| mobucks |
04-08-10 12:49 PM |
"Go down and call the launch" My dad ordered as we approached our mooring in Raritan Bay, NJ. He had taken me and my GF for a quick pleasure cruise in his 28' sloop. The whole time we were on deck watching the sun go down, taking in the sights, feeling the cool breeze on our faces.
"Yes Cap'n" I replied; it was obvious by now we were showing off our seamanship to the GF, hoping she would have a nice tale to tell to her parents, also avid sailors.
I wasn't shocked when i went down into the cabin to use the radio. I had known this was the devil's ship loong before this little cruise around the bay. I was up to the knee in water, if i had gone down to the lower cabin i would have been near waist deep. The GF was shocked but not horrified, i had warned her before we even drove to the marina that if something can go wrong on the Wyvern, it would.
What followed was our own little Das Boot moment. The prop shaft on the diesel had snapped and we were taking water at a substantial rate. Thankfully we were less than a mile from the harbor docks. As i pumped water out i watched as my dad donned his snorkel and literally swam inside the diesel compartment, periodicly coming up for air as he fought to plug the offending leak.
We made it to the dock under sail power and what followed was two straight hours of pumping and bucketing water into the bilge to the point where my arms felt like they were going to fall off. We saved the hell ship.
Needless to say the GF had an exciting tale to tell her parents. :smug:
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