8.30- Stuck in the Mud

A Texan sailor whose boat ran aground in the bottom-mud of Oriental Harbor tosses a tow-line to a local fishing boat.

[Addendum: Those visitors who know Capt. Ted of the Aurora, and want to give him a hard time about running aground, you may want to check out the rest of the pictures on my other blog, The Dinghy Dock, August 30 posting. Please give him my best and Godspeed as his journey continues. -Capt. Ben]

This itinerant sailboat (approximately 40 foot boat, home-port is Parker, Texas) ran aground in the soft mud of Oriental Harbor while seeking anchorage near dusk this evening.

After running aground, the sailboat captain used his dinghy to set an anchor, and unsuccessfully tried to "kedge" the boat off her ground.

Soon after the failed kedging attempt, a passing Boston Whaler with an 80 HP outboard offered to help tow the boat off... she gave it a good try for about ten minutes, but this sailboat was good and stuck as the sun was setting.

Guessing the sailboat draws 6 feet or more, probably with a full keel (she looks to be a blue-water sailer), stuck in 5.5 feet of water with the wind blowing towards even shallower water.

We'll see if and how she makes it out of the mud tomorrow.

[8.31 Addendum - She did make it out the next morning by motoring back the way she came in (the wind-tide had also risen a half foot or so overnight.)

After a day out sailing, she came back and anchored in a deeper part of the harbor. I sailed out in the Bauer dinghy, and met the boat's captain.

She is the "Aurora," and has been the home to Captain Ted and his wife since they sailed from Port Aransas, TX last November. The couple expect to winter over in the Chesapeake Bay and then... maybe bahamas, maybe who knows?

The "Aurora" is a 39 foot (deck length... bow sprit adds another 9 feet) "Lord Nelson" blue water sailboat built in Tawain. Capt. Ted explained a bit of the history of the "Lord Nelsons," but about all I retained was that it was essentially an adaptation of an earlier design, the "Hans Christian."]

Hopefully, we will also find out why there is a faux goose standing on the bowsprit!

[8.31 Addendum - Capt. Ted explained that the goose is the boat's "guard-goose," whose so-far-successful mission is to keep elephants off of the boat.]

-30-