I almost made it into Seaworthy mag.

[Rperlot]

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Seaworthy is the mag Boat U.S. Insurance puts out. In it, they do a post mortem analysis of many of their claims so we can all be sufficiently terrorized into being more careful than our instincts lead us to be.

I was working on my boat this week end, trying to align the shaft. When I came up from my contortion, suddenly sparks started flying off the front of the engine. Then fire, of course.

I had enough wits about me to realize this was an electrical thing and shut the switch off. Jumped into the cabin to look for my fire extinguisher, which is attached to the companion way steps on the engine compartment hatch. Of course, all I'm remembering is that I keep a fire extinguisher in the gally, and now I can't find it. It took awhile to muddle through the panic an realize the FE was on the hatch which I had move.

After putting out the fire, I saw a pink liquid leaking from somewhere. Finally realizing this was deisel, I shut the tank off quickly.

So what happened? The fuel line was routed between the snout of the air cleaner cover and the solenoid. Over the years it had been chafing agains the solenoid and it just happen to choose that time to chafe through to the SS braiding. Once the braiding shorted, it melted the SS and started pouring deisel all over the open flames. I don't know if I had kicked things around or what, but i wasn't even in the compartment when sparks started flying. I'm just thankful it didn't choose a time when I was out sailing with my family.

I guess climbing around at least once a year looking at every wire, every connection, etc. isn't just being overly cautious. You couldn't even see where it was chaffing if you didn't trace the entire length of the hose. It was buried back in there.

RPerlot
CD28 #352

[Neil Gordon]

Good that you weren't contorted where you couldn't extract yourself, too.

As has been said many times, it always takes more than one thing.

I'm thinking I need to establish the discipline of routine drills, for fire, COB and anything else that's likely to go wrong. Anyone have a list of drills they routinely practice?

[Carl Thunberg]

Rperlot,

I'm so glad to hear there was apparently no serious damage and no one was hurt. It could have had a very different outcome.

Interesting timing on the drills question. On Sunday, we picked up a mooring in Gosport Harbor and fired up the grill. A friend of mine decided he'd go for a swim. I took the opportunity to actually try hoisting him back on board using the Lifesling and the main halyard winch, not the boarding ladder. It was a lot harder than I expected. He's about 200 pounds and the halyard winch on a CD25 is not very big, so it doesn't provide as much mechanical advantage as I would have liked. Fortunately my winch was in good repair, and the rigging was properly tensioned, and they took the strain, but I had to really crank, which meant the rest of my crew (children) were left to handle things like keeping him from scraping the side of the boat on the way up. It was very eye-opening. We do COB drills all the time with floating trash, but this was our first experience with the recovery half of the drill.

I found some weaknesses in our process that need work. The person manning the winch needs to be the strongest crew member. That (stereotypically) means a less exerienced crew member needs to be at the helm controlling the boat, even if you're adrift. I had not counted on this. It also drove home the need to keep your winches maintained and your rigging properly tuned. You never know when you'll need to push them to their limits. And this was under ideal conditions at a mooring on a beautiful day with a conscious victim who is in good physical condition.

I think I'll start wearing my harness more.

[Rperlot]

A great idea to take any opportunity to try a life drill just doing ordinary tasks. I use hoists to pull my dingy and battery on board. It is very awkward and can't imagine doing it with a live body, let alone one that has been disable with hypothermia.

Considering I'm usually sailing with inexperienced crew, I just know that if I fall overboard, chances are, it's over. Staying on the boat at all costs is the game. I sail all the time as if I'm single handing because the only thing my crew can do, usually, is "call it in". I don't leave the cockpit without my life jacket/harness and my tether. Clip on before doing any task.

What this experience drove home to me is that I will NEVER own a boat that runs on gas. Could you imagine if the fuel being spilled on the flames was gas!. My dinghy even uses an electric motor.

I also have to take a new look at all of my fuel and electric lines and make sure there are not even "potential" chafe point. I will put the new line in a chafing sleeve before reinstalling. It just amazes me. There aren't very many fuel lines or electric cords on the engine, but it only takes one.

RPerlot.

[M. R. Bober]

What this experience drove home to me is that I will NEVER own a boat that runs on gas. Could you imagine if the fuel being spilled on the flames was gas!. My dinghy even uses an electric motor.

RPerlot.

My insurance guy always used to explain the discount for diesel engines (versus gasoline) with a chuckle and this thought "One fewer explosion and the underwriter gets it all back"

Thanks for posting your "adventure" and I'm glad you are OK.

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Annapolis (where all's well that ends), MD