Small Craft Advisory

This is our little 15 foot West Wight Potter, placidly bobbing around at its new slip in Oceanside. Hard to imagine that a mere 3 hours ago we were taking on water and worried about sinking in the harbor. It began innocently enough, with a plan to meet our daughter and her friend for an afternoon sail on Mother's Day. We knew when we set sail that the winds were strong, and planned to raise only one sail. We began to motor-sail out to the ocean, but the engine stalled while still in the channel. With two inexperienced passengers on board, we decided to return to the dock and troubleshoot the problem.

By the time we reached the dock, the boat was sitting low in the water and there was water in the hull and the cabin. At this point we unloaded everything we could from the boat onto the dock while we tried to figure out what the problem was. My husband spent a couple hours bailing out the cabin while we waited in the restaurant (definitely the better end of the deal!) From the restaurant we could clearly see the small craft flag flying. Our estimate was sustained winds of 20+ knots with gusts to 30 or more knots. In hindsight, the engine failure was a blessing in disguise, saving us from becoming a casualty on Mother's Day.