The day before, when leaving an anchorage in the nearby Greek Fourni islands, an ominous clunk had preceded a rapid increase in engine revolutions. I backed off the throttle and turned the wheel to steer towards the entrance of the anchorage. The wheel jammed and the rudder appeared to be locked in a fixed position. There was no response from the engine which, although running normally, was not moving the yacht.
We had been anchored in the bay overnight with a family of charterers on board who were due to leave us the next day in Samos. The loud clunk occurred just as the anchor came aboard and the engine was put in gear to motor out of the bay.
Fortunately, we were still in the middle of the bay and I ran forward to let the anchor go into the crystal-clear water. After considering the situation I found a snorkel and mask and hung the swimming ladder over the side.
Once in the water, it was easy to understand what had happened. The propeller shaft had broken within the stern tube. The propeller, with some of the shaft attached, had slid out and wedged into the aperture in the rudder, preventing clearance for it to move from side to side.
Denne historien er fra September 2020-utgaven av Practical Boat Owner.
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Denne historien er fra September 2020-utgaven av Practical Boat Owner.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Orca sink yacht in Strait of Gibraltar
Spain's maritime rescue service, Salvamento Maritimo, has reported that a 15m (49ft) yacht sank in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar following interaction with a pod of orca.
No kill cord or lifejackets were worn during fatal powerboat crash
A kill cord and lifejacket are useless unless worn-that's the warning from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), following its investigation into a powerboat crash that killed a 32-year-old woman and five-year-old girl on 2 October 2022.
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