Tow Request - What would you do?

[Roger Long]

We're going down the waterway southbound at 8.5 SOG with RPM set for 7.0 knots on a falling tide when we come across a triamaran close to shore with the solo occupant standing in the water pushing on the bow. He starts waving frantically. I pull in as close as I can and yell if he has a radio. He does and asks us to pull him off. He's where the dot is on the chart with the shaded depths set for 10 feet and the dotted shaded depths set to show less than 5 feet. Our draft is 4.

I tell him we are headed for a marina to get medical attention for my single crew member who has hurt her back and can hardly bend over to attach a dock line. He says he can row a line out in a dinghy but all I see is a paddle board. The marker is just down current. I ask if he has TowBoatUS and he says he does. I tell him I'm sorry but he should call them. I get a body language finger. I tell him we'll anchor where we can keep an eye on him around the other side of the inlet and island and keep the radio on.

Of course, I feel guilty sitting having beer and looking at his mast over the marshes and wondering if he has warm clothes and sleeping gear. We keep the radio on. He doesn't call Towboat and we hear other passing boats declining to help.

What would you have done?

At about 2030, I see his navigation lights come on and, in the morning, he's anchored in the normal anchorage. I'll do anything I can if someone or the environment is in danger but I'm not going to do uninsured, unlicensed towing just for someone's convenience.

 

[Bmarler]

I’d do the same thing. It won’t help for you to get stuck in shallow water with him. You stood by in order to aid if he’s in immediate danger. That’s the right thing to do.

 

[jleonard]

I most likely would have pulled him back into the channel.
Ive done that several times in the past.

 

[rslifkin]

Somewhere that shallow I probably wouldn't have taken the big boat in to help, as there would be too much risk of me ending up with a dinged prop. But if the guy wasn't too stuck and conditions were calm enough, I would have been inclined to drop the hook and head over with the dinghy to see if that was enough to pull him out.

Otherwise if it's something I can safely deal with in a reasonable amount of time I would, as it's a few minutes out of my day, and depending on who else is around and how far away a tow boat is, it may save the guy a few hours, or get them un-stuck before dark, etc.

 

[Bmarler]

OP has the injured crew to consider as well. That comes into play when deciding best course of action.

 

[Bmarler]

Not to mention possible damage to the other boat. He’s in a shallow draft boat with no danger of flooding with incoming tide. He just loses a few hours of his life paying for his mistake of going in too close.
If his boat gets damaged trying to pull him out, it starts a whole pissing match.

 

[Portage_Bay]

I would have done as OP did. The stranded boat was in no immediate danger that was a threat to their safety or life. They had tow insurance. OP was essentially single handed due to crew's health issue.

 

[jgwinks]

I did a lot of towing with the USCGAux and later worked for a TowboatUS franchise so I'm well trained in towing ops. But with a disabled crew I wouldn't try it. At least not with the trawler. If I still had my 21 foot center console, sure, I towed with that single handed all the time.

 

[psneeld]

Roger - the pic of the tri looks like he is floating on his lines.... could you see any hull or mast movement signaling he was almost afloat?

Probably would have done the same as you either way.... especially after he said he had TowBoatUS.

After assuming he had TowBoatUS and the finger gesture and not hearing him call TowBoatUS.... I would have calmly enjoyed my beer not feeling guilty in the slightest.

Jerks and liars (or not bright enough to use their service/just wait for high tide).... can enjoy their own karma.

 

[Turtle Blues]

I believe your last sentence is entirely correct.
Well intended efforts have a way of spiraling into unintended consequences.
I needed the use the pros several years ago to get a sailboat off a mud bar.

When the boat came free the rudder stayed behind. Can't imagine the liability complications if it was a good samaritan at the end of the tow line.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. RL. I've never towed anyone nor do I have ANY clue on what or how to do it. I would have probably not offered assistance.
Now, IF there was any danger to life involved, I would have called either the USCG or a tow company for advice and in the mean time, tried to get close enough to offer what I though might help without putting myself in danger.
Selfish? Perhaps but as I said, I don't have a clue on what to do.

 

[slowgoesit]

I think you did more than you were required to do. With an injured crew member, personally, since the other boat didn't appear to be in danger, I would probably have continued on to seek medical attention for my crew member.

I would probably have made a call to the Coast Guard giving them a synapses of the situation, and my intended actions though. Rest assured, you did more than enough. I just can't comprehend why, IF he indeed had Sea Tow, why he didn't call them . . . . .

 

[Osprey69]

Beside the most important, that being you have an injured crew, the liability is an issue for me. No good deed goes unpunished. Especially these days. And he and the boat were in no, nor causing, harm.

