Boat Aground In Patong

[DanBlack]

There is a guy aground on the south end of Patong beach. he said his anchor chain was cut while he was sleeping. It was his first night here, he does not know anybody, and he does not have the money that they want to tow him off properly. For some reason the powers in Phuket will not help him. There were about 30 of us trying to push him back in manually (about 50 more thinking it was great drinking entertainment) at high tide. The high tide for today, June 22 is about 1530. If you want to try to help in some way, try to be there about an hour before. He could use more than just muscle, he could use good ideas, even food.

[Sir Burr]

Why did he anchor on the west coast of Phuket during the south-west monsoon? Anchoring on a lee-shore was very foolish of him.

Why is he broke? Yachts cost money to run, what was he planning to eat? Isn't he insured?

Anyway, I hope he gets his boat off, very worrying having to sleep on Patong beach. Trouble is, if the sand has got hold of the keel, it'll take more than man-power to move her.

[mackayae]

Try air bags. We use them in wreck and salvage diving. Check the local dive shops or marine salvage companies. Once you get the equipment you need two divers to attach it to the yatch. Good luck.

[thaigerd]

Working today, sorry!

Otherwise I would have come for sure. In case another attempt on this weekend let us know.

Good luck for today!

Gerd

[Tonton]

Ouch !

I'm in Bangkok today so sorry :-(

Anyway , hope everything should be fine.

Ton

[LivinginKata]

Why did he anchor on the west coast of Phuket during the south-west monsoon? Anchoring on a lee-shore was very foolish of him.

Why is he broke? Yachts cost money to run, what was he planning to eat? Isn't he insured?

Anyway, I hope he gets his boat off, very worrying having to sleep on Patong beach. Trouble is, if the sand has got hold of the keel, it'll take more than man-power to move her.

Exactly the first thing I thought, anchoring off Patong when there was a gale blowing onshore that night.

Plenty of peniless boat bums about, I used to be one.

Marine insurance, not worth it. Insurance company would not pay as in this case they would claim owner negligence. They always find some excuse not to pay.

I too hope he gets his boat off. I assume they thought to get some anchors set as far out as possible low tide to help kedge the boat off. And dug out the keel.

I'll try to get down before high water today.

[Mid]

Once you get the equipment you need two divers to attach it to the yatch.

umm , no.

Curious beachgoers look at the 38-foot Sultan sailboat, stranded on the south end of Patong Beach. The yacht was washed up on shore Monday morning, and the owner has been unable to refloat it despite assistance from volunteers.

The Phuket Gazette Co Ltd

[bino]

Plenty of peniless boat bums about, I used to be one.

Me too.

I'm assuming that it is a sailboat - the preferred method of transport for broke dick boaters! If so, I have a suggestion to help get him ungrounded.

I too hope he gets his boat off. I assume they thought to get some anchors set as far out as possible low tide to help kedge the boat off.

This is the way to go... but run the anchor out as far as possible depending on how much line you have available, perpendicular to the length of the boat and in line with the mast base.

Attach the line from the anchor to a halyard, then winch on the halyard causing the boat to roll over on its beam. This will cause the bouyancy of the boat to lift the keel vertically out of the sand and muck (instead of trying to drag the boat across the bottom and bulldoze through it horizontally) and will reduce the overall draft as the keel is raised on an angle.

Have another boat ready to pull the grounded boat out to deeper water (following the arc of the kedge anchor line) as soon as the keel lifts off the bottom.

Done right- it works every time. Do use as much line as you have or can scrounge up to create as shallow of an angle as possible from the top of the mast to the kedge anchor. If the anchor is too close, it will not hold against the bouyancy of the boat.

If I wasn't in Bangkok, I'd come down and help out. Good luck to you guys!

Edited June 22, 2007 by bino

[bino]

Aowww.....

The picture got posted while I was typing the last reply. I didn't realize that the boat was high and dry.

My solution might not work so well in this case- depending on if the high tide will give you enough water to float the boat on its beam. You may need to dig out the sand to create the depth needed, and work fast as the incoming tide fills up the hole.

Still- good luck to you guys! you're gonna need it.

[LivinginKata]

Yeh Bino, that's the way to do. I just did not want to get too technical. I've unstuck my yacht that way a few times when entering harbour with bad charts. But that's only with the keel dug in a foot or so and the yacht hull in some depth of water. With keel fully dug in they would need to dig out the keel and use the main anchor windlass to drag the boat back into the water (maybe). The rigging winches would be no good, too light.

I assume they have tried all that. I'm off to look right now.

[LivinginKata]

Back from the beach. No luck, tide not really high enough, and the anchor set at low tide just came out with the incoming tide. Some heroics with some folks trying to set the anchor in the surf....

[bino]

Thanks for the pictures LivinginKata... I was curious about how things were getting on there.

If your pictures represent the high water level, I think it is going to take a backhoe or some other heavy equipment to get that boat back to the sea.

[LivinginKata]

Roger that... a backhoe, or some sort of powerful tug. Guy's checking out tugs tomorrow, but they will want a lot of money. Some guy from the Patong tesiban promised a backhoe yesterday, but no show... Really the tug is the safest way as it going to be hard to keep the boat head to in that strong surf. People pushing are going to get hurt...

[thaigerd]

Just an idea:

Why not contact ROLLY TASKER on Chaofa Rd. and ask for some help?

A good way to promote their company

Gerd

[chinthee]

I'll hire him to bring in a bootleg boatload of fine Ozzie wines!

