T&T: Hits and misses

[Rich Gano]

My impression is that we spend a fair amount of time here telling ourselves
what we have done on our boats, both operationally and materially, that
seemed to be a roaring success.   That's just fine, but "lessons learned"
typically derive from both positive and negative experiences.  In the realm
of safety considerations, we were always told in the Navy that all Navy
safety regulations were written in blood.

So I got to thinking if there were any such experiences I'd had that would
offer up lessons learned to those who had not experienced same.  Nope, you
all know everything right to do - just kidding.

I'm thinking my biggest operational error occurred when I tried to get
underway with a bunch of folks aboard and too many hands got to helping
leaving on doubled 5/8-inch line still cleated.  Did you know that such a
line has the ability to yank a 40,000-lb boat with both engines clutched and
a 20-30 foot head start back into the slip?  I only happened once in twenty
years, but I'll remember it and be even more careful when there are more
folks around.  I normally do not allow guests to "help," but when they are
experienced boaters, it's hard not to.  Anyway, I am always the last person
to check the lines.

Going aground - well that goes with the territory in our thin but forgiving
waters here in the panhandle of Florida.  But once I could have avoided it
by paying more attention to the charts - goes without saying.  It was in
FAMILIAR waters.  Do you notice taking more care when you are away from home
waters?

On the material side of things, I suppose there are a lot of things I have
miscued on, like painting my hull with enamel paint.  It was "marine" enamel
but chalked the following year.

Another time, I "Cetol'd" my teak decks thinking it would "seal" them
against water intrusion.  WOW! were those decks hot the next summer.  That
cannot have done them any good.

I have black sun screens snapped over my salon windows.  I think I'll be
happier and cooler with the new white ones on order.

PVC dinghies have been the bane of my existence.  I think I bought one or
two not even knowing what material they were made of.  I am hoping my new
Hypalon RULES.

New bottom paint won't hold flaky bottom on very long - but I knew that when
I did it.

I don't care how hard it is to do or how much it costs, I would do a
compression test on any diesel engine in a boat I was buying.  I do not buy
a boat with a muffler system capable of back-draining into the engines if
something rots away in the muffler.

That's about 10 grand worth or lessons, but, what the heck,  I have to see a
hearse with a trailer.

Rich Gano
CALYPSO (GB-42-295)
Southport, FL