Epiphany Sailingvideo
#67 Disaster at 1 am! Rudder secured!
23 September 2020 · 3 min · 49 views · Lake Michigan
What this video covers
A rudder failure occurs while at anchor in 21 feet of water on Lake Michigan, caused by an unknown object striking the rudder and forcing it through the steering stops.0:05 The impact shears a mounting bolt through the fiberglass and wood, detaches the steering cables, and causes the rudder to slam violently against the hull in six-foot seas.0:19 To stabilize the rudder, the crew secures an emergency steering wrench to the emergency steering shaft using heavy-duty line and trucker's hitches.0:33 The hull remains intact with no water ingress at the rudder shaft.1:26 The crew maintains a safety watch while wearing life vests, equipped with emergency locator beacons, strobe lights, and whistles, while monitoring channel 16.1:47 The vessel remains anchored with 200 feet of rode and 30 feet of chain.3:03 Repairs to the steering cables and the damaged rudder stop are deferred until daylight.2:01 Securing a rudder with a wrench and tensioned lines prevents further hull damage during heavy motion.
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