And...you are a much better person than me by being polite after your explanation and then still getting a one finger salute. Guy is an a-hole and a crappy navigator. Karma sucks.

 

[SteveK]

I would have accepted his offer to bring me a line staying in enough water and try to pull him out. Quickly determine if he is already stuck, tide falling. At least I could anchor safely and go over with dingy.

OP, why did you stop and then anchor nearby? You had an injured crew on the way to medical care.

 

[psneeld]

I can offer, if anyone want to get into situations like that...use your head before attempting anything.

One creative option I used was for a small fishing boat way back in a bunch of sandbars with swift currents running in between.

The closes I could get was maybe 25 years or so with the assistance tow vessel. I yelled to the guy if he was fishing with braided line and what pound test. Think it was 30lb....so I told him to rig a small sinker to the end (take off the other rigging and hook) and cast over top of my vessel.

He did, I then told him to reel till I grabbed the sinker and tied it to my towline. He then reeled in the towline and connected it to his boat and I pulled him off.

Didn't have to strand my boat, waste time anchoring and get underway with a towline attached, wade to his boat or make him to mine..... all

 

[Jklotz]

Just to be clear, he said "a body language finger", so it doesn't sound like the guy actually gave him the finger. I'm sure he was disappointed. If it were me in that situation, I'd be a bit embarrassed as well. Guy probably wasn't having a great day.

Personally, I'd not have given him a tow either for the liability and fear of causing damage to my own boat.

 

[ofer]

I will do whatever i can to help. even with risk of damage to my vessel.

what seems like s simple issue on the vessel requiring assistance can very quickly turn into an emergency and even life threating situation.

 

[Kuncicky]

If I had a nickle for every time I have laid an anchor down in the bottom of the dinghy and rowed it out to deep water to kedge off a grounded boat, then I would have a couple of dollars at least. Don't people know how to do that anymore???


Bill (old curmudgeon, I suppose)

 

[Bmarler]

If I had a nickle for every time I have laid an anchor down in the bottom of the dinghy and rowed it out to deep water to kedge off a grounded boat, then I would have a couple of dollars at least. Don't people know how to do that anymore???


Bill (old curmudgeon, I suppose)

OP said no dinghy sighted, only a paddle board. Pretty tough to load a kedge onto one of those.

 

[Duke 239]

OP said no dinghy sighted, only a paddle board. Pretty tough to load a kedge onto one of those.

Hold my beer...

 

[Shrew]

Could your buddy with a back problem handle a large boat in close quarters? You could have stuck them at the helm and you done the line handling.

I wouldn't have done it without a competent hand on board. I would only do it if they could run a line out to me.

I'd have the deckhand on my boat have a sharp serated knife on hand.

 

[psneeld]

I will do whatever i can to help. even with risk of damage to my vessel.

what seems like s simple issue on the vessel requiring assistance can very quickly turn into an emergency and even life threating situation.

Can turn into a can of worms, but in this case knowing Roger, I doubt it and obviously when the tide came in ....he moved easily to the anchorage as probably predicted.

As soon as the cap on the trimaran said "professional" assistance was just a phone call/radio call away (he did claim to be a member)...unless you have been a professional tower or have tons of experience pulling grounded boats back afloat...why in the world would you offer when the pros are just around the corner?

This was not some remote area where most of us would have viewed the situation differently (to a point).

 

[mvweebles]

A lot depends on attitude and expectation. Years ago I was up in the Delta (San Francisco Bay) and was flagged down by a runabout with a couple of younger guys who'd obviously been drinking all day and their boat wouldn't start. They wanted a tow to their marina a few miles away and wouldn't settle for anything less so I gladly left them to fend for themselves.

In this case, if the guy was friendly and I could help, I'd give him a hand. I'd probably define a depth I wouldn't go past - 6-feet since it's a falling tide. We all make mistakes. Boating tends to be a pay-it-forward activity where it pays to have some good juju in the cosmic account when you need it.

I appreciate the OP bringing this up. I've had events where I wish I'd responded differently than I did. Sounds like this one causes some soul searching for the OP. No fault to him, but wonder if he'd do it differently next time?

Peter

 

[Roger Long]

I would have accepted his offer to bring me a line staying in enough water and try to pull him out. Quickly determine if he is already stuck, tide falling. At least I could anchor safely and go over with dingy.

OP, why did you stop and then anchor nearby? You had an injured crew on the way to medical care.

We'd planned to anchor there anyway as not an immediate medical emergency (now doing PT). A big factor is not knowing the competence of the person on the other end of the tow line although I was getting some hints.

