One that still wakes me up at night…
Working as GM in a boatyard which stored, on hardstanding, some very expensive racing yachts. Most of these yachts are kept ashore all winter, with dehumidifiers to dry them out – less weight, faster boat. The output from the dehumidifiers is via a hose usually poked through a seacock – in this case the toilet one (about 1.25in diameter). Anyway, this boat (a £250k one) boat gets launched in the slings, I start the motor and pop her on the moorings and wait for the launch to to pick us up. The launch arrives and the driver mentions that the yacht is pretty low in the bows, I respond saying that its high water and the anchor strop was probably pulling her down a bit, nothing to worry about. How wrong was I.
Hop on the launch and have a quick look back, the bow is REALLY low, I ask the launch driver to turn around and I’ll have another look. Unlock the boards and look in – water halfway up the companionway ladder! I dived in and swam/waded forward and see the sea gusing through the open seacock. Manage to get my hand on it (and keep my head just above water) and find a cap…
Four hours it took to bail her out – I never did own up to the owner when he mentioned that the bloody dehumidifiers didn’t seem to have made much difference that winter!
