Trojan Boat Forum

That's a nightmare...

I sure seem to remember someone talking about buying a wooden boat that was reported to be just launched and in truth was sitting at the dock for years. I think the local yard even refused to haul it.

It's a shame that these people lost everything chasing a dream like this.

I don't think that was the same boat , I believe that one was inland and looking at it this year not the past December .
But they sure have a lot in comon
Sad Story

only pic I could find of that ill fated journey

couldn't get a larger pic

Very sad. Easy to get in trouble out there.

This is a very good example of a group of events that on their own is not endangering the vessel but together spells disaster.

1. one main engine down
2. a navigational error
3. bad weather

Take away one of the three and the outcome would have been different.

summer storm wrote:This is a very good example of a group of events that on their own is not endangering the vessel but together spells disaster.

1. one main engine down
2. a navigational error
3. bad weather

Take away one of the three and the outcome would have been different.

+1
For me item #1 causes a delay till it is up and running on any long trip.

summer storm wrote:This is a very good example of a group of events that on their own is not endangering the vessel but together spells disaster.

1. one main engine down
2. a navigational error
3. bad weather

Take away one of the three and the outcome would have been different.

+1
Airplane pilots often fall prey to "get-home-itis" and take risks they shouldn't with terrible consequences. As Doug said, these three by taken by themselves may not have been a major problem, but with each compounding the previous, they soon became an unsurmountable problem.

Sad story and glad all are well. The boat can be replaced.

Sad story indeed for the family. But, him being a Captain with experience, he overlooked the fundamentals of boat purchasing and preperation. Who attempts to cruise a boat, let alone on a long journey, without hauling and inspecting the vessel? Especially a wood one? And how did he miss his "turn"?
While the vessel appears to have had issues, his ability to assess his journey and planning, when right into the drink.

"On John’s first attempt to bring the boat home from the Rock Hall, Md., dock where he purchased it, the starboard engine blew, somewhere around the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse.

That’s when John found out that the boat—which he had been told had only been in its slip for a few months—had actually been sitting in the water for about two-and-a-half years. As a result, the bottom was heavily barnacled, and the impellers had dry-rotted."

John, a licensed captain and experienced boater, said that initially, the conditions weren’t that bad. “It wasn’t pretty,” he said, “but it wasn’t unbearable.”


HMMMMM, since when did they start giving out captain licenses on the back of a case of Busch Light???

Just shows the imprtance of a MARINE SURVEY!!

Well, I was doing some work with the Coast Guard a couple of years ago and I asked a guy that was in charge of licensing in Miami why the requirements are so low for the lower level licenses. He stated that the USCG license is to show that a person has met the minimum requirements to operate a vessel, it is not designed to show a level of experience. In other words, just because someone holds a 100 ton license does not mean he has the experience to operate a 100 ton vessel. For me in my industry it seems like everyone's first name is "capt" and they all take the tonnage on their licence as fact.

It is sad but a good lesson to all. Operating a boat in the ocean is a big responsibility. Sure there's help available- but that help starts with self help and making sure your passengers and vessel are as safe and prepared as they can be for a given outing.

The only way I'd take my boat out of the slip with one bad engine is to bring it for repair- and that would have to be near by. To embark on a major journey such as this with a hobbled craft, with my family aboard, no other experienced mate aboard, on a vessel that has done more to lose my trust than gain it, is risky and unimaginable.

It's a shame they lost so much and perhaps it will be one of those teaching moments that strengthens the family but WOW- it never fails to amaze me what people try (and often get away with) out on the water.

Sometimes, even the most prepared, find themselves in trouble. But going out underprepared just invites trouble. Glad they're OK- the rest is replaceable.

Jav, I agree on the 1 engine! Their engine blew en route ... so bad luck. I would not have continued any further than the nearest marina on 1 engine however (especially with my family on board). Shows a total lack of skills and experience. Especially in the open, windy areas they were in - with daily storms, etc.

And now they claim to be bankrupt - by ignorance - by a hard-headed "captain" who took excessive risks.

They're just lucky no one was hurt.

Bad/No plan ... good lesson.

As for the Captain license - you to have to show x # of hours in the ocean "on" (not even driving) a boat to obtain one - the rest is testing and charting. There is no skills test - or test to see if you use good judgement. I have my 6-pack license, and didn't bother with the 100-ton or further (just another Saturday) as I never intended to be for hire. Just wanted to get the training and the certification. I learned a lot from the instructor about situations I hope to avoid - and also saw several in the class who had no business piloting a boat (one almost rammed me a year later on the river).

Cap-

No- the engine didn't blow on the journey. See the text from the story below.

"He did some work on the boat, though he didn’t replace the engine, and then John headed home once again. This time, just as he got to the mouth of the Potomac River, the steering broke and he ran out of fuel. "

Further down in the story relating to the final leg:

"Only, in their situation, there were no sails to adjust, and the boat was still running on a single engine."


The way I read it, he left 3 times on a bad engine. The first time, then "again" on the leg where the steering broke (and he ran out of fuel!) and then again for the final leg...making 9 knots for a journey from Maryland to North Carolina! This isn't bad luck- it's bad decision making.