check props and rudders to make sure they haven’t been damaged. Raising an outdrive or outboard slightly will reduce draft. If the engine is used, the operator should periodically check the exhaust and temperature gauge to make sure it’s pumping water and not sand or mud. If a boat sailing upwind is to be freed quickly, the helm should be thrown over immediately, away from the shoal, and hopefully wind will heel the boat off the shoal. To reduce draft, the crew should move to leeward, and then, with a little luck, the wind will nudge the boat back to deeper water. If the boat is sailing downwind, the chances of getting free immediately are slim, Adriance noted. Boaters will be tempted to try and spin the boat 180 degrees so that it’s heading back toward open water. Although this could work, it could also damage the boat’s rudder, especially if it’s a deep, spade rudder. If the boat remains on the shoal, drop the sails immediately so that it won’t be blown further aground. The most direct answer to the fi rst question—what to
If using the boat’s engine, make sure it’s pumping water,
do if you’re stuck—is to call for help. BoatUS and SeaTow
Adiance noted. When a boat is heeled, the intake could be
International Services provide towing services to their
out of the water or sucking up sand, mud, or gunk from the
members. And BoatUS has a towing app that’s free to
bottom. Operators should periodically check to make sure
all boaters and includes a list of the more than 300 ports
water is flowing freely from the exhaust, and keep an eye on
nationwide where BoatUS Towing Services are available.
the temperature gauge
SeaTow International uses franchise boat captains to provide towing services, but depends on the Coast Guard to perform
TECHNIQUES
these services on the Great Lakes. SeaTow also provides free
If the boat is really stuck, lighten it by emptying water tanks,
ungroundings for vessels, but stipulates that fi ve conditions
moving heavy objects, such as anchors, spare batteries, and
must be met for the service to be free.
so forth, to the deep water side of the boat, or temporarily putting them into the dinghy. From there, boaters should try
The other option is for interested individuals to take it upon themselves to get a vessel off a sandbar, mudbar or other
some of these techniques.
annoyance, but there is a right and wrong way to do this. To
ROCKING THE BOAT—Depending on the type of
get the proper way, GLB contacted Bob Adriance of BoatUS
bottom (both the bottom of the boat and the seabed itself),
and asked for his expert advice.
rocking the boat back and forth while twisting the wheel can be effective.
Adriance said that quick and decisive action is needed to free a stuck boat. In this situation, a powerboat skipper’s initial reaction is to push down on the throttle, either in forward or reverse, and hope for the best. Adriance said boaters should never do this. “The boat’s engine gets its cooling water from somewhere under the boat, and if it sucks up enough mud or sand, the engine could be ruined,” Adriance said. This could also damage or tear off the boat’s running gear, so Adriance said the operator should shut the engine down and determine how far the intake is from the bottom. If dealing with a light displacement boat with a shoal draft, Adriance suggested that the crew—if they’re good swimmers—could probably walk the boat to deeper water. If needed, the crew should be wearing shoes, life jackets, and be aware of any dangerous current or drop-off. On most powerboats, underwater machinery is vulnerable and must be considered in freeing the boat. Thus, boaters should
26 GLB | Mar/A pr 13