The “Captain Haddock” ran into trouble off Golden Gardens this morning.
The boat was caught in one of the lowest tides of the year. Jim, seen above, told us he left Port Hadlock yesterday for an overnight trip, but he didn’t expect the tide to go out so fast. The vessel ran aground.
He’s been stuck since 8 this morning, and as the tides came back in this afternoon, he’s hoping to be on his way.
With the second lowest tide of the year today (at -3.3 feet) — and the lowest tomorrow just before noon (at -3.4 feet) — beachcombers and naturalists have been exploring all the creatures on the beach.
(Thanks Kat and Marina for the photos!)
![](https://www.myballard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024-My-Ballard-Tile-Ad-Troop-100.png")
I was there this afternoon when Captain Speedo-Pants ungrounded and sailed away.
Betcha the captain had a big haddock before this was all over. :-)
Hopefully he quickly went and changed his zincs and did other maintenance given his free haul out
This happened to my partner and I last year at Blake Island (we were one of 2 boats left high and dry at low tide). While waiting for the tide to come back in, I scrubbed half the bottom. My partner went for a hike around the island — he may have been a little embarrassed. ;-)
Maybe we should all chip in and buy Cap’n Ansel a $1.99 2010 tide table. Sort of funny to see this nowadays when we have sounders, tide tables, and good charts.
wow.
For all who wonder… Yes, I have a tide table. I anchored at 9 PM Saturday with 19 feet of water, which is 14 feet under the keel. I figured it would drop 12 feet by about 11:00 Sunday morning, but I would leave before then. What I did not plan on was that the wind changed also, and blew my anchor line perpendicular to shore, instead of parellel to it as I had been Sat. night. (Note that the anchor line needs to be several times the water depth for the anchor to work properly.) I should have been more conservative, but I was trying to be considerate and stay out of the way of Shilshole traffic.
Sign me… Cap’n Ansel
Cap’n, my comment was a bit harsh. Running aground like that is not fun, but getting put on a blog for the world to see just adds insult to injury, and then having a peanut gallery comment pretty much tops it all.
After reading this, I started thinking that I have learned many lessons the hard way myself on the water, but have been lucky enough not to have them broadcast to the world.
Fair winds…
Thanks, Foo. Yes- I would have preferred to go aground somewhere less public- I’ll admit.
At least I got off easy in one sense- it was nice soft sand where my boat landed, not rocky.
The boat was caught in one of the lowest tides of the year.