BLUEMOMENT

sahona wrote:This is the reason we lost 1.5 knots off the hull speed on the way home.
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I assume that Sahona has an encapsulated long keel, with the ballast taking up only part of it, and that the rock has caused a split in the 'hollow' bit. When you consider that the yard will sit a boat on boards which only sit under a small part of the keel, then you must have been very unlucky with position / sharpness of the rock that did the damage, or was there an element of pounding involved?

The primary damage should be relatively easy to repair, but the water damage to the interior must be heart breaking.

Best wishes with the repairs.

Ash & Joan

sahona wrote: you will be amazed by Dolly the performing dolphin as (hopefully) captured by Ash.

Found a cable but not the patience / ability to edit - this is one video on PB - I have a couple more.



Note that it's about 26 meg, in case you're on a slow connection.

Ash

Good show! We have seen dolphins swimming alongside but never leaping about, that looks wonderful.

Thanks for that stuff Ash, photobucket did something funny when I tried to download that clip. I got girly ads and messages and my anti-nasty soldiers in the computer got very agitated. beware everybody!
It's just that bit of photobucket, as I've been logged in to my account all day.
Looking forward to the other clips when you've got time.
And no - there was no bumping and grinding as Sahona settled, in fact I was tempted to ignore the slight noise.

aquaplane wrote:Good show! We have seen dolphins swimming alongside but never leaping about, that looks wonderful.

She only did it between the two boats - once we had left Sahona, she would swim alongside and come to the surface but never the big leaps. She did that same move quite a few times - we just couldn't record it. I swear that she did one last close alongside swim by to say goodbye before she turned away as we entered Lamlash Bay.

sahona wrote:Thanks for that stuff Ash, photobucket did something funny when I tried to download that clip. I got girly ads and messages and my anti-nasty soldiers in the computer got very agitated. beware everybody!
It's just that bit of photobucket, as I've been logged in to my account all day.
Looking forward to the other clips when you've got time.
And no - there was no bumping and grinding as Sahona settled, in fact I was tempted to ignore the slight noise.

Sorry about the girly ads - I won't mention 'smart google ads'

Ash

PS - Largs wifi seems to have taken the huff with me trying to upload so much - will post more links when I have the speed / patience to upload the t'other vids.

Bill
Obviously a very effective repair but how did you do it when she was sitting on her keel?
Did you have to dig away underneath and leave her sitting on either end of the keel?

Yup.


That part of the pier is lovely hard shingle/pebbles (same thing!!) We had already dug the rudder fitting hole and started working, when Eddie started another dig (Has he ever been on Time Team?) 'cos he didn't believe so much water could come through the skeggy bit - he was right! So Sahona ended up sitting on two piles of pebbles - absolutely no problem at all and I would do it again if neccessary (but please not too soon...) This is where long-ish keels can be useful.


For reference: We're talking about the angle of pier between where the ferry berths at night and the road.
You MUST be clear (to the left/West) of the mooring bollard which the ferry uses (and usually has a white rope left on it) and should have made contact with the local authorities. Apart from wake during the day you will have a good place to effect repairs.

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That's very interesting Bill, if slightly worrying . . .

Fairwinds also has a long keel with the aft third hollow. We have clouted the bottom quite hard (fishermans' passage from Castlebay a few years ago) but we hit the front and just had a long score which I filled in with plastic padding several months later when we took her out of the water. It shows though that the hollow bit is potentially very vulnerable.

If you want to hear my views on anchoring you will have to buy me a pint - not going to discuss that on here.

I'm surprised that the encapsulated keel wasn't sealed over at the top, beneath the cabin sole?

Our longish encapsulated keel is also part ballast and part void, but the whole lot is glassed over and any water entering the keel won't compromise the safety of the boat.
Under her previous owner she sufferred major damage to the leading edge which would have sunk the boat had this not been the case.

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Hmmm . . . I'd never seen this as a potential weakness n a Vega before, but I guess it is - although our void is at the back, so less likely to be damaged than if it was at the front of the keel.

SteveN wrote:I'm surprised that the encapsulated keel wasn't sealed over at the top, beneath the cabin sole?

Our longish encapsulated keel is also part ballast and part void, but the whole lot is glassed over and any water entering the keel won't compromise the safety of the boat.
Under her previous owner she sufferred major damage to the leading edge which would have sunk the boat had this not been the case.

That is in part true for Claymores
The encapsulated bit is sealed in beneath the cabin sole, there is a bulkhead at the rear of the saloon and then aft of that of that there is the engine bay which is of necessity open, to accommodate the engine and of course, the prop shaft.

So - if this bit gets damaged then it can fill with water and rather like the Titanic - if that was to get above the bulkhead level then it could flood the whole boat. One hopes that 3 pumps and a bucket in frightened hands will stem the flow sufficiently to get to somewhere shallow and park up.

I think the moral is that if you are going to smack something - its best to hit it head on.

I usually sit at the back in aircraft as I trust the well-pedalled theory that not many of them reverse into mountains.

In Sahonas case, Bill is a one-off and very much his own man so hence his choice to reverse into a beach due - in part - to the complete failure of what is an internationally recognised complete anchor design failure

Foxtrot Oscar, your Lairdship. You're tickling that itch on the end of the galvanised chain...

As to the architecture of keels and bilge sumps, I admit to having shot myself and my ship in the foot a little, by drilling cable and hose holes through the bulkhead between the engine compartment and saloon. This allowed the void under the saloon floor to fill up sooner than it would normally have, although it would eventually have done so via the access hatch in the heads.
I took a handful of putty into said heads and opened said hatch with the idea of stemming the flow, but when I took out the board, I found the water was several inches higher on the other side.

This did nothing to ease the general sense of tension aboard.

I can't move it now, as the wood is swollen, so it's probably quite watertight...

Billium
our anchor locker drains through under the cabin and emerges into the engine compartment - so we too have a hole that drains out - or in as the case may be....

look at that - managed to mention anchor without getting involved in commenting about the wondrousness of the Bruce ( Aptly named Robert, by the way...) Often to be found bobbing gently to anchor
Aw never mind

wud youse like tae ask Bill a sensible question like hoo in the name orra wee man wus bill able tae steer a straight course tae Troon wi' orra shoyte hinging aff his keel; if that hud been yersel', yer arms wud aye jings fekking fallen aff wi' orra exershuns ...

Do you think the dolphin might have been trying to tell you something? Just like flipper used to do