steer, rethink my approach, and throw the line again all at the same time in windy conditions. Lots of things could have gone wrong.
I know I might sound like a jerk but if the guy hadn't have had my dinghy with him, I may not have gone after him.
That I feel was the macs limit as a tow boat. A 26 ft heavy keel boat in 20-25 knots of wind in choppy water.
Ix

[Catigale]

We anchored up one night on the Hudson in shallow water . At about midnight, I hear voices and a big 35 foot cabin cruiser idles up to us, apparently thinking "it's safe here because there's a sailboat"

Thunk....the cruiser goes aground in mud.

(You've been Mac'd!!!)

They promptly ingest mud into their intakes, overheat the diesels and shut them down

I try to hail them on VHF, but unsuccessfully. I'm not Ho t on the idea of towing 25000 pounds of boat with my 50HP at night on a tidal estuary running three knots.

There is a marina about 1/4 mike up River, and the last I remember the tide came up, floated them off, and they towed the cruiser up river with an inflatable with a 15 HP. Yikes.

In retrospect, I've crossed Buzzards Bay with a 4 HP under calm conditions but I was considerably more experienced then.

[Chinook]

It's pretty amazing, how a really undersized tow boat can move a very much larger boat. My friend tells of his voyage across the Pacific in his 35 foot full keel sailboat. His battery died on the passage from Hawaii to Tahiti. They managed to reach the entrance to the harbor under sail but then the wind died and, with no battery, he couldn't start his engine. For a couple of days, no wind, and they just bobbed around out there. Finally, a Frenchman rowed out to see what the problem was. My friend explained, and the guy in the row boat offered to tow them in. My friend was skeptical, but he tossed a line and waited to see what would happen. The guy in the rowboat started digging with his oars, with no apparent result - at first. However, before long both boats gradually started to move, and the rowboat managed to tow my friend all the way into the anchorage.

[dlandersson]

Did the guy in the rowboat get $50?

It's pretty amazing, how a really undersized tow boat can move a very much larger boat. My friend tells of his voyage across the Pacific in his 35 foot full keel sailboat. His battery died on the passage from Hawaii to Tahiti. They managed to reach the entrance to the harbor under sail but then the wind died and, with no battery, he couldn't start his engine. For a couple of days, no wind, and they just bobbed around out there. Finally, a Frenchman rowed out to see what the problem was. My friend explained, and the guy in the row boat offered to tow them in. My friend was skeptical, but he tossed a line and waited to see what would happen. The guy in the rowboat started digging with his oars, with no apparent result - at first. However, before long both boats gradually started to move, and the rowboat managed to tow my friend all the way into the anchorage.

[Russ]

It's pretty amazing, how a really undersized tow boat can move a very much larger boat. My friend tells of his voyage across the Pacific in his 35 foot full keel sailboat. His battery died on the passage from Hawaii to Tahiti. They managed to reach the entrance to the harbor under sail but then the wind died and, with no battery, he couldn't start his engine. For a couple of days, no wind, and they just bobbed around out there. Finally, a Frenchman rowed out to see what the problem was. My friend explained, and the guy in the row boat offered to tow them in. My friend was skeptical, but he tossed a line and waited to see what would happen. The guy in the rowboat started digging with his oars, with no apparent result - at first. However, before long both boats gradually started to move, and the rowboat managed to tow my friend all the way into the anchorage.

My dinghy with its 2.5hp motor can push my Mac about 5 knots, no wind of course.

I wonder how many HP that guy's oars produce.

[mastreb]

I would guess about one manpower.

[Crikey]

One horsepower equals four foot-pounds...

[Ixneigh]

I've towed boats like that before. Having a weight (Kellet) on the tow line makes things a bit easier.
He could have kedged himself in, also. Lightweight fortress on like three hundred feet of 1/4 inch line will work good.
Ix

[Herschel]

My dinghy with its 2.5hp motor can push my Mac about 5 knots, no wind of course.

I can offer an "Amen" to that! I used my 2.0 "weed-wacker" type air cooled 4-stroke on my inflatable to "tug" my Mac from the slip to the ramp when my Merc died. It was about 300 yards and no wind, but we moved right along. I steered with the Mac rudders and my son kept the "little engine that could" aimed straight ahead on the dinghy. The first picture shows the rig, but the engine is behind my son. The second shows the engine, this time with my grandson on another dinghy.

[Three Gypsies]

Almost any motor will move a boat . One year when the drought got so bad , and our marina got so shallow that I couldn't lower the foot on our Bayliner enough to pickup cooling water , I rigged up a 28lb thrust Minn-Kota on the swim platform . This Bayliner weighed 6,000 lbs . The electric motor pushed it along at 3mph , even in the river against the current .

Part of the conversion plan of our Mac X to trawler is to mount a 55lb Minn Kota saltwater trolling motor on her stern between rudder and main engine .