LESSONS LEARNED

1 ADAPT TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES

As it was flat calm we didn’t consider making a Pan Pan or Mayday call. Instead, we just thought about our best immediate option. Had conditions been difficult with high winds and seas, the situation would have become very difficult. Anchoring offshore for a long period, particularly at night, with no possibility of cutting a rope off the sail-drive was not an option, so an expensive call to the French ‘Sauvitage’ for assistance would’ve been necessary.

2 FIT A ROPE CUTTER

Following the incident we detected a vibration at certain revs. Once we’d lifted for the winter, it was clear the prop had a slight ‘chatter’ on it’s shaft and a new prop was required. Having researched the best rope cutters, we fitted a 2-blade stripper.

Give all fishing areas and any visible cans and markers a much wider berth. Be particularly wary at low water when any pot anchoring ropes will be longer and slacker in the water.

3 KEEP A CONSTANT LOOKOUT 4 PUSH FOR MANDATORY FLAGS

It’s time to legislate mandatory black flags on all fishing buoys. We know fishermen can find their own pots with GPS and can conceal them by using transparent, unauthorised markers, which doesn’t give recreational sailors much of a chance.