Battle with a Crab Pot

[Quantico Frank]

I finally got out for a real sail yesterday which went well although the wind picked up and it got colder than my clothes would allow for comfortably so I started to head in. I had the auto-tiller on and was going along fine until I felt a jerk and my engine quit. I looked behind me and saw that the prop was tangled up with a crab pot float line. The current and wind were pushing on the boat so the line was pretty taut. I tried to reach the line but it was too far so I used my boat hook to pull the line (with difficulty) up to the cockpit where I was able to sever it. That solved one problem, but I still could not from the cockpit reach to the prop to cut away the rest of the line with the floats attached, and I was now drifting with the wind and current. So for the first time ever, I put out my anchor which sort of worked and at least slowed me down. Then I was able to tie the motor to a cleat and lift it off the mount into my arms and then cut away the fouled line and floats. I was then able to remount the motor and continue back to the marina. Lessons learned for me were have newfound respect for crab pots and never sail without a sharp knife attached to my person.

[DBthal]

Sounds like you handled a tough situation well...... Anchoring before you ended up on a lee shore and tying a lanyard to the outboard before lifting it.

My father was known for dropping four outboards from his sailboat to the bottom of Lake Michigan!

[Riggerdood]

Well done Frank. Not sure you could have done anything differently or better? It sure makes a good argument for keeping an anchor ready to deploy at all times, even if not planning to anchor.

Four Dan?!?!?!

After the first two you'd think he start tying them to the boat! ;~P

[tjspiel]

Sounds like you handled a tough situation well...... Anchoring before you ended up on a lee shore and tying a lanyard to the outboard before lifting it.

My father was known for dropping four outboards from his sailboat to the bottom of Lake Michigan!

[Tom G P 21]

If you are in waters with a lot of crab pots one item that might be worth having is a Hook knife.

Hook knife

[Quantico Frank]

Could have used one with about a two foot handle the other day. Would have saved a lot of trouble. Hmmm....

[DBthal]

Posted by Tom G P 21  - Today at 07:50 AM
If you are in waters with a lot of crab pots one item that might be worth having is a Hook knife.

You can tell that Tom is an experienced New England sailor.

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Dan

[Brian N.]

When I first sailed Long Island Sound there were crab pots but they were not common. The last two or three years I've noticed an increase. Water quality issues and temperature may have something to do with it. The DEC previously put out a water quality report on Long Island Sound, but have not seen one in years.

[Quantico Frank]

On my part of the Potomac at certain times of the year they put them out in lines that sort of make sense. But the ones that are out right now are very random and maybe even abandoned. What I hit may have just been a float in an anchor without a crab pot.

[Macsp21]

I have relocated a crab pot or two, no harm no foul, snagged a fishing line while motoring in return channel really fouled the motor had a jet ski tow me away from the pier and used the genoa to sail back into my slip the guy was pissed at me for running over his line so i returned his pole most of the line hook and bait