On a sunny day after a hike on Prevost Island, B.C., my wife and I returned to our anchored boat in our dinghy. I found myself quite thirsty, so I went to grab a drink from the bilge where drinks remain quite cool; however, I was alarmed to find it filled with water, which is extremely problematic on a sailboat with a dry bilge.
We immediately went into emergency mode, asking questions: Where was the leak coming from? Should we head for a beach for safety? We ruled out a water tank breach due to the salty taste. The next logical step was to check the through hulls.
The source of the leak was a valve beneath the sink in the head (the boat’s bathroom). I told my wife to turn the valve handle, but it came off completely, worsening the situation.
We always keep emergency equipment onboard, including cone plugs in various sizes designed for hull breaches. However, the ones we had weren’t small enough to plug this hole. We found a cone-shaped, soft rubber wine bottle stopper, and surprisingly, it did the trick. We were at the point of calling a “pan-pan” distress signal to the coast guard when this unconventional solution proved effective.
In the meantime, we had the bilge pump running, and we also emptied the aft water tank. It was enough to raise the broken through hull above the waterline. With this temporary fix in place, we motored back to Port Sidney as quickly as our 11.5-m (38-ft) sloop could carry us.
So, if it weren’t for my desire for a drink and the wine stopper on board, things could have been much worse.
In Chris Hadfield’s book, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, he emphasizes the importance of not overlooking minor details. This principle applies to the construction industry and what we all do. Small issues can have significant consequences. For instance, on our boat, the incorrect metal for a through hull caused problems due to continuous submersion; a problem when living aboard the boat like we were. In specifications, even a single word or comma can cause issues, as Mr. Hadfield illustrates with the tragic incidents involving an “O” ring and an insulating tile in two shuttle missions.
The point I want to emphasize is despite the construction industry’s overwhelming busyness and the constant demands on our time, we must not neglect the importance of paying attention to the details as they matter for so many reasons.
Yours in service. I am CSC.
