Select Page

It is one of those sailing facts of life that, however hard you try to avoid it, sooner or later you will most likely find yourself aground. It has happened to me twice. Once when I was on a RYA training vessel near the entrance to Beaulieu River in the Western Solent, UK, on a rising tide. The second time when I was sailing single handed near the entrance to Chichester Harbour, on a falling tide. The first was easy enough to deal with, but going aground on a falling tide was a very unpleasant experience as I was stuck for six hours and concerned for the safety of my vessel.

When a yacht runs aground, it can be a stressful situation, especially on a falling tide in an exposed position with a swell running.  There are several steps you can take to address the situation in order to ensure the safety of your vessel and its occupants. Here are some tips should this happen to you. Remember that the steps to take in a grounding situation will vary according to the specific circumstances.

Safety of crew and vessel

The safety of your crew and the vessel is the number one priority. Ensure that everyone on board the vessel is wearing a life jacket. Quickly assign the crew specific tasks in order to save time and enable the vessel to be re-floated, if at all possible. These tasks include taking swift action, assessing the situation, calling for assistance and deploying a kedging anchor.

Take swift action

By taking appropriate swift action, you may be able to re-float the vessel immediately. If sailing, you may be able to quickly tack away at the first signs of a grounding, which you can feel under the keel. If you are able to tack, the vessel should heel as you do so and you may be lucky enough to get off. If this doesn’t work, try re-distributing weight, heeling the vessel or rocking it to safety. This has worked for me by positioning the crew at the bow which raised the stern and lifted us off. Also try distributing weight along the side deck which helps to heel the yacht, then motor in reverse away from the shallow water.

However, if the vessel is well and truly stuck fast, turn the engine off and assess the situation.

Assess the situation

You need to determine the extent of the grounding and evaluate if there are any immediate dangers, such as water ingress or structural damage. If there is an immediate risk of your vessel taking on water, it may be necessary to abandon the vessel so inflate a tender if you have one and prepare the life raft.

Call for assistance

If you are in a harbour, call the harbourmaster immediately, give them your position and request assistance. They will usually send someone out to see you as soon as possible and if necessary take passengers ashore to safety. Harbourmasters are trained to help vessels in difficulty and will provide guidance, help you deploy a kedging anchor, co-ordinate rescue efforts and may be able to tow your vessel clear if they arrive quickly enough.

If you are outside harbour or get no response from the harbourmaster, contact the coastguard immediately, notifying them of your position, number of people on board, sea state and any immediate dangers. They will co-ordinate rescue efforts if necessary and notify the nearest rescue vessels that can come to your assistance.

Use a kedging technique

If the vessel is not taking on water, you may be able to re-float it by using a kedging technique. This involves deploying an anchor in deep water away from the vessel and then winching it to safety. If help arrives quickly, pass them your anchor attached to a long line or the anchor chain if your vessel has an anchor winch. On a falling tide, wait until the tide has dropped completely and then you will be able to carry the anchor to the best position to enable you to pull the vessel off the shallows when the tide rises again.

Summary

Remember that when you are approaching shallow waters to be extra vigilant, especially on a falling tide. You should always keep a close eye on your depth gauge and have either an electronic and/or paper chart to help guide you. Give channel marks a wide berth, especially on low water springs. Passage planning is key, you should always know what the tide is doing and give yourself a good margin of safety.  And if it happens to you, remember to call the coastguard.

 

 

Understanding your mast and rigging

The rig of a sailing boat is put under huge stresses and strains so it is important for inspections of a yacht's spars and rigging to be...

A simple guide to understanding tides when passage planning

Understanding tides when passage planning When planning a trip in tidal waters, check the tides before going afloat. Use...

Avoiding collisions at sea – how to stay safe on the water

Boats have many blind spots, including the headsails of sailing boats. Always keep a lookout, stay safe and remember that...

