Rudderless from Block Island

Payne's Dock, Block Island

 As one of the organizers of the Mitchell Regattas I was looking forward to taking Salty Beach to Block Island with the race. I didn't have the boat ready in time for Memorial Day and simply took the ferry out with my bicycle and a trailer filled with trophies to run the awards, but I was really looking forward to sailing the new boat this time. We had pretty ideal conditions for a quick trip, at least initially. The wind was forecast to be and started out NW, but after Point Judith things got light and shifty. Still, we had a pretty great sail and finished around 14:30 after starting at 9:00. We had just three of us aboard: my youngest son, the dog, and myself. My wife had to work and none of the other kids wanted to go. The weather was considerably cooler than typical, starting off in the upper 40s F in the early-morning of Saturday, but quickly warming to about the mid 50s. My son was unusually nervous when the boat heeled, perhaps due to some lingering trauma from a capsize in a canoe race a few weeks prior, but seemed to relax quite a bit after a couple hours.

It stayed cool, but at least mostly sunny and dry the entire weekend. It was a small turnout, but I believe a good time was had by all. Monday morning we were informed that Clif Payne, the owner of Payne's Dock (where we stay and host the awards) and good friend to the regatta, had passed away unexpectedly. It was very sad news and he will be greatly missed by us and many others!

My son was again nervous on the return trip, possibly because the wind was up a bit; around 15 knots as we left and forecast to build a little. However, it was from the southwest so it was a nice direction for a run back to Newport. I suggested we put up the spinnaker to get home quicker, but he wasn't having it, so we stuck to main-only, not having a pole for the jib. It was pretty leisurely and relaxing, until we were just a mile or two from Beaver Tail... All of a sudden, the tiller rotated in my hand, not about its typical axis, but about its length! The lower rudder pintle snapped. I pulled the broken rudder assembly aboard and quickly got the main down and the little outboard started. My son was absolutely panicked, but I convinced him to go below and comfort the dog. I should mention that I had jacklines run and was harnessed for both trips to ensure I couldn't go overboard. Unfortunately, the 2-4 foot swells were a little steep and confused, as typical, where we were around the bay entrance so steering by the little outboard alone was a white-knuckled challenge. After a phone call from my dad who had taken my son's panicked call a few minutes prior, I assured him were were making it with the outboard and I had other backup options as well (emergency paddles, trailing a bucket tied to the aft corners). Still, my dad passed word to one of the assistant harbor masters who was kind enough to meet us right outside the harbor to escort us in and lend assistance if needed. We were able to make it safely to a dock at the club and I finally realized just how exhausted my steering arm was! Looks like another winter project; at least I had already been planning to build a swing-up rudder anyway.

Here is a short time-lapse video of the return trip, ending with the rudder break:


 


Broken rudder























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