Powerboating
Yesterday I was teaching an RYA Intermediate Powerboat course in Loch Roag on the West coast of Lewis, it was the second day and so the group had planned a journey which would take us from Maivaig through under the Bernera Bridge then to Callanish then Kirkbost and return. The aim of the day was to look at using traditional navigation; distance time runs and fixing your position using a hand bearing compass. By lunchtime we had all of those things in the bag and it was time to head back.
The approach to Bernera Bridge from either direction is a tough piece of pilotage, it stresses me and I have done it many times; so we are coming from the East Loch and we are just in the shallowest part where you run within fifteen metres of the shore and we had about four metres of water under her at that state of the tide, when the engine (Yamaha inboard) started to hunt and then cut out.
Up to this point I try to let the students run the boat but I needed to act and act fast or we would have been having a close look at the shore. Quick sharp, we put the anchor over the side and I opened the engine bay to see if there was anything obvious - nothing. My next immediate worry was is the anchor going to hold - after dragging a little it bit and we now had thinking time.
I tried firing up the engine again and it decided to run although it was hunting so it was time to uncover the auxiliary outboard.
While this was happening I decided we would be better hanging from one of the mussel farm mooring buoys which were a few metres away rather than the anchor so while the engine was running we quickly lifted the anchor and moved to pick up the mooring. Meanwhile further attempts were being made to start the auxiliary engine.
I got on the VHF and called the other boat which was operating out in the West Loch, I was unable to get them but the shorebase had someone in and he was able to contact them.
After a lot of persuasion the auxiliary engine decided it was going to run and we were able to make very slow progress under the bridge and head back the three nautical miles to the pontoons. Meanwhile somebody on shore had managed to contact the guys working on the cages at the fishfarms and one of their boats came over and gave us a tow.
If it happened again what would I do: We moved quickly with the anchor and put plenty of chain out this was the right thing to do. I would consider carefully if I was going to move from a secure anchor when I couldn’t be sure if the engine was going to continue to run, I would probably stay on the anchor. I would find out if there are any quirks to starting the auxiliary engine, oh and I would take my own mobile phone in a waterproof case, there are places in Loch Roag where the VHF signal isn’t great.
I don’t know what the problem with the boat was yet so we shall see if there was anything mechanical I could have done.
