What's the worst thing you've forgotten?

[RandyMoon]

It is not something that I forgot, but something that I lost. Ouch.

I was on Rhapsody getting everything closed up after a day on the lake. I was in the cockpit and the Admiral asked me to hand the keys to my SUV to her. I handed them to her, she was standing on the dock, bobbled the keys and dropped them in the lake. *&%^/

A co-worker of hers was retiring the next day. She had to be back in town in an hour or so to pick up the cake for this guy's retirement ceremony before the store closed. We were 20 miles away from town and no way to get in the car and get to the store. Her set of keys were locked in the car. ^$#@

She jumped in the water and started bobbing up and down trying to find the keys with her feet. No luck. When she went down and came back up, banging her head on the docks floatation, that was then end of that. I did not want to have her drown.

I found a huge salvage magnet and repeatedly dredged the lake bottom all around the boat hoping to snag the key ring. We did that frantically to try to get the keys so we could make it back to town on time to get the cake. We did not want to screw up this guys retirement ceremony.

Leaning over the dock dragging the magnet strained my back to the point that I could not go to work the next two days.

A frantic 911 call to a locksmith got him out there and we got in the car and got to the store in time. The moral of the story is, have a magnetic box under the car with a key. Put a wrist strap on with a car key. Have two floater devices with the boat keys.

We learned the hard way. I used to be a Boy Scout. I would have failed the motto "Be Prepared."

[kmclemore]

Done the saftey key thing too many times.....it is really the most embarrassing......you ever have someone walk by and casually say, "saftey switch"? as you struggle starting the motor? Hate that, 100% of the time they have been right.......... Randy

Sadly, I must admit to having done that one too... grrr...

[Zoran]

Ok,
Safety switch. My friend (and I am not hiding behind this story, it really wasn't me) borrowed my boat. I told him that engine will not crank on key (later on I found out there was a fuse under the engine cover that was blown), but it will start by hand always on the first pull (I have 30HP 2 stroke Nissan). Well he took the boat out, engine started on the dock on the first pull, motored around looking for wind, get the sails up and at one point get into the really thick fog. He decided to start the engine and go back but the engine refused, he was puling and pulling...for about 10 minutes. His son was sitting in the cockpit and at one point asked: "Dad, what is this for?", he did not even turn around, just yelled: "I don't care now, just put it back" and sure enough on next pull engine started, he turned around and asked the kid what he had in his hand, sure enough kid pointed to a safety switch. He had a sore arm for a couple weeks after this and his son was sure to be out of his way for a while.

Zoran

[Jeff Ritsema]

#1 Brand new boat, right? 1 maybe 2 weeks old. Launch the boat. Enjoy the sail. Pull the boat and notice white streak across the parking lot tracking right to my stern. Hmmm, what could that be? You got it, forgot to pull the CB. About a 3" triangular peice of the CB missing. Can't say that it helped the boat point any better. Still haven't put a CB safety line on the trailer- not dumb enough to do this twice????? Hmmmmm.
#2 Trailering: stop for gas. Travel for 2-3 hours. Potty break. Oh S**T, left the stern gate open, up, to 65 MPH winds down the highway. Hinge did not like it; breaks after 2-3 weeks.
#3 Launching the boat single-handed: place the bow and stern lines on the side deck, cleated and coiled. Backing up, feel a tug. Decide I better stop. Line falls off and gets caught under the trailer tire. Bad, not good. Big groove in the side rail. Cleat nearly pulled. Boat listing. Gotta stop sooner next time. Really watch how I tuck the line on the side-deck.
#4 Classic and probably common: pull the boat, all cinched up to the bow, tugs hard as I pull, 4 wheel drive right? power right? WRONG! You forgot to uncleat from the dock you dummy. Dock stayed behind, thank goodness. Different cleat loosened this time.

Cured? Not sure you want to accompany me on board for a lovely day of sailing. Not sure I want to.
Jeff

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

FORGETTING to TORQUE the lug nuts on NEW LUG bolts, and traveling to the BAY within 45 MINUTES...hearing a "LOUD THUD" and seeing the ALUMINUM WHEEL pass you up on the concrete highway...about 50 MPH, and then you SAY...OH NOOOOOOOOOO !! HA...BUT no one hurt, no serious damage, and a LESSON WELL LEARNED !!!! and BTW...I was SOBER, and dont DRINK

[Zavala]

Forgot to put the rudders up when backing out of my steep driveway. Crunch! One of them broke off.

Took both rudders off and started back up the driveway. Crunch! Forgot to put the motor up and broke the lower unit.

A $200 rudder and $1,000 motor repair inside of five minutes. Sheesh.

[Tripp Gal]

Story 1:
Heading out to a race with winds predicted to be 15-20 and as we approach the R/C pit makes a comment that the #3 isn't in the stack. (We organize the sail into a stack in the order of likliehood we will use it) So we all stare at each other and realize the sail was still at the sail makers having undergone a repair the week before. The good news was that we didn't need it the wind never got over 16. The bad news is that we did the same thing with the .5oz spinnaker 2 months later.

Story 2:
There was a certain young lady (unnamed to protect the innocent) who decided to attempt a sail around the world solo. She didn't do a shakedown cruise and headed out down the west coast of the US. Her email home announced that she hadn't tried the winch handles and they didn't fit in the winches. She also apparently forgot a frying pan and she was lamenting in the email that she only knew how to cook stir fry and was unable to cook because she didn't have her frying pan....

[Randy Smith]

OK, have another. Don't take the boat out of the water much as I have a slip at Boardman Or. I tend to forget a lot of things when bringing boat home for repairs, projects or extreme weather. I motored across the marina to the dock, my truck and trailer waiting......drove on the trailer first shot, raised motor, off the front of the boat onto my tailgate, without even getting wet I am ready to go up the ramp. My truck is a 350 Chev and ususally has no problem pulling....pulled again and it just felt wrong...for saftey(often idiocy) I put it in 4wheel, just in case.....up the ramp we went...looked in the mirror and the trailer is squatting....never done that before...looked around...nope not tied off, not dragging anything....what the HECK? As I walked around I noticed the drain gate closed....A moment of self berating and I pulled the valve........yep, ballast in and Breezy was a heavy, fat boat..........she pulled much better with the ballast out......like she was supposed to do...raised a few questions as she sat there and drained, and drained and drained............ Randy

[Chip Hindes]

...a certain young lady (unnamed to protect the innocent) who decided to attempt a sail around the world solo. She didn't do a shakedown cruise...

You made this up.

I cannot fathom the degree of stupidity necessary to attempt an around the world, solo or with a crew of several hundred, without a shakedown cruise.

You can leave names out to protect the innocent. But there is an incredbly large gulf between innocent and terminally stupid. You owe it to us to name the name just so the rest of us can make sure we avoid being out on the same ocean with this person.

On second thought, please PM it to me. I'm looking for someone to prove that a certain trailerable, water ballasted sailboat can be safely sailed from the West coast to Hawaii...

There's a blonde joke or two lurkng in here, but I'll refrain because I like your posts and don't want to offend just in case you are one.

Actually, this is good; it's the perfect antidote for us formerly manly men who feel like wussies after reading about the exploits of Ellen MacArthur.

[Tripp Gal]

I wish it was a joke, she managed to get a major consulting company to give her a nice chunk of change, someone else donated a boat, and lord knows what else was given in the spirit of adventure to this girl.

[Beam's Reach]

Girl or "Gal"