There was some complaining about lack of stories recently, so I thought I'd give you something to laugh about (I have to bear the embarassment).
I live in Chicago and we have the 'Tall ships' visiting us this week. Plenty beautiful sailing ships among them, and I'm planning to visit them tomorrow on foot since many are open for tours.
Yesterday I take a friend of mine out for her very first time on a sailboat and, as there is only minimal wind, I start the OB and hand her the tiller to drive us to the "Picton Castle", a great three-master that's lying along the pier. She is getting a little close while we are passing along the side of the tall ship, maybe 15 feet or so, but I don't want to take the tiller away from her. I keep a sharp lookout in front for any lines or anchor rode, but of course fail to look up into the sky.
We are going maybe at 3 knots. You guys guess the rest....
Suddenly I'm being thrown forward and my Commander starts rearing up in front - I'm shouting where is that chain we ran on, I can't see anything...
The stern goes under completely, water coming into the cockpit through the lazarette opening. The OB dies underwater. My friend thinks we have to abandon ship!
Our boat slowly slides backwards and the guys from the tall ship shout down to us if we are ok. We had hit their yardarm with our mast, and got rotated around it forward and up - our forestay lifting the bow up by 5 feet or so and meanwhile submerging the stern. I shout if we damaged their yardarm - they are laughing their heads off - they think we would more likely lose the mast before we would scratch the varnish on that huge spar which is jutting out at least 17 feet from each side.
It took us some time and a tow to get back to our mooring. Today I got the OB running again after changing the spark plug and draining the carburetor. No damage done - but I've learned yet another lesson - if close to a tall-ship, look out for obstacles in the sky!
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