Sailing Safety - Running Aground
If your boat touches the bottom, you are Running Aground. It happens, whether skilled sailors who have run aground admit it or not. Some people may not have experienced it yet, but there may come a time in their sailing career that they will run aground.
Running Aground often results to wounded pride. But do not despair. There are several techniques (depending on the situation) on how you can set your boat free.
It pays to be in control of the situation and think about how to deal with it. Determining several factors will greatly help you in deciding what to do next.
- Determine the type of bottom or sea bed.
You can get stuck in either hard or soft bottom. Mud or sandy bottoms usually pose little damage to your boat. If there is abrupt thumping as the waves bounce the Keel against the bottom, it is likely that you got stuck in rocks. This can cause serious damage to the Hull.
- Know where the deeper water is.
You will know that deeper water is behind you because it is the direction from which you came. But this may not be the case. The process will be easy if you are sailing in familiar waters. Otherwise, do something to raise your boat. You can do this by transferring some heavy gear in a Dinghy or inflatable raft.
Kedging is another way to help you escape. This involves putting out an Anchor (kedge anchor) in the direction in which you wish to move. Use a Dinghy or tender to row the kedge anchor in deeper water. Use a windlass or Sheet Winch to take the line in.
- Check the Tidal conditions.
Tides may or may not help you. Consider yourself lucky if you run aground on a rising tide. In most cases, all you have to do is to wait for the water to rise, since an increase in water depth is enough to set you free. The situation becomes more serious if the tide is falling. You need to take quick actions. Otherwise, you might get stuck aground for a long time.
- When all else fails, another boat can assist you.
Ask for assistance in case there is another boat in the area which can help you. Making a large wake by running back and forth can help in lifting your boat and setting it free. Take note, however, that this should be done only if the boat is stuck in soft bottom. This will cause further damage to the boat if it is stuck in rock bottom.
Another way is by running a line to that boat and it will pull towards deeper water. Just take caution and keep all persons away from the line in order to avoid injuries in case the line breaks.
Running Aground need not be a bad and unpleasant moment. Be consoled by the fact that you are not the only one. Most, if not all, sailors have their own share of this occupational hazard. The important thing is to be prepared, know what to do when you run aground, and learn from the experience.
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