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Comment by forgotmyp77 | Hacker News Reader

how did you get out of that one?

I've had this happen. Our boat has a separate battery for the generator, so normally if you accidentally drain the main and engine batteries, you can recharge via the generator. But during maintenance someone reset a switch that connected the generator battery to the mains without realizing it. We were in the proverbial middle of no-where - I had a 1+ hour row in my dingy to a remote camp to find someone to rescue us (jump-start the generator).

Now I never leave the dock without one of those portable car-starting batteries, completely disconnected from everything.

cried a little and called the charter company. Spent the day swimming at the anchorage waiting for them to show up with a new charged battery (the old ones were so discharged they couldn't even be charged by a fresh one)

I don't have an ocean-going vessel, but if I did I'd buy rescue/tow insurance. It's not super expensive and when you need it, you need it.

Dude rented a charter. It would be pretty silly of the charter company not to have some kind of "rescue" provision, wouldn't it?

We had a very similar story, except we were the first to rent the boat at the start of the season and the battery bank hadn't been very well tested before they gave it to us -- a few had gone off over the winter. They drove out from HQ, replaced the bad ones with fresh stock from their van, and sent us on our way.

Use the sails and lift the anchor manually? (I'm guessing, don't have a yacht).

You would have trouble landing without the engine though. Better not to risk it if there's no problem with being anchored there, and just waiting for the fix.

It's possible - I did the RYA training which describes the theory of it and we even involuntarily attempted it in practicals (gearbox broke and it wouldn't go forward). But it's definitely not easy. In the end we hit a spot in the marina with absolutely no wind and had to swallow our seamanship pride and back up there

I forgot about the part where you would have a phone and can call for help! Why is the landing part hard, is it about maneuvering and slowing?

In the marinas you have limited maneuvering space and with sails you are limited in which directions you can go - directly against the wind is not possible, you need to zig-zag. Slowing is also a bit more difficult. To add to trouble, marines are often built in places with less wind (of course) and wind might change direction during landing. Note that it's still quite possible, just more challenging, risky too I guess, and also forbidden in many marines. But it's a good exercise, it makes one respect ancient mariners even more.

Thanks for the explanation, appreciate it!

Extending this comment, before motors it was routine to have to wait for favourable winds, especially in harbours and confined waterways. Here's the famous navigator James Cook setting out from London on his second voyage:

"I sailed from Deptford, April 9th, 1772, but got no farther than Woolwich, where I was detained by easterly winds till the 23d, when the ship fell down to Long Reach, and the next day was joined by the Adventure. Here both ships received on board their powder, guns, gunners' stores, and marines."

[http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks/e00044.html]

So the "Resolution" managed about 8km on the day of departure from the London naval dockyard, then remained anchored in the river for 13 days waiting for the wind to change direction, finally managing 16km to the victualling dock.

I've read about the "waiting for favorable winds" in novels and non-fiction before but I've never connected it with mooring. Thanks!

I've sailed with a guy who makes a point of doing it. At one point, he sailed a yacht with no engine, and certainly no electric motor for the anchor!

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