GTFOplan #53: Look what happened to our Boat!

IN THIS VIDEO:
We discuss the damage to GoTFO⛵️ and show her first few shakeout trips. Plus we finally get a chance to take some much needed time for ourselves.

CURRENT LOCATION:

ABOUT OUR CATAMARAN:
We love our new Balance 482 - it's a perfect size for a cruising couple to handle and is a great "balance" of performance and comfort. One of our favorite features is the excellent ventilation since we mostly live as "hookers" (aka at anchor) where the boat automatically turns into the wind so we stay cool and we don't need to battle mold. We also have starlink for easy off-grid life. Our 2400 watt solar panel array also means we rarely need to run an engine to charge our batteries.

ABOUT US:
We saved for a our future boat, Sold Everything that we owned, Shipped the rest in a container to Cape Town, South Africa, flew to Cape Town, South Africa airport, to explore South Africa including an amazing safari, touring around Cape Town, move onto a Balance 482 Catamaran, then sailed to St Helena, Ascension Island, Fernando de Naronha, Brazil, Martinique, Sint Maarten (Dutch and French), St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas, Inagua, Crooked Island, Long Island, George Town, Staniel Cay, Eleuthera, Anegada, Bahamas, Cape Canaveral, St. Augustine Florida, USA, Matthews Virigina, Zimmerman's marine for a haul out, and more!

Ann easily brought Dennis into sailing and he loved the GTFOplan of retiring early and sailing the world. After many years of saving, living on one income but earning two incomes, and cutting back on everything possible, they saved enough to buy a Balance 482.

Follow them as they get real about boat life and all the hassles of buying a new boat because we all know N.E.W. means Not Everything Works.

Kisses,
Dennis & Ann

Twitter: @GTFOplan

[jeffreynanney]

That took bravery. Thank you for sharing. We all make mistakes. The important thing is to conduct a blameless post-mortem and gather lessons learned for next time.

[jeremywhite]

Actually fair play to you both for giving an unvarnished view of a stressful docking. Well done. Very brave of you.

[tonyfromaus]

Aw so sorry to see you guys went through that. Such a lovely boat deserves to be back into tip top shape. I hope that goes well for you. Maybe some headsets might be a good idea…. I’ve seen YouTube couples go from frantic to cool after getting them. I can’t do what you can do, armchair captain here, but I have seen some YouTube advice that seemed sensible…. get a lot of practice in out on the mooring field. Pick a vacant couple of bouys and decide what imaginary dock situation they represent then present your boat to the bouy as though it was the dock. I’m sure you guys already know all this stuff…. it’s just practice will make perfect. My hat is off to you for the courage of showing the bad with the good. It’s all really appreciated by those of us lucky enough to share in your journey because you generously shared it here. Thanks so much and I hope many better days and fair winds are ahead for you.

[norhifolsom]

If you’re using your boat, it’s going to get dinged. The alternative is keeping it beautiful by keeping it docked and never using it… no fun in that! Just glad no one got hurt! Scratches get repaired. Safety first!

[btrotta]

If you're not comfortable doing something then everything needs to come to a full stop until you are. Pressing forward leads to problems as you, unfortunately, found out. Communicate with each other.

Dennis wasn't picking up on your anxiety. Say what you want and need. In this case: "I'm not comfortable taking the boat in there. Can you take the helm?" or Tell Dennis "We're just going to go down here and look. I'm not planning to attempt an actual docking on this pass because it looks too tight."

Or, "I don't like the looks of that. There's an open pontoon on the end. We'll tie up there for now and see if they'll let us stay, or at least take a moment to scout our assigned slip on foot."

And Dennis, you need to listen to your helmsperson. They're in charge of the boat. If they're not comfortable, you need to figure out what they need to feel comfortable. The fact that you couldn't provide any answers to her questions should have told you that what you were attempting wasn't a good idea.

[steve]

WOW! Lots of solid comments here and thanks for allowing a peek into what's real. I will say this, its always better when you do the first damage! Had a buddy that used to scratch his name into the paint on EVERY new vehicle he owned just so he could say he did the first ding! Great video, very enjoyable. Thanks!

[SailingKokoro]

Hi Guys, We appreciate your putting yourself out there as you have been. We are right behind you with a launch in South Africa in August. We also will do a shakedown in CapeTown and Haut Bay as you have. Your offering us a lot to consider. Hang in there and keep doing what your doing. You'll look back and remember all this learning one day and. hopefully take some comfort in how you've grown together. Cheers -SV Kokoro

[SV_Try_Magic]

When you are driving the boat you dont ask questions, you give orders. It seems like the boat is out of your experience level to control.

[bojangles]

Ouch! that is a deep scratch. Good part it appears you have nice thick gelcoat.🤔 From you video it is hard to tell what exactly went wrong. I always try to take my time, do a flyby. Once on approach, if things are not right, go missed and try again. A hack me and my wife we used successfully over the years and one I got from pro launch drivers; is that good docking almost always starts off with a spring line. Forget the tenderfoot mistake that most make trying to secure bow or strern first. (What did Archimedes say: "Give me a place to stand, a lever long enough, and I will move the world") But in this case not a lever but a spring line. Not just any spring line…a "magic" spring 😆(dramatics for effect) the one line that, all by itself, makes all the difference. I’m belaboring the point here because spring lines are the trick to easy docking. The key is to have the aft-running spring should run from a point on the boat that is about one third, or a little more, forward from the stern, not from amidships. With a spring properly secured first on the boat and running to a cleat or bollard ranging from about 8 feet (2.4 meters) to as far as your line (or crew) can run aft—exact position on the dock matters not one wit—you are docked.(depending on wind and current may require for you to be in gear once spring is secured to hold you in place) It doesn’t matter if the wind is blowing you on or off; how long the crew takes to get the other lines on; if the helmsperson must leave the wheel to hand or throw another line to the crew on the dock. Once that magic aft spring is secured, everything else is just tidying up, with no urgency required. Of course these observation is merely from your presented video. I also make it a point to brief the docking maneuver review potential hazards. Always have a fender in hand to fend off when things go upside down. Good on you both for all your accomplishments. Great job! Stay foucused stay strong! ❤


Reply

[ddveteran]

Ouch. Our first docking experience was very similar. We got a gash in our boat and the one we hit.

[bobf]

Sorry for your scratch, but now it's done, no other needed! Fix looks good! Something that might help with laundry, other than a machine. Get a plunger, flat bottom 4-6" diameter. Drill holes in the bell about 1/2", make about 5 or 6 holes. Use that as an agitator instead of your hands, just like churning butter! But that will clean your clothes & not be so hard on the hands & arms. Sometimes the military barracks overseas had laundry rooms that were more a suggestion than an actual room. A sink with a drain in the floor. You learn quick. Fair winds...

[youjib]

I would install cameras in each corners.

[paulstephens]

Having and using fenders and everyone knowing what there role is should have stopped that damage from happening, and yes you probably should have called the marina for assistance, lessons learned.