A Day full of Action – Engine Problem and Run Aground

To say the least, yesterday was an eventful day! The day started at 08.15 am when we left Aalborg. Since the wind was blowing totally wrong we had to use the engine. Everything went just smooth until the engine started slowing down. When I was steering we suddenly went down to 2 knots, something was very strange. At first we thought the low speed was simply due to the fact that we moved upstream. We turned the boat to see whether it was the upstream that made us slow and since the boat gained speed we considered it had to be the upstream that caused it. However, when we continued on the right course the engine still didn’t want to cooperate and then it suddenly didn’t work at all. At that point the wind had increased and luckily we could sail, or more correct we had to beat the wind in the tight fairway. It was hard sailing with lots of tacking in heavy rain and wind force 10-12 m/s but we still managed to cook a lovely lunch consisting of mushroom omelet. After lunch we crossed a bridge and then the real action began. The plotter and depth sounder showed a depth of 7 meters but suddenly Maria, who steered, screamed 2,3 meters and then we were stuck on a sand bank. Cantare had run aground! We were totally stuck and despite a number of tries we couldn’t move at all. We had to call for assistance through the VHF radio, however being stuck in the middle of the Limfjord in Denmark is not as being stuck in the archipelago of Gothenburg; assistance is not around the corner so to say. A motor boat (500h.p. engine) that passed by tried to help us a number of times without any success, the rope broke. At that moment one started to realize that we might be stuck in the sand for a while. However, what helped calming us down was the fact that we have enough insurances, not only the boat is insured; we are also insured by the insurance company Europeiska. After a while another motor boat (much smaller engine than the first one) came to rescue us, but we couldn’t grab the rope they were throwing at us since they didn’t dear to come close enough. At that point the Caribbean felt very far away, but then the real rescuer arrived, a very small motor boat (with an extremely small engine when comparing with the other ones). At first we thought they would never have the power to help us, but they managed to pull us out of the sand mainly due to the fact that we used both winches to spread the pressure and avoid breakage of the rope. Since our engine didn’t work the small boat then tugged us in to safety in the nearest harbor, Løgstør. Because we had run aground and needed a safe haven, we didn’t need to pay the mooring fee. You see, everything brings something good:-) No worries dear readers, everything is just fine! The situation was smoothly solved and nobody panicked. We managed to fix the engine by bleeding the fuel system, some air had come into the engine (when the engine was in pieces and repaired) and now the air decided to cause problem. However, we learned some lessons from yesterday: 1) No matter how deep the GPS says it is suppose to be, always stick to the fairway, and not 0,5 meter outside, as in our case. Sand is unreliable and can easily move. 2) When having problem with the engine try to find a harbor or a place to anchor as soon as possible and try to solve the problem.

We are still in Løgstør, the sun is shining but the wind is blowing near gale, around 15 m/s and southwest which makes it hard for us to continue on the Limfjord. But we are not in a hurry, the weather on the North Sea isn’t looking that good for crossing, we might not be able to do that until next week and we are actually on vacation. We will spend one more night here in relaxing Løgstør, do some bathing and just enjoy life. Tomorrow we will continue on the Limfjord and might reach Nyköping Mors or Lemvig. We will see, anything can happen :-) /First Mate

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8 comments:

  1. Anonymous Says:

    foljer er blog fran Florida/Bahamas ni skulle kanske ova ett tag forst - hoppas det gar bra med det langa hoppet - men ni har ju salskap - Lycka till

  2. pgh Says:

    Följer också er segling med spänning. Har läst om era förberedelser också, kul att vara på väg nu, antar jag. Även om ni hamnade på en sandbank ;-)

    Sail on!

    /Pär

  3. Anonymous Says:

    lots of sand in the caribbean - under the H2o surface too - -

  4. Anonymous Says:

    Puh
    här sitter vi inne o tittar på blåsten. Först när jag läste tänkte jag på all det sjögräs som finns mellan Ålborg o Lögstör.Vad bra att allt löstes av er.
    Segla lugnt. Eva

  5. Anonymous Says:

    "However, what helped calming us down was the fact that we have enough insurances, not only the boat is insured; we are also insured by the insurance company Europeiska."

    hard to get help from them on the big A ///Beth // 369 ba

  6. Jonas Says:

    Lyssna inte på korparna uppe träden, ni är bland de absolut bäst förberedda jag någonsin har läst om med alla era förberedelser och erfarenhet.
    Skit händer och danska sandbankar ligger aldrig kvar där man lämnade dem :-)

  7. My Says:

    Följer er blogg med spänning. Vilket äventyr ni ska på! Å det har verkligen redan börjat... :) Lycka till!

  8. Agneta Says:

    Heja Sofia o Maria. Ni klarar er bra o vi följer er dagligen. Vi vet vilket jobb ni har lagt ner på förberedelser o olyckor händer den bästa oxå. Kramar från golfbanan i Sunne. Agneta o JanÅke