Wooden Hulls – Part 2

It is important to ensure the essential hull maintenance of a wooden boat is done, even if you are paying others to look after your boat for you. The priority is to prevent rot from taking hold. The protective layers of paint and varnish over wood are far more critical than on GRP boats, where the topsides are painted more for cosmetic reasons.

Know your Navlights & Shapes – essential for all skippers

Know your Navlights & Shapes International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (ColRegs) Anyone who is...

Essential boat engine checklist

Boat engine checklist Engine oil level check Even if you have checked it previously, confirming the engine oil level is up...

Five dangers a vessel may encounter at sea

What are the main dangers a vessel may face at sea and what should skippers do to reduce the risk of these happening?

Learn ColRegs: Traffic Separation Schemes

Learn ColRegs Rule 10: Traffic Separation Schemes. (c) A vessel shall, so far as practicable, avoid crossing traffic lanes...

Sailboat rig checks – Part 1

Sailing boat rigs need to be checked regularly to reduce the risk of rig failure at sea. In part one of Sail boat rig checks we run through a series of useful checks that owners and skippers can carry out.

Sail trimming for cruisers

Sail trimming tips for cruisers. Whether racing or cruising, a well tuned boat will sail faster and tend to heel less than a boat with badly adjusted sails.

Pleasure craft safety equipment recommendations

Safety equipment is an important part of boat preparation and it is advisable for all pleasure craft skippers to check their vessel is...

Points of Sailing

The course on which a boat is sailing can be described by its angle to the wind, not to be confused with its compass...

How to use tides and currents to your advantage

If you are contemplating a cruise through tidal waters and strong currents, then planning your trip carefully in advance is essential to enable you to take advantage of favourable tides rather than constantly fighting against them.

Weather forecasting resources and tips

All competent sailors need to have a good basic understanding of how to interpret a weather forecast. They also need to be able to interpret the actual conditions they are experiencing.

Boat maintenance below decks

While most interior maintenance work can be done when a boat is afloat, some jobs such as servicing the seacocks have to be done ashore. It makes sense to do any major interior repairs and improvements with the boat hauled out in the boatyard.

First Aid Afloat – jellyfish stings

  Wherever you are boating in the world I am sure you will be using a pilot guide to aid your navigation. Often in the...

First Aid Afloat – fish spine injury

First Aid Afloat - Here is what to do if somebody stands on a fish spine: • Check for dangers. Is it safe for you to enter...

First aid at sea basics

At least one person on board should be trained in first aid and know how to administer the contents of the first aid kit, ensuring there are adequate supplies for the planned duration of the trip.

Boating emergency – how to broadcast a MAYDAY emergency call

How to broadcast a MAYDAY emergency call   How to broadcast a MAYDAY emergency call if a vessel or person is in grave...

Passage planning and pilotage

Passage planning and pilotage help skippers navigate safely from one port to another. A passage plan takes into account all...

Seacock maintenance

If seacocks are always left open and neglected they can eventually seize which will prove a serious threat to boat safety should a connecting hose fail and the seacock refuses to close. There are three main types of seacock – ball valves, cone valves and gate valves.

How to improve a yacht’s upwind performance

There are several ways to improve the upwind performance of a sailing yacht. Read on for some useful tips including headsail reefing, heavy weather jibs and motor sailing.

Navigation safety: a quick-reference mobile app to learn the ColRegs NavLights and Shapes

 Safety at SeaSafety at sea will always remains a topical and important subject that will no doubt dominate the syllabuses of nautical...

Care of boat batteries

Boat batteries need to be kept properly charged, which means never allowing the batteries to discharge below 50 per cent of their total charge. As well as the batteries themselves, keeping a boat’s charging systems in good shape will also help to keep batteries topped up to a higher level of charge.

Fixing position at sea using traditional methods

This post looks at some traditional methods used for fixing a vessel’s position at sea, within sight of land. Electronic fixes using chart plotters are very straightforward to record, but if for some reason a vessel’s electronics are faulty it is essential that a skipper knows how to use traditional methods.