My crew is neither trained nor competent to handle the vessel if the anchor should drag and I would not get into a dinghy and leave her alone aboard at anchor while I did something difficult in a small dinghy and strong current (no functional outboard at the moment). If I did get a tow line to the tri and he wouldn't come off, I would have had current sweeping me towards the day mark, unable to maneuver fully, a crew unable to cast off from our end, and no assurance that the tri's end would be released. Even if he did, I would have had to leave the helm in strong current and tight quarters to take in the line. It wasn't a place where I would want to leave the helm for even a few moments. If the daymark hadn't been there, I might have done as you suggest.

 

[Roger Long]

Sounds like this one causes some soul searching for the OP. No fault to him, but wonder if he'd do it differently next time?

Nope. Seeing him at anchor (where the photo was taken) the next morning confirmed that I made the right decision.


As I said in another reply, if the day mark hadn't been just down current, I might have anchored and tried to work something out just for the fun and satisfaction of it. But, he would have had to bring the line to me. I wouldn't have left my co-owner and love alone on the boat at anchor while I went out in a small oar powered dinghy in strong current to do things with ropes.

 

[psneeld]

We'd planned to anchor there anyway as not an immediate medical emergency (now doing PT). A big factor is not knowing the competence of the person on the other end of the tow line although I was getting some hints.

My crew is neither trained nor competent to handle the vessel if the anchor should drag and I would not get into a dinghy and leave her alone aboard at anchor while I did something difficult in a small dinghy and strong current (no functional outboard at the moment). If I did get a tow line to the tri and he wouldn't come off, I would have had current sweeping me towards the day mark, unable to maneuver fully, a crew unable to cast off from our end, and no assurance that the tri's end would be released. Even if he did, I would have had to leave the helm in strong current and tight quarters to take in the line. It wasn't a place where I would want to leave the helm for even a few moments. If the daymark hadn't been there, I might have done as you suggest.

You made the right call on so many levels hard for me to even start explaining.

Me, I had to do what many thought were difficult, demanding near impossible groundings. My old boss used to introduce me at the spring captain's meetings to the new captains as the "king of ungrounding".

Not one simple thing about an ungrounding. Do hundreds a year and you get the feel for all the different hazards and options.

So a guy that has a boat that can easily withstand a sandbar grounding, with no significant surf other than wakes from chuckleheads, a tide that will come later that will probably safely float him off and the fact that he told you he had assistance towing if he chose to use it all add up to me as you made the right call. I would have just added.....who can I call for you if you can't ?...and I won't be far away so call if something dangerous comes up.

After that he would have been in my rearview mirror.

Just about everything else unless you are an equipped salvage vessel is not even necessary to mention in my book.

 

[rslifkin]

We'd planned to anchor there anyway as not an immediate medical emergency (now doing PT). A big factor is not knowing the competence of the person on the other end of the tow line although I was getting some hints.

My crew is neither trained nor competent to handle the vessel if the anchor should drag and I would not get into a dinghy and leave her alone aboard at anchor while I did something difficult in a small dinghy and strong current (no functional outboard at the moment). If I did get a tow line to the tri and he wouldn't come off, I would have had current sweeping me towards the day mark, unable to maneuver fully, a crew unable to cast off from our end, and no assurance that the tri's end would be released. Even if he did, I would have had to leave the helm in strong current and tight quarters to take in the line. It wasn't a place where I would want to leave the helm for even a few moments. If the daymark hadn't been there, I might have done as you suggest.

With all of those complicating factors, I'd say you made the right call. All of that gives enough chance of things going wrong (especially without enough capable crew) that it's not worth the risk. I would have passed as well in that situation, as I wouldn't have been confident that I could resolve the situation without more problems developing or ending up with damage to my own boat.

 

[Jetwag03]

Every situation at sea is unique. Imagine if you attempted to assist with tow and later find out a claim was filed against your vessel for damage from the tow. His word against yours and the first question your insurance would ask is did you act as a tow vessel? Thankfully you did not throw caution to the wind. No doubt Gypsy Star made the correct decision

 

[PierreR]

When I first read this I thought I would probably offer assistance. When looking at this, I am often in that crew situation. My wife is not able to offer much assistance. You would have needed about 100-130' of line to be effective and in that current, there is no way with the day mark where it is. What happens if he pulls loose. What happens if he does not pull loose. I could not leave the helm to untie before being into the day mark myself if he would not, or could not release the line. My wife would be frantic. The line is heavy and no one is going to row against a current with that much line. I could not crank up anchor without being into the day mark either. I cannot crank the anchor from the helm. There is just no way, whether he has tow assistance or not.

 

[ksanders]

My opinion you should have helped.

With enough line for you to stay in deep water, yanking him out a bit is a zero risk endeavor for you and can save his boat.

He even offered to bring you the line, so you do not need strong crew.

My opinion is we get too concerned about potential liability.