[Mid]

suspect that it's not their idea of what a customer should be identified as

[LivinginKata]

I'll hire him to bring in a bootleg boatload of fine Ozzie wines!

Some of you guys are the pits... stupid jokes about another fellow human being's major problem Get out of here...

[chinthee]

I'll hire him to bring in a bootleg boatload of fine Ozzie wines!

Some of you guys are the pits... stupid jokes about another fellow human being's major problem Get out of here...

Oh, come on... it was a harmless joke. None of us wish anything bad on anyone else. However, when it's reported that he's piloting a yacht and cannot even afford food, what do you expect us to think?

[Zeid]

would anyone agree the reason behind this anchor thingy, is the same reason behind the why there is no bus runing on the west coast

sorry but if you have a boat you should know pretty well not to moore it on any west coast bay.

again why did the authorities not help??

i think it might be my imagination

Edited June 22, 2007 by Zeid

[bino]

would anyone agree the reason behind this anchor thingy, is the same reason behind the why there is no bus runing on the west coast

I don't understand what you mean by this- can you explain in more detail?

sorry but if you have a boat you should know pretty well not to moore it on any west coast bay.

There is really no reason not to anchor on a leeward shore. In many places and destinations worldwide, there is no choice. The only factor is having adequate ground tackle (anchor and chain) to hold your yacht in any conditions- even hurricane force winds. Proper ground tackle and some basic seamanship make anchoring anywhere in any conditions possible.

The anchor chain was reported as being cut. The ground tackle and sea / weather conditons were not the problem causing the yacht to become adrift.

The high seas and winds did however contribute to it becoming high and dry on Patong beach. If he was in a sheltered anchorage in calm conditions, his keel would be stuck in the sand, but he wouldn't have been blown ashore.

again why did the authorities not help??

I wonder this also- you would think that they would like to keep Patong beach looking good for the tourists- without unsightly beached yachts!

[Mid]

There is really no reason not to anchor on a leeward shore.

JHC

this thread is a bloody good reason not too ................................

[DanBlack]

Well the high and dry sailor (Mike from England) is going to wait. The next full moon is Sat, but he is going to try to get it off Fri. morning about 0900. That will give him time to maybe organize some mechanical assistance, and spread the word for plenty of pushers. When I previously mentioned he needed any kind of help, including food, it was not because he could not afford it. It was because he was a little too busy to go out, and it I thought it difficult to cook on a 45 degree angle. By the way Bino, you sound like you really know your stuff

[thaigerd]

I contacted already ROLLY TASKER may be we are lucky to get some additional help from them.

Gerd

[donna]

youre a star gerd.

[bino]

By the way Bino, you sound like you really know your stuff

Without going into huge details about my sailing history... my parents bought a sailboat when I was 11 yrs old. It is still anchored in front of our house in the Canadian Gulf Islands. In my 20's, I lived in the Virgin Islands, where I had the opportunity to do a lot of sailing. I saw four hurricanes during my time there, so you learn how to secure a boat as they are approaching, and everyone always lends a hand to re-float the salvagable yachts that have broken loose and litter the beaches after they have passed.

I've also sailed a lot of bluewater miles as delivery crew- sailing rich guys toys from the east coast of the US down to the islands for the winter season, or back to the US in the spring. The delivery captains were all extremely knowledgable guys who had sailed hundreds of thousands of miles on many different kinds of yachts, and I learned a lot from them.

I hope that you and everyone else involved can get this guy back in the water soon.

[Mid]

The delivery captains were all extremely knowledgable guys who had sailed hundreds of thousands of miles on many different kinds of yachts, and I learned a lot from them.

and how many of them would agree with your lee-shore anchoring statement ?

[bino]

and how many of them would agree with your lee-shore anchoring statement ?

All of them.

It is the safest thing to do when making landfall at night on an unfamiliar coastline after a 19 day offshore passage. It makes more sense than trying to navigate along an unknown leeward shore trying to find an anchorage in the dark. State of the art electronics such as GPS and RADAR are wonderful, but nothing beats daylight and eyeballs for locating unmarked reefs and rocks.

What my captains would have done differently is to set two anchors, and if conditons were extreme, maintained the watch rotation until conditions improve or daylight arrives and we could make port safely. Unfortunately, neither of these options would have helped the guy on Patong Beach because he was singlehanded, and whoever cut his chain could have cut two just as easily.

[Mid]

There is really no reason not to anchor on a leeward shore.

you stay in your boat and I'll stay in mine .

[bino]

you stay in your boat and I'll stay in mine .

Fair enough. Wish you fair winds and a speedy landfall.

[Mid]

meanwhile this guy is beginning to sound like a right prat ....

High and dry

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Pol Sgt Payong Chitsombat of the Tourist Police office in Patong told the Gazette that Patong Municipality had already offered the Briton free use of a tractor to free the vessel from the sand.

However, the cash-strapped Brit declined the offer after being told he would have to hire a large boat to tow the vessel back out into the bay at high tide, Sgt Payong said.

“It can’t be moved by heavy equipment alone, but also needs to be towed out by another vessel,” he said.

Mr Wilson had told the Gazette earlier, “I have no money to pay to refloat the yacht, and in my country if an accident like this happens there is no need to pay any money, too.”

Officials continued to bring Wilson food and have left phone numbers so they can be contacted for more help.

The Phuket Gazette Co Ltd

hey bino , you friends with this guy ?