At best, running aground is a nuisance that careful maneuvering can remedy. At worst, running aground can cause injury or fatalities, especially if the boat was traveling at a high rate of speed when the hull met the bottom of ocean, lake or river.
To avoid running aground altogether, equip your boat with a depth finder and carry charts, or invest in a chart plotter to know exactly how deep the water is where you are boating. While it's not a fool-proof solution, you do stand a better chance of avoiding this boater's nightmare.
If you do run aground, first you need to distinguish from soft aground and hard aground. Soft aground is where you feel the boat touch bottom, but you aren't stuck. I've had this happen to me, and I simply stopped the boat and put it in reverse to back up directly from the direction I was headed. It was nighttime, so I took a few minutes to get my bearings and got underway again with no problems.
If you are hard aground, that is another matter. If you boat in an area with tides, and assuming you went aground at low tide, usually waiting it out while the tide rises and your boat floats again is the easiest solution. However, if you went aground at high tide, you will probably need to call a boater's assistance company for help in towing your vessel to deeper water.
IMPORTANT: Make a round of your boat when you run aground to be sure no damage has occurred to the hull. Depending upon the bottom type, running aground can puncture the hull and create an even dangerous situation. If you begin taking on water, call the Coast Guard immediately on Channel 16 or call 911 on your cell phone.
Comments
There was little amusement amongst seamen since they cursed those who had women aboard.
However, there were three tense situations which gave more laughs to seaman than any landlubber would witness.
First, the anchor chain would cut loose or drag and you would spend a frantic hour or so trying to avoid the boats in the harbor.Listening to the curses of the other captains and crewmembers was part and parcel of this joyous occasion.
Second, you would be coming into the pier and the wind would catch your bow and blow your ship and the men holding the line along the ways until you managed to get the vessel back under control.
Lastly,is the running aground maneuver which happened day or night in calm or stormy seas.It’s really fun laughing at the stupidity of others while you managed to avoid this sand bar,rock,or cliff.
Smugness reigns in all these situations,and the dose of humility was warranted.
ARG!
I would strongly suggest that if you are in unfamiliar waters that you should proceed at headway speeds until you become familiar with the areas you are piloting in. The other thing is to keep a sharp eye on where other boaters are navigating and